10 Moves to Improve Your Basketball Game

Basketball season is almost here...GO CATS!!  Here are some tips so you can improve your own game.

Once you've mastered basketball's fundamentals—how to properly dribble, shoot, pass, and trash talk—you can improve your game by fine-tuning the way you train off the court. They will increase your stability, stamina, and strength while aiming to keep you off your team's injured reserve list.

FRONT SQUAT

A solid base is important if you don't want to lose your balance every time some lummox hand-checks you.  Along with making your legs, trunk, and lower back strong, front squats will teach your body proper biomechanical alignment. Tall people tend to naturally squat wrong by bending forward instead of sitting deep—and that's not a strong position. When doing these, only squat down until your knees are at 90 degrees, since that's the range of a defensive stance.
 
How to Do It

1. Grab a pair of dumbbells and stand with your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
2. Raise the dumbbells upward and rotate your hands so they're in the same position they'd be for a barbell squat (might require a lower body "kip" [dynamic move to hoist the weight] if you're using heavy weight).
3. Descend into a squat position while keeping your back straight, your chest upright, your elbows parallel to the floor, and your butt over your heels.
4. Once your knees reach 90 degrees, return to the starting position.
5. Perform 8–15 reps.

LATERAL ICE SKATER 
Breaking news: NBA scouts are not attending your pickup games. So exiting the game without spraining or tearing anything should trump all other concerns. Lateral skaters work the quads, hamstrings, and calves, but they also play a key role in strengthening the entire pelvic girdle, especially the gluteus medius. The gluteus medius—a small muscle in the butt—helps with hip stabilization and puts your body into a biomechanical alignment that greatly reduces knee and lower-extremity injuries.
 
How to Do It

1. Stand in an athletic position with your feet close together; bend at the waist with your knees and arms slightly bent.
2. Jump off of your left foot and land on your right foot while keeping your left foot off the ground. The opposite leg from the one you're launching off of will naturally pendulum across your body.
3. Reverse it (jump off of the right foot and land on the left foot).
4. Perform 6–10 reps total (3–5 each leg) at 100%.

HEEL SLIDE 
You're far more susceptible to non-contact lower-body injuries when hip alignment is askew. Enter the heel slide. The form can be tricky, but perfecting the movement enables you to maintain proper hip alignment. If the middle of your butt isn't hurting by the time you're done, you're doing it wrong. The downside: You'll need adequate wall space.  

How to do it

1. Lie on the floor close enough to a wall so that you can place both legs up on the wall.  Your hips should be as close to the wall as is comfortable for you.
2. Start with both feet resting on the wall.  Slowly pull one foot down the wall, keeping the heel against the wall during entire movement.
3. Then slowly slide your foot up to where you started.
4. Perform 15-20 reps (or 30 seconds) per leg.

SIDE PLANK LEG RAISE

In every facet of the game—shooting, defending, sprinting off the court in shame after launching an air ball—you're using core strength. For side plank leg raises, raising both the upper leg and arm to provide more stability and to force the hip into place. He also stresses the importance of pointing the toes down on your elevated foot. Turning the toes downward will strengthen the gluteus medius along with your core, he reveals.  Pushing the belly button forward will help maintain verticality. When the upper leg hangs out from the body, it most likely means you're using the back and gluteus maximus muscles (in other words, cheating) instead of the gluteus medius.
 
How to Do It

1. Lie on your side, keep your legs straight, and prop yourself up on your arm or elbow.
2. Raise both the upper leg and arm (remember to point that upper toe downward).
3. Hold the position for 30 seconds, then switch sides.

BULGARIAN SQUAT

Bulgarian squats build lower-body muscles. They also provide a reason to thank Bulgaria for contributing something to the world. When paired with split squat jumps (we'll get to those next), the two exercises team up to both strengthen the legs and enhance explosiveness. This is a basketball-specific movement that you use in the game. You want your back leg to be about 12 to 18 inches off the ground with your back knee almost touching the ground [like a lunge when you descend]; finding the proper weight and distance to use here will be trial and error.
 
