Basketball training

Hello, Could you please give me a short routine that will increase my strength, explosiveness and vertical jump? I’m a basketball player and I have a very important competition in the middle of January, so I want to be prepared very well for it. I play basketball four times a week (Sat-Mon, Thu) for about 2 hrs. What I need is a 6 week program/training schedule that will improve my athletic abilities.I have access to a basic weight equipment (bench, bar with weights, squat rack and 2x 4-kg dumbbells), a stationary bike with 10 levels of resistance, a jump rope, a set of stairs (10) and the Calf Isolator. Thank you in advance for the help…

I really cannot design a personalized program for everybody … after it’s my job! I will sometimes add a sample or example program in some of my replies, but just to illustrate a point I just made. Generally I don’t give training plans when someone typically asks for it. Sorry.

So, maybe you can suggest something…eg. a good program I can find on the net or give me some advice etc.

I am currently seeking the same type of program for basketball. Any advice would be beneficial. Which program would be best: Meltdown 1, 5x5, Ovt, or EDT. Recommendation of any of these or any other programs published a T-Mag would be of great help. Thanks in advance CT.

I’m not CT, but I’ll give you my advice since I train athletes as well. You state that you are looking for a program that will improve your athletic ability yet we don’t know what your abilities are? We don’t know your strengths and weaknesses? If you want to make the quickest gains(six-weeks is a quick gain) then focus primarily on your weaknesses. Most of the programs you mentioned are not “athletic” programs but rather “aesthetic”. They are designed to make you look good, primarily. What you want is a program that will make you perform well in basketball. If you are overweight and your endurance capacity is low, then improving these areas first, might have the most benefit to you in your game, so create a program that will focus on this area primarily while strength improvement should follow on the priority spectrum. If you are lean and have good energy capacity respective to your position and would like to be stronger, then focus primarily on developing strength. Ex., a 7’ Center, who is 210lbs would probably benefit more from adding strength and weight to his frame than working on improving his speed and endurance. However, as a strength coach, if I noticed that a similar player was strong and holding his position well in the early parts of a game, but slowly faded and was having a hard time getting up and down the court then improving his endurance/strength-endurance via energy systems training, acid-buffering training,etc. becomes very important. Develop your training program around your primary needs first and foremost!

Loopfitt, thanks for your reply. It’s amazing how we sometimes forget to ask more specifically what we are looking for. I am 6’5 235 and usually end up playing around the basket. I would like to improve my quickness and jumping ability. I thought about doing something on the lines of Meltdown, as I have done before and it seemed that I was lighter on my feet. I would like to keep my strength. I don’t want to get pushed around underneath. What program would be best for gaining quickness, leaping ablility, and retaining current strength?

Meltdown training would not benefit you here, it will hinder every aspect you are trying to improve. I have to go work right now, but can give you a more detailed answer later if no one else contributes.

i’m nitpicking but what are your stats in the the squat (full, parallel or whatever) and/or deadlift?
Also tells a lot about weakness.

Crap! I just finised doing meltdown, then I read loofitt’s post. Oh well, it kicked my ass. I haven’t maxed but here are my recent 5x5 numbers:

Bench 235x5
Squat 295x5 parallel
Stiff leg Dead 295x5

isn’t canadian-ascending training something for you? Focuses on the squat and on max explosion.

It is very difficult to improve your athletic ability, specifically vertical jump, when playing basketball for 2 hours four times weekly. That is always a challenge with basketball players - getting enough recovery in. Anyway, your on court time should be providing way more then enough plyometric training - anymore would be overdoing it. You’ll probably find your best results simply by focusing on increasing your strength. I recommend training no more then 3 days per week. There are plenty of routines on the mag that will work for you.

you’re season should be around the corner right? if you’re in season, i’d say train your whole body 2x weekly, focusing on cleans [from the floor and the hang], heavy parrallel squats, pushpresses, chins and pull-ups[weighted if possible], and benches. stay in the 80%-90% range focus on REALLY EXPLODING the weights, and keep a rep or two in the hole [no failure]. i imagine your coaches have you doin alot of runnin and footwork drills, so make sure you’re eatin to keep weight and strength up. i realize this is kind of a general answer, pm or somethin and i’ll try and hook you up.
peace, flash