Before we get into a detailed discussion of this, we need to know what NBA basketball is. NBA is the abbreviated form of National Basketball Association which is a basketball association based in North America.
The NBA, which is a professional league, was formed in the US in the year 1949. It was an amalgamation of 2 rival organizations namely Basketball Association of America (1946) and National Basketball League (1937).
It is no surprise that NBA basketball players are some of the fittest individuals that you will come across. They have ripped bodies and exhibit immense levels of athleticism.
They require a perfect blend of speed, size, strength, which might be impossible for any normal human being to achieve. Some of the traits that they possess are broad shoulders, legs that look like tree-trunk, wee carved six-packs, and so on.
You do not have to be an aspiring basketball player to be asking for a body like an NBA basketball player. Although the training is not very complex, it is definitely not easy.
This article will give you a number of tips that will help you have an NBA basketball player’s physique.
What Will I Learn?
What is the ideal NBA Basketball player’s body?
Just like there are a number of physical characteristics associated with a player’s body, there are some identifiable characteristics of a basketball player’s body as well.
Listed below are some of the traits of an ideal NBA Basketball player’s body. Read on to find out.
They are tall and lean
When it comes to playing basketball, height becomes an important factor. In the game of basketball, height provides an added advantage as it automatically increases the efficiency of people. It becomes easier for them to reach the basket and score better.
If you are an ardent follower of NBA basketball, you must have seen that most of the players have the height of 6’6” or above. Height is a factor that depends on one’s genetics. Nevertheless, you can also work on decompressing your spine so that it can give an impression of you being taller than what you actually are! Hence, being tall is an important trait of all basketball players.
Not only this, but they also have a lean physique. Having excessive fat may stand in the way of good performance. To ensure the optimum usage of your body, you need to make sure that you slash down the fat content of your body and maintain a lean physique.
Strong and defined leg muscles
Basketball is a game which includes many high-intensity activities like sprinting, jumping, frequent changes in direction, and shuffling. Their physical conditioning is usually focused on increasing the aerobic capacity, improving the speed, the strength of muscles, power, and agility.
Out of the many important traits that are ideally found in an NBA basketball player, strong, defined leg muscles deserve a special mention. This is because the activities such as sprinting, jumping, shuffling, and suddenly changing direction are those which require immense leg strength.
Having strong legs make it easier for the basketball players to maneuver across the basketball court. It also helps to ease jumping higher, change the direction quickly, run faster, and so on. When you manage to develop strong leg muscles, you will automatically be able to eliminate the risk of injuries.
Flexible muscles
In a sport that requires so much movement and jumping, it is important to make sure that the players have flexible muscles. Basketball players usually have flexible muscles. Unless one has flexible muscles, the muscle stiffness can lead to some grave injury.
Having a given range of flexibility and mobility of joints can help in the proper elongation of tendons and muscles, which will facilitate a good range of motion and allow a basketball player to perform well while on the court!
Good jumping power
Jumping, although may sound very basic, is a skill that basketball players need to develop. Basketball players are usually great at jumping. They identify the muscle groups that facilitate the ease of jumping and work on strengthening them so that they can add inches to their vertical mobility.
Basketball players are able to jump inches off the ground because of the force that they exert on the ground. It is this force that allows them to propel high up in the air; the stronger the force, the higher the movement.
Therefore, in order to be able to generate this power, basketball players should try to indulge in activities like lifting weight, which in turn will help to strengthen the muscles.
Ideal NBA Basketball Player’s Physique Stats
By now we are aware of the hallmarks of an NBA basketball player’s body. They are tall, have a lean physique, well defined leg muscles, and so on.
Given below is a table which will show the physical statistics of some of the popular NBA and WNBA (the female counterpart) players.
Name | Weight | Height | BMI |
Michael Jordan | 98 kg | 1.98 m | 25 |
Tim Duncan | 113 kg | 2.11 m | 25.4 |
Sue Bird | 68 kg | 1.75 m | 22.2 |
Tamika Catchings | 76 kg | 1.85 m | 22.2 |
Hope this gives you an idea about the different physical statistics of the female and male basketball players.
If you are looking forward to having a NBA basketball player body, it would be best if you adhered to these standards!
How to get an NBA Basketball Player’s body?
If you are training to get a body like an NBA basketball player, you will have to train so that you are equipped with the best features that are needed to excel in the sport. Basketball players have well-defined and extremely strong leg muscles. Their upper bodies are also strong and well-defined.
The main attributes of a basketball player’s body are agility and good looks. It takes a lot of effort to be able to excel in both. Here are some tips and tricks that you can follow in order to have the NBA Basketball player’s physique.
Reduce the amount of fat in your body
Basketball players are gifted with bodies that have low body fat content. This allows them to have a great muscle definition. If you are willing to get a body like an NBA basketball player, the first and foremost target should be to get rid of the stubborn body fat.
To do this, you need to begin by slashing down the consumption of sugary and fatty food which do not add any nutritional value to your body. Instead, these food items should be replaced by meat that are rich in proteins, dairy products which are low in fat, whole grains, vegetables, healthy carbs, and so on.
