Basketball Basics, Benefits & Exercises
Originally Published: Mar 09, 2016
Basketball requires speed, strength, stamina, explosiveness, power, and amazing hand-eye coordination. In the spirit of March Madness, acac personal trainer Nate Wall designed a workout that will help you train for basketball while toning your body and benefiting your health.
by acac Personal Trainer Nate Wall
Sports coach James Naismith is credited with inventing basketball in 1891. He probably didn’t realize it then, but when he started to shoot a round ball into a basket adhered to the wall, he was creating a sport that taxes nearly every system in the body.
Basics & Benefits
Basketball requires speed, strength, stamina, explosiveness, power, and amazing hand-eye coordination. The many physical health benefits of basketball include:
– Burning calories: you can burn 300 calories an hour by shooting hoops on your own; step into a game and burn at least 750 calories or more!
– Cardiovascular endurance: basketball is a fast-paced sport and, thus, is a great way to get moving!
– Muscular strength: running, cutting, and jumping in a game of basketball are great ways to build strong muscles in the lower body. Add a few long range three-pointer shots and you can get your upper body involved as well.
– Stress relief: exercise has been proven to reduce stress. Basketball is just a fun word for exercise!
Workout
20 push ups – Push ups engage every muscle in your upper body and help build stronger forearms, shoulders, and chest muscles.
10 weighted squats – Try a weighted squat to improve balance and coordination while working your hips, glutes, quads, hamstrings, and core muscles.
60+ seconds of jump roping / line hops – This fast paced, low-impact activity is good for the heart, burns calories fast, and helps strengthen muscles in both the upper and lower body.
10 pull ups / row (x3) – Pull ups are a simple exercise with strong ramifications. You can do this exercise practically anywhere and still get the same result!
12 box jumps (x3) – Box jumps tone your leg muscles and improve your vertical jump ability.
10 bench presses – The bench press is considered the most cohesive upper body workout, and the most useful when you’re in a time crunch. Additionally, bench presses have been proven to improve bone density and help shape proper running form.
20 walking lunges – Tone your legs and improve your balance with this twist on the classic lunge.
10 lateral dumbbell raises – The lateral dumbbell raise will shape your shoulders and help you perfect that three-point form.
Basketball players are lean, fast, quick, and strong; they are some of the greatest athletes out there. If you would like to learn more about sport-specific performance training, contact a personal trainer at any acac location.