Lower Body Explosiveness and Jump Training for Athletes
This past offseason I had some NBA guys in the gym.
They were WORK horses. And all their hard work got them PAID…
One of the guys, TJ, worked his ass off this offseason. When he went back to camp, his team picked up his 4th year option. In other words, his work in the gym LITERALLY paid off. Today I wanted to share a lower body explosiveness training for athletes.
This comes straight from the basketball training program I wrote for them this offseason.
Try it out:
Line Hops 2x10s
Line hops are a foundational agility movement that work inversion/eversion of the ankle. This ensures the ankle is adequately prepared to cut rapidly and change directions on a dime. When you perform these, make sure your knees are slightly bent and get as many touches as possible in the allotted time.
SL Line Hops 2x10s ea.
Single leg line hops progress the difficulty of line hops. They add a stability and balance element. Make sure the knee is slightly bent and your center of gravity stays over the line. Again, you want to get as many touches as possible in the allotted time. Also make sure you stay under control. Don’t move forward or backwards as you jump laterally. Also try to keep the distances of your jumps the same.
Two Point Starts 6×10 Yards
Two point starts are an acceleration drill. The goal is to build as much speed as possible in as little time as possible. We’re emphasizing good form and mechanics with two point starts. Click here to learn more on how to hone your acceleration mechanics for basketball.
Approach Box Jump 8×1
Here we’re working on vertical jump capacity. There are many aspects of the vertical you need to address in basketball. One of the components you need to address is the athlete’s ability to use momentum to produce force vertically. That’s what we’re doing with the approach box jump.
Single Leg Approach Box Jump 6×1 Ea.
One foot jumping ability is another critical component for basketball players. Especially if your goal is to dunk. Here we’re working one foot jumping ability and body control, as the athlete needs to orient himself to land on the box.
Medicine Ball Box Jump 6×1
Holding a medicine ball is added resistance that can result in greater rate of force development in an athlete. Here, we’re jumping from a standstill which adds to the difficulty.
Overhead Medicine Ball Box Jumps 6×1
Keeping the medicine ball overhead raises the difficulty of this resisted plyometric even more. It requires the athlete to maintain a stable core throughout the whole movement.
A. Back Squats to Quarter Depth 5×3
Back squats are obviously a great strength training exercise for vertical jump. Here I have my guys squat to quarter (maybe slightly lower) depth to train that sport specific range of motion. In block one of their training, I built up their ability to squat through an extended ROM. Here, I’m going sport specific.
B. Toes Raised Squats 5×8
Here I have my guys with a corrective exercise. All they’re doing is placing the balls of their feet on a plate and squatting. This releases a lot of tension in the lower limb and aids in their ability to squat properly.
A. Reverse Lunges 3×6 Ea.
Reverse lunges are my favorite unilateral exercise for athletes. They allow the athlete to overcome high amounts of resistance while replicating the shin angles of the acceleration phase. When you perform reverse lunges, you want to make sure you keep the shoulders pinned down and back while keeping your weight on your front leg.
B. VMO Step Downs 3×8 Ea.
VMO Step Downs are a knee stability corrective exercise. They’re great to build up the glute medius and other muscles that are commonly weak in basketball athletes.
DB RDL 3×10
Romanian Deadlifts work the posterior chain, something that is commonly weak among almost ALL athletes. This exercise will help you build up the glutes and hamstrings, improve your posture, and make you more athletic.
Buddy Hamstrings 3×5
Buddy Hamstrings load the hamstrings eccentrically and can help prevent injuries. To perform them, you’ll need a partner. Your partner will hold down your ankles as you lower towards the ground as slowly as possible. make sure the hips don’t shoot backwards. Once you make contact with the ground, push up and try to keep your body as straight as possible.
Banded Marches 3×10 Yards Ea
Banded Marches are a core stability and anti-rotation exercise. Stability is everything when it comes to jumping, as your moving high amounts of force through your trunk. If it’s not stable, you’ll leak force and produce a sub-maximal jump
Want More Jumping Tips and Workouts?
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