Fun Free and Easy Basketball Fitness

At the invaluable traineo forums I came across a fantastic post by a friendly fella by the name of Matt. He’s come up with the kind of workout I think is key to maintaining motivation, and helping you have fun while you workout.

The best thing about this routine is that you’re competing against yourself. When you fail, you work hard… Which motivates you to concentrate on your basketball shots and creates a bit of tension with yourself. Its also highly versatile and can be tweaked & altered to your hearts content. Over to Matt’s unaltered post from traineo!

“Hello all,

I, like many others, get very bored with regular workout routines. I came up with a fun cardio routine and I thought I’d share it with everyone. The nice thing about this routine is it can be done at my University’s free field house. (or any old basketball court! -J)

1. Jog 2 warmup laps.
2. Shoot hoops, mostly freethrows
3. The first time I miss 3 in a row, I do sprints down the court 4 times
4. The second time I miss 3 in a row, I run a lap
5. The third time I miss 3 in a row I do sprints again
6. The fourth time is another lap
7. The fifth time is a brisk walking lap (lower hr)
8. Repeat

Obviously if you are an ace at basketball, then this is not a good cardio session, but when you are pretty awful (like me), its a fun way to get your heart rate up and improve your free throw %! ”

Thanks Matt! Nice, simple and easy to remember. Here’s a variation on Matt’s routine.

1. Jog 2 warmup laps.
2. Do layups, from side to side, never letting the basketball touch the ground (you can jump every time you put the ball up for an extra workout)
3. The first time you miss 2 in a row, do as many push ups as you can
4. The second time you miss 2 in a row, run 3 laps
5. The third time you miss 2 in a row jump as high as you can, and bring your knees to your chest as you do so, 10 reps should do it
6. The fourth time is another 2 laps
7. The fifth time is 20 jump shots from the 3 point line. Jump high!
8. Repeat

Got any suggestions yourself? Let us know via comments below! Thanks again Matt!