How to Do It

1. Grab a pair of dumbbells and put them at your sides with your arms straight, or move them into the same position you would when doing a barbell squat.
2. While you're in a staggered stance (your left or right foot forward), place the top of your back foot on top of a bench (or a chair, couch arm, or stability ball—whatever's available or at your comfort level).
3. Perform 8–15 per leg.

SPLIT SQUAT JUMPS

Strength and conditioning coaches rely on split squat jumps regularly with their basketball clientele. Why? They enhance explosive power off of one leg, and that's something players need to snag rebounds, hit jump shots, and execute 360-backflip dunks . . . or layups. Doing a heavy contraction exercise like the Bulgarian or front squat before a dynamic movement makes the latter move safer.  Your muscles are thoroughly warmed up, so it's much harder to injure yourself. The cool thing is that you also free up something called high-threshold muscle cell motor units that will help you jump higher.
 
How to Do It

1. Get into a split stance.
2. Drop into split squat position so your front upper leg is parallel to the floor and your rear knee is almost touching the ground.
3. Jump upward and quickly switch the position of your legs so you land in the opposite stance.
4. Perform a squat and repeat.
5. Perform 6–10 reps total (3–5 each leg) at 100%.

SQUAT HOPS TO WALL SQUAT
The first thing you do when you're tired in basketball is start to stand up and lose the position where you are strong and laterally quick. And if you can't sink down into a stance and D up, you might as well wear the other team's jersey. This squat hop to wall squat duo will supply your lower body with strength and stamina. Go for speed, not distance.  Move as fast as you can, tapping the feet as quickly as possible. And when you're done, do a wall squat until failure.
(Something to consider: If you sweat worse than a broken spigot and you're doing wall squats at home, Superman a towel over your back to preserve the paint.)
 
How to Do It

1. Get into a defensive stance (legs bent at 90 degrees, back straight, head up), arms out like you're guarding someone.
2. Perform 16 jumps rapidly (4 forward, 4 sideways, 4 to the other side, and 4 backward) and repeat it 4 times.
3. Find a wall and get back into your defensive stance with your arms and fingers extended.
4. Stay in that position as long as possible.

FINGERTIP PUSH-UPS

Whether you're shooting, passing, or giving someone a Dikembe Mutombo finger wag after blocking a shot, your fingers play a crucial role. And they take a serious beating during basketball games. Fingertip push-ups will toughen your digits and boost strength in your upper body and core.  Work up to 25 reps, but aim for 15 or as many as you can do to start.  Do some of them from your knees to build up strength if you need to.
 
How to Do It

1. Get into a push-up position (wide- or narrow-grip).
2. Support your body weight with your fingertips instead of your palms.
3. Keep your head, neck, hips, and torso straight, and your back and shoulders stable as you descend.
4. Push up and repeat.
5. Perform up to 25 reps (unless you can do more).

LINE HOPS

Proprioception is an internal mechanism that allows us to do cool things like control our limbs without having to look at them while they work. (That's how we can drive without the need to stare at our hands and feet.) Trouble is, that can be a detriment with basketball. We remember how to run, jump, and shoot from balling when we were kids, but if we haven't played in a while our bodies may not be conditioned to carry out those in-game movements without suffering an injury.  Line hops help with neuromuscular patterns.  Just jumping on the balls of the feet will help get your body used to [those movements] again, as well as help with speed and quickness.
 
How to Do It

1. Tape an "X" onto the floor.
2. Hop quickly over a line, changing direction after every 5 jumps.
3. After 30 jumps, rest 30 seconds and complete another set.

CURL TO OVERHEAD PRESS

Don't neglect strengthening your upper body.  With this movement, you're building strength through a squat position, which you spend a lot of time in on the court.
 
