Weight Training for Basketball: Step-by-Step Guide

Basketball weight training programs are periodized, or broken into three or four phases concentrating on a particular fitness development. Periodized sports training programs provide a progressive buildup to peak fitness and performance.

Overview

For professional sports that utilize weights in their training, which is most these days, each phase has different objectives and each successive phase builds on the previous one.

Aerobic fitness means you can jog or run for a long time at a moderate pace without getting too tired. Anaerobic fitness means you can go longer at high intensities before your legs and body begin to fatigue. Both are important in basketball, especially if you are likely to play the entire game. When you optimize all elements of basketball—running, strength, and power—it is considered peak fitness.

Basic Basketball Training Program

A year-long basketball weight training program may look similar to the one outlined below:

Early Preseason

Follow these guidelines in early preseason:

• Players are preparing for the season and starting to condition after the off-season.
• Emphasis is on building aerobic fitness, functional strength, and hypertrophy.

Late Preseason

Follow these guidelines in late preseason:

• Players are working up to the start of the season and preseason trials are imminent.
• Emphasis is on building anaerobic fitness and maximum strength and power.

In-Season

During the season, basketball training shifts to the following:

• Competition is underway and players are expected to be fully functional for games.
• Maintenance of speed, aerobic, and anaerobic fitness, and strength and power is emphasized.

Off-Season

After the season, follow this basketball training schedule:

• The season is over; time to relax for a while, but you need to stay active.
• Emphasis is on rest and recovery with maintenance—cross-training and light gym work. A several-week break from serious fitness and strength training is needed.
• As pre-season approaches, more regular basketball weight training and aerobic fitness for pre-season training.

Role-Specific Training

Within a generic training program for a particular sport, further specialty programs may be useful, especially in teams where members have specific roles and certain advantageous physical attributes apply. For example, in football, a quarterback and a defensive lineman will have different weight training and cardio programs in the gym. One emphasizing speed and agility and the other bulk, strength, and power.

In basketball, guards are likely to require more agility and speed and less strength and bulk than centers and power forwards.

For example, guards might lift heavy weights with low repetitions and plenty of rest in between sets in order to build strength without excessive bulk. On the other hand, the bigger players require a basketball weight training program that builds strength and bulk, equating to more repetitions and less rest in between sets.

Consider this program for beginners and casual weight trainers without a history of basketball weight training. The best programs are always specific to an individual's current fitness, role on the team, resource access, and the team coaches' philosophy.

It's best to follow this program in conjunction with a trainer or coach. If you're new to basketball weight training, brush up on principles and practices with the beginner resources.

Always warm up and cool down before and after a weight-training session. A medical clearance for exercise is always a good idea at the start of the season.

Phase 1: Early Pre-Season

Foundation Strength and Muscle

How to approach this phase will depend on whether a player is new to basketball weight training or is coming off a season of weights. Building foundational strength means utilizing a program that works all major muscle groups.

Repetitive sports activities can strengthen one side of the body at the expense of the other, or emphasize one or two major muscle groups with similar effects. Inevitably, weak areas can be susceptible to injury and perform poorly, possibly requiring supports like ankle braces. This is not to say your non-dominant arm or side has to be as good as your skill-dominant side.

It does mean you should allocate sufficient training resources to achieve functional foundation strength in all areas including opposing muscles and left and right sides of all major muscle groups—back, buttocks, legs, arms, shoulders, chest, and abdominals.

Early in the preseason, the foundation program encompasses a mix of endurance, strength, and hypertrophy objectives, meaning the weights are not too heavy and the sets and repetitions are in the range of 2 to 4 sets of 12 to 15 repetitions.

In this phase of basketball weight training, you will build strength, muscle size, and endurance. Guards and perhaps small forwards need to be cautious not to exchange agility and speed for bulk and muscle, although in all cases, strength will be important.

• Duration: 4 to 6 weeks
• Days per week: 2 to 3, with at least one rest day between sessions and a lighter week in week 4 to promote recovery and progression.
• Reps: 12 to 15
• Sets: 2 to 4
• Rest between sets: 30 to 60 seconds

Phase 1 Exercises:

• Barbell squat, dumbbell squat, or sled hack squat
• Dumbbell incline bench press
• Romanian deadlift
• Dumbbell biceps arm curl
• Dumbbell triceps extension or machine pushdown
• Seated cable row
• Lat pulldown to the front with a wide grip
• Reverse crunch

Points to Note

• By trial and error, find a weight that represents a taxing lift for the last few reps of each set. If unsure, start with a lighter weight and increase it as you get stronger within the training period so the perceived effort remains similar.
• Don't lift too heavy in this phase. The last few reps in a set should be taxing yet without extreme effort to "failure," especially for the arm and shoulder exercises. You want the arm and shoulder prepared for work but not overtaxed.
• Do front squats or dumbbell or sled hack squats if the rotation required to position a barbell on the shoulders for the traditional back squat stresses the shoulder joint to the point of discomfort.
• Shoulder joint protection is important at this and subsequent stages.
• Circuit training, running training, and plyometrics such as bounds and jumps should be added to this basketball weight training.
• Stop immediately if acute pain is noticed during or after an exercise, and seek medical and training advice if it persists.

