How to gain weight for basketball

USA Basketball - Healthy Weight Gain Tips for Basketball Players

It's a weight-loss world. People of all ages are constantly trying to shed pounds, to tighten their frames and to make the scale spit out a smaller number. It's a billion-dollar industry.

So it's a bit awkward that so many young basketball players actually need to gain weight.

If you're a teenage basketball player who's too skinny, you're hardly alone. Teenagers--both boys and girls--often feel like they're too underweight to play basketball to their highest ability. That's especially true for those who are tall and are forced to play physically in the paint.

"With adolescents, there's so much energy expended in growing taller, there's not a lot left over to grow out," said Becci Twombley. "That's a big issue."

Twombley is the nutritionist for the UCLA athletic department, and it's her job to make sure the Bruins' athletes are doing everything they can to add good weight to their often lanky frames.

From the time they enter high school until they're around 21 years old, some basketball players can eat whatever they want, as much as they want, and not gain a pound. While it's an uphill battle for a body that's still finishing its final growth spurt, there are things you can do to try to pack good weight onto your frame.

Eating Habits

First thing's first: eat a good breakfast. Before diving into a diet reconstruction, Twombley insists that without starting the day with breakfast, you don't stand a chance of putting on good weight.

"A lot of people get up and leave the house without breakfast," Twombley said. "Make sure you eat a big breakfast, not just a banana on the way out. Have oatmeal with sliced bananas, maybe some walnuts, a yogurt, a piece of fruit."

From there, set up your eating schedule so that you're consuming calories every three hours, instead of just three meals a day. Breaking up your eating into six meals gives you the opportunity to eat more calories. And calories are the key to any good weight gain.

"Don't eat so much at one sitting that you're not going to be hungry in three hours, because if you're overeating at one meal, you're going to be able to go six hours without eating," Twombley said. "The reality is, you can fit more calories in if you're eating every 3-4 hours during the day."

Twombley also insists that eating good food is as important as eating often. She stresses the need for young players to add in high-calorie food that's healthy. This includes:

• Trail mix, which is a great grab-and-go snack with a lot of varieties available.
• Granola
• Cereals like Raisin Bran
• Dried fruit
• Avocados are a great food for those looking to gain good weight, due to its "good fat" content as well as Omega 3s. Avocadoes can be added to sandwiches, burritos, salads and other normal meals.

"A lot of my guys like to eat junk food," Twombley said. "They like to eat Doritos or chicken wings or chicken fingers with ranch dressing. Even though those are calories, they aren't functional calories so they don't actually do anything for them. If they eat them, they'll burn off really quickly because they have these great metabolisms and they're working so hard. But they're not getting the results they want to get."

So how many calories does an underweight player need? It depends on several factors, including age, maturity level and existing muscle mass. At UCLA, Twombley notices that most of the men's basketball players in need of weight gain can eat between 4,000 and 5,000 calories a day.

Female basketball players looking to add weight don't need as many calories as the guys because of less muscle mass. But at UCLA, they can still average between 3,000 and 4,000 calories a day.

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Strength Training

While proper nutrition is key, it's also important to build muscle mass through strength training.

Alan Stein, the strength coach at basketball power DeMatha, says that the main component to weight gain is nutrition. He also said that from a strength training standpoint, he doesn't do anything special for players who specifically need to gain weight because "95 percent of all high school basketball players need to gain muscle mass and get stronger."

He does offer these three tips for players wanting to build muscle mass:

• Lift like a bird, look like a bird. You need to progressively add resistance in order to get stronger and gain muscle weight. Don't be afraid to push weight! You should aim for a weight that is challenging to get 10-12 reps. Those last few reps should be really difficult. If you are still lifting the same weight 60 days later, you haven't gotten any stronger.
• Get more bang for your buck. Don't bother with lateral raises and curls. Perform multi-joint exercises that work several muscle groups at once. Chest presses, shoulder presses, pull-ups, and rows for your upper body; and squats, deadlifts, lunges and step-ups for your lower body.
• You are not an Olympic lifter or bodybuilder, so don't train like one. Strength training for basketball is a means to an end, not an end itself. You need to train for the demands of the game, not for show and not for skill. Doing three sets of concentration curls will do nothing to help you on the court. Your body functions as a unit on the court, so it should do the same in the weight room.

