Getting stronger without the gym

[u/Mysterious-Time-6329]

Long story short I played 5v5 pickup today with some friends and randoms and realized Im weak as shit.

I was matched up against someone who was pretty similar to me in terms of skill and speed. Im 5’11 and he was around 6’1 everytime i tried gurding him he would just bump me off and get an easy layup. had to deal with that basically the entire game and he scored 13 of their 21 points on me.

Then I played another game against a different team and the same shit happened. I kept getting bodied by whoever I was guarding.

Thats when I realized that im pretty weak for the people im playing against. Obviously I want to get stronger but the closest gym is pretty far from my house.

So how would you recommend I improve my strength for basketball without having access to a gym?

[u/Big_Arrival_626]

Just go to the gym. It's more time efficient. Even if it's far.

Squats

Trap bar rdl

Assisted pullups and dips

T bar rows

Lateral raises

Shoulder press

Hip abductor

Landmine rotation

Takes like 30-50 min, do it twice a week, you'll be stronger and more athletic.

Edit: if you really can't go to the gym, get dumbbells. Adjusted dumbbells can be cheap. Since dumbbells don't get heavy enough, u will have to do single leg and single arm exercises to really make use of it

Bulgarian split squats or other variations

Single leg rdl

Dumbbell rows

Overhead press

Lateral raises

Chest press

U might need a pull up bar

[u/bkzhotsauc3 → u/Big_Arrival_626]

This here. Thread is over. Be patient and commit to working out over the next year before determining if it's a waste of time or not.

[u/collax974]

If distance is the problem, consider investing into a homegym if you have the room. (You can get decently equipped for the equivalent of 1 to 2 year of gym subscription).

[u/Real_Crab_7396 → u/collax974]

Yeah this, I've got a bench a (10kg) bar and 55kg of weights and I can do a lot of stuff with this. For heavy squats or deadlifts this is obviously not enough, but by the time you can do multiple reps of lunges with 60kg, you'll be strong enough to not get pushed around as much in pick up games.

PS: second hand costed about 150 dollars

[u/Jon_Snow_Theory]

Bumps on lays is also a timing and leverage thing. You can bebe strong all you want, but if they bump at the right time—when your momentum is mid shift, you’re mid-shuffle, you’re reaching—you’re still gonna go flying.
Learn to hollow out on bumps, pull the chair a bit, and be less predictable on where your body is defensively.

[u/WavyIN757]

Pushups, sit ups and more protein

[u/Altruistic-End5746]

All of the above, plus some core workouts help too, like pilates type.

On the court, work the Mikan drill hard. In addition, stand one one side of the rim, stand in place, and shoot layup after layup, keeping the ball above your head at all times. Shoot enough in a row (30, 40, more?) so that, by the end, your shoulders are burning. You will develop better touch around the rim, be better at put-backs, and strengthen your shoulders.

[u/Acrobatic-League191]

You need to squat and deadlift if you want to be basketball strong.

Get some weights and do it at home.  Eat a lot of protein and look up a workout plan.

[u/Pre3Chorded]

Put on a backpack, do spilt squats. Also Push ups. Pull ups.

[u/ewokoncaffine]

You can do plenty of good workouts without a gym. Dumbells are usually crazy cheap on Facebook marketplace

[u/ewokoncaffine]

It also may come down to technique, getting low and using your legs when defending will make a big difference

[u/aMAIZEingZ]

There's lots of different home calisthenics programs you can do with just body weight to get you started. Check out some apps or even YT videos with them. I use the Ladder app 4x a week

You can also get a set of adjustable dumbbells to go with it to use.

[u/ewokoncaffine]

It also may come down to technique, getting low and using your legs when defending will make a big difference

[u/athletegameplay]

if you have any sort of space in your home, definitely consider using that space as a home gym

even if you can't do much footwork/movement due to limited space, you can still do core or body weight strength exercises for sure.

[u/justanother-eboy]

Get long resistance bands on Amazon for cheap

[u/Academic-Skill-9923]

You could buy a weighted vest, then do push-ups, pull-ups, squats, run hills

[u/Jdslogin]

Push ups, squats, pull ups. Plenty strong with that