HOW THE WEIGHT ROOM TURNED MJ INTO THE GOAT

One thing that Michael Jordan has never kept a secret is the moment he realized he needed to take the weight room seriously. By 1990, he had everyone in the NBA on notice that he was one of the best players in the league. He was also getting physically beaten down by the Detroit Pistons and had yet to find a way to beat them to get the NBA Finals. Here’s what he said in the acclaimed docu-series, The Last Dance: "I was getting brutally beaten up," Jordan explained in episode four of The Last Dance, "and I wanted to administer pain. I wanted to start fighting back." 

In the ‘90’s, it was still a common fear that if you lifted weights, it would make you bulky, slow you down, and maybe even ruin the form on your shot! Around the time that MJ started making the weight room a focal point of his preparation, 2 big things happened in the NBA. 1. More attention was placed on the weight room and strength & conditioning as a way to prepare for the game. 2. MJ knocked off the Pistons and went on to win 6 rings. It’s fair to suggest that MJ was going to win with or without the weight room. That being said, winning 6 NBA championships is extremely taxing on a player and on a team. If he and the Bulls weren’t big on using the weight room to their advantage during the 90’s, do they win 6 rings? Maybe not. Resistance training is not just about getting bigger, faster, and stronger. It’s about building durability and resilience of the load bearing structures that a basketball player relies on to carry them and support them on the court. 

RELATED: The #1 Reason That Durability is Elusive for Today’s Athlete (PART 1) 

When I started working with the LA Lakers as the Head Strength & Conditioning Coach in 2011, lots had changed from the 90’s in terms of how the weight room was viewed by the NBA and by basketball players in general. Spending time in the weight room was not only seen as acceptable but it was even beginning to be seen as a big advantage for players. Most teams had multiple strength & conditioning professionals on staff within the sports medicine staff. Many players were even hiring their own strength & conditioning professional to work with personally in the offseason. Through my career working with basketball players of all levels - including the NBA - I have observed 3 common errors that basketball players make when it comes to how they use the weight room to prepare for the game:

1. No Show: Some basketball players still believe that this is just a game of skill and all they need to do is play the game to be successful. I do agree that for a player to be successful, they must improve and hone their skills. The important thing to remember is that if you aren’t healthy or can’t stay healthy then all of the skills in the world won’t help you. Resistance training is key to helping a player build the durability needed to stay on the court. All players know which players who seem to give the hits instead of taking them. Nothing is worse than being the player who takes the hits. Nothing is better than being the player who gives the hits and keeps on going. This is what MJ was referring to in his quote at the start of this article. 

RELATED: The #1 Reason That Durability is Elusive for Today’s Athlete (PART 2)

2. Skip Leg Day: I often hear players say that they don’t need to do leg day or they want to skip it because they just played a ton of minutes. Sometimes the argument is that they want to save their legs for the court. This is a rookie mistake! Go back and listen to how Kobe Bryant responded to the playoff game that he airballed multiple 3 pointers against the Jazz early in his career. His response was to admit that he didn’t have the legs to get the ball to the rim late in the game, so he hit the weight room hard that summer and built his lower body up. Whether it’s about having the legs to shoot, get to the basket, or play defense late in the game, you need strength and endurance in your lower body to play this game. The thing that will give you the strength and endurance through your lower body while you're on the court is loading them. Training your lower body with external loads is critical to lower body performance and durability as a basketball player. Let’s take this one a bit further and highlight the 5 key areas of the lower body that basketball player must strengthen regularly to be ready for the game: 

1) Foot/Achilles/Calf:onsider that all one area. You need to build strength in your plantar fascia, your achilles, and in your calves because they are support structures for you as you play the game. All of the jumping and landing will take a toll on those areas if they aren’t built to last. Below is an exercise that targets loading and strengthening of the foot, achilles, and calf: 

2) Patellar & Quadriceps Tendons:any players suffer from anterior knee pain. This is because you’re constantly taxing that area with the repetitive nature of jump shots and defense. You must do exercises like wall sits, squats, and lunges to avoid breakdown of those tissues. Below is an exercise that targets loading and strengthening of the patellar & quadriceps tendons:HERE

3) Hamstring:ny player that has had a hamstrings strain knows that this can ruin a season. The key to hamstring durability is strengthening them. Many players don’t like to do that because they feel sore the next day. Trust me, next day soreness after strengthening your hamstrings is far better than being out for half of a season due to a hamstring strain. Below is an exercise that targets loading and strengthening of the hamstring muscles:

