If you are looking for an effective upper body strength and stability workout than can completed outside the weightroom, take a look at the push up series provided below. These exercises are done on the basketball court and utilize a basketball as a training aid. While they are designed as upper body workouts, one could easily adapt them to incorporate more additional core work, by dimply doing planks with the basketball.
Joe Cairo, Shoreline Community College Strength and Conditioning Coach, takes you through through a push up series that is part of his Navy Seal inspired BEAST training which emphasizes balance, endurance, agility, strength, and toughness. The clip is from a DVD that demonstrates a complete workout program that is conducted on the basketball court utilizing body weight exercises. For more information about this DVD click the Link Basketball in the Fast Lane – Strength and Conditioning Drills
The YouTube video below has sound, so please make sure that your sound is turned on and that you have access to the site. If you are viewing in a school setting, please note that some schools block access to YouTube. If you have trouble viewing the clip contact your network administrator.
Here is a quick summary of the different push up used in the series
Without a ball
1.Regular Push ups
2.Elbows out
3.Elbows in
4.Hands wide
5.Diamond – hands in close with fingers touching
6.Claps – clap at the top of the push up
7.Partner push ups – Facing each other both athletes will first slap left hands at the to of the push up and then right hands at the top of the push up of the next push up.
8.Team Push up- four athletes place their legs on the lower back of a teammate that perpendicular to them thus forming a square. The group of four communicate to left up and go down together as a unit.
Push ups with a basketball
1. One hand on the ball – do one push up with the left hand on the ball and then roll the ball to the right hand and do a push up.
2. Out wide – with arm extended out wide and hand on the ball do a push up and then roll the ball to the other hand and repeat
3. Ball in front – with the arm extended as far as possible in front and your hand on the ball, do a push up and then switch hands.