The end of yet another highly entertaining NBA season is upon us. With the playoffs reaching its conclusion and the finals peaking in June, we are witnessing the last glorifying games. As you know, the NBA season is very long and tiring for most teams, especially for those who go all the way to the finals.
Many players suffer from injuries throughout the season as a result of the tight schedule. However, it’s not only the injuries as tiredness can also be a massive issue for the teams. This is certainly true when the teams reach the playoffs and finals.
For that reason, in this article, we will explain the importance of sustaining the players’ body fitness for these games.
Fitness Is One of the Key Elements of Winning
Without the right approach to the players’ fitness, every NBA team will fail to progress through the next playoff stage. Of course, there are some other important factors in play such as the tactics and players’ skills. But, none of them would work if the players are lacking in their fitness.
The odds of making it to the NBA finals increases greatly if the players take great care of their body. There are important elements in maintaining the needed body strength and fitness. They include stretching and muscle activation, a perfect diet, and much-needed rest.
Every NBA team is well aware of these factors, but some players fail to stay consistent throughout the season. And it goes without saying that those are the ones that are more likely to get injured or underperform.
Many massage therapists are using massage guns to relax the players’ muscles after training or a game. This helps against muscle soreness and it is a very important procedure for maintaining body fitness. NBA players also sleep 6 hours on average as that is key for recovery.
Today, one of the most important techniques for body rest that the best NBA teams implement is ice-cold baths or cryotherapy. Owners who don’t invest a lot of money will satisfy their players and personnel with the icy baths.
However, those who are well aware of the importance of muscle recovery will definitely invest in cryotherapy. That is a treatment where the players enter a machine that applies extreme cold to freeze and destroy abnormal tissue.
LeBron James, one of the NBA’s all-time greatest players, is regularly using whole-body cryotherapy. That significantly helps him remain on top of his game even at 38 years of age.
NBA Fitness Training
Every NBA team has its own way of training, which the coaches and their staff are coming up with. Yet, the overall workout usually features the same benefits for the players. Top fitness training includes:
- Strength
- Endurance
- Agility and Coordination
- Flexibility and Mobility
Strength
Every NBA player must feature strong muscles to run, jump, and change direction quickly. During strength training, the teams focus on exercises such as lunges, squats, deadlifts, pull-ups, and bench presses.
Some resistance training can also help the players to prevent injuries during the playoffs and finals. It strengthens their muscles, ligaments, and tendons.
Endurance
Endurance is key for surviving the very demanding NBA playoffs and finals. Every player must feature excellent endurance in order to keep up with the modern fast-paced games. The endurance training includes running, swimming, cycling, or even playing some other sports.
Agility and Coordination
Other much-needed skills that every NBA player must have are agility and coordination. They are very important to avoid injuries and move quicker on the court.
In their agility and coordination training, the NBA teams include exercises like cone drills, ladder drills, and plyometric exercises.
Flexibility and Mobility
Last but not least, every NBA player must possess good flexibility and mobility to move freely on the court. It will also prevent getting injuries more often.
Such training usually includes stretching, mobility exercises and foam rolling. All of these exercises can help the players increase their range of motion, improve their joint health, and prevent muscle imbalance.
Conclusion
Fitness is among the most important things for body sustainability throughout the whole NBA season. But, when the playoffs begin, the players’ fitness becomes a prime objective. Teams incorporate all kinds of methods to help them stay on top during this tough period.
Things like cryotherapy and various fitness training are among the many things that the NBA teams use for this issue. Without them, the players wouldn’t be able to stay fit and help their teams reach the finals.
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