4) Adductor:our adductor (inner-thigh) muscles are constantly taxed during the game of basketball due to the multidirectional requirements and rapid changes of direction within the game of basketball. Your adductors are no different than your hamstrings, they need to be strengthened to be durable. Below is an exercise that targets loading and strengthening of the adductor muscle group:

5) Hip Flexors/Quadriceps:our quads and hip flexors muscles are constantly getting overworked during basketball due to the start and stop nature of the game. Going from one speed to a faster speed and generating a rapid change of pace happens all of the time during basketball. Doing regular hip flexor strengthening and loading of the quadricep muscles will help you to perform better during those changes of pace and also protect them to withstand this action and avoid injury. Below is an exercise that targets loading and strengthening of the hip flexor & quadricep muscles: 

3. In-Season Vacation: I see so many players work hard all offseason on the weight room only to undermine that hard work by ignoring the weight room during the season. Many players feel like they’re playing tons of minutes during the season, their legs are tired constantly, and they don’t want to overdo it. Let’s rethink that: During the season you have a dramatic spike in sport workload and time on the court. The one thing that will help you to have the tolerance to endure that is progressive overload of the load bearing structures that you need on the court. Progressive overload is a fancy term for how the body responds to gradually and responsibly overloading it with resistance forces. The body will respond by accepting what it’s being asked to hold up to and will then get stronger. This is precisely what you need to last a season and keep your performance up while staying healthy. 

RELATED: The #1 Reason That Durability is Elusive for Today’s Athlete (PART 3)

I know you know that basketball is a physically demanding sport that includes physical contact on just about every play of every game. You already know that basketball players don’t have the luxury of padding or excessive protective equipment. You have felt what it’s like to take a hit versus give a hit. You know that feeling when you try to make a move, try to get to the rim, or try to get your spot on the floor and you just can’t because your opponent is physically more prepared. There’s also a good chance you’ve experienced being sidelined due injury. The game you love is taken from you. These are not feelings any player wants to experience! 

On the other hand, you might know that feeling when an opponent attempts to stop you from where you’re going and they can’t! That feeling when you put a nagging or major injury in the rearview mirror and get back to your best self on the court. Feeling this way on the court is one of the best feelings a player can have. Stepping on the court knowing that you are more physically prepared than your opponent is the difference between a good player with lots of potential and a great player that everyone is trying to catch. If you are reading this then I know you know. I know you are one of those players who is willing to do whatever it takes to get that feeling, that feeling like you can’t be stopped! 

The surest way to get that feeling and never let it go is to focus on the weight room. More than that, you need a program, you need a plan, and you need a coach who knows the game. I want to bring all of that to you. Let me share my 15 plus years experience helping elite basketball players prepare for the game, including 6 seasons working with NBA All-Stars and Hall of Famers as Head Strength & Conditioning Coach of the Los Angeles Lakers. I am offering a very special program for 30 players who want to take their game to a new level. 

The Basketball Select Training Programs for basketball players of any level who want to work directly with me to become the strongest, healthiest, and most prepared player you can be!

HOW IT WORKS: 

• ONLY 30 spots available!

• Dr. DiFrancesco will design each program and coach each participant every step of the way.

• 1-on-1 video assessment with Dr. DiFrancesco.

• Individualized 3 day/week strength & conditioning program based on your goals, injury history, and access to equipment. 

• Up to 2 additional conditioning days built in upon request. 

• Access to our app to follow the program, track progress, and interact directly with Dr. DiFrancesco.  

• Each exercise is accompanied by a detailed instructional video. 

• Real-time messaging support from Dr. DiFrancesco. 

• Two 15-minute video check-in calls per month with Dr. DiFrancesco. 

• Access to the private Basketball Strong FaceBook Group. 

HOW TO REGISTER: 

The cost of the program is $279/month (cancel at any time). Register & purchase via this intake form to get started today: https://form.jotform.com/201203998327154 

QUESTIONS:

f you have any questions about the program, you can text them directly to me by texting BSTPo +1 (617) 286-3530.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Tim DiFrancesco, PT, DPT spent 6 seasons as the Head Strength & Conditioning Coach of the Los Angeles Lakers and is the founder of TD Athletes Edge.  He is nationally renowned for his evidence-based and scientific approach to fitness, training, nutrition, and recovery for athletes and fitness enthusiasts.

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