How to Do It

1. Grab a pair of dumbbells and let them hang at your sides.
2. Perform a squat until your thighs are parallel to the floor.
3. Return to the standing position and do a biceps curl.
4. When the dumbbells reach your shoulders, flip your hands over and press them over your head by thrusting from your hips (called a push-press).
5. Reverse the move, slowly, to the starting position, and repeat.
6. Do 8–15 reps, or until failure.

Good luck and we will see you on the court!!

Exercises for Your Feet....What????

Did you know the muscle groups in both of your feet make up 25 percent of your body's muscles?  That's right!  So if you ignore the muscles of your feet, it would be like eliminating upper body workouts from your repertoire.  Your feet take a beating every day with normal activity so if you are active your feet have to do a lot more work.  When the muscles of the feet are not functioning properly, it will affect your gait in walking and running.  Foot problems lead to other orthopedic problems also such as knee pain and hip/low back pain.  Think of your feet as the foundation to your "house".  If your foundation is faulty, you will weaken your structure which ultimately could lead to injuries and/or chronic problems.

So what can you do to keep your feet healthy?  It is important to treat the muscles of your feet just as you would the muscles of your legs or chest.  They need to be strengthened and stretched on a regular basis.  We think of shoes as a good thing, right?  Actually, shoes can be similar to a cast on an arm.  Muscles of a casted limb begin to atrophy (or get smaller) over time due to the lack of movement/use.  The muscles of your feet are the same way.  They get used to having the support of shoes around the clock.  They don't have to think about moving or supporting the ankle or body so they begin to get "lazy".  Now I'm not saying you should go barefoot all of the time.  You still need to support your foundation and provide stability for the lower limbs during movement.  However, it is a good idea to go barefoot (or wear minimalist footwear) every now and then.  But before your start on that, it is important to stretch and strengthen the muscles of the feet.  Here are some exercises and stretches you can do to help build your foundation.

1. Toe Lifts
• Have you ever tried to lift one toe at a time?  You might be surprised as to how difficult it can be.  Try lifting your big toe first, without any other toes moving.  Then move on to each subsequent toe and then reverse it back to the big toe.  Keep practicing until you can master the single toe lift.  Practice this daily as it will not only strengthen the smaller muscles of the foot but it will also help stretch the feet.
2. Toe Spreads
• Your toes are trapped in shoes all day.  Sometimes, depending on the type of shoe, the toes have very little wiggle room.  Take your shoes and socks off then practice spreading the toes out away from each other without lifting them off of the ground.  Hold for a few seconds then repeat.  If you feel like your toes/feet begin to cramp, that is an indication you need to perform this move more often.
3. Toe Grabs
• Help strengthen and stretch the bottom of your feet with toe grabs.  Place a towel or small objects such as pebbles or marbles on the floor.  Practice grabbing and picking up the small objects with your toes.  If you are using a towel, grab the towel with your toes, then scrunch your toes up to drag that towel towards you.
4. Ankle Circles and Point/Flex
• Practice making 20 circles with your feet both clockwise and counter-clockwise.  Make the circles big so the whole foot moves at the ankle.  Then point your foot away from you (as if you were stepping on a gas pedal in your car) and flex your foot towards your body.  Do this about 20 times each foot.  If that becomes too easy, grab an exercise band/tubing and repeat all of those movements.

Practice these movements every day to help strengthen and stretch your feet and toes.  Try to add barefoot walking into your daily activity but be aware how your foot strikes the ground.  Be sure to place the whole bottom of the foot on the ground and push off through the toes.  Avoid rolling the foot to the inside or outside too much.  You should notice an improvement fairly quickly.  You might even find a reduction in knee pain and calf tightness by doing theses exercises.  Finally, and most importantly, take care of your feet.  Massage your feet with your hands or by rolling your foot over a tennis ball.  Stretch your calf muscles daily.  Wear the appropriate shoes for your activity (check out our blog "Shoes Are Shoes...Right?" for more information.

Take care of your feet and you will have a strong foundation!!

