Winter is finally here, which means the gym courts will be packed with basketball players. Basketball is a great sport to relieve stress and get a good workout in while making new friends and connections at the same time. It takes strength, endurance, and agility, but adding these exercises to your daily workouts will help you get in shape for the season in no time. Here are the top exercises to incorporate into your basketball workouts.
Chinups
Chinups are awesome for your workout because you’ll be strengthening your back and bicep muscles at the same time. Although you may not feel it, you use a lot of upper back muscles and arm muscles when playing basketball. Your arms are constantly up in the air when blocking rebounds and other players and you need the upper body strength when you’re passing the ball or even shooting hoops.
Power Lunge
Power lunges are essential to your workout, especially if you’re training to play basketball. Power lunges allow you to build endurance to jump high and strengthen your lower body, to be able to move quicker during the game. These type of lunges also allow you to train for better posture. The point of the exercise is to jump into the air and land back in a lunge position, training you for all those jumps and hops you’ll be doing during the game
Glute Bridge
Because hips are the foundation for strengthening the core, they are very important to include into your workout, as you use most of your lower body during the game. The glute muscles allow your body to build strength and endurance that will be helpful when running or jumping in the game. They are also key to using your endurance power during the game.
Squat Jumps
As we already mentioned, most of the game of basketball includes using your lower body power to run and jump. Squat jumps will also increase the endurance of the muscles that are in your lower back and glutes. This exercise will also help you improve your vertical jumps and increase agility in your legs for running in the game.
Jump Rope
Believe it or not, jump roping is crucial to include into your workouts, as it is critical to improving your speed and agility. When jump roping, your muscles are working quickly allowing you to ensure you won’t run out of energy during the game. It also trains you to stay quick on your feet while improving your endurance to jump while out on the court.