What You Can Expect

So you've got a plan in place, either through research or hiring a dietician or following some new guidelines.

When will you start seeing results?

Twombley breaks it down in three different groups, though it varies often by body types, and maturity levels:

• For males under the age of 18, a gain of ½ pound a week is ambitious and may be a challenge.
• For males over the age of 18 who have reached their peak height, you can gain a pound a week or more until you're around 20 years old.
• For females, it's hard to gain much more than ½ pound or a pound a week.

It's important to realize, though, that there's no magic formula. Sometimes, your body won't respond like you want it to. At least not yet.

"Sometimes we'll get guys that come in at 18 or 19 that are still thin, but by 20 are filled out," Twombley said. "They're training just as hard, they're eating just as well. It's just that their bodies are now catching up."

Through the right nutritional habits coupled with strength training, you can maximize your potential to gain good weight. Beyond that, though, it's up to your body to respond favorably to your changes.

How to Gain Weight and Muscle – for Teen Basketball Players – Fueling Teens

You might feel too scrawny for basketball, or you might want to be a little stronger on the court. Either way, teen basketball players want to feel big, strong, and powerful compared to their competition. It’s usually the tall, skinny kids that are the ones that need to play physically in the paint and might benefit from more weight to throw around.  

Growth spurts can happen at interesting rates, meaning many teens are scrawny or lanky at different times through the teen years while they catch up to their height. Basketball players who want to gain weight during this time can follow simple tips to healthily hit their goals. The best way for these teens to gain weight is to eat 300-500 extra calories per day, eat every 3-4 hours, never skip meals, exercise regularly and include strength training, and get 15-30 grams of protein at every meal and snack.

This post will highlight and describe ideas for weight gain for healthy teen basketball athletes. Keep reading below to see what you need to be doing TODAY that will make all the difference.

If you want to gain weight for basketball, where do you look for tips? A quick internet search will give you some tips for bulking up with extra protein, some forums with personal stories and wacko advice, ideas for weight training, and a few sports websites for specialized tips. If you want to gain weight THE RIGHT WAY (aka the healthy, realistic, and effective way) you’ll start here and get your tips from a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist- a food and nutrition expert. 

Talk with your coach, your parents, and your doctor before deciding you need to bulk up for basketball. Make sure your goals are appropriate, healthy, and reasonable for your age. If it’s appropriate to be bigger for basketball, choose to gain muscle and not excess body fat.

To eat to gain weight and muscle, follow these tips:

It’s not just about eating more, you’ll want to make sure you are eating foods that have a lot of nutrients. Looks for foods that are high in nutrition such as nuts, legumes, dairy products, eggs, whole grains, high-quality protein, fruits, and veggies, etc. 

Plan to eat about 300-500 extra calories per day (that is 1-2 extra snacks per day). You can eat more, but then you’ll be storing extra calories as fat. If you’d like to mostly build muscle and lean body tissue, then you’ll want to gain weight steadily and slowly. Calorie recommendations are individualized based on age, sex, height, weight, exercise level, etc. but some teen athletes who need to gain weight may need around 3,000-4,000 calories per day. Calculate your estimated calorie level here based on gender, age, and activity level and then add 300-500 calories per day for weight gain. Meet with a healthcare professional to make sure this is an appropriate plan for you. 

Eat at least 5-6 times per day– Eat 3 good sized meals with 2-4 snacks. If you have a smaller appetite, eat more often during the day. Don’t skip meals and eat at least every 3-4 hours. This means you’ll have to plan ahead for a day of nutritious meals and snacks. You might want to plan something for breakfast, a mid-morning snack, lunch, an afternoon (after school) snack, dinner, and maybe even an evening snack. Meals should be around 500-800 calories and snacks should be about 100-300 calories each. Focus meals and snacks on healthy carbohydrates (whole grains, fruits, starchy vegetables, legumes, and some dairy products), protein foods, and fruits and vegetables. You can choose to eat more calories and eat whatever you want, but junk food and fast food won’t provide much nutrition. 

