Basketball Strength Program

Please consult your physician before starting this or any exercise program. This program can be performed 2-3 times per week, out of season, with a day of rest in between sessions. In- season sessions should be performed 1-2 times a week. Beginners should start with one set of 8-12 repetitions per exercise. Intermediate and advanced exercisers, having strength trained before, can start with 2-3 sets of 10-15 repetitions per exercise. Read the entire exercise descriptions and tips. Perform a dynamic warm-up for 5 minutes before starting this program. A dynamic warm-up is available from our site. Follow each workout session with a 5 minute cool down consisting of light cardiovascular work and light stretching. Perform the exercises in the order they are listed below.

Equipment Needs: A 4 or 6lb. medicine ball, a medium size cone, jungle gym straps, a 55 or 65cm, airball, one light weight padded body bar, light pair of dumbbells (3 or 5lb.), an exercise mat. Contact Margaret at FAF if you need equipment.

1. Medicine Ball Chops: Torso has to handle the forces of acceleration and deceleration. Start will ball overhead, feet spread wide with toes pointing forward. Perform an act of chopping in front of body, arms stay straight keeping the ball away from body. Sink into a squat at the bottom of chop. Then swing the ball back to overhead position, along the same line while standing up. Repeat. See photos below. Tip: Perform the squat with good form, hips going back as if to sit in a chair. Keep knees over the feet, no knock-knees. Start with a light ball (4lbs).

Start Position End Position

2. Medicine Ball Angle Chops: Start with ball over left shoulder. Feet spread wide with toes pointing forward. Chop the ball down across the body while going into a mini squat. Pivot on the ball of the left foot while chopping, right foot stays pointed forward. Bring ball back up to starting position along the same line of chop. Repeat. See photos below.

Your Notes:

Tip: Keep arms relatively straight and pivot on the ball of the foot opposite of the side of chop.

Start Position End Position

3. Medicine Ball Torso Twists: Start with feet hip width apart, knees slightly bent and hold a light medicine ball at your waist, staying neutral in the core. Hold elbows in to body and bent at 90 degrees. Start action by twisting the torso to one side while keeping the ball in front of your body. Continuously twist the torso side to side while doing a pivot on the opposite foot. See photo below. Tip: Initiate the action from the core, it is not just swinging the ball with the arms side to side.

Torso Twist

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4. Body Bar Press Squats: Hold a light weight body bar in front of your body just above your collar bone. Feet are hip width. Toes can be pointed out slightly. Hands are placed slightly wider than shoulders on the bar. You start the exercise by pressing the bar overhead, (without over arching your low back), and then bend the knees and descend into a squat, sticking out the rear end as if to sit in a chair. Bar stays overhead in the exercise with arms relatively straight. Hold knees over the feet, count 2 seconds when in the squat position and then return to an upright position and lower bar back down to collar bone. See photos below. Tip: It is critical to take hips back when squatting and hold the knees over the feet.

Start Position Squat Position

5. Modified Push-Ups: Start in a push-up position, on your knees, on a mat with hands spread wider than the shoulders. Avoid an excessive low back arch, stay neutral in the core. Slowly lower chest down to the mat and then push body back up to starting position extending arms. Don’t let the hips touch in the action. Once you have mastered this exercise with good form, try a traditional push-up off of your toes. Tip: Keep the body straight, don’t pop the hips up and down and don’t over arch your low back. See photo below.

Modified push-up on knees

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6. Single leg squats with a cone touch: Squat on one foot, keep the knee over and behind the foot while bending over to touch a cone with the opposite hand. When squatting, take the hip back and stick the buttocks out as if to sit back in a chair. It is important to squat first and reach second. No wobbly knees. Return to an upright starting position each time. Tip: Position cone about a foot away from your front foot. Work one leg at a time. See photo below.

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Single leg squats

7. Body Weight Pull Ups: Start upright, feet out in front of your body, knees slightly bent and arms extended holding the jungle gym straps in each hand with both palms facing inward. Let your body hang back in this start position. Slowly pull yourself up until hands are outside chest, then lower yourself down until your arms are extended. Repeat. Tip: Concentrate on squeezing the shoulder blades together when performing the pull-up. Spread feet wider for greater balance if needed. Move feet forward to make the exercise more difficult. See photos below.