If you are bulky and you need to lose a lot of weight, then you need to resort to a calorie deficit diet, which means you will have to consume less calories than you consume. You also need to keep unhealthy snacking at bay! For instance, you need to replace your fatty burger with some lean steak and your bag of potato chips with some eggs and bacon.
However, remember that when you are consuming a calorie deficit diet, you need to increase your protein consumption so that you can continue to get the fuel for your training sessions and recovery!
Proteins do not only help in the repair of worn out muscles, but they also help to reduce the soreness of muscles. You can consider drinking some protein shake on the days of your training.
Work on building your leg muscles
Basketball players need to have explosive power in their legs. To attain this kind of strength, it is important for people to perform plyometric exercises like med ball throws, box jumps, and other similar exercises. Some of the exercises that will help you improve the strength in your legs are:
- Goblet squats
- Lunges
- Glute bridges
- Isometric split squats
- Seated box jumps
- Isometric lateral squats
- Snap down
All these exercises are going to impart immense strength to your legs; make sure you work on your leg strength, because that is of the utmost priority if you are planning to start playing basketball.
Even if you do not have plans to play the game, consider strong legs as an important attribute in the body of an NBA basketball player.
Indulge in HIIT
The best thing about HIIT is that they can provide you with short bursts of maximum effort. You need to alternate them with an adequate amount of rest so that your body gets the time for recovery. This way, you can achieve a lean and muscular body.
Not only this, but HIIT can also be beneficial in improving your cardiovascular health, and will help you to burn fat.
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Improve your agility
If you are unsure about what agility means, this is to inform you that agility is the property that provides an individual with the ability to move swiftly and change directions in little or no time.
It takes a basketball player to be extremely agile to deliver the best performance at the time of penetrating the ball into the basket, getting in the position to take charge, and catching up with an opponent. It is the agility of a good basketball player that sets him apart from other players.
Training your body to attain the required level of agility will improve the overall athleticism of your body and allow you to perform better while you are on the court.
Improving your agility will make it easier for you to build muscle memory, and it will become easier for the body to move drastically with ease and speed! It will also reduce the risk of injuries.
Improve your speed
Although this is not a tangible trait, training for a body like an NBA basketball player will automatically help you acquire better speed. You need to train your body to acquire better speed.
If you are willing to increase your speed, you might consider sprinting while you are on the treadmill. You need to do some experiments to figure out your maximum sprint speed.
Once you have managed to find out the maximum sprint speed, lower down the speed by 0.2-0.5 mph. Run a distance of 100 mtrs while maintaining this speed, and then take some rest. Then again repeat the same pattern for another 7-10 minutes.
If you do not want the involvement of any gym equipment during your training, you can also do the same on your local running track, or any other place that has enough space where you can sprint. Sprinting will not only help you increase your speed, but also build a great physique.
Work on the shoulders and arms
It is no wonder that basketball players need to have extremely strong shoulders and arms to be able to throw the ball with a thrust. If you are willing to grow the size of your shoulder and arm muscles, you might consider performing some barbell and dumbbell exercises.
You can also consider incorporating some exercises that will involve the use of kettlebells. Kettlebell exercises usually involve explosive movements which help in the development of power. Some of the exercises that will enable the building of strong shoulders and arms are:
- Concentration curls
- Bicep curls
- Wrist curls
- Overhead presses
- Overhead extensions
- Chest presses
- Lateral raises with dumbbells
You need to assess your capacity and then determine the number of reps that you would be comfortable doing.
Strengthening the abs
As soon as you start losing body fat, your muscles will start becoming prominent. If you are willing to have well-defined abs, here are some of the exercises, that you can perform without the use of equipment, which might help you:
- Situps
- Crunches
- Bicycle crunches
- One-minute plank
- Russian twists
Perform these exercises explosively for a few minutes each day and then alternate it with some minutes of rest. However, make sure you do not exhaust your core too much!
Improving the height
This might sound vague, because it might sound unrealistic to grow taller after a given age. However, when you are suggested to grow taller for a sport, it refers to decompressing the spine and making it appear taller.
Some of the exercises that can help you do this are bar hanging, pilates rollover, cobra stretch, forward spine stretch, swimming, and other kinds of stretching exercises. These exercises also offer a number of health benefits!
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How long does it take to get an NBA Basketball player’s body?
If you are absolutely new to the game, and have no prior experience in working out, then it might take you something between four to six weeks to get your body acquainted with the new training and see visible results. It might take around three to six months to get in shape like a NBA Basketball player.
However, things might be a little easier if you are already in good shape. Therefore, there is no point in rushing into anything; the training is time-consuming and things will take their own course as time goes by.
Wrapping up
Getting into the shape of an NBA basketball player’s body not only means getting the sculpted body; it also takes into account the power, speed, and agility that you need to develop in due course.
Once you start getting into shape, appearing taller, and improving the agility and flexibility, it will automatically boost your confidence. So when are you starting to train?
