How Much Should You Train Per Week?

The answer is something that every dedicated athlete desires. During my freshman and sophomore years of high school I would spend countless hours in the gym. I would be the first one on the court after school. Over the next 3-4 hours players would cycle in and out and we’d play some pick up games. I remember being the first one in and the last to leave on multiple occasions. This desire helped me to make it at the next level. But I always questioned if I was doing the right type of training to get results. I’m older now and much wiser than I was when I was 15 years old.

What I learned over the past 22 years is that it’s far more effective to train hard and smart in short effective training segments. You can achieve more results by going game speed during drills than going 50% speed and completing more repetitions. You also need to keep your training routines fun or you’ll get burned out. Becoming a great basketball player is a marathon not a sprint. Pace yourself!

In my early 30s I picked up Triathlon for about 5 years. The top triathletes are masters at listening to their body, creating balanced training programs and giving themselves proper recovery time. In Triathlon you need to be efficient at swimming, biking and running. All of these sports require fundamental skills similar to ball handling, shooting, footwork and rebounding. You can take that same system and apply it to your basketball training. For example if you go really hard on Monday and do the following workout: 45 minutes of full court ball handling drills and then finish off with 1 hour of pick up games. You will likely be extremely sore the nest day. The workout you choose to do Tuesday should be shorter or less impactful on your body. Basketball is an explosive sport that will wear your body down. It’s important to not overtrain or you won’t get the results you desire.

There is no exact answer for every player out there. Try to create programs that are effective and insure that you getting the highest and best use of your time. Creating a training regimen that is balanced will help you improve. Everyone is allotted the same amount of time each day to pursue their dreams. How you use that time is critical to achieving success!

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