Start position End position

8. Lunge sequence with reaches: Use a light medicine ball or light dumbbells. Start in an upright standing position with feet shoulder width apart, holding a pair of dumbbells down at the

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sides with palms facing inward. Take a comfortable lunge forward with the right leg and drop back left knee close to the floor. Right toe should be pointing forward and the knee should stay over the foot and behind the toe. Do not bang the left knee on the ground. Reach to the top of the foot with the dumbbells. Drive back off the heel to return to starting position. Then lunge with the right leg to the side with toe pointing forward, keep left leg (trailing leg) extended, and right hip should move back and down as if to sit on the right heel. Donʼt take right hip lower than the right knee. Return to starting position. Then make a turn to the right, by opening up the hip and torso and perform a rear angle lunge, as if you were lunging to the #4 on a clock, return to starting position. Perform the same sequence with the left leg, lunging forward, to the side and then turning back with a rear angle lunge, as if you were going to the #8 on the clock. See photos below. Tip: Do each type of lunge with good form right after the other and then repeat the sequence with the other leg.

Use light dumbbells until form is mastered, then add weight.

Forward lunge with reach Side lunge with reach Rear angle lunge with reach

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9. Low back extensions off an airball: Start by kneeling behind an airball appropriate for your size, 55 cm or 65 cm. Drape your upper body over the ball which needs to be positioned under the hips. Legs are spread wide behind and knees are bent slightly. Position fingertips behind the ears. To perform the extension, lower upper body down in front of the airball and then curl up until the body is straight. Tip: Concentrate on squeezing the low back muscles, glutes and hamstrings with each rep. See photos below.

Draping over the ball Curling up to end position

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10. Airball Ball Crunches: Start by sitting directly on top of an airball, 55 or 65 cm. Then inch the feet out in front while slowly laying back on the airball until the shoulder blades touch. The hips can be down the ball slightly, feet spread in front, knees bent and fingertips are behind the ears. To perform the crunch, squeeze your abdominal muscles and curl your shoulder blades up off the airball, only come up about 30 degrees, then slowly lower the shoulder blades back down and repeat. Tip: Don’t bounce the hips up and down and let the chin curl in toward the chest naturally when curling up off the ball. See photo below.

Start position

11.Medicine Ball Squat Throws: Start by holding a light medicine ball at waist with feet hip width apart and toes pointing forward. Descend into a squat, sticking out the rear end while holding knees over the feet. Keep chest up, stay looking forward with the medicine ball still in front. Next action involves driving up out of the squat more forcefully, while taking the ball overhead and throw it up to yourself. Avoid throwing the ball too high. Next action involves catching the ball above the head and then immediately bring it down in front and sink back down

Notes:

in the squat. This is a continuous catch, squat and up and throw motion. See photo below. Tip: Squat with good form, hips back, chest up and knees over the feet. Don’t throw the ball to high. Start off with a light medicine ball, 2 or 4lbs.

Proper squat form

12.Airball Triple Threat (hip bridge, hip tuck and hip lift): This is a series of 3 exercises that work the back side of the body, low back, glutes and hamstrings. Many female athletes are weak in these 3 areas. Beginners take a break in between each exercise. Intermediate and advanced exercisers, perform these right in a row with no rest in between. See photos and descriptions below.

Hip bridge: Start with feet and ankles directly on top of an airball. Lift hips up and down continuously without touching the floor each time. Keep head and neck relaxedand down on the mat. Keep the ball still. Tip: Lift the hips as high as you can without pressure or pain to the spine. Press hands down on the mat for control. See photos below.

Hip tuck: While holding the hips up off the mat, with body in a bridged position, squeeze the hamstrings and pull the ball in toward the buttocks. Let the ball out and repeat the motion. Keep

Notes:

hips up the entire time. Keep head and neck relaxed and down on the mat. Tip: Move the airball in and out in a smooth rhythmic motion.

Hip lift: Similar to the hip bridge, but position the feet down the front of the airball about a quarter for starting position, (just above center). Perform hip lifts again, as in the hip bridge, without touching the hips down on the floor each time. Tip: Knees should remain slightly bent throughout the repetitions.

13. Wall supported ankle dorsiflexion: This exercise is to strengthen the shin muscles in order to help prevent shin splints and create muscle balance with the calves. Stand with the back of your body up against a wall, feet together, and heels away from the wall about 6 inches. Dorsiflex both feet at the same time, which is raising the top of the feet up toward the shin, flexing the ankle. Keep the heels on the ground and your body up against the wall. Slowly lower the feet back down and repeat. Tip: Stay up against the wall and start with the feet pointed forward. See illustration below.

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Female Athletes First will not be held liable for any injuries or illnesses incurred while using this program.

If you have questions on how to perform the exercises in this program, please feel free to e-mail us, margaret@femaleathletesfirst.com.

Female Athletes FirstP.O. Box 133 Summit Station, Ohio 43073-0133www.femaleathletesfirst.commargaret@femaleathletesfirst.com

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