Basketball Strength Training Program - 5 Training Tips to Be a Stronger Player

These days most basketball players and coaches realise the importance of planning and following a solid basketball strength training program to build muscle, and increase strength, quickness and agility.

It's a fact that many games are won and lost in the 4th quarter, often in the last few minutes. So players that can withstand the pressure and hold their own in the last few moments are the kind that coaches want on their teams, and scouts want on their books.

Imagine getting to the last few moments of an important game and losing it because the other team was stronger and out-hustled, out-rebounded and out-ran you to every loose ball. By following a good basketball strength training program you can be the strongest player on court and lead your team against any opposition.

Below are my top 5 tips that ball players should be making a core of their basketball strength training programs to build strong functional muscle.

Lift Heavy For Low Reps To Build Muscle

The key to building muscle, especially for skinny guys is to lift heavy weights on low reps. Muscle fibres are stimulated the most when they are forced to lift at their capacity.

By keeping the reps low you ensure that are lifting a sufficiently heavy weight without fatiguing your muscles too early. Your last rep on each set should be almost impossible to finish - this is known as "positive failure". Aim to do this in your basketball strength training programs for optimal muscle and strength gains.

Compound Exercises

Compound exercises like Squats, Deadlifts and Bench Press work multiple muscle groups at the same time and should be the focus of any strength and muscle building workout.

By focusing on these types of exercises you are able to lift heavier and prevent early fatigue. This will allow you to workout even on game days once you've got your routine going.

Change The Tempo

Changing the tempo of your reps will help you to increase explosiveness and brute power. Try using a 1:3 ratio for explosiveness. For example, on a bench press, the down part of the exercise is the "3" and the up part is the "1". The down should therefore take you 3 times longer than the up which should be explosive. The slow down incorporates the smaller twitching muscles which help with added strength and agility.

Use Free Weights As Much As Possible

I always recommend players use free weights as much as possible, rather than the machine weights that you find in most gym. The reason for this is simple:

You are trying to build functional muscle, and so this can be very difficult if you are using a machine that only allows you one axis of rotation. By using free weights in your basketball strength training program you naturally use the smaller stabilising muscles in your exercises to support the weight and so build better overall strength and muscle, which has more of a real world pay-off.

Use An Exercise Ball To Improve Balance and Agility

Using an exercise for some of your exercises works on a similar principle to the use of free weights, i.e. you have to utilise more of the smaller supporting muscle groups to maintain balance and perform the exercise.

The benefit here is a notable improvement in balance and agility, and more functional strength.

If you're not sure what exercises you should be doing to get the maximum amount of functional strength and muscle building for basketball, check out these free detailed workout routines specifically designed for ball players along with explanations on how best to implement them.