"Girl" Push-ups vs "Guy" Push-ups

As a trainer, one of the terms that bugs me the most is when someone calls a modified push-up a "girl" push-up.  Let me tell you firsthand there are A LOT of guys who cannot do a full push-up and must start at a modified push-up.  On the flip side, I know plenty of women who can do a full push-up (a.k.a "guy" push-up).  They are not happy when you call it a "girl" push-up and neither am I!! So what really is the strength difference between a modified push-up (performed on the knees) versus a full push-up (performed on the toes)?  Well I am going to highlight a study that looked at the strength difference.

In the study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research  "The effect of position on the percentage of body mass supported during traditional and modified push-up variants" by Suprak et.al, (2011), the authors looked at the amount of strength during the "up" phase (push up off of the ground) versus the "down" phase (lowering body back down towards ground) in both a modified and a full push-up.  The subjects were 28 highly strength-trained males.  Strength was measured as a percentage of body mass lifted.  In a nutshell, here are the results:

 

So in other words, if you weigh 150 pounds and you perform the modified push-up you would be lifting:

• ~80 pounds in the up phase and
• ~93 pounds in the down phase of the push-up.

 If you were to perform a full pushup you would be lifting:

• ~108 pounds in the up phase and
• ~113 pounds in the down phase of the push-up.

As you can see from the chart above you actually lift more of your body weight in the down phase of the push-up.  So if you are training your upper body for strength improvements, try holding the push-up in lowering phase.  

The next time you are talking about push-ups to your friends, be sure to call it either a full or modified push-up, not "girl" or "guy" push-ups.  Because you never know who you are talking to or who is around you when you joke about how easy "girl" push-ups are!!  I know some women who could probably kick your behind when it comes to full push-ups! 

Stability Discs - How to Improve Balance & Core

So you've seen those little pillows of air in the gym.  You may have seen someone standing on them.  But what are they and what are they for?  Those pillows of air are stability (or balance) discs and you can do a variety of exercises on them to improve your balance and strengthen your core.  Just for some background information, refer back to our blog entries on balance and core.

Remember, balance exercises aren't just for the elderly.  Everyone should take some time to perform balance exercises to improve core strength and to increase strength in the ligaments of the ankles.  If you are a runner and do any trail running or compete in cross country or mud runs, balance exercises are extremely helpful since you participate/compete on uneven surfaces.  Once you master simple balance exercises you can increase the difficulty by performing the same exercises on stability discs.  Here are a few examples of stability disc exercises you can do to improve your balance and core strength.

1. Bird Dog:

• Get down on all fours with hands directly under your shoulders and knees under hips.
• Place a stability disc under your right hand and left knee.
• Lift and extend your left arm and right leg.
• Repeat 10-15 times then switch the discs and repeat on the other side.
2. Squat

• Stand on 2 stability discs with feet shoulder-width apart.
• While balancing on the discs perform a squat as low as you can go.
• Press feet into discs and stand back up.
• Repeat 10-15 times.
3. Half-Kneel Run

• In a half-kneeling position on your left knee, place a stability disc under your right foot.
• Be sure your left knee is under your hip and right foot is under your right knee.
• Grasp 5-pound dumbbells in each hand.
• Sitting up tall, swing arms as fast as you can without twisting your torso.
• "Run" for 30-60 seconds and repeat on other side.
• Can be performed with no dumbbells in hands.
4. Plank/Mountain Climber

• Place a stability disc under each hand and extend legs back until you are balancing on your hands and toes.
• Lower hips slightly so you body is in a straight line from shoulders to toes.
• Be sure your hands are directly under your shoulders.
• Hold this plank position for 30-60 seconds.
• To perform the mountain climber, bring one knee into your chest then quickly switch legs.
• Repeat for 30-60 seconds. 
5. Curtsy Squat

• Start with feet shoulder-width apart and hands on hips.
• Place stability discs in front of you at a diagonal from each leg.
• Lift right leg off the ground and step in front of left leg at a diagonal so your right foot steps on the disc.
• Push off with right foot and return to starting position.
• Repeat with left leg.
• Repeat both sides 10-15 times.