You can get extra calories easily and quickly through beverages. It’s a smart idea to include liquid calories into your diet, but not from soda or sugary drinks. Choose milk, fruit smoothies, juice, chocolate milk, protein shakes, or sports drinks (when exercising).

Drink fluids mostly between meals (not with meals) to leave more room for food. 

Add higher-calorie foods to your meals, such as cheese, peanut butter, nuts, sour cream, salad dressings, oil, sauces, dips, dressings, or butter.  

Choose full-fat versions of foods and not “lite” or “low-fat” or “low-calorie”. Switching to 2% or whole milk is a great choice as well as regular-fat cottage cheese, dressings, snacks, and more. 

Fats are higher in calories per gram than protein or carbohydrates. Eating more healthy fat will help you gain weight. Lightly increase your intake of healthy fats such as olive oil, nuts, seeds, and avocados. Spread some avocado slices on your toast and sandwiches, bring trail mix for snacks, put seeds in your oatmeal and smoothies, etc.

Keep a supply of favorite healthy snacks with you at all times. Great examples to keep with you in your backpack or bag are trail mix, granola bars, crackers, energy bars, and dried fruit. 

You need to be smart in how you plan to gain muscle for basketball. Muscle growth is a complex concept that requires more than just exercise or protein supplements. If your goal is to bulk up, remember that eating more protein doesn’t equal bigger muscles. To successfully build muscle you need to make sure you are eating enough calories and protein, and including regular strength training. Just adding extra protein to your diet will not help you build muscle. Most teens get plenty of protein, so the timing of the protein you eat is essential. 

Within 1-2 hours after exercise you should include some type of protein food or snack. Eat a balanced meal or snack that includes protein such as eggs, Greek yogurt, milk, meat, nuts, beans, cheese, or even an energy bar. Eat every 3-4 hours and be sure to include 15-30 grams of protein with each meal or snack. Protein bars and protein powders are not usually necessary unless you find it hard to eat anything else with protein at certain times of the day such as right after a workout.

For specific ideas for snacks check out my post The BEST Pre-Workout Meals and Snacks for a Teenage Athlete. 

Good things take time, including building muscle and gaining healthy weight. If you are gaining about 0.5-1 pound per week or every 2 weeks- you’re right on track! You’re doing it wrong if you’re putting on lots of weight quickly. Gaining weight healthily and correctly will take time and you can never fully anticipate how your body will change through regular teenage growth spurts. Do your best with these healthy weight gain habits and your body will catch up as you get a little older and finish growing. 

Want a personalized nutrition plan with more specific information? Check out my basketball ebook! It contains a 5-week meal plan, snack list, eating tips, how to gain or lose weight for basketball, and more. All from a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist. It’s 50+ pages of information on sale right now. Let me know what you think! Get more information here.

Not all teens should try to gain weight just because they want to bulk up. Teens that are already a healthy weight may not need to follow these recommendations. Regular exercise and healthy eating can help healthy, normal weight teens gain muscle. Most teen basketball players should be working on gaining muscle, but not everyone needs to gain fat and muscle. 

Teens who are underweight may need to gain weight in order to become stronger, healthier, and an improved athlete. Teenagers are classified as underweight based on growth patterns charted on a growth chart. Teens who are below the 5th percentile for body mass index (BMI) -for-age, gender, and height are classified as underweight. BMI is not a tool used to diagnose, but to screen for nutritional issues. You can use an online BMI calculator here.

Talk to your healthcare provider to see if your teen fits into the “underweight” category and has worrisome growth. Providers may not be worried because some teens are smaller and it’s perfectly normal for them. If your provider has expressed some concerns in your child’s growth, then it may be time to implement some weight-gaining strategies.

Check out my posts How Can I Tell if my Teen is Overweight? or What is a Healthy BMI for a Teenage Girl? for more information about BMI and weight classifications for teens.

