Ten Minutes to Better Handles, Hoops, and Hercules Type Strength
Having been a basketball player myself, I’m aware of the many challenges a basketball player faces both on and off the court. Basketball players are notorious for not wanting to touch a weight because we’d either prefer to play pick-up or are worried about it affecting our jump shot (I think Ray Allen still works out). I’m here to tell you that training isn’t going to negatively affect your shot, and proper training may be the best thing you could do for your game.
The Impact of Sandbags
One of my favorite training tools to help basketball players is sandbags. Sandbags are a versatile training tool that you can use to improve grip, explosiveness, core strength, and conditioning all at one time. Because of their versatility, sandbags help translate to improved play on the court as well. While there isn't any “best” tool for training (it depends on the athletes' needs and desires), I find that sandbag training can be beneficial for most basketball players for multiple reasons.
One of the main excuses basketball players use with regards to off-court training is that they don’t have time. Because of all the jump shots, ball handling drills, and pick-up games, they say that they can’t find time to get into the weight room. Sandbags are versatile. You're able to train the entire body both quickly and effectively. When using the proper exercise selection, you can get through an entire workout in no more than twenty minutes (and even in as little as ten minutes)—lower body, upper body, core, stabilizers, grip, and everything else.
Because of the skill demands in a game like basketball, players need to have enough free time and energy to properly train for the sport itself. Typical practices, games, or skill sessions last about an hour and a half. Because of that, I recommend that athletes spend no more than twenty to thirty minutes (lifting/training) in-season and forty-five to sixty minutes in the off-season. If you’re using sandbags as part of your strength training, I recommend shorter work intervals (ten to twenty seconds) with longer rest periods (thirty to one hundred and twenty seconds). If you're using sandbags for conditioning, on court or otherwise, I recommend following a work to rest ratio similar to that of games (1:2 or 1:1). Work your way up to it following four- to eight-week progressions, ultimately ending with 60s:60s work to rest ratio.
My favorite way to use sandbag training is with strength circuits. Strength circuits are a group of exercises performed in succession of one another with a designated work to rest ratio or reps to rest ratio. As mentioned above, I love strength circuits to help compliment the on-court training that most basketball players perform religiously. When you keep the work intervals between ten and twenty seconds, you're able to tap into more of the fast twitch muscles fibers and move heavier weight. This is of utmost important because most basketball players (even great ones) are extremely weak (ever heard of Kevin Durant trying to bench 185 lbs?).
Already work out? No worries. You can still fit sandbag training into your training. Sandbags are not only able to provide a dose of heavier weight, but they can also provide a conditioning effect as well. Because of this duel benefit, athletes will see improvements in both strength and function and conditioning.
Strength Circuits
I typically set up strength circuits with an emphasis on the total body. Because of the limited amount of training time (less than twenty minutes) and the minimal number of training sessions per week (two to three), it’s very important to hit the entire body.
Below is a list of my favorite core/trunk, total body, lower body, and upper body movements for strength circuits with a sandbag:
- Core/trunk: Turkish get-ups, farmer’s carries, suitcase carries, waiter’s walks, chicken thieves (single and double arm)
- Total body: Shouldering (single shoulder or alternating), clean and press variations, snatches, thrusters/squats and presses
- Lower body: Bear hug squats, Zercher squats, front squats, back squats, Romanian deadlifts, deadlifts, lunges (all variations), lateral squats
- Upper body: Zercher carries, bear hug walks, bent-over rows, overhead pressing (push presses, military presses, jerks)
I like to start athletes with a short work time and plenty of rest to ensure I’m developing the qualities I want from the athletes (quality repetitions and added strength). I will typically begin with ten seconds of work and fifty seconds of rest (1:5 work to rest). This does multiple things. It ensures good recovery of the anaerobic energy system, allows for better form (because of the minimal time), and gives plenty of rest to allow proper coaching/cueing. It's also very easy to keep track of intervals (10s + 50s = 1 minute).
Over the course of weeks, you can periodize the training so that the athlete builds up in work time (no more than forty-five seconds) and down in rest time (once you hit the forty-five–second work barrier, I advise keeping about a forty-five–second rest period). Let me be clear that once you pass the twenty-second work period, you’re going to be turning your training into much more of a conditioning circuit than a strength circuit. I recommend staying between ten and twenty seconds as much as possible and increasing the weight of the sandbag to help develop strength.
A typical strength circuit may work like this*:
- Week 1: 10s:50s
- Week 2: 12s:48s
- Week 3: 15s:45s
- Week 4: 18s:42s
- Week 5: 12s:48s
- Week 6: 15s:45s
- Week 7: 18s:42s
- Week 8: 20s:40s
*GymBoss timers work great for keeping track of your intervals!
Rep a Number
Another option is to use a prescribed number of reps instead of time for the work sets. If you choose to do this, my advice is to start with a low number of reps (around five) and build up in reps (the weight should stay the same). Once you hit ten to twelve reps, increase your weight and start back down in reps.
Assuming that you’re following the set up of a typical strength circuit, my advice is to stick with the same weight for the first four weeks of training (simply following the increase in time). When you hit week five, go up in weight and repeat the same process through week eight.
If you’re planning on using sandbags as a stand-alone training program, try to use them between two and five times per week. If you’re in-season, my advice is to do two to three short workouts (somewhere between 30 and 60 minutes total for the week). This will be enough to keep and develop some strength that can help you on the court. Once you hit the off-season, you can take it more seriously and work your way up to three to five times per week, depending on how much time you need to dedicate to your strength or conditioning.
If sandbags are simply going to supplement your regular strength training, I advise you to either avoid adding them in-season or simply substitute an assistance lift or two with sandbags instead. Once you hit the off-season, feel free to add more intense sandbag sessions back into your training and finish off your workouts with ten to fifteen minutes of finishing circuits designed to challenge you. Two to three finishers a week (even in the off-season) should be enough.
As a matter of fact, there isn't any reason why sandbag training couldn’t be part of your normal on-court training as well. After reading how strength coach Dan John implemented training with his throwing (in track and field practices), I thought, "Why can’t I do that with basketball players?" Whether you’re a player or coach, you can easily implement sandbags into an on-court strength circuit. Use defensive drills, ball handling progressions, and much more. Be creative. The sky is the limit!
The beauty of sandbags is that they can (and should) find their way into your training program if you’re serious about basketball. There aren't any other tools that you can construct for next to nothing (safely), use in the comfort of your own home (or on the court), and still receive a positive training effect from (shake weights don't count!).