Basketball Program

An off-season and in-season template for basketball athletes. Builds strength, vertical jump, change of direction, and conditioning — then maintains them through a long season.

Overview

Basketball demands jumping, cutting, sprinting, and landing — over and over, for 32-40 minutes, 30+ games per season. This program builds the physical base to do all of that, and the durability to survive the season.

Phases:

• Off-season (12-16 weeks): Build strength, jump, speed
• Pre-season (4-6 weeks): Sharpen jump and cut
• In-season (season length): Maintain with minimal volume
• Post-season (2-4 weeks): Rest, recover

Who It Is For

• High school, college, or adult basketball players
• Both male and female athletes (with ACL-prevention emphasis for females)
• Any position — program adapts by position needs

Not for:

• Beginners (build a strength base first with Starting Strength or StrongLifts)
• Athletes with active knee, ankle, or hip injuries

Position-Specific Emphasis

Position	Emphasis
Point guard	Acceleration, change of direction, quickness
Shooting guard	Speed, jump, shooting stamina
Small forward	Balanced — strength, speed, jump
Power forward	Strength, jump, physical play
Center	Max strength, jump, landing, body mass

Off-Season (Weeks 1-12)

Goal: build strength, jump, and speed.

Weekly structure: 4 training days + 2 skill days

Day	Session
Mon	Lower body + power (jumps)
Tue	Upper body + skill work
Wed	Rest / mobility
Thu	Lower body + sprints
Fri	Upper body + conditioning
Sat	Skill work / open gym
Sun	Rest

Monday — Lower + Power:

• Back squat: 4x5 @ 80%
• Trap bar deadlift: 3x5 @ 80%
• Box jumps: 4x5 (step down)
• Broad jumps: 3x5
• Nordic curl: 3x5
• Calf raise: 3x12

Tuesday — Upper + Skill:

• Bench press: 4x5 @ 80%
• Barbell row: 4x6 @ 75%
• Overhead press: 3x6 @ 75%
• Pull-up: 3x6
• Med ball throws: 3x5 each (chest, overhead)

Thursday — Lower + Sprint:

• Front squat: 4x5 @ 75%
• Romanian deadlift: 3x8 @ 70%
• 10m sprints: 8x, full recovery
• 30m sprints: 4x, full recovery
• Change of direction drills: 4 sets

Friday — Upper + Conditioning:

• Incline press: 3x8 @ 75%
• Dumbbell row: 3x8
• Face pulls: 3x15
• Repeated sprint conditioning: 8x30 sec hard / 60 sec easy

Pre-Season (Weeks 13-16)

Goal: sharpen jump and cut, maintain strength.

Weekly structure: 3-4 lifts + sport-specific work

• Reduce main lift volume to 3 sets
• Keep intensity (RPE 8)
• Increase plyometric work
• Increase change-of-direction work
• Sport-specific conditioning: full-court drills, sprint-jog-sprint sequences

In-Season

Goal: maintain strength and jump, stay healthy.

Weekly structure: 2 lifts + practices/games

Day	Session
Mon	Full body (low volume) + jumps
Tue	Practice / game
Wed	Recovery + skill work
Thu	Full body (low volume)
Fri	Game
Sat	Game
Sun	Rest

Monday — Full Body A:

• Back squat: 2x3 @ 85%
• Trap bar deadlift: 2x3 @ 85%
• Box jumps: 3x3
• Nordic curl: 2x5

Thursday — Full Body B:

• Front squat: 2x3 @ 85%
• Bench press: 2x3 @ 85%
• Pull-up: 2x5
• Single-leg work: 2x8

Rules:

• 45 min max per session
• No soreness-inducing work
• No max jumps in-season — moderate intensity only
• Landing mechanics every session
• Sleep 8-9 hours

Jump Training

Vertical jump is the signature basketball quality. Train it consistently.

Off-season:

• 2-3 jump sessions per week
• 60-120 ground contacts per week
• Mix of box jumps, broad jumps, depth jumps, single-leg jumps
• Progress intensity slowly

Pre-season:

• 2 jump sessions per week
• 60-80 ground contacts
• More max-effort jumps

In-season:

• 1-2 jump sessions per week
• 20-40 ground contacts
• Maintenance only

Landing mechanics every jump session:

• Land soft, quiet, on mid-foot
• Knees track over toes (no valgus collapse)
• Hip hinge on landing
• Reset between reps

ACL Prevention (Especially for Female Athletes)

Female basketball athletes have 3-6x higher ACL injury rates. This program includes prevention work every session:

• Single-leg strength: split squats, single-leg RDL, single-leg glute bridges
• Nordic curls: hamstring eccentrics 2-3x per week
• Landing drills: depth drops, box jump landings
• Lateral band walks: hip abductor strength
• Balance work: single-leg balance, eyes-closed progressions

Never skip these. They are not optional.

Progression Rules

Off-season:

• Add 5-10 lbs per week to main lifts
• Add jump volume every 2-3 weeks
• Add sprint volume every 2 weeks
• Deload every 6-8 weeks

Pre-season:

• Maintain main lift loads
• Increase jump and COD specificity
• Deload 2 weeks before season

In-season:

• Hold the weights steady. No PRs.
• Deload every 4-6 weeks (cut volume 40%, keep intensity)

Testing

Test at start and end of off-season, and mid-season:

Test	Metric
Vertical jump	Height
Standing broad jump	Distance
10m sprint	Time
30m sprint	Time
5-10-5 shuttle	Time
Back squat	3RM
Trap bar deadlift	3RM
Pull-up	Max reps

Common Pitfalls

• Training too hard in-season. The season is long. Conserve energy.
• No jump training. Vertical jump is trainable. Train it.
• No landing mechanics work. This is how ACL injuries happen.
• Skipping single-leg work. Basketball is a single-leg sport.
• Too much conditioning. Basketball isn’t cross country. Repeated sprint training is enough.
• Maxing out in-season. Never do this.

When to Switch

• After off-season: transition to pre-season
• After pre-season: transition to in-season
• After in-season: 2-4 weeks of rest, then off-season

Journal

Uses the Training Log — Basketball template. Track lifts, jump results, sprint times, and COD work.

Related Resources

• Basketball Training (concept)
• Sport-Specific Training (concept)
• Sport-Specific Program README
• Power (concept)
• Speed (concept)