How do NBA Players Build Muscle? It’s hard to compare yourself to those in the NBA. Professional athletes have personal trainers, nutrition experts, chefs, doctors, coaches, etc. all helping them to get to their top level of health and performance. It’s also their job and they dedicate their whole day to basketball and improvements. To build muscle, NBA players focus on eating the right amount of protein and dedicating a lot of time to weight training, especially focusing on building the right muscles that will help them on the court.

Does Basketball Make You Stronger? Yes, playing basketball regularly will make you stronger. It will help you build your endurance, energy levels, and overall performance. As you work on additional exercises off the court to build upper and lower body strength, increase endurance, strengthen core muscles, and boosting power, you’ll also be able to improve your basketball skills on the court.

What do NBA Players Eat Before a Game? Professional basketball athletes are focused on appropriately fueling themselves before a game. They plan their meal on a high amount of carbohydrates, a moderate amount of protein, and fluid. A PB&J sandwich, pasta, bagels, cereal, or oatmeal can be popular choices depending on the individual.

Is Basketball a Good Workout? Anything is a good workout that gets your heart and breathing rate up. Basketball is an awesome way to get in shape and burn calories because it involves running, jumping, passing, dribbling, and more at high intensity with short breaks.

See Also

• Nutrition Meal Plan for Teenage Basketball Players
• Best Supplements for Teenage Athletes
• What is the Best Diet Plan for a 15 Year-Old?
• How Many Carbs Does a 15 Year-Old Teen Need?
• The BEST Post-Workout Snacks for Teenagers – Dietitian Recommended!

Written by Katherine Harmer, Registered Dietitian Nutritionist

Fueling Teens is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. We also participate in other affiliate programs which compensate us for referring traffic.

Ten questions and answers about basketball training from Vasily Prokofiev

Hello, dear visitors of the website basketball-training. org.ua ! Today we have a very interesting Q&A article about basketball training from a good friend of mine who now lives and trains in the USA. I will say more - he is already playing for ... But, by the way, why get ahead of yourself, he will tell everything himself.

Today we'll be looking at sports nutrition, using the gym for basketball training, conditioning for basketball players, injury field balance and recovery, jumping, of course, and much more. Let's get started!

Maxim: In two or three words, tell us about yourself what has happened since the publication of our first interview (Interview #1). I know you're currently in the States and playing for college, right?

Vasily: My name is Vasily Prokofiev, I am 23 years old, born and raised in the city of Syzran, Samara region. Since January 2012, he went to play in the USA. The first season he played for the school, then moved to college. Last year, at the end of the basketball season, he worked as an assistant conditioning coach in college. Mostly worked with basketball players, American football players and track and field athletes. I am currently transferring to a university in Tennessee as they offered me a scholarship there. I maintain a blog on the slamdunk.ru website, as well as a group on the topic of training and self-improvement (https://vk.com/basi_training).

Maxim: Is it possible to achieve everything on your own or does a coach have to be nearby? My humble opinion is this: the so-called fundamentals can be learned from videos that are full on the net (Better Basketball, Ganon Baker and others). But to reach a fundamentally new level, you need a person who will see from the outside what you yourself do not see (mistakes, weaknesses and strengths). What do you think?

Vasily: I think that you can reach a certain level on your own. You can always progress on your own. There are two main conditions here: the desire to learn and learn something new and the actions themselves. You can record your workouts and games on video, and then analyze it yourself, but having a knowledgeable person nearby who will look at you from the side and point out shortcomings and mistakes will only accelerate progress.

Max: If you completely ignore individual training programs, personal and very secret coaching practices and fundamental exercises, it turns out that most players perform very similar exercises for their development. And here a logical question arises: exercises from what other sport can be supplemented with purely basketball training? For example, I know that for better footwork, centers often resort to the help of boxing coaches (footwork is oh so important there). I also heard about American football.

Vasily: I believe that doing more than one sport on a regular basis at an early age only contributes to the comprehensive development of the child. If we talk about an adult player, then exercises and principles from different sports should be added to training. My two choices are boxing and American football. In the summer of 2012, I boxed with a trainer several times a week. The goal is to improve hand function. In the summer of 2013, all the footwork exercises in my workout were taken from the principles of American football running back training. The main goal is to improve footwork. If we talk about specific examples of exercises from American football, then these are various kinds of jerks with a sharp change in direction (cuts). There are a lot of variations and now they can be viewed on the Internet, but the simplest is zigzag jerks. Particular attention is paid to the work of the legs when stopping and changing direction. As a rule, these are three mincing steps in place and a jerk in the opposite direction.