Phase 2: Mid-Preseason

Strength Development

In this phase, you will build strength and muscle. The fast and agile players should be careful not to bulk up too much. "Long, lean, strong, and quick" is the prescription. You have a solid foundation from early preseason workouts, and the emphasis is on lifting heavier weights to train the nervous system in conjunction with muscle fibers to move bigger loads.

Hypertrophy, which is building muscle size, does not necessarily imply strength. However, in the foundation phase and in this phase, hypertrophy will serve you well for strength development.

Strength will be the foundation for the next phase, which is power development. Power is the ability to move the heaviest loads in the shortest time. Power is essentially a product of strength and speed.

• Time of year: Mid-preseason
• Duration: 4 to 6 weeks
• Days per week: 2 to 3, with at least one day between sessions
• Reps: 3 to 6. Basketball players who rely on speed and agility should do the lowest number of reps.
• Sets: 3 to 5
• Rest in between sets: 3 to 4 minutes

Phase 2 Exercises:

• Barbell squat or sled hack squat
• Barbell bench press
• Romanian deadlift
• Lat pulldown to the front with a wide grip
• Pullups - 3x6 repetitions - adjust to suitability.

Points to Note

• Adjust the weight so the final few repetitions are taxing but not to complete failure. The fewer reps mean that you will be lifting heavier in this phase.
• Get sufficient rest between sets. You need your muscles recovered so you can complete a heavy lifting session.
• If you are unable to recover from a session with only one rest day in between, reschedule this basketball weight training program to two sessions each week rather than three. Strength training can be physically and mentally demanding.
• Your muscles will be sore after these sessions. Muscle soreness or delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) is normal; joint pain is not. Be sure to monitor your arm and shoulder reactions to this phase. Back off when you feel any joint pain or discomfort.

Phase 3: Late-Preseason to In-Season

Conversion to Power

In this phase of basketball weight training, you build on the strength developed in phase 2 with training that will increase your ability to move a load at high velocity. Power is a combination of strength and speed. Power training requires that you lift lighter weights than you did in the strength phase, yet with explosive intent.

Adequate rest between repetitions and sets is needed to do each movement as fast as possible. The number of sets can be less. There is no benefit to training like this when you're fatigued.

• Time of year: late pre-season
• Duration: 4 weeks ongoing
• Days per week: 2 to 3
• Reps: 8 to 10
• Sets: 2 to 3
• Rest between repetitions: 10 to 15 seconds
• Rest between sets: at least 1 minute or until recovery

Phase 3 Exercises:

• Barbell or dumbbell hang clean
• Seated calf raises
• Cable push-pull
• One-arm cable raises (each arm)
• Barbell or dumbbell push-press
• Medicine ball standing twist with a partner or alone (6x15 repetitions fast, recover between sets)
• Box jump march (6x20 repetitions fast, recover between sets)
• Vertical jump (both sides)

Plyometrics - Jumping, Bounding

Additional plyometric exercises that emphasize bounding, jumping, and hopping can be performed outside of the gym, on the court, or at a suitable venue. Take care with plyometric exercises because an injury can result from injudicious training. An onsite trainer or coach with experience in plyometrics is a bonus.

Points to Note

• In power training, it's important that you're relatively recovered for each repetition and set to maximize the velocity of the movements. Weights should not be too heavy and the rest periods sufficient.
• At the same time, you need to push or pull reasonably heavy loads to develop power against reasonable resistance. Lift heavier than phase 1 but lighter than phase 2.
• With marches and medicine ball twists, do a full set at maximum and rest sufficiently before the next.
• Rest briefly between each vertical jump so you can maximize each.

Phase 4: In-Season

Maintenance of Strength and Power

Alternate phase 2 (Strength) and phase 3 (Power) for two sessions weekly. Every fifth week, hold off on weight training to assist recovery.

Points to Note

• Allow at least two days between any strength session and a game.
• No strength training on the same day as you work out on the court, or at least separate workouts between morning and afternoon.
• Rest completely from strength training one week in five. Light gym work is fine.
• Use your judgment. Don't sacrifice court skills training for weight work during the season.

Phase 5: Off-Season

Now it's time to rest. Take this time for emotional and physical renewal. For several weeks, forget about basketball and do other activities you enjoy. Staying fit and active with cross-training is still a good idea.

Give yourself plenty of time to do it all again next year.