T Nation

Basketball Program

Powerlifting
#1

I live in a pretty small southern town that isn’t exactly the paragon of fitness. Several of the high school coaches have approached me in the gym after watching me do power cleans and power snatches, and asked if I would be willing to help them with their strength training programs. The problem is I don’t really feel qualified. I’m ok with the lifts, but no expert by far.

I blew off the football coach for a number of reasons but I’m seriously considering helping the girl’s basketball coach. She is toying with the idea of adding weight training for her incoming 9th graders. Obviously, it would be best if they would seek the help of a professional but I don’t think they will pony up right now, especially for girls basketball. I’m thinking if they can implement a basic program with some appreciable benefits, they may be able to justify taking the next step.

Any advice or examples of basic off-season basketball training programs out there? I should mention that the high school gym has a pretty good setup. They have access to squat racks, a sled, big ol’ tractor tires, bumper plates and two Glute Ham Raise machines, and all the other usual stuff. Thanks for any help.

#2

Why not reccomend BFS? It’s a good basic program for athletes and will get their strength up for on-court performance.

#3

WS4SB

#4

[quote]jtrinsey wrote:
WS4SB[/quote]

I would probably begin with a very basic program to teach them proper lifting technique, etc. I would probably do 2-3 full body workouts each week. I would pick 3-5 compound exercises and perform 2-3 sets of 8-12 reps. Once they have done that for a while and have stopped seeing results, I think it would be fine to switch to Westside for Skinny Bastards.

#5

[quote]WhiteFlash wrote:
Why not reccomend BFS? It’s a good basic program for athletes and will get their strength up for on-court performance.[/quote]

Agreed, great program, easy to use. And it’s all one needs. Get in, get out & work on the skill of your sport. Toooooo many spend way too much time & energy in the wt. room. 45 mins. or less for ultimate growth of HGH.

#6

I would first make sure they can handle and manipulate their own bodyweight. If they have not done any form of weight training previously, I would do bodyweight movements intially. Once they have mastered them, then I would move on to a very basic weight program. I would probably do a whole body routine using 2-3 exercises for upper body and 2 exercises for lower body (squat/deadlift and GHR; pullup, bench/shoulder, and rows). During both “phases” I would also perform some low height depth landings. Make sure they are landing and absorbing the force correctly. This will help prevent knee injuries that are very common in young girls. Since they do not have a long training history, keep things very simple and progress only when they are ready (i.e. increase weight, exercise difficulty, height of drop, etc.).

#7

Sorry for the double post. I did not think the first one went through and I thought it would be wise to mention the need for the athletes to begin with bodyweight exercises if they have not done so previously.

#8

Just e-mail the coach the football coach the WS4SB program. It will help your team and the school, regardless of if the coach is an asshole, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t help everyone else involved.

The girls basketball team most likely needs to increase the calories and get lifting on the most basic program you can find (3 sets of 8-15 reps on 3 compound exercises x 2-3 a week). I know female basketball players who lift weights a lot but are bellemic.

#9

[quote]climbon wrote:
jtrinsey wrote:
WS4SB

I would probably begin with a very basic program to teach them proper lifting technique, etc. I would probably do 2-3 full body workouts each week. I would pick 3-5 compound exercises and perform 2-3 sets of 8-12 reps. Once they have done that for a while and have stopped seeing results, I think it would be fine to switch to Westside for Skinny Bastards. [/quote]

Yeah, I usually just throw out WS4SB as a default. I’m helping run the weight training for girls’ volleyball for a high school, our templates are very much based James Smith’s manual. Same general templates, just higher reps or more sets for everything. When teaching the lifts, I actually like doing something like 6 x 4, because their form tends to go to shit after 6 reps on the compound lifts.

Right now we’re using either 4x6 or 6x4 for the “ME” and 3x12-15 for “RE” work.

#10

im only 17 and just finished my senior year of varsity ball…but…you might want to be careful about helping them…could be a serious liability if a 14 year old girl gets hurt on your weight training program…people will sue for anything these days…especially since im assuming you are not a certified trainer…make them sign a waiver…

but for young female basketball players…playing against other young female basketball players…a fully body circuit 3 times a week and running/jumping rope will be fine…if they were a varsity boys team it might take more…but no…