You should not copy the whole workout, each sport has its own specifics, but the basic principles are definitely worth borrowing. The video shows my training with the American football team after the end of the basketball season last year.

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Maxim: Let's talk a little about sports nutrition. There is a lot of it now and often novice athletes simply do not understand: what, how and when to take, which in turn leads to the formation of the opinion "sports nutrition = steroids = kill the liver / kidneys / heart" or to the opinion "sports nutrition is evil, I eat better cottage cheese". Tell us about your vision of sports nutrition for a basketball player: for gaining mass, for dropping it, and simply for faster recovery between games and training.

Vasily: Cottage cheese is good, of course, and I miss our cottage cheese, because there is no such thing here. But not the best way to get protein immediately after a workout. The reason is casein protein, which means that it takes a long time to digest.

If you play sports at a serious level, then it is difficult to maintain the right balance of proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals, so many people use sports nutrition. I am one of them. To achieve balance, you must first analyze your diet. After that, you will be able to see where you have surpluses and where there are shortcomings and understand what needs to be changed. The first time I did something like this was in the US. As it turned out, I had little Vitamin E from food and unsaturated omega-3 fatty acids, which I compensated with nutritional supplements. For any athlete who trains at least 5-6 times a week, I would advise adding Omega-3s and a multivitamin complex to your diet, along with amino acids.

As an example, what I take from sports nutrition when I have about 15 workouts per week. Before you start taking anything, I recommend consulting with a specialist.

1. Amino Acids - Universal 100% Beef Aminos - 1/2 serving 2 hours before first workout, 1 serving immediately after first workout, 1/2 serving immediately after second workout.
2. Amino Acids - Muscle Tech Amino Build - sometimes during workout.
3. Multivitamin - Vitaline MultiVit Care - 1-2 times a day with meals.
4. Omega-3 - Vitaline MegaPlus - 2 times a day with meals.
5. Niacinamide - GNC Niacinamide - 1 time per day in the evening after meals.
6. Optimum Nutrition Whey Isolate once a day. Usually after a workout.

To gain muscle mass, all my trainers here advise to consume about 2 grams of protein per 1 kg of body weight per day. All this will need to be divided into 3-5 meals. Also, do not forget about snacks during the day. If you set out to gain muscle mass, then you should not feel hungry during the day. Of the usual products, I almost always carry at least 1 banana with me. Plus, I often take a small package of tuna instead of a protein mixture. It saves.

Improve recovery and body function low sugar intake. You should not consume more than 50 grams of sugar per day. All sweets can and should be replaced with fruits, vegetables and nuts. The role of vegetables, by the way, often remains underestimated. In addition to a faster acceleration, a small amount of sugar in the diet will improve the functioning of the immune system, reduce headaches and drowsiness. All this has been proven in practice.

Maxim: Now about the gym. As always, we have 2 groups of people: the first screams that without a gym you can’t achieve good results, and the second - that the gym is not really needed, you can achieve good results by working exclusively with your weight. I would like to hear your vision of the development of a basketball player in the context of visits to the gym.

Vasily: Of course, it is possible to do without free weights (barbell, dumbbells, weights), but it is difficult. Yes, you can only train with your own weight and add resistance in the form of rubber (resistance band), but it will be more effective to add free weights to this. The video shows a simple example of training with your own weight.

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For comparison, here is a small cut of GPP workouts in July 2013, in which I actively used resistance exercises.

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Max: What are the key differences in conditioning training for defensemen, forwards and centers? Is there a fundamental difference between the choice of "additional exercises" for small (1-2 numbers) and big (4-5 numbers) players?

Vasily: There should not be any special differences for one reason: regardless of whether you are point guard or center, you have one goal - to run faster, jump higher, become more enduring and stronger.