As a reminder, you should be able to correctly perform each of these exercises WITHOUT the discs BEFORE adding a stability disc to your routine.  Once you've mastered the exercise then add the disc(s) and perform the same move.  A little more difficult, huh?  When balancing on the discs with your hands or your feet, try to keep the pillow of air stable.  In other words, when standing on the disc, try not to allow the toes to go to the ground or the heels...balance yourself on the disc.  You may wobble around a little bit until you become proficient with these exercises.  That's OK...just keep working at it!!

So the next time you are in the gym, try your hand (or foot) at stability disc exercises.  You'll find out just how proficient you are with your balance.  Don't worry if you fall off the discs.  Stand close to a wall or machine so you can hold on in the beginning.  Gradually work your way further from the wall/machine and let your body take over with improving balance.  Good luck!!  Don't forget...if you need assistance with these or any exercises, be sure to talk with a fitness professional.  We are here for you!!

How Can I Strengthen My Knees?

The knee is a complicated joint and is a commonly injured area of the body.  The knees bear about 80% of our body weight when standing...that's a lot of pressure!  Because of the wear and tear on our knees from every day activities to sporting events and exercise, there are over 500,000 total knee replacement (TKR) surgeries performed every year (according to the American Association of Orthopedic Surgeons).  It's also projected that by the year 2030, that number will increase to over 3.48 million due to increased obesity rates and aging baby boomers.  Approximately 12% of people over the age of 60 experience symptoms of knee osteoarthritis and 94% of patients undergoing TKR do so because of osteoarthritis.

Is there anything we can do to protect our knees and prevent the need for TKR?  Let's first look at the structure of the knee joint.  This picture shows the basic structure of the knee joint including the quadriceps (thigh) muscle and the bones of the shin or lower leg.  All of these muscles, ligaments and tendons help to keep the knee stable and strong so it can withstand the pressure of standing, walking, and climbing.  Unfortunately, there are many areas that can be injured, whether acutely (i.e., trip and fall) or chronically (i.e., osteoarthritis).  While it is not possible to strengthen the knee joint itself, it is possible to strengthen and stretch the surrounding muscles.

Let's look at five areas you can strengthen to keep your knees stable and strong.  First, the knee joint is surrounded by:

1. Quadriceps muscles - large muscle group on the front of the thigh running from the front of the hip to the top of the knee.
2. Hamstring muscles - large muscle group on the back of the thigh running from the back of the hip to the back of the knee.
3. Calf muscles - two muscles that encompass the back of the lower leg, running from the back of the knee down to the Achilles or heel.
4. Iliotibial (IT) Band - large band of connective tissue running from the outside of the hip down to the outside of the knee.

It is important to strengthen and stretch those areas in addition to the hip, since some of the above structures cross the hip joint also.  Here are five exercises you can do to improve the strength of these muscles and connective tissue.  Click on each link to be taken to American College on Exercise (ACE) website for video instructions.

• To strengthen the quadriceps, perform a BODYWEIGHT SQUAT. 
• To strengthen the hamstrings, perform a STABILITY BALL HAMSTRING CURL.
• To strengthen the calves, perform a BARBELL CALF RAISE.
• To strengthen the hips, perform a GLUTE BRIDGE.
• To stretch the IT Band, perform an IT BAND STRETCH.

Although performing these exercises will not prevent you from EVER experiencing knee pain or problems, it will help you to prevent future injuries to the knee joint.  Take care of your knees and you will be able to maintain an active lifestyle.  Eat right and maintain a healthy body weight to keep additional pressure off of your knees.  Wear proper shoes (click HERE to read a previous blog on shoes) for your activity and replace them often to maintain appropriate support.

Still need help with knee pain?  Be sure to talk with your healthcare practitioner to find out the underlying cause of the pain, then talk to a trainer at PROMATx Health Club and see how you can strengthen your knees and prevent future injuries.

"I'm fine, and my hips are fine.  My false knee is fine.  My false hips are fine.  Everything's cooking."  

- Liza Minnelli