Basketball has grown over the years, and one of the most noticeable aspects of the game that has seen continuous change is preparation. Due to the ever-evolving sports science, athletes nowadays have a wider selection of strength and conditioning exercises to engage in, one of which is high-intensity interval training or HIIT workout.
HIIT workout is a regimen conducted in a short span of intense exercises alternated with recovery periods. While it may seem unnecessary for hoopers, whose main focus is building skills and stamina through on-court experience, engaging in such training can actually reinforce one’s strength, and here are ways to reap its benefits.
HIIT Workout: Effective Exercises for Power in Basketball
Bodyweight training circuit
Are you troubled for not having any easy access to a gym in a bid to increase your basketball strength? Worry not! The first training circuit on this list got you covered.
With a regimen revolving around bodyweight exercises, you have the freedom to build power for your physique anywhere you want, for as long as there is ample room to operate. This training set will bolster up the core, legs, back, and arms, providing added muscle strength to withstand the physical rigors of the sport.
Here’s how the workout goes:
• Do running in place (When in a small space) or suicides (Outdoor or on a court) for 20 seconds as a warm-up.
• Initiate jumping jacks for 30 seconds.
• Follow it up with regular squats for 30 seconds.
• Proceed to do mountain climbers for 20 seconds.
• Move to a plank position and hold it for 30 seconds.
• Rest for 15 seconds.
•Engage in pull-ups for 20 seconds.
• Do lunges for 30 seconds.
• Move along to push-ups for 20 seconds.
• Rest for 30 to 60 seconds, then repeat the entire set at least two more times.
Speed and agility regimen
This set of exercises centers around running. So, it is a requirement to workout in an open space where you can sprint such as a basketball court, an oval, or field. This training is as tiring as it gets, but with the improvement in-game speed and agility you will gain more than makes up for the workload. It can also serve as a great basketball endurance training.
The regimen is as follows:
• Warm-up with a 10-yard sprint.
• Follow it up with jumping jacks or jump rope for 30 seconds.
• Do a 10-yard sprint again.
• Proceed to do walking lunge for 20 seconds.
• Initiate a 20-yard sprint before slowing down to a walk for 10 seconds.
• Engage in a 30-yard sprint before slowing down to a walk for 10 seconds.
• Go for another 30-yard sprint for 35 seconds.
• Move along to the side shuffle exercise. Do it for 20 seconds.
• Run for yet another 30-yard sprint before slowing down to a walk for 10 seconds.
• Do the side shuffle exercise again for 30 seconds.
• Sprint as hard as you can for 20 seconds.
• Rest for 120 seconds, then repeat the entire regime at least two more times.
HIIT Workout: Intense Basketball Training
As a reminder, the operative word when conducting a HIIT workout is intensity. So, always make sure that, in every regimen that you immerse into, do each exercise as intense as possible. Before you know it, you will be as explosive on the court as you aspire to be.