How Often Should a Basketball Player Workout?
As we’ve previously mentioned, basketball is a game of inches and a game of seconds, where the game can be decided via a crucial basket, a successful free throw attempt, or a significant defensive stop.
However, training your mind and body to accomplish those goals takes practice and you may be wondering, how many days a week should a basketball player workout?
While the answer varies, we will discuss further the amount of time needed, on a weekly basis, to work out as a basketball player and the added benefits you can expect to see from this increase in workouts.
While working out and practicing basketball drills can help you to improve your game, you will want to be careful to not overexert yourself and cause an unnecessary injury.
Although you will want to work out multiple days a week to train for a basketball game or career, it is just as important to rest and warm-up before a workout to minimize the probability of incurring an injury.
An injury, particularly one incurred during a workout, can leave you sidelined and unable to play for days, weeks, or even months.
In addition, you may consider implementing a pre-workout supplement into your regimen. Pre-workouts can substantially improve your workout, providing you with the energy, focus, and grit needed to complete the workout without feeling tired or lethargic.
Optimal Number of Days to Work Out as a Basketball Player?
Before we begin, we’d like to differentiate between working out and completing basketball drills and skills. Working out, wherein you are pushing and exerting stress on differing muscle groups will leave you more fatigued and injury prone. Therefore, it is recommended to complete a muscular workout once every 48-hours.
Completing a muscular workout every 48-hours not only provides your muscles and body with time to recover but also provides those muscle groups with enough time to rebuild and grow. In addition, providing your body with optimal rest will lead to a more adhered to workout schedule, as you will feel more energized and rested to return to the gym.
However, simply because you are resting certain muscle groups does not disqualify you from completing basketball skills and drills. These drills are, generally, less muscular exhaustive and can be completed even after a muscular workout.
What to do Before a Basketball Workout?
While you should aim to workout differing muscular groups once every 48-hours, effectively completing 3-4 workouts per week, you should be mindful of proper stretching and warm-up routines before engaging in a muscular workout.
March on Spot – a great pre-workout warm-up is simply marching on spot. This can include a simple marching motion, utilizing your arms and legs, while remaining in place. This will help your body to warm-up and prepare for the upcoming workout. Complete this warm-up for 90-seconds.
Knee Lifts – knee lifts are another great warm-up routine and are also relatively simple to complete. Simply bring your opposing knee to your opposing hand, allowing your hand to briefly touch your knee. Complete this warm-up routine 15-times on each knee.
Knee Bends – knee bends are another warm-up that we recommend before completing a muscular workout. Standing straight and tall, extend your arms straightforward. Slightly bend your knees until you are in a comfortable squat position. Return to your original standing position and repeat for a total of 30-times.
How Muscular Workouts Enhance Basketball Skills
While performing basketball drills, skills, and practices is an ideal way to enhance your performance on the court, those are not the only workouts you can complete to be a better basketball player. The game of basketball requires both mental and physical strength in order to effectively compete on the court.
Competing on the court not only includes the ability to shoot well but also the need to secure a rebound, the agility to drive to hoop, and the speed to sprint past a defender. While traditional basketball practices and drills will help with these movements, they can also be attained via muscular workouts.
Basketball, in recent years, has become much more aggressive and players have refined their overall physique for the game. The game requires physical strength to compete on the boards and strength to maintain the strenuous cardiovascular output throughout the 48-minute game.
What Muscles to Train for Basketball?
Basketball, unlike other sports, is a full body sport. This means that you will be utilizing your entire body and all muscle groups within the game to excel. While great for conditioning and overall health, this means that basketball players need to focus on many different muscle groups at the gym.
One of the main muscle groups that are utilized while playing basketball is the lower body. In particular, basketball utilizes the quadriceps, glutes, calves, and thighs. These muscle groups are activated when you squat low to defend a player, when you lower your hips to take a shot, and when you drive to the basket for a powerful dunk.
In addition, basketball requires extensive use of the upper body, with an emphasis on arm strength. This not only includes your triceps and biceps but also your forearms and shoulders. Primarily associated with shooting and dunking, the arms are also essential muscle groups for defending against an opposing player.
The shoulders are a primary muscle group and one that require isolated focus. Shoulders provide a wide range of flexibility and motion and are oftentimes utilized as primary anchors for the arms to compete in both offensive and defensive drills. That is why it is so important to train shoulders individually and properly.
Conclusion
When it comes to training and understanding how many days a week a basketball player should workout, it is ideal to not overexert yourself or your body. Overexerting yourself can lead to fatigue or injury, effectively sidelining you for days, weeks, or months. Rather, aim to train muscular groups once every 48-hours, providing effective rest and recovery for muscle growth.