Basketball Fitness Starts with Diet



Posted: Friday, September 11, 2009

by Gerald Fitz
http://www.mytopform.com

One of the underappreciated aspects of basketball is the management of one's weight.  Even for a person that is simply looking for a hobby that will help them to get into the shape that they have always wanted will benefit from the strenuous action of basketball.  Weight management in basketball is very important due to the amount of running that is required for the game.  It would benefit the team if you were built like a college linebacker if you didn't have to change ends of the court every play, why?  The bigger players in basketball have a natural advantage for getting rebounds and for creating their own shots.  It is easier to back down an opponent when you have twenty more pounds of muscle on your frame.  Yet, the bigger players usually fall behind in the transition game.  Their frame requires them to exert more energy when they are playing, and that leads them to fatigue faster than a small opponent.    The balance of enough bulk to control the rebound and create your own shot needs to be balanced with the sleekness of running up and down the court for a full game. 

    The best way to create the right frame for a basketball player is to focus on creating a solid foundation of lean muscle mass.  Lean muscle is the most efficient frame that you can have in order to have the strength to compete with other players, but the leanness to make it up and down the court.  Lean muscle is created through good solid endurance resistance training and stretching.  The resistance training will tear the muscles allowing them to be repaired and to grow, while the stretching will help to elongate the muscles in order to remain lean and tough.  This lack of bulk will help with the basic mechanics of the game of basketball, and will help to keep the weight of the athletes down.  Lean muscle requires large amounts of calories to create and to maintain. 

    To help your body to create the lean muscles it needs a healthy diet that is high in protein and complex carbohydrates.  A healthy balanced diet will provide your body with the building blocks it needs in order to create new muscles, and the energy to maintain the muscle mass you already have.  In addition you should try to add items to your nutritional plan that will increase the endurance of your muscles.  That way you will be able to train longer and harder, and add more lean mass to your body.  A good way to add endurance through diet is to add Omega-3 fatty acids.  Omega-3 fatty acids have been found to help to increase the amount of oxygen which is in the blood stream, increase the strength of the heart, and to improve the cardiovascular system.  Omega-3 fatty acids aren't produced naturally in the human body and must enter through the digestive system.  Fish is an excellent source of protein, and Omega-3 fatty acids.  Adding three to four servings of fish a week should help to increase the amount of Omega-3 fatty acids your body has in its system.  Fish oil supplements are a great way also to boast the levels of Omega-3 fatty acids.  Fish oil will give the same levels of Omega-3 fatty acids, plus it is cheaper and easier to take through the course of a normal week.

    Like any dietary change one should research the side effects of the product and consult their health care provider before taking the products.  Maintaining the idle weight is important to many people, and playing basketball is a great way to help in fulfilling weight loss goals.  Through exercise and nutrition you can reach the weight you desire. 

For more info on EFA's, visit Top Form Supplements

This Article has been viewed 191 times. (Not updated in real-time.)
No comments yet.
We want your comments! If you can read this, you don't have javascript enabled, so you can't use this comment system. Please enable javascript.