Let’s get this straight from the get go…
Your strength training work should be directly enhancing your ability to perform, should be decreasing the time you need to recover, and should be building your resiliency to injuries and stress during your practices and games.
Anything else that it is trying to do, from a basketball perspective, is quite frankly a waste of time and energy.
Unfortunately, I see too many players being misled about their strength training, and as a result, being set up for injuries and poor performance.
There are four big mistakes I see being made time and again with how strength exercises are done that directly contribute to injury and poor performance. This week I want to highlight the first big mistake and teach you how to avoid it.
MISTAKE #1: USING TOO MUCH MOTION
Most basketball players are not built like powerlifters or Olympic lifters.
You have super long legs. Your torso is comparatively short. And your arms are long to the point that every shirt either has to be tailored or have the sleeves rolled up.
Additionally, the majority of your mass is carried around your hips, your thighs, and your shoulders.
Between how your limbs are structured and how your mass is distributed, the standard rules for “proper” lifting form don’t apply to you.
But don’t worry–I am built the same way and I can say from experience that having a build like us does not mean your strength training won’t be effective. It just means you need to do things differently.
The first thing you need to do differently is you need to change the amount of motion you are using when you lift.
For most players, this will mean using less motion than what is typically thought to be “full” range of motion.
For example, when you squat, you aren’t going to fold up nicely like a powerlifter. Instead, your full squat is going to look more like a half squat to most people, but that is only because of how your limbs are built and how you are carrying your mass throughout your body.
When you try to use more motion than what your body has available, you increase your risk of injuring yourself (at worst) or feeling achy and sore after (at best).
Instead of trying to match your body to the textbook form that is promoted, find the amount of motion that feels good for you and is symptom-free–no pinching, no pain, no tightness, no stretching feeling–and stay within that range of motion.
By doing this, you will be strengthening your body in the way it is built and designed to be strengthened instead of trying to strengthen your body the way a powerlifter’s body is designed.
Implement this tip with each exercise you do during your strength training over the next week and see how your body responds. When you do it correctly, you should feel more mobile, stronger, and more energized after every strength workout.
If you aren’t feeling these ways, re-evaluate how much motion you are using the next time you strength train. You will likely need to use less motion than you were, but the good news is that in doing so, you will actually gain mobility while you get stronger.
Charlie
Charlie Cates is the leading consultant to high-level professional, college, and high school basketball players in the Chicagoland area for injury prevention, recovery, and muscle performance.
As one of Chicago’s most sought-after Muscle Activation Techniques® practitioners, he is certified in the highest levels of MAT®, including MATRx, MATRx Stim, and MAT® Athlete.
A former college basketball player, he uses his personal experience and understanding of the game and player demands to create customized exercise options for his clients to recover faster and perform their best.
He sees clients in-studio at Muscle Activation Schaumburg as well as in-home.You can schedule your MAT® assessment with him by clicking here, and be sure to follow him on Instagram at @CharlieCates!