Yes, there may be a difference in the choice of those additional exercises, but it depends on the individual needs of each player, because I think small players will not interfere with the ability to fight in the post (center position), and the big ones the ability to press all over the court in a low protective stand.

Max: A very important thing in any sport is the ability to maintain balance in game situations. This will allow you to shoot even if you are pushed, score 2 with a foul, and just feel more confident in passes, on turns and when performing feints. But unfortunately, it is precisely the balance in the Youth Sports School (which I visited so precisely) that they devote very little time to (read: they don’t devote it at all). Tell me a little about balance, its importance and exercises that can improve it.

Vasiliy: Balance is one of those aspects that I deal with almost every day. In contact sports, it is very important for several reasons: reducing the risk of future injuries and the ability to maintain balance despite external factors. There are enough exercises. Here everything depends on the imagination. I would divide the balance work into several levels of difficulty:

1. Standing on one leg on the floor.
2. Standing on one leg on an unstable surface (the surface can only move in one plane).
3. Standing on one leg on the floor with eyes closed.
4. Standing on one leg on an unstable surface (the surface can move in several planes at the same time). The easiest way is a towel folded several times, the more difficult way is a BOSU ball.
5. Standing on an unstable surface with eyes closed.
6. Standing on several unstable surfaces at the same time (one on top of the other) and so on.

This video is an example of one of my leg workouts.

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A good balance exercise that you can do at home with any ball available is the squat.

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Max: About restoration. After all, basketball is a contact sport, and injuries (both serious and microtraumas) are an integral part of it. What can and should be done to minimize the risk of injury; And what can be done to prevent the recurrence of old sores?

Vasily: As I have already said, balance work reduces the risk of injury. In addition, everything will already depend on the program of work with weights, recovery and nutrition.

As for restoration, here many do not pay due attention to it. Massage, stretching and strengthening exercises should be a top priority in your spare time. It takes me 30 minutes to 1 hour a day. For massage, I use both a roller (Trigger Point Foam Roller) and a percussion electric massager, plus I already do acupressure with my hands. After training, so-called adhesions form at the site of micro-ruptures of muscle fibers, which, if left unattended, can contribute to the appearance of pain in the joints or at the points of attachment of muscles, ligaments and tendons, and in the future this can lead to serious injuries.

Many players don't even think about strengthening their ligaments after injury. A simple chain example:

1. You sprained your leg (sprained your ankle ligaments).
2. The pain disappeared after a while. You started exercising again and got the same injury again.
3. The pain went away again after a while, but all you did was smear your ankle with ointment. Perhaps the ointment somehow helps to relieve swelling, but it definitely does not strengthen the ligaments, which means the ligaments remain just as weak.
4. The weakness of the ankle ligament begins to compensate for the gastrocnemius muscle, thereby overloading it.
5. Restore balance now torn back of the thigh, now it is overloaded. With such an overload, discomfort in the knee can also occur, which in turn can lead to a displacement of the pelvis.

If, on the other hand, to prevent re-injury, a player begins to wear ankle protection, this does not strengthen the ligaments in any way, but rather even weakens them. The same thing happens with taping. Therefore, in the United States, in the offices of sports doctors (athletic trainers) of teams, there are signs like “A prerequisite for taping is to perform strengthening exercises.”

In case of a fresh injury, the RICE rule should be followed for the first few days until the tumor is removed.

• Rest (minimum load on the injured area,
• Ice (ice for 15-20 minutes every hour and a half),
• Compression (fix the injured area so as not to aggravate the injury),
• Elevation (to remove the tumor - keep the injured area above the level of the heart for 10 minutes every 2-3 hours, this stimulates the outflow of blood).

Max: If you look closely at the basic elements of outplaying a defender, then in 90% of cases, outplaying occurs through the first step. Explosive, sharp, fast. In fact, if you train this element, then it will not be difficult to beat most opponents (we are not talking about defense at a distance of 1. 5-2 meters, from which you can just shoot the opponent’s ring). Do you agree with the statement and what exercises can be used to develop the first step?

