With basketball season just around the corner, you may be itching to dust off your kicks and get some shots up. If the offseason has made you rusty or you just want to improve your game, you might be wondering what type of workouts you should be doing. In addition to that, you might be wondering what equipment will help you become the greatest baller on the court.
Leg Press
Even more so than other sports, your legs may be your most important weapon when on the hardwood. Your legs need to be strong for constant back and forth running and sharp change of directions. A leg press primarily targets your thighs and glutes which are also especially important in improving your vertical leap, a vital aspect of the game. Improving your leg strength is also part of a great jumpshot. This may be counter intuitive because it appears as if the arm is primarily used for jump shooting, but the legs provide the lift needed in order to generate the proper arc and distance.
Rowing Machine
Also important in improving balance and vertical leap is core strength.Without a strong core, you won’t be able to generate enough force to get off the ground explosively. Balance is also a crucial part of the game and being able to move how you want to move without being unstable is essential to being great. A strong core will help both your leaping abilities and balance. A rowing machine also works your arms and back, not to mention it also serves as a cardio machine to improve your conditioning.
Assisted Chin Dip Machine
Upper body strength is also extremely important when playing basketball both on the offensive and defensive ends. Having strength in the arms and chest does wonders for overpowering opponents in the low post or being able to body up and defend them. The assisted chin dip machine is great because it works the shoulders, back and biceps. It uses your own body weight in the workout which is also a nice bonus.
Treadmill
Basketball is quite a long game at 48 minutes and when up against fierce competition, you’ll expend energy extremely quickly. This is why it is important to build endurance and stamina in order to perform at the highest level at all times. The best way is to simulate the movement that you’ll be doing most often on the court, which is running.
These are just a few of the machines that can accomplish your work out goals to become a future YMCA recreational league legend.
