Will Strength Training For Basketball Make You Slower?

Some people think strength training will make you slower for basketball, is this true? When most people think of training for strength they get images of some huge, slow muscle head who can’t even put his arms down to his side. However, strength training done the right way will lead to a great increase in speed, and won’t turn you into the next Rambo.

When training to increase strength for basketball, athletes should look to focus on improving both their maximum strength, and relative strength.

Maximal strength, which is how strong you are period, is an important part of the lifting process. But when it’s all an athlete thinks about, then you most definitely could end up getting huge.

Relative strength, which is how strong you are for your current weight, is where getting faster for a sport like basketball comes in. Once you get your max strength up to a certain level, you need to start thinking about increasing your relative strength. This is what makes a baller like 5′ 9″ Nate Robinson able to throw down crazy dunks that even some 6′ 6″ guys can’t do.

So as a basketball player who wants to get better, you should seriously think about doing strength training exercises such as squats and dead lifts if you aren’t already. These total body exercises, combined with a strong diet and good sleep, will help you get stronger. Once you start increasing your max strength this way, you’ll be able to work on relative strength exercises for basketball, and start crossing faster, releasing shots quicker and dunking!