Workout routine before basketball pratice and games?

Question
QUESTION: Hello what could I workout about 4 hrs before pratice or 8 hrs before a game?? I have access to the weight room every other day and I want to take advantage of it. Thanks , Ryan
Ryanhintze.webs.com

ANSWER: I applaud your effort to use the weight room to get your players stronger. During the season we lift weights three times a week for about a half hour.  Our weight room trainer would set up stations which the players would go through with partners with two sets of reps each (partner would spot or rest in between).  We only worked on upper body and core during the season, as the legs got enough of a workout from practice and games.  

Make sure the sessions are efficient and business like to avoid tiring your players mentally.  You can also make a point of praising the improved strength and developing shape ("guns") of your players to continue to motivate them.  We saw an improvement in their commitment to off-season weight lifting and conditioning as a result of our program.

Generally we played Tuesdays and Fridays so we would lift at the end of practice on Monday and Wednesday.  We also lifted Saturday morning and varied lifting before and after practice then with the only notable difference in shooting accuracy the first part of practice when we lifted right before. That actually helped since we generally focused on defense and rebounding the first half hour of practice and the more misses the more rebounding practice we got.

We did not see any negative effect from lifting the night before a game, but I would be leery of lifting the day of the game.  You should also focus on more repetitions with lighter weights in season.  The risk is of straining something and not having enough time to recover before playing.  Lifting 4 hours before practice should not be a problem, again with lighter weights focusing on upper body and core only so the legs do not get fatigued during the season.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: I'm actually a 6'6" junior in high school. We never lift as a team I just have a varsity weightlifting class 5th pd ( so I have it every other day ) with only 1 other basketball player in it and I just want to maximize my performance and opportunity to use the ficilitys .. Even tho I may not even play during games I still want to be ready just in case.
Thanks,RH

www.Ryanhintze.webs.com

Answer
I like your work ethic!  We have had players in a similar class in the past.  I would recommend focusing on upper body and core during the season as before with lighter weights on game days.  To that we also had them add more stretching exercises at the beginning and end of each workout. These help maximize the benefit while keeping the muscles flexible and not as sore.  As you increase weights, do it in smaller increments.  Good luck with your program and play!  Your work ethic makes you a winner already as winning is improving yourself as you work toward your goals.