Tips To Stay Fit Like an NBA Player

Good health, agility, and muscle strength are some of the benefits of staying fit. Taking the process further and training like an NBA player certainly ups the game and increases the advantages. The NBA picks today show statistics that prove how much the players put into routine training to become the best at what they do.

Read on for a few verified ways to maintain your fitness like an NBA player.

Strength Training

Strength training helps basketball players to develop explosive power and improve their acceleration and speed. Inculcate strength training exercises into your routine two times a week. You can use push-ups, pull-ups, or dumbbell shoulder presses for your training.

To perform a pull-up, grab a bar overhead and pull your body to the bar using your upper-body strength. You can use an assisted pull-up machine or resistance band to lift a portion of your body weight through the range of motion.

For a dumbbell shoulder press, 

• Hold the dumbbells at shoulder height, palms up, and elbows at a 90-degree angle. 
• Avoid leaning back as you lift the weights and gradually return to the starting position. 
• Do three sets.

Cardiovascular Training

NBA athletes have to sprint and jump around the court, so cardio exercises are a crucial part of their routine. Exercises like running, cycling, stair climbs, and screamer lunges are perfect ways to engage in cardio.

Use the following steps to perform screamer lunges:

• Place your feet hip-width apart.
• Extend your right leg to a lunge position.
• Lift the right knee to hip height by pushing off with the right foot and jumping in the air.
• Return to the starting position with the right foot and repeat for ten lunges on one side.
• Do the same for the left leg.

Mobility Training

NBA players need supple muscles to execute acrobatic layups or get into position for rebounds. Mobility training increases flexibility and ensures that their bodies are primed against injuries.

You can begin your mobility training with Spiderman Lunges.

• Begin in a push-up or high plank position.
• Bend one knee toward your armpit and place your foot outside your hand.
• Push your hips down, and ensure your back leg is straight.
• Hold for 2-3 seconds.
• Return to the starting position, and switch legs.
• Repeat six times on each side

Flexibility Exercises

You might know it as stretching. Basketballers use this to improve their flexibility and the effectiveness of their workouts. Employ dynamic stretches (A side bend stretch, for example) as a part of your routine before you begin other aspects of your exercise. Static stretches (upper back stretch) help you wind down at the end of your training.

You can perform a side bend stretch with the following steps:

• Kneel on the floor 
• Straighten your back, keep your legs together, and your core tight.
• Stretch your left leg to the side. Maintain it perpendicular to your body (not in front or behind you).
• Extend your right arm overhead, resting it on your left leg, and gently bend your torso and right arm to the left.
• Maintain a forward-facing hip position.
• Hold this stretch for 30 seconds to 2 minutes. Repeat on each side.

Yoga

You probably have yet to see this one coming. Yoga is a way to develop core strength as it supports body toning and general resilience. It challenges the body to twist and adapt while also preventing the body from muscle, ligament, and tendon injury.

Basketball players mostly inculcate this training during off-seasons; it should be a part of your exercise routine.

Playing Basketball

Playing the sport is an indispensable part of a player’s routine as that is the only way to keep their skills sharp. Form a team with friends interested in the game and play every weekend (or as often as possible).

Nutrition, Rest, and Recovery.

A large part of a basketballer’s fitness routine is their diet. Cut down on sugar consumption, and eat more healthy fats. Carbohydrates and Proteins should also be a part of your diet. 

You should also rest well. Rest includes taking interval breaks from your exercise routine and ensuring you have a quality sleep.

Staying fit like an NBA player is more about developing speed and agility and staying healthy and lean. It is an enviable goal that you can achieve consistently by practicing these tips.