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Off-Season

Conditioning Program

A 16-week off-season conditioning plan for high school basketball players, broken into a Summer block (June–August) and a Fall block (September–early November). Players work 3 days per week with at least one rest day between sessions. The goal is to build an aerobic base, then layer on basketball-specific speed, change of direction, and repeat-sprint ability so players arrive to tryouts in game shape.

Weekly Structure

Three sessions per week. Recommended split:

  • Monday — Lower body strength + linear conditioning
  • Wednesday — Upper body / core + lateral and change-of-direction work
  • Friday — Full body power + on-court repeat sprints

Every session: 10-minute dynamic warm-up (jog, leg swings, lunges, A-skips, lateral shuffles, pogo hops) and a 5-minute cool-down (walk + static stretch hamstrings, hip flexors, calves, lats).

Summer Block — Weeks 1–8 (June, July, August)

Goal: Aerobic base, work capacity, and movement quality

Day 1 — Lower + Linear

  1. 01Goblet squat — 3 x 8
  2. 02Romanian deadlift — 3 x 8
  3. 03Walking lunge — 3 x 10 each leg
  4. 04Calf raise — 3 x 15
  5. 05Conditioning: 6 x 200m run @ 75% with 60s rest (weeks 1–4) → 8 x 200m (weeks 5–8)

Day 2 — Upper / Core + Lateral

  1. 01Push-up — 4 x 10–15
  2. 02Inverted row or pull-up — 4 x 6–10
  3. 03DB shoulder press — 3 x 8
  4. 04Plank — 3 x 45s, Side plank — 3 x 30s each side
  5. 05Lateral conditioning: 5 sets of 6 lane slides (sideline-to-sideline) with 45s rest

Day 3 — Full Body + Repeat Sprints

  1. 01Box jump — 4 x 4 (focus on soft landings)
  2. 02Trap-bar deadlift or kettlebell deadlift — 3 x 5
  3. 03DB bench — 3 x 8
  4. 04Pull-up — 3 x AMRAP
  5. 05On court: 10 full-court sprints, leave every 30s (weeks 1–4) → leave every 25s (weeks 5–8)

Fall Block — Weeks 9–16 (September to early November)

Goal: Basketball speed, repeat-sprint ability, and arriving in game shape

Day 1 — Lower + Sprint Intervals

  1. 01Back squat or front squat — 4 x 5
  2. 02RDL — 3 x 6
  3. 03Reverse lunge — 3 x 8 each leg
  4. 04Nordic hamstring or hamstring curl — 3 x 6
  5. 05Conditioning: 10 x 100m sprint @ 85% with 45s rest

Day 2 — Upper / Core + Change of Direction

  1. 01Bench press or DB bench — 4 x 5
  2. 02Weighted pull-up or lat pulldown — 4 x 6
  3. 03DB row — 3 x 8
  4. 04Anti-rotation press (Pallof) — 3 x 10 each side
  5. 05On court: 5-10-5 pro agility — 6 reps, full recovery between reps. Then 3-man weave for 4 minutes continuous.

Day 3 — Power + Court Conditioning

  1. 01Hang clean or DB snatch — 5 x 3
  2. 02Trap-bar jump — 4 x 3
  3. 03Push press — 3 x 5
  4. 04Pull-up — 3 x AMRAP
  5. 0517s (sideline-to-sideline 17 times): under 65s for guards, under 70s for bigs — 4 sets, 2 minutes rest. Add a set every two weeks (4 → 5 → 6).

Testing & Benchmarks

Test at week 1, week 8, and week 16. Track everything in a shared sheet so the staff can see who showed up.

  • 300-yard shuttle (6 x 50 yards) — under 60s
  • Vertical jump — track inches gained
  • Lane agility — under 11.0s
  • 17s — guards under 65s, bigs under 70s
  • Mile run — under 6:30 for guards, under 7:00 for bigs

Coaching Notes

  • Hydration and sleep are non-negotiable — 8+ hours during the summer build.
  • If a player is also playing AAU, cut Day 3 to a recovery session during travel weeks.
  • Every Friday in Fall block, finish with 10 minutes of free-throw shooting at game pace (fatigued FT% is a real number we track).
  • Tryouts should feel easy, not survival. If players are gassed in the first hour of tryouts, the program failed them in October.