During a recent interview with New Orleans Pelicans’ power forward Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, the 6’9” NBA superstar gave us some workout tips that can be put together for aspiring ballers to follow. Crushing it on the court requires building strength, improving responsiveness, and staying injury free. Try it for yourself.
After our team-talk with “JRE,” we learned why lower-body workouts are essential for developing great basketball players. “This is because we know how much load we put on our knees, our achilleas, our quads, and just pretty much our entire lower body,” explained the 23-year-old from Kansas City. “So, it’s really important.”
The baller explains that conversely, some players may shy away from lifting because they feel like they are putting too much additional load on their joints, but this man knows that the body will adapt and improve if given adequate recovery. “(Working out) can be overlooked in a sense, like; ‘Oh, I’m lifting a lot. I’m putting too much impact on my knees and my Achilles.’ But, it’s a real positive being able to develop your tendons, your knees, your Achilles, and your quads,” concludes the elite athlete.
The former five-star recruit gained a great deal of his strength and conditioning knowledge both at Villanova University and at the IMG Academy in Florida. “You’re putting so much impact and explosiveness through those muscles when you’re playing the game, and you’re not even thinking about it,” he says. “So, being able to anticipate those things by putting a lot of load on them in the weight room definitely helps prevent injury, prevents fatigue… preparing you for all sorts of situations on the court.” The following workout covers the types of exercises that JRH undertakes to cover all basis.
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NBA’s Jeremiah Robinson-Earl’s Lower-Body Workout
Warmup and ‘Activation’
JRE begins his workout by stretching and using the foam roller. The banded supine hamstring stretch using a resistance band is of great benefit to the taller athletes. With the foam roller, make sure to cover the hamstrings, quadriceps, calves and ankles, and be sure to ‘activate’ each body part by making a pump or flex of the muscles involved.
NBA’s Jeremiah Robinson-Earl’s Lower-Body Workout
Exercise
Reps
Pistol Squats
8-12 reps
Single Leg Glute Bridges
8-12 reps
Bulgarian Split Squat
8-12 reps
Seated Calf Raises
8-12 reps
Standing Calf Raises
8-12 reps
Leg Extensions
8-12 reps
Leg Press
8-12 reps
Trap bar deadlifts
8-12 reps
Box Jumps
8-12 reps
Mobility work, just like strength training or muscle building, requires progressive overload, so the set and rep scheme will be individual to you. For example, pistol squats and single leg glute bridges are bodyweight exercises, but mastering form takes time, so focus on the execution until you are comfortable with each exercise. Beginners could start out with one set of 8-12 reps of each exercise, while more advanced athletes could add additional sets or perform the workout as multiple rounds, cycling through one set per exercise.
Trap bar deadlifts are an especially great lift for taller athletes such as basketball players, because they reduce unnecessary loading of the knees, hips, and lower back. Remember, basketball players aren’t training to become the next World’s Strongest Man, so while training to, or close to failure is still important, so is having the energy to finish the workout with a plyometric move such as the box jump. Shoot for your own PRs and you could become king of the court.
