Ideas for Incorporating Basketball into Your Home Workouts

Working out at home is a very convenient way to stay fit and healthy, as you don’t have to go outdoors or to a local gym just to exercise. However, your home gym should have all the pieces of equipment you need in order for you to have a proper workout, but if you are currently just building your home gym piece by piece, there are some workouts that you can do using simple items like a basketball.

If you have already been playing basketball, you can use the basketball you have at home to perform specific workouts that can strengthen your core, as well as different parts of your body. Here are a few ideas for incorporating basketball into your home workouts.

Superman Routine

superman exercise

The superman routine is done by lying face down on the floor while your arms and legs are stretched out. The basketball should be held by your hands, and then you need to raise your arms and legs high while your chest is on the floor. Raise your arms and legs high for a few seconds before lowering them back to the floor. Do this routine multiple times to strengthen your back muscles.

Single-Leg Hip Bridge

This exercise is performed by lying down with your back on the floor. After lying down, you can then place the basketball on the sole of your right foot, and your left leg should be pointing up towards the ceiling or the upper area of the wall in front of you. Then, using your right foot, push on the basketball so that you can lift your right leg and hip up toward the same direction where your left leg is pointing.

Now, the hard part of this routine is keeping your balance while pushing or pressing on the basketball, so do your best to hold your position for a few seconds before lowering your right legs and hips back down on the floor. The single-leg hip bridge exercise is meant to build strength in the glutes while also improving mobility on your hip and strengthening your core.

Goblet Squat

goblet squat

The goblet squat required you to stand first in a firm position, with your feet spread about a few centimeters apart from each other. Then, you should hold the basketball in between your hands and then fold your arms towards your chest so that the basketball is positioned just below your chin. Next, lower your hips and legs until your elbows touch your thighs, and after a few seconds of squatting, lift the basketball above your head while trying to stand up. Do this exercise several times to strengthen your leg muscles and increase your grip strength.

Ball Push-Up

ball push-up

To do this form of exercise, you first need to place the basketball on one hand and then lie down on the floor in a planking position. Then, perform a push-up by pushing your arms upwards, with one hand pushing on the basketball while the other is pushing on the floor. Next, you can then let go of your hold of the basketball and pass it to the other hand before lowering your upper body. Perform this exercise multiple times while passing the ball from one hand to another.

In addition to alternating the hand that pushes on the basketball during push-ups, you can also hold the ball using two hands and place it on your chest before doing a push-up. This form of push-up would be much more difficult to do, as you would need to keep your balance on the ball while performing the push-up. What’s great about ball push-ups is that they can help strengthen and improve different muscles in your upper body, like the chest, triceps, and biceps. In addition, it can also help in improving your core and balance.

Side-to-Side Twist

The side-to-side twist is an exercise that involves twisting your torso from right to left and vice versa. To do this exercise, you would first need to lie down on the floor. Bend your knees and keep your feet together to form a triangle shape below your knees. Then, hold the basketball above your chest, and then try to do a sit-up by raising your back upwards.

While your back is above the floor, you would then have to twist your torso to the right and then twist it to the left before lying back down on the floor. Remember to keep your back and arms as straight as possible while performing the sit-up and twist. The side-to-side twist is a pure core workout that can help in increasing your stability and balance.

Basketball Burpee

exercising with a ball

To do a basketball burpee, you would first have to stand straight while holding a basketball to your chest. Next, you would have to let go of the ball and place it in front of you on the floor and then squat on the floor before placing your feet back in preparation to perform a push-up. Once you have done a push-up, you must quickly grab the ball and stand up, and then you will have to jump while holding the ball above your head. After jumping, return to the original standing position and perform the exercise again. Burpees will enable your heart and lungs to become much stronger, thus improving your cardio.

These are just a few of the best exercises that you can do at home with a basketball. We highly recommend that you perform all of these exercises in every workout session so that you can work on different parts of your body while having only a basketball as your workout tool.