Exercises every basketball player should include in their routine

It’s no secret that cross-training holds excellent benefits for athletes. The trick though, is looking for not just any exercise, but rather those that complement the sport itself.

For today’s blog, Garry Y. Itkin shares three exercises every basketball player should include in their workout and training routines.

High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT): To be fair, HIIT can benefit almost every athlete in nearly every sport. It supercharges the lungs and heart and provides an incredible increase in strength and stamina. Most professional athletes today have HIIT in their regimen as it lets perform at their peak for a longer period, notes Garry Y. Itkin.

Swimming: Swimming is an excellent exercise for basketball players for two reasons. First, like HIIT, swimming increases endurance, stamina, and strength. Second, swimming is a low-impact exercise, which means it doesn’t stress out the joints of the legs that much, if at all.

Wall climbing: One of the most overlooked strengths of a basketball player is their upper body. No great player in basketball has weak shoulders, chest, back, and arms, explains Garry Y. Itkin. An extremely fun complementary exercise for increasing upper body strength is wall climbing. Plus, it’s also great for the legs.