How many hours a day do NBA players workout?
Looking strictly at the NBA, professional basketball players will train for roughly three to four hours per day. But why do these players train so much? Essentially, for these players, basketball is their livelihood and their profession off choice.
A few years ago, the NBA put in some rules about how practices are to be run in camps, how many, their length and what can be done. This year, for the first 6 days, teams are allowed to have 2 practices a day for a total length of 3 and a half hours. However, teams cannot scrimmage in both sessions.
1. What do you do during the off season to stay in shape and improve your game? I stay in the gym six days per week working on my game, lifting and doing conditioning. Working about three hours per day keeps my game sharp over the summer so I can get ahead going into the next season.
During the off-season you should perform strength training 3-4 days/week. During the in-season you should perform 2-3 strength training sessions/week. Experts recommend that you strength train 2-3 days per week with a minimum of 48 hours rest between sessions for similar muscle groups.
Named so because Bryant trains for 6 days a week, 6 hours a day and 6 months in a year. The 6 hours of training are divided into 2 hours of track work, 2 hours of basketball skills and 2 hours of weight lifting (which includes one hour of cardio).
LeBron goes to the gym two to three times a day, practicing drills on the court and cross-training with his personal trainer Mike Mancias. Mancias worked with Michael Jordan in 2001, and has been working one-on-one with James since his rookie year in Cleveland.
During a recent discussion on The Tim Ferriss Show podcast, James and his trainer Mike Mancias divulged that the basketball pro aims to get at least eight to 10 hours of sleep every single night.
How sleep buoyed Bryant's later career. Even while he was winning his first three championships, Bryant admitted his sleep habits were “horrendous.” In his early twenties, he'd sleep two or three hours a night. “I've always had a hard time sleeping,” Bryant said in his course.
When he felt he could be more explosive and quicker, he shed excess weight. He returns every season, honed and increasingly perfected. When Kobe was developing his jumper he'd spend his offseason making 2,000 shots a day.
Looking strictly at the NBA, professional basketball players will train for roughly three to four hours per day. But why do these players train so much? Essentially, for these players, basketball is their livelihood and their profession off choice.
How often should a basketball player lift weights?
While weight training is a great addition to a basketball player's training routine, be careful not to overdo it. Limit your strength training and weight lifting sessions to two or three times a week, or as recommended by a coach or physician.
As far as we know, a majority of a typical NBA player's diet consists of carbohydrates, a happy balance of proteins, and healthy fats. Somewhere between 2000 and 4500 calories a day, NBA players maintain a healthy weight, avoiding empty calories like fizzy drinks and junk food.
They'll likely still hit the weights, go for a run, or do some other kind of training. Recovery modalities like contrast therapy (the combination of heat and cold), mobility, massage, and hydrotherapy are also common for days that don't involve competitive play.
Jordan focused on core workouts two days a week before going to his two-hour basketball practice. He would complete 3 sets of between 10 and 15 reps of each exercise. Many athletes do core workouts on a daily basis.
LeBron's dedication to sleep — getting upwards of 12 hours per day, which he noted again in the post-game press conference — is no secret, with multiple of his teammates over the years having joked that James is basically either sleeping or playing basketball.
- Mikal Bridges. "Claiming the crown as the hardest-working NBA star during the 2021-2022 season, we have the Phoenix Suns' Mikal Bridges. ...
- Miles Bridges. ...
- Tyrese Haliburton. ...
- T-4.
Lebron James averages 12 hours of sleep per day and knows that “sleep is the most important thing when it comes to recovery.” Steph Curry prioritizes getting at least 8 hours of sleep and takes desensitizing flotation baths in order to improve recovery time and sleep quality.
LeBron James reportedly has a massive appetite and a sweet tooth to match. He's been known to eat cereal, French Toast, eggs, lobster, steak, fish, smoothies, protein shakes, cookies, pasta, chicken, fruit, veggies, and more. He also helps himself to the occasional glass of wine.
No, LeBron James is not vegan. He has never made any statement about animal rights and he doesn't follow a plant-based diet either. He generally stays away from red meat, but he does eat other types of meat and he consumes other animal products as well.
Kobe Bryant rarely slept
So he wasn't going to let things like sleep get in the way of accomplishing that goal. Bryant admitted to only getting three to four hours of sleep every night. By 4:30 a.m., the alarm was off and it was time for basketball.
What athletes sleep the most?
No line of work requires more sleep than “professional athlete.” Roger Federer and LeBron James have said they sleep an average of 12 hours per day, compared to about 7 hours for the average American. Usain Bolt, Venus Williams, Maria Sharapova and Steve Nash sleep up to 10 hours per day.
He revealed that Michael Jordan almost never slept during his career. Armstrong shared his amazement over Jordan playing 40 minutes a night, getting almost no sleep, and then coming into practice and playing at a level higher than anyone there.
Elon Musk says he is "fairly nocturnal" and only sleeps about six hours a day. The world's richest man made the comments during an August 5 episode of The Full Send podcast. He said he usually goes to sleep at about 3 a.m. and wakes up after about six hours at 9 a.m. or 9:30 a.m.
Aim for Seven to Nine Hours
How much sleep do athletes need? Pro athletes typically need more than most—it's recommended that they get 8-10 hours every night. But for the average adult, aim for seven to nine hours of sleep a night to avoid the effects of chronic sleep deprivation.
James cuts sugar and amps carbs.
That's it. For 67 straight days." According to Men's Health, his diet consisted of lobster, asparagus, arugula salads, and nuts, among other lean, low-carb foods. During playoffs, James forgoes sugars and amps up carbs to elevate his performance.
In addition to full-body workouts, basketball players will also train for basketball specifically every day.
And while NBA players definitely have more time for rest and relaxation both during the offseason and between games, they are given a few hours per day on gamedays to rest and recharge. Typically, NBA players will relax and take some time to themselves on gamedays.
2020-2021 NBA Rest Days Stats
Team performances are rated under various rest days types such as 3rd game in 4th days, back-to-backs, 3+ days rest.
When you think about it, NBA players spend more than half of a calendar year playing basketball. Sure, that's what they get paid for. But in between the preseason, the regular season and the playoffs, the average baller has very little free time.
