Several years ago, a colleague of mine (Drew Henley) was kind enough to share with me a strength training workout challenge that is perfect for basketball players to do once a month during the off season.
It is called the ’60,000 lbs. in 60 Minutes Challenge.’
This challenge is a fantastic way to shake things up and reignite competitiveness. This challenge can easily made into a fun a team building workout by pairing players up and have them compete to see who can get the highest poundage on the team. Or you can see which pair can reach 60,000 lbs. the quickest!
Just as the name implies, the goal is to lift 60,000 lbs. in 60 minutes.
If that sounds overwhelming or impossible, trust me, it is doable. It isn’t easy, but that’s why it’s called a challenge!
To calculate total poundage, you simple multiply the weight used by the number of reps performed (with perfect form of course). If a player bench presses 135 lbs. for 10 perfect reps, they will have accumulated 1,350 total lbs. Now they only have 58,650 lbs to go!
Players should use a pen & paper or their Smartphones to keep track of their total poundage.
Here are a few ground rules to make this challenge as effective as possible:
- No leg press machines
- No calf raises
- Only full range of motion, perfectly execute reps count
- Pull-ups are the only bodyweight exercise allowed (bodyweight = weight for the exercise)
- Utilize free weights and dumbbells as much as possible (instead of machines)
- When using DB’s; it’s the total weight (bench pressing with 40’s = 80 lbs)
- Start the clock on the first rep and end the workout in exactly 60 minutes
There are several strategies to try, all of which have different benefits:
- Lift lighter weights for more reps
- Lift heavy weights for fewer reps
- Alternate upper body and lower body exercises
- Complete several exercises in a row with no rest
Before attempting the 60,000 lbs. in 60 Minutes challenge, you may want to add the total poundage of a normal workout first, to gauge where you stand before devising a strategy.
If you try it, please post your results on Twitter and let me know how you did (make sure you tag @AlanStein so I see it)!
Train hard. Train smart. Build your success brick by brick.
Alan Stein
www.StrongerTeam.com
PS: My Cutting Edge Clinic tour will be rolling through the following cities in the next several weeks:
- April 21: Rocky Mount, VA
- April 29: Lennox, SD
- May 5: Bastrop, LA
- May 6: Weston, FL
- May 20: St. Louis, MO
- June 3: Newport Beach, CA
Go to www.StrongerTeam.com and click on the link next to the city to download the flyer and registration information.
These workouts are for players ages 12+ to participate and for coaches to watch, take notes, and ask questions.
These workouts will redefine how you think about basketball athleticism!
Hope to see you at one!