Vasily: I don't quite agree with this. If you have a very fast first step but can't read the defense, you won't get very far, but the first step certainly gives you an advantage. There are many exercises to improve this element. In this case, I am more attracted to work with resistance (resistance band) - stepping forward and backward, moving in a protective stance, jabs (showing off). Also, the ladder has a good effect on the work of the legs, and therefore on the first step. The only remark on the ladder is that you should not do it more than 4 times a week. Otherwise, there will not be enough time to recover between such workouts. Another good way to use the block simulator for our purposes.

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Maxim: The most favorite is about the jump. I believe that jump development is an integral part of basketball, but not a key one. Those. the jump, as well as speed, quickness, accuracy of the throw and other elements of the game must progress in parallel. And what do you think? And of course, is there a "magic pill/exercise" that will make you fly?

Vasily: So we got to the most interesting part! Everyone wants to know the very exercise that will make the jump more than a meter. Unfortunately, there is no such thing. I personally do not set a goal for myself to increase the jump, but sometimes it is interesting to read what they write. Someone says that you need to pump calves, then you will jump high, someone says that the press is the main thing.

Jump is a complex movement that includes the work of the whole body. If we imagine the mechanics of the jump, then in certain stages not only the legs work, but also the muscles of the torso. So, everything needs to be trained. In my opinion, if you are an athlete, then you need to pay a minimum of attention to isolation exercises and exercises in simulators. There will be no such movement in the game when you only contract the quadriceps femoris or something else. Also, I can't imagine the movements in the game when you move strictly in one plane. An example is the transfer with two hands from the chest and the bench press in the Smith machine. To achieve maximum power when passing, the arms will work in more than one direction, and in the Smith machine, the bar can only move up and down.

As for the exercise to increase the jump, here the leaders were, are and will be squats and lunges and their various variations. One of them is rocket squats. I often did them with athletes. An ordinary squat with the only caveat - at the bottom point you linger for 3 seconds, then straighten up sharply. I clarify, straighten up, not jump. You can stand up on your toes. If you jump or get up abruptly from your toes back to your heels, then the load on the spine will increase (and you should be careful with it).

And yet, it's time to understand that there is nothing revolutionary that will allow you to achieve results in a matter of time. There is only one answer - work on yourself.

Do you want to be fast and strong? The recipe is simple. Sprints, explosive reps, footwork, resistance training, unstable ground. Regularly.

Max: In conclusion, a little psychology and motivation: I often notice that two or three words of criticism at the beginning of a match against a partner can lead to the fact that he falls out of his element and cannot show his usual level of play . How do you feel about criticism during the game / timeout: is it necessary to criticize partners (bad pass; untimely pass; didn’t give at all; didn’t improve on defense ... the list goes on indefinitely) immediately after an error, or everything is discussed later. And how not to break if you immediately heard everything that they think about your actions.

Vasily: I'm fine with adequate criticism, because it's only good when someone else sincerely wants to help you and suggest something. I don't take inappropriate criticism.

I will say this: it is not worth criticizing partners during the game, it is worth prompting and supporting. If your teammate gave an inaccurate pass or missed from under the basket, how will it help him that you will emotionally explain to him where his hands grow from? No way. And if you cheer up, then he, perhaps, will immediately forget about his mistake.

Another important thing is that as soon as a certain game moment is over, you must immediately move on to the next one. This is how they teach here, these qualities are often followed by a coach along with your defense and attack. How do you react to different negative situations. Let's say that when you lose the ball, the best thing you can do is turn around and accelerate to the defense, and not stop and say who ran the wrong way.

A good example in this case would be one Eastern wisdom that NBA coaches use in their lectures and books when they describe the importance of being in the present moment.

Two monks were walking through the forest, while crossing the river they saw a girl who was afraid to wet her feet in the river during the crossing, one of the monks took her in his arms, carried her across the river and left, went further along his path with the second monk, subsequently arose between them similar dialogue:

- What did you do? The scriptures forbid us to touch women, and you took her in your arms.

- I let her go two hours ago and you are still carrying her.

Now everyone is still talking about confidence, how to achieve it, exercises are suggested, something else. I believe that it is impossible to become confident by doing some drill, just as it is impossible to be a good player by doing only drills. Everything comes with experience, and not only with training, but also with playing. If you break down a successful performance, then mine will be: 20 percent technique, 35 percent training, 45 percent confidence. The example is simple: if you are absolutely sure of something, then no one can convince you of this no matter what.

