Basketball is one of the most physically demanding sports in the world. It’s a full-body activity that requires players to use their legs, torso, and arms at a near-constant basis. It takes a lot of cardio and endurance as well.
Due to that, it’s a sport that comes with many health benefits. It increases cardiovascular endurance, burns calories, raises flexibility, improves balance, and builds muscle in both the lower and upper half of the body.
While the sport lacks the same concentrated impact as weight training or dedicated lifting, it still does enough to enhance muscle growth and create strength on several levels. That’s especially true for those who play it multiple times a week or who are at extremely high levels.
Physical Demands of Basketball
Basketball is a game that requires plenty of athleticism. Not just in terms of being tall or strong, but in terms of being able to move a lot for an extended period of time. Moving up and down the court takes ample energy, as does shooting, running, cutting, and playing defense.
Dedicated players know that the sport requires a high amount of movement. Crouching down while on defense, or moving around the key on offense are both physically demanding and require full-body input on each and every play.
The more someone uses a muscle, the stronger it gets. As basketball engages so many different muscles, it helps the body grow in a significant way over an extended period of time. The harder someone works on the court, the stronger they will get.
That’s due to the fact that all of the individual movements a player performs, such as quick cuts, high jumps, sprints, and jostling for position, help build muscle in their own way. They engage different parts of the body, which then steadily grows them with each use.
In fact, the sport even strengthens the core and stabilizing muscles found in the hips, ankles, and shoulders. That is particularly important because not everyone, even weightlifters, is able to work on their rectus abdominis or obliques in the way basketball players can.
Being able to grow the more prominent muscles like the pectorals, biceps, thighs, or triceps is a big advantage, but basketball helps with the smaller or lesser known ones as well. Improving balance or flexibility are two big benefits of the sport too.
Muscle Building Through Basketball
What makes basketball so useful as a muscle building tool is that it is an endurance sport that also requires a lot of sprinting and short term jumping. That combination means that it blends the two pillars of cardio in a way that makes the body stronger over time.
Running and long-term endurance activities help promote muscle growth in the lower body, especially in the thighs and glutes. On the other hand, sprinting builds muscle growth throughout the entire body while also boosting fast-twitch muscle fibers that lead to better muscle density.
Each type of cardio creates better endurance and enhances the lungs as well. Being able to switch between them throughout a game, that is needing to sprint for extended periods of time, promotes plenty of muscular and non-muscular benefits at once.
While the sport doesn’t necessarily lead to great muscle hypertrophy, it creates a powerful base that can then be built upon by those serious about getting stronger. It might not make someone significantly larger, but there are noticeable benefits to consistently playing the game.
Integrating Strength Training
There is no doubt that basketball builds muscle, but it’s important to note that there is a ceiling on how much muscle it can build. Those who play five, six, or seven days a week will get bigger, but that doesn’t mean they can’t build muscle in other ways.
Most serious players, or those who are serious about their strength journey, supplement their time on the court with weight training whenever they can. There truly is no substitute for lifting weights, especially for big men who need extra power down in the post.
There are many ways to increase general strength in the gym, ranging from curls and tricep pulldowns to bench press and pullups. The best method is to focus on a specific muscle group each day and then do weight workouts that strengthen that one group.
For instance, on days where someone wants to enhance their arms, it’s a good idea to do exercises like curls, dips, skull crushers, and cross body swings. Tailoring the workout to each group is the best way to see long term results.
Flexibility goes a long way too. Performing on-court workouts like plyometrics, suicides, and agility drills all improve multiple aspects at one. Not only do those help with fundamentals, but they enhance the strength and flexibility of the lower body.
It’s often a good idea to combine on-court workouts with off-court ones whenever possible. Just playing basketball or just working out will both improve fitness and strength, but doing both together creates a strong blend with ample benefits.
Custom Workout Plans
When looking to build muscle for basketball, it’s important to create workouts that foster both growth and basketball fundamentals at the same time. Always work in exercises that promote strength and on-court movements when possible.
Cone drills, which work on agility, are a great example of that. Lower body exercises that improve explosiveness and jumping, including burpees, ladder drills, and box jumps, are also great ways to gain leg muscle and specifically focus on basketball-related movements.
It’s also critical to find areas of weakness, or muscle groups that aren’t well refined, and focus on those as much as possible. Getting more endurance through casual running or sprinting drills is important too, especially for those who play a lot.
Finally, all players should work on their balance. Though that doesn’t directly enhance muscle growth in the same way as weight lifting, sprinting, or scrimmages, it’s still a critical aspect of any sport.
Yoga, dedicated stretching, or workouts like one-leg jumps, lunges, and exercise ball balance moves all go a long way in that regard. Incorporating them will help with recovery, cut down on injuries, which then make muscle growth much easier
Nutrition and Recovery
Playing basketball strengthens the body and burns calories, but it’s impossible to answer the question of “does basketball build muscle” without looking at nutrition. Nobody in any sport can outtrain a bad diet. Eating right and paying attention to nutrients will always supplement muscle growth.
Every basketball player who wants to get stronger needs to focus on their protein intake in order to foster muscle growth and help muscle recovery. Both of those are critical when pushing the body, especially for those playing a high intensity sport like basketball on a regular basis.
It’s also important to back up that protein intake (0.5 to 0.8 grams per pound of body weight per day) with a balanced diet. Getting stronger takes protein, but staying healthy and being able to get back out onto the court requires various nutrients.
Eating healthy carbohydrates, healthy fats, and cutting down on junk food are all critical steps for those who want to build muscle and play basketball at the same time. It’s not about eating one thing, it’s about getting the right nutrients from many sources at once.
Sleep is something else that many people overlook. Not only does a healthy sleep cycle promote muscle growth, but it’s critical for recovery and helps the body repair itself after tough or long workouts.
Getting a good night’s sleep is one of the most important aspects of staying healthy. It’s been shown time and time again to promote strength, and to improve athletic function. As such, cut down on stress or anything else that may affect getting a solid night’s sleep.
Conclusion
At its core, basketball does a great job of building muscle. It’s a full-body sport that strengthens the entire system. It’s especially useful for building leg muscle and helps promote flexibility and balance. However, supplementing the exercise with weight training goes a long way too.
It’s almost impossible to build significant muscle just by playing basketball. There’s always a limit to how fit a sport can get you, especially if it’s only a few times a week. Rather, the sport should serve as a base that can be built upon rather than the entire workout.
Strength training matters, as does sleep, nutrition, and recovery. Those who want to maximize the physical benefits of basketball need to incorporate all of that into their routine if they want to get as big as possible while having a good time on the court.
