Who this plan is for
This suits players from high school through recreational adult leagues who have access to a normal gym. It assumes a season with two or more games a week.
- Players who jump a lot and land badly.
- Anyone with recurring ankle sprains or patellar tendon soreness.
- Guards who need to change direction without losing the hip.
- Players who lose their legs by the fourth quarter.
Weekly schedule
Off-season runs three days. In-season drops to two, placed on game days or the day after, never the day before.
| Day | Plan | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | Session A | Heavy lower, landing work |
| Wednesday | Session B | Upper strength, single-leg |
| Friday | Session C (off-season only) | Power and posterior chain |
| Game days | In-season: Session A or B after the game | Protect the day before |
Warm-up
Add ankle and hip work before the first loaded set. Cold jumping is where a lot of preseason injuries start.
| Exercise | Sets | Target | Rest | Coaching note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dynamic Arm Circles | 1 | 10 each direction | 15 sec | Start small, then increase the circle without shrugging. |
| Tempo Bodyweight Squat | 1 | 8 controlled reps | 20 sec | Use a comfortable depth and keep the whole foot planted. |
| Hip Hinge Dowel Drill | 1 | 8 reps | 20 sec | Practice moving through the hips before adding load. |
| Cat-Cow | 1 | 6 slow reps | 20 sec | Move gently through a comfortable spinal range. |
The basketball strength plan
Landing quality ends a set before fatigue does. If the knees start collapsing inward on contact, that set is over.
Session A - Heavy lower and landing
The most important session of the week. Do not skip it when the schedule gets tight.
| Exercise | Sets | Target | Rest | Coaching note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barbell Back Squat | 4 | 5 reps | 3 min | Full control on the way down; this is not a bounce. |
| Depth Drop to Stick | 3 | 5 reps | 2 min | Land quiet, absorb through the hips, hold the position for a full second. |
| Romanian Deadlift | 3 | 8 reps | 2 min | Hamstring capacity is what protects the knee on deceleration. |
| Standing Calf Raise | 4 | 10 reps | 90 sec | Ankles take more basketball volume than anything else. |
| Side Plank | 3 | 30 sec each side | 60 sec | Resist the hips dropping rather than chasing time. |
Session B - Upper and single-leg
Contact tolerance and the one-leg strength that game play actually uses.
| Exercise | Sets | Target | Rest | Coaching note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dumbbell Bench Press | 3 | 6-8 reps | 2 min | Control the descent instead of bouncing off the chest. |
| Pull-Up | 3 | 5-8 reps | 2 min | Add assistance rather than kipping through the reps. |
| Bulgarian Split Squat | 3 | 8 each side | 90 sec | Keep the front shin steady rather than drifting. |
| Seated Cable Row | 3 | 10 reps | 90 sec | Keep the torso quiet. |
| Copenhagen Plank | 2 | 15-20 sec each side | 60 sec | Adductor work is cheap insurance against groin strains. |
Session C - Power and posterior chain
Off-season only. Drop this first when games start.
| Exercise | Sets | Target | Rest | Coaching note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trap Bar Deadlift | 4 | 3-5 reps | 3 min | Fast off the floor with a flat back. |
| Broad Jump | 4 | 3 reps | 2 min | Full effort, full recovery; stop when distance drops. |
| Barbell Hip Thrust | 3 | 8-10 reps | 2 min | Pause at the top without arching the low back. |
| Lateral Hop to Stick | 3 | 5 each side | 90 sec | Stick the landing before the next rep. |
| Farmer Carry | 3 | 30 sec | 90 sec | Walk tall; the trunk is the point. |
Make the template fit your life
One plan that shifts when the season starts
DoThis cuts volume automatically once games are on the calendar, so the plan changes without you rebuilding it.
Exercise and equipment alternatives
Use the substitution in the same row, keep the same set and repetition target, and reduce the load while learning the new movement.
| Planned exercise | Alternative | Use it when |
|---|---|---|
| Depth Drop to Stick | Hop to Stick | You are in-season or managing patellar tendon pain. |
| Pull-Up | Lat Pulldown | You cannot yet control five clean reps. |
| Trap Bar Deadlift | Kettlebell Deadlift | No trap bar is available. |
| Copenhagen Plank | Adductor Squeeze | The full version is too much for now. |
Progression rules
Add load in the off-season and hold it in-season. Trying to set records in February is how players end the year hurt.
- Off-season: add a small load whenever every set hits the top of the range cleanly.
- In-season: keep the same loads and cut sets. Maintenance is the goal, not improvement.
- Drop the jumping first when the game load rises. Keep the heavy hinge.
- If vertical drops across two weeks, the problem is total load, not insufficient training.
Weekly placement and recovery
- Two hard lower-body days plus games is already a lot; the third session is the one to cut.
- Ankle soreness that persists past 48 hours means the calf volume has outrun the tissue.
- Sleep does more for jumping than any accessory exercise in this plan.
Common programming questions
Will lifting hurt my shot?
Not at these volumes. Shooting suffers when players are exhausted, which is a scheduling problem rather than a lifting one.
How do I lift during a heavy game week?
One session, on a game day after the game, at the same loads with half the sets.
Should I train jumping every session?
No. Jumping is a quality, not a conditioning tool. Three to four hard efforts is plenty.
Safety and limitations
Stop if an exercise produces sharp pain, dizziness, or chest pain. Persistent knee or ankle pain, and any ankle sprain that keeps recurring, needs a clinician rather than more volume.
This article provides general wellness education, not medical advice, diagnosis, rehabilitation, or individualized treatment.
Sources
Prepared by the DoThis Editorial Team using the cited evidence and exercise names verified against the DoThis catalog. No professional clinical review is claimed.
- Resistance Training Prescription for Muscle Function, Hypertrophy, and Physical PerformanceAmerican College of Sports Medicine / PubMed
- The Effect of Plyometric Training in Volleyball Players: A Systematic ReviewJournal of Human Kinetics / PubMed
- Progression Models in Resistance Training for Healthy AdultsAmerican College of Sports Medicine / PubMed
Make the template fit your life
One plan that shifts when the season starts
DoThis cuts volume automatically once games are on the calendar, so the plan changes without you rebuilding it.