You’re sweating profusely, the gym is hot and stagnant, and the hardwood is making your sneaker-clad feet feel like anvils. The basketball coach’s whistle sounds like a siren going off in the dead of the night, shrieking away at your throbbing eardrums.
“Again…another one!”
The drills that the ball breaking coach puts you through are some of the most effective fat burning cardio exercises that you can ever do, mixing in High Intensity Interval Training (H.I.I.T.), Supra Maximal Interval Training (S.M.I.T.) and steady state cardio. Even though you’re exhausted, you’re pumped that all this training is getting you into sick shape for the summer.
Reebok is also pumped about getting into shape and about this year’s college basketball tournament. The makers of the Zpumps are so pumped, they’re giving away free tickets to the final game on April 6th in Indianapolis. Just click here to “pump” the Reebok pump button for a chance to win 2 tickets to the final game to crown the champions of college basketball. The four runner-ups will each receive a pair of Reebok Zpumps.
In celebration of the big game, and the coming season of shirtless sports, here are some of the more common basketball drills and training methods (on the court and in the gym) that will result in you looking peeled.
SUICIDE SPRINTS
Used primarily as a punishment by coaches, suicides (and sprinting as a whole) are plain and simple the best way to get into shape. When done in a suicide fashion, this becomes a S.M.I.T. exercise, as you are going all-out for a short burst and then taking a full rest three-to-five times the running time – if he’s nice enough to give you a water break, that is. Quick and short sprints from the near baseline, each foul line, half court and the far baseline and back will get your heart rate racing.
3-ON-2, 2-ON-1
Two players go back on defense and three bring the ball up. Whoever takes the shot or turns the ball over then becomes the defender, and has to rush down court, as he is now the one facing ‘numbers.’ This is a great drill for stop and go and change of direction, as well as back peddling. All of these are forms of cardio and can actually be H.I.I.T. depending on the intensity.
KNOCKOUT
The players form a single line at the foul line with two balls in play. The first player takes a free throw and crashes the boards as the second shoots from the foul line. Make your shot and you’re still in, going to the back of the line. But if you miss and the other player sinks his while you’re chasing the rebound, he knocked your butt out. You can shoot from where you retrieve the ball after the initial free throw, so it is a great drill for lay ups, jump shots, rebounds and free throws. It keeps going until the last player remains standing. All of that running around and jumping is pure cardio, too.
BOX JUMPS
You need to have ‘ups’ to succeed in this game, so work on your explosiveness in the gym by performing box jumps at different levels. This will help your rebounding and defense on the court, as well as being cardio to burn calories and fat.
BARBELL POWEAR CLEANS
Another explosive exercise, power cleans is also a compound movement that will help your overall strength and is essentially for your hamstrings. But the secondary muscles are also worked hard and they include your shoulders, back, triceps, traps, quads, calves, glutes and forearms. So basically this is a full body power exercise that you can’t go wrong with and it will help the guys playing power forward or center a lot for boxing out.
Enter here for your chance to win tickets to final game of the college basketball tournament before it’s too late!