November 12, 2024, 4:15 pm | Read time: 6 minutes
Basketball legend LeBron James now has competition from within his own family. His son Bronny has also been playing in the NBA since this season, and both are even under contract with the same team. However, the junior’s path to the best league in the world was anything but easy due to a congenital heart defect. One of the things that helped him was a tough workout.
Like father, like son! In the case of LeBron James and Bronny James, this is true in more ways than one. The two Los Angeles Lakers basketball players recently made history as the first father-son duo to play together on the court for a team, doing so in the best league in the world in a game against the Minnesota Timberwolves. That has never happened before! It is no coincidence that Lebron James, now 39 years old (21 of them as a professional!), is still one of the best basketball players in the world. The mega-star is also an absolute professional off the basketball court. He was, therefore, an ideal role model for his son – who made it to the NBA despite a heart attack and heart defect. Find out what training Bronny James used to achieve this here.
Overview
Heart attack at the age of 18
Bronny James’ career was almost over before it had really begun. The 20-year-old, who joined the NBA this summer, collapsed during college training in July of last year. Doctors diagnosed a heart attack and also discovered a congenital heart defect.
The young man, who dreamed of a mega-career in basketball, first had to recover from this shock. “I worked very hard to get back to where I was. I had to do breathing exercises and stuff. It was a total restart. I have to keep an eye on my heart medication, and I have my ‘heart pillow,'” explained Bronny James in an interview with Men’s Health. “When I coughed, it always hurt a little bit. But you get this pillow, and when you cough, you just hold it so it doesn’t hurt,” said the young star. But: “My days are no longer normal.” In order to get to the level he is at today, he had to develop new routines in addition to the breathing exercises mentioned above. These include cardio sessions, and he also makes sure he always has enough water with him.
The right mix of strength and speed
As the son of an NBA legend, the expectations placed on Bronny James were huge. To live up to them, the youngster has to train hard. In a second Men’s Health interview, he stated that he was already lifting weights at the age of 13. After his heart attack last year, a rigorous upper body workout helped him to get into top form.
At “only” 1.88 meters, Bronny is quite small compared to most NBA giants. So he needs enough strength and muscle mass to make his mark. But not too much either, otherwise he would lose his speed and agility. So, as is so often the case, it’s all about the right mix!
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Bronny James made the leap to the NBA with this training
Bronny James integrated the following four exercises into his training plan to build muscle.
Tricep press (3 sets of 8 to 10 repetitions)
This exercise, which primarily targets the muscles on the back of the upper arm (triceps), is available in several variations. The version with the dumbbell, which you grip with both hands, is particularly popular. Stand or sit upright and hold the dumbbell straight up above your head with your arms outstretched. As you inhale, lower your forearms backward until the dumbbell is behind your head. The upper arms do not move! Then push your arms back up and exhale.
The variation with a cable pulley (neutral position) is also frequently seen. To do this, stand in front of the machine and hold the bar with a cable attachment in both hands, keeping your arms close to your body. Now push the weight down until your arms are fully extended. Bend your arms and return to the starting position.
Machine shoulder press (2 sets of 6 repetitions)
This exercise is a classic for the deltoid muscle to develop a defined shoulder. To do this, sit on the machine and adjust the seat so that the handles are at shoulder height or slightly below. Keep your feet firmly on the floor and your back close to the backrest.
Now, grip the machine with your elbows at a 90-degree angle slightly below your shoulders. Once this is the case, push the handles upward. Do this until your arms are almost fully extended. You then lower the weight back to the starting position until your elbows are approximately at shoulder height again. Typically, you inhale as you press up and exhale as you lower the weight.
Pull-ups (3 sets of 10 repetitions)
An ideal exercise with your own body weight for advanced users to strengthen the entire upper body muscles and especially the broad back muscle (latissimus) and the arm flexors. For classic pull-ups, unlike chin-ups, you grip the pull-up bar with an overhand grip (palms facing away from you) at about shoulder width or slightly wider. Now hang from the bar with your arms fully extended.
Now pull yourself upwards at least until your chin reaches the bar, or even beyond. Pull your elbows down towards your chest. Then lower yourself back down slowly and in a controlled manner. Inhale as you pull yourself up and exhale as you lower yourself down.
Dumbbell curls in a seated position (3 sets of 5 repetitions per arm)
This exercise is also a perennial favorite in strength training for the biceps and to increase arm strength. Simply sit on a bench with your feet on the floor. Now hold a dumbbell in each hand in a neutral grip (palms facing inwards) and let your arms hang down stretched out next to your body. Then, move the dumbbells towards your shoulders and (inhale) by bending your elbows. And without taking momentum from the body! Once the biceps are fully tensed, lower the weights again (exhale).
Caution: During the upward movement, turn your palms forward so that they are facing your body.