Maxim: Yoga Pilates. Yoga and Pilates are gaining popularity these days. How important are they to a basketball player? And are they needed at all?

Vasily: In my opinion, both Pilates and yoga are very useful not only for basketball, but also for general development. I think it's good to add exercises from there to your daily workouts, and in the off-season, devote a few hours a week. The main advantage of Pilates is that it strengthens the muscles of the torso well, plus yoga is elasticity and the ability to concentrate on breathing. By the way, on the question of the first step, yoga also contributes to this. As one example, the video shows a complete Pilates workout.

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Well, our interview has come to an end, which could hardly fit on 5 pages of Word. I hope each of you will draw the right conclusions from what has been written and shown above. I, in turn, say a huge THANK YOU to Vasily, I wish him good luck in conquering the basketball peaks of the highest level.

And I wish you successful training, subscribe to our group on VKontakte - https://vk.com/uroki_basketbola, and see you soon on the pages of our website!

Muscle Building Tips

You are small, tall, calories burn in your body at lightning speed, everything you eat is processed at a high speed, which does not allow you to gain muscle mass - do you know these problems?

Asthenics should not worry! You're not sick, you're just one of those people who has a hard time gaining weight. It's not easy, but it's possible. Each portion of energy received from food should help the active growth of muscle mass. You are required to harmoniously distribute the time of training and diet. Nutrition should be balanced, and training should be competent, then the ultimate goal - gaining muscle mass - is quite achievable. Stick to these simple guidelines, and your goal will not become a mirage, both in your own eyes and in the eyes of others.

How quickly muscle mass is gained if you are an asthenic

Decide what goal you pursue when going to the gym or fitness center? Of course, anyone has a desire to build muscle mass and get a beautiful relief! Skinny guys under 50 kg tend to gain sixty kg, those who weigh up to 60 kg want to reach the 85 kg weight category, etc. But how to achieve this?

Mass Gaining Nutrition

Until you feel like you've had a “heavy” meal, you won't be able to eat the right amount of healthy food in the right amount. You can not eat only low-calorie vegetables rich in fiber, choose foods high in calories. Most bodybuilders recommend consuming 40 kilocalories per kilogram of weight to develop muscle strength. You should stick to a diet in which the protein will be slightly above the norm, since the goal is precisely to build muscle mass, and not maintain it: building material will be required for new muscles.

It is wrong to follow a mono-diet, for example, to eat only vegetables with oatmeal, egg white with fruit. Such a diet is not suitable for gaining muscle, on the contrary, it can lead to a deficiency of vitamins, micro- and macroelements, which will slow down muscle growth. You should opt for more high-calorie dishes: mashed vegetables, legumes, meat, whole eggs and dried fruits.

Important! Eat more high-calorie foods that will help you quickly restore and increase calories expended . The diet should include a full intake of a variety of foods. Read more in the article "How to eat during training."

Let's take a closer look at calories. To gain muscle mass, it is recommended to start with 30 kilocalories per kilogram of your body weight for a week, and then gradually increase. For example, a man weighing 100 kg first needs to absorb 3,000 calories per day, and after two or three weeks, increase the rate, and, as soon as possible, switch to a norm of 40 Kcal per kilogram of weight. The key is to gradually increase your calorie intake.

Remember that this diet should avoid foods with " empty calories " , simple carbohydrates (sugar, baked goods) and excess fat (fatty fish with omega acids - good, deep fried, bread with a thick layer of butter is bad).

It is also necessary to increase the intensity and duration of training along with an increase in the caloric content of the diet , otherwise the mass can be increased only due to body fat.

Important! The correct proportions of Proteins / Fats / Carbohydrates in the daily diet for those who keep a stable weight (when losing weight and gaining weight, the proportion of proteins can be slightly increased): when you put them to work: doing strength training, lifting weights to maximize the tension of your muscles . Pull-ups, deadlifts, weighted squats, and bench presses are best for stimulating multiple muscle groups at the same time.