Every Off-Season strength-training program should be designed to take the athlete to the next level. The athlete should have the mindset of becoming as powerful as they can become. Basketball is a game of limited rest so the workouts must be with limited rest. You must keep the workouts at the highest intensity possible. This off-season program will show the athlete how to build an incredible base of power, speed, and endurance, so that fatigue will not be an issue as the athlete starts the season.

Every workout should start off with at least a 10-minute dynamic stretching routine. The weight training routines will start with a more endurance type training. The athlete will start off with high reps (20 reps 1 set). As the weeks progress, the number of reps required for many exercises will decrease and the weight will increase…adding the aspect of strength training to coincide with the power and endurance training.

I also stress that even when the weight increases you should never take more rest in between sets (30 seconds). This will keep challenging the body at a higher level each week. This will give the athlete the base of power, speed, and endurance they will need to start the season in top condition. The athlete should aim to make each strength training workout as time efficient as possible, thus making the workout brief yet very intense. This can only be accomplished by minimizing rest intervals between sets to induce the overall training effect. All this can be accomplished with two or three well planned full body workouts each lasting about one hour. These workouts should include weight training, plyometrics, medicine ball training and speed training.

The Workout

1.  We will super set on the upper body (super sets are performing one set of two exercises, each directly after the other with no rest)

2.  Only rest 30 seconds between sets

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Ten Minutes of Dynamic Stretching

Upper Body

• Chest- Bench Press (ten reps) + pushups (10 reps) = one set (four sets)

• Back- Lat pull down (ten reps) + one armed bent over row (ten reps) = one set (four sets)

• Shoulders- Military press (ten reps) + up right rows (ten reps) = one set (for sets)

• Biceps- 21’s (three sets of 21)Triceps- Dips (three sets of 15)

Legs

• Jump Squats-  (Three sets of 15)

• Lunges- (Three sets of 10)

• Side Steps Ups- (three sets of 10)

• Stiff Legged Run- (Three 15 second sprints)

• Calf Raises- (Three sets of 20)

• All leg exercises will improve vertical leap, lateral movement, and speed

Abs

• Reach Through- (Four sets of 15)

• Russian Twists- (Once set of 30)

• Sprint or Jog for at least 15 minutes.

This workout should only take 1 hour or less. Remember each week you should decrease the reps and add weight. This will keep challenging the body and making the body stronger and better conditioned. I also recommend introducing new exercises for each body part. This will cause muscle confusion, which will eliminate plateaus.

Joe Sidoti

Strength and Conditioning Coach

Kennedy Catholic High School

E-Mail: Joes@hvc.rr.com

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