KoriEllis
07-28-2003, 08:56 PM
Hard work in NBA holiday
By John Amaechi
Utah Jazz forward/centre
news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/...105411.stm (http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/other_sports/us_sport/3105411.stm)
We are already deep into an off-season that has seen some major moves.
Who would have thought the Lakers could put together an all-star team?
Not many would have thought Karl Malone could be persuaded to head to LA, but the allure of that championship ring can be stronger than anything else.
For the rest of us mere mortal NBA players the off-season is a time to get better as an individual, working on individual skills and brushing up on weak points.
I have been in full training for about six weeks now in Phoenix, Arizona.
My peers normally include a packet of professional athletes, but so far only the football players have shown their faces.
My running mate, Donovan McNabb, says most NBA players get too comfortable because their contracts are guaranteed, and there might be a little something in that.
My routine is rigorous - but it pays off when the season starts
So, with so many months before the start of the season, why work out at all?
Why not wait until a month before the season starts?
For me, the primary reason is that it is much harder in the long run to let yourself go and then try and pull yourself together for a deadline.
It's the equivalent of starting to study for your A-levels just a month before the exam dates.
You might get the work done - you might even pass - but it's unlikely you will retain much for the future.
And as I said, the off-season is all about personal improvement.
My schedule is fairly rigorous - I don't recommend it for beginners and definitely not without the input of a good trainer or coach.
While I am in the US I run from 9am to 11am, doing a variety of sprints and interval runs and stretching, flexibility and co-ordination drills.
The longest distance I run is 400m, because basketball is a sprinting sport and everything I do is very sport specific.
From there I go to my gym from 11am to midday. I have a lifting program that rotates on a four-weekly basis, mostly to relieve the boredom.
I then stop for a breather and I eat the same thing every day - a bowl of soup and a salad with chicken breast. And people think my life is glamorous!
At about 12.45pm I have to drive to a gym on the other side of town to play with some young pros who live in the valley.
There are a lot of NBA veterans who live here too, but as I mentioned, they are hard to find in the off-season.
I don't take creatine, anabolic hormone supplements or growth hormones
At this point I am fairly exhausted and head home for a break before I play again at 6pm.
I frequently get asked if I take any supplements and the answer is yes. I have a protein shake after the first running session and then again after the lifting and after I play.
I also take an energy replenishing drink.
But I don't take creatine, anabolic hormone supplements or growth hormones.
All these products are untested in terms of their long-term results. Any quick fix in this world generally has an extremely unpleasant downside, so stay away.
Have your say on US Sport
By John Amaechi
Utah Jazz forward/centre
news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/...105411.stm (http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/other_sports/us_sport/3105411.stm)
We are already deep into an off-season that has seen some major moves.
Who would have thought the Lakers could put together an all-star team?
Not many would have thought Karl Malone could be persuaded to head to LA, but the allure of that championship ring can be stronger than anything else.
For the rest of us mere mortal NBA players the off-season is a time to get better as an individual, working on individual skills and brushing up on weak points.
I have been in full training for about six weeks now in Phoenix, Arizona.
My peers normally include a packet of professional athletes, but so far only the football players have shown their faces.
My running mate, Donovan McNabb, says most NBA players get too comfortable because their contracts are guaranteed, and there might be a little something in that.
My routine is rigorous - but it pays off when the season starts
So, with so many months before the start of the season, why work out at all?
Why not wait until a month before the season starts?
For me, the primary reason is that it is much harder in the long run to let yourself go and then try and pull yourself together for a deadline.
It's the equivalent of starting to study for your A-levels just a month before the exam dates.
You might get the work done - you might even pass - but it's unlikely you will retain much for the future.
And as I said, the off-season is all about personal improvement.
My schedule is fairly rigorous - I don't recommend it for beginners and definitely not without the input of a good trainer or coach.
While I am in the US I run from 9am to 11am, doing a variety of sprints and interval runs and stretching, flexibility and co-ordination drills.
The longest distance I run is 400m, because basketball is a sprinting sport and everything I do is very sport specific.
From there I go to my gym from 11am to midday. I have a lifting program that rotates on a four-weekly basis, mostly to relieve the boredom.
I then stop for a breather and I eat the same thing every day - a bowl of soup and a salad with chicken breast. And people think my life is glamorous!
At about 12.45pm I have to drive to a gym on the other side of town to play with some young pros who live in the valley.
There are a lot of NBA veterans who live here too, but as I mentioned, they are hard to find in the off-season.
I don't take creatine, anabolic hormone supplements or growth hormones
At this point I am fairly exhausted and head home for a break before I play again at 6pm.
I frequently get asked if I take any supplements and the answer is yes. I have a protein shake after the first running session and then again after the lifting and after I play.
I also take an energy replenishing drink.
But I don't take creatine, anabolic hormone supplements or growth hormones.
All these products are untested in terms of their long-term results. Any quick fix in this world generally has an extremely unpleasant downside, so stay away.
Have your say on US Sport