Are ready to take your basketball skills to the next level but not sure where to start? We’re going to show you the 12 best strength exercises for basketball players that can help you improve your overall strength, reduce injury, improve balance, and help you be a more well-rounded athlete!
Are you ready to start becoming a stronger and better basketball player today? Let’s check out the essentials it takes to get there!
Why Do Strength Training for Basketball?
It is essential to take on strength training as a basketball athlete to improve your overall strength and athletic abilities and reduce injury.
Injury prevention might be the number one reason to strength train. If you’re injured you’re not able to play and enjoy the sport you love as well as not being able to improve on your skills to become a better and stronger basketball player.
Strength training for basketball players will help in specific areas like shooting rebounding and playing defense. Being a stronger, more well-rounded Athlete on the court will help you whether you’re trying to take it to the next level or just be the strongest competitive athlete in a recreational League.
The Best Basketball Exercises
Now that we’ve looked at why you should do strength training for basketball, it’s time to look at some of the best basketball exercises to improve your game. This will be a combination of weighted exercises and TRX exercises, special bodyweight movements designed to help your body move in the right way. Let’s get started!
12. Trap Bar Deadlift
One of the best exercises to help an athlete develop lower body strength as well as explosiveness when programmed correctly. Loading the bar heavy and performing smaller sets will work on strength while loading the bar lighter and moving quickly or explosively will help improve jumping!
One of the biggest advantages of using the Trap bar for deadlifts is the ability to keep the weight more in line with the body, reducing potential strain on the lower back as well as not having to reach as low to the ground because of the elevated handles.
When setting yourself up for the trap bar deadlift:
- Make sure you start with the appropriate weight
- Start standing inside the trap bar holding onto the handles
- Feet should be hip to shoulder width apart
- Knees slightly bent, Hips maximally bent, core braced, shoulders engaged
- Lift the bar by standing straight up pushing your heels into the ground until your shoulders or over your hips
- Return by lowering the bar to the ground, hips back, knees slightly bent, the core still braced.
It is always best to start with a coach or someone to watch your form and keep you in check when lifting heavy weights. Never attempt a lift if something doesn’t feel correct. Reset, realign, and reassess if needed.
11. TRX Side Plank
The TRX Side Plank is one of the most useful core exercises for stability and strengthening the obliques, shoulders, and hips.
Having a stronger core will help improve your balance and stability as well as improve direction change. The core is essential in your ability to balance and move strong and efficiently. Improvement in balance and stability will greatly help reduce the risk of injury and improve sports performance.
- TRX will be set up at mid-length
- Place your toes through both foot cradles, hips, and shoulders stacked
- Lift your hips so they are aligned with your shoulders and heels and hold for the desired time.
- Looking to keep your body straight like a surfboard
10. Lateral Lunges
Lateral movements in basketball are essential movements for defensive guarding or offensive maneuvering. Improving the muscles that are directly responsible for those movements is highly encouraged.
Lateral Lunges are one of the greatest injury-prevention exercises for basketball players. Due to the rotational movement, direction changes demand, and pivoting that occur in basketball. Strengthening your adductors, glute, and dip rotators will help reduce injury, and improve balance, as well as stability.
You can choose to perform the Lateral Lunge in a variety of different ways with weights, body weight, or assistance like a TRX Suspension trainer to improve range of motion and core recruitment.
Set up for the Lateral Lunge:
- Start feet out wide toes straight ahead
- Begin by bending one knee and dropping your hip towards and behind your heel while maintaining an upright torso
- Return to standing without letting your torso dip forward of knee collapse
- Then repeat on the other side
- You can level this up by stepping to the side into the lunge and then explosively pushing yourself back to standing
Using a variety of lateral lunges will help you develop stronger hips and adductors therefore further assisting in injury prevention.
9. Trap Bar Deadlift
We will talk about the trap bar deadlift but this time for more explosive movements. With the trap bar deadlift, you can load up the bar with lighter weight or even add resistance bands so you can quickly stand or in some cases explode and jump off of the ground. This will help develop strength for jumping as well as resilience and injury prevention when landing from jumping during a game.
When setting yourself up for the trap bar deadlift for explosive movement/jumping:
- Make sure you start with the appropriate weight
- Start standing inside the trap bar holding onto the handles
- Feet should be hip to shoulder width apart
- Knees slightly bent, Hips maximally bent, core braced, shoulders engaged
- Quickly stand and lift the bar by standing straight up pushing heels into the ground until your shoulders or over your hips.
- Return by lowering the bar to the ground under control, hips back, knees slightly bent, core still braced. You can add a jump to this by hopping at the top of the extension but being cautious to land softly with
It is always best to start with a coach or someone to watch your form and keep you in check when lifting heavy weights. Never attempt a lift if something doesn’t feel correct. Reset, realign, and reassess if needed.
8. TRX Power Pull
If you can get a TRX suspension trainer, you should get one. They’re one of the best gifts for basketball players and assist with many functional movements that are important for basketball like jumping and rotating.
One of the best pulling and rotational exercises you can train is the TRX Power pull! It engages the posterior chain and the shoulder as well as the core. It provides strength as well as explosiveness for the upper body and hips.
As a basketball player, you will use all of those things at the same time when playing so this exercise aligns perfectly with your training program.
Set up for the TRX Power Pull:
- TRX is set at Mid Length, Single handle mode, stand facing the anchor point
- Holding onto one handle with your hand toward your armpit, the opposite hand reaching up to touch the suspension trainer
- Begin by lowering yourself down by extending your arm and rotating away from the anchor point
- Make sure the arm that’s holding onto the TRX handle internally rotates at the bottom of the extension
- Return by re-engaging the shoulder or externally rotating the shoulder, rotating the torso, and bending the arm that is holding onto the TRX handle
- Make sure to keep your shoulders and hips aligned and not bend the knees
You can make this exercise harder by stepping in towards the anchor for a more strength-orientated workout or stepping back away from the anchor to focus on more power and explosiveness.
7. TRX Crossing Balance Lunge
When it comes to a balanced basketball player you will find that improved balance will help your coordination as well as overall agility and performance.
The TRX Crossing balance lunge can be one of the best exercises to help improve your balance as well as strength and your glutes, quads, and hips! Its ability to load a single limb to challenge your strength as well as unload by holding on to the handles to improve explosiveness adds a wide variety to your training program.
Setting up the TRX Crossing balance lunge:
- TRX will be set at mid-length
- Holding on to both handles stand on one leg facing the anchor points
- Begin by bending the leg you’re standing on, taking the other leg and crossing the knee directly behind the ankle hovering it above the ground
- Return by pressing through the standing leg lightly holding on to the handles and bringing the free knee up towards your chest
- Repeat on the other side as needed
This is a great exercise again to integrate into your workout to improve balance, strength, and agility.
6. Bench Press
The bench press is a time-tested proven way to improve upper body strength. Due to its ability to progressively overload the muscles The chest press can be performed with a straight bar, dumbbells, or even kettlebells.
It is essential to have a strong upper body when defending in basketball or shooting! being able to box out an opponent or fight for a rebound you’ll have the advantage of having a stronger upper body.
Setting up the bench press:
- Being sure to choose the appropriate weight is essential
- When performing a straight bar bench start lying on your back under the bench with the barbell just above shoulder height
- Grabbing onto the bar with your hands shoulder width or slightly wider apart
- Begin by pushing the bar off of the rack toward the ceiling
- Then bending both elbows let the bar come straight down towards your chest, being sure not to rest the bar on your chest, but just slightly touch
- Then press the bar back up towards the ceiling by extending the arms and slightly trying to bend the bar as you press up
- Return the bar to the racked position
You can vary the bench press in different ways to help push past plateaus whether you’re using a straight bar, dumbbells, or kettlebells. It’s always best to perform heavy weights with a spotter.