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Best Strength Training App for Basketball in 2026
Updated
Basketball is jumping, landing and changing direction, for a whole season with games as often as four times a week. Here is what a basketball strength program needs, and how Ægir Iron (also written Aegir Iron) builds one for every part of the year.
What a basketball strength program needs
- Jumps and landings first. Outside the post-season, every lower day opens with a jump or landing drill, counted in ground contacts. Jump work improves jump, sprint, change of direction, balance and strength in basketball players (Ramirez-Campillo et al. 2022 (basketball)).
- Balance for the ankles. A balance program cut ankle sprains about in half in high school basketball and soccer players (McGuine & Keene 2006), so single-leg balance holds are in every basketball program.
- Calves and the lower leg. Single-leg calf raises and tibialis raises sit on the lower days of every program except Basketball Training Light.
- Change of direction and repeated sprints. Lateral shuffles, 5-10-5 shuttles, court-length sprints and bike sprints in the off-season programs.
- Main lifts a coach would choose. Front squats, trap bar deadlifts and hang power cleans or power cleans in sets of 2 or 3 (Simenz, Dugan & Ebben 2005), and a program with no Olympic lifts for players who do not use them.
- A schedule for a crowded season. In season, two short jump sessions a week did as well as four at the same total volume (Figueira et al. 2025). Basketball In-Season Strength says what to do in a week with one free day or none.
Most workout apps offer a gym template with the sport's name on it, or nothing. The rest of this page is what Ægir Iron does instead. It is written by Ægir Labs, the maker of Ægir Iron.
8 free basketball programs, by season
Each one loads in a couple of taps, and you can change any session after it is loaded.
| Program | Season phase | Length | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basketball Strength & Power | Off-season | 12 weeks, 3 days/week | Intermediate |
| Basketball Athletic Performance | Off-season | 12 weeks, 4 days/week | Advanced |
| Basketball Off-Season Strength & Speed | Off-season | 12 weeks, 4 days/week | Intermediate |
| In-Season Athletic Program | In-season | 8 weeks, 3 days/week | Beginner |
| Basketball In-Season Strength | In-season | 12 weeks, 2 days/week | Intermediate |
| Basketball Post-Season Restore | Post-season | 4 weeks, 3 days/week | Beginner |
| Basketball Strength (No Olympic Lifts) | Any time | 12 weeks, 4 days/week | Intermediate |
| Basketball Training Light | Any time | 4 weeks, 4 days/week | Beginner |
Or build one with the Program Wizard
Pick Basketball in the Program Wizard, then the season phase: off-season, pre-season, in-season or post-season. On a basketball day the wizard protects three things: a landing and jump row at the front of the day, calf work and single-leg balance. They come first among the accessories and keep a steady dose, so a short session cannot drop them.
- In season, a session keeps to four lifts around practice, with no more than two jump rows.
- Post-season is a short restorative block of up to four weeks, with no sprints or jumps.
- Olympic lifts stay at 2 or 3 reps, and a beginner gets none: jumps and medicine-ball throws take their place.
- Each protected exercise steps down to a version your equipment allows, down to bodyweight.
The research behind the doses
Where a dose comes from a study, the program page names the study and what the program takes from it. The basketball programs draw on these, among others:
- Ramirez-Campillo et al. 2022 (basketball): The effects of plyometric jump training on physical fitness attributes in basketball players: A meta-analysis
- McGuine & Keene 2006: The effect of a balance training program on the risk of ankle sprains in high school athletes
- Emery et al. 2007: A prevention strategy to reduce the incidence of injury in high school basketball: a cluster randomized controlled trial
- Petushek et al. 2019: Evidence-Based Best-Practice Guidelines for Preventing Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries in Young Female Athletes: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
- Simenz, Dugan & Ebben 2005: Strength and conditioning practices of National Basketball Association strength and conditioning coaches
- Figueira et al. 2025: Effect of weekly Plyometric training frequency on Adolescents female basketball players during in-season: A comparison of two vs. four sessions
- Cao et al. 2025: The Effects of High-Intensity Interval Training on Basketball Players: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
- Stojanović et al. 2018: The Activity Demands and Physiological Responses Encountered During Basketball Match-Play: A Systematic Review
- Hupperets et al. 2009: Effect of unsupervised home based proprioceptive training on recurrences of ankle sprain: randomised controlled trial
Every source the app uses is on the research page. How to build a strength program for your sport explains the method across all five sports.
Price
Individual lifters and athletes on a coach's roster use the full app free on iOS, Android and the web, every basketball program included. Coaches pay only for the roster tools.
Frequently asked
What should a basketball strength program include?
Jumps and landings before the main lifts, front squats and trap bar deadlifts, single-leg work, calf and tibialis raises, single-leg balance for the ankles, and change-of-direction and repeated-sprint conditioning in the off-season. Ægir Iron has free basketball programs for the off-season, in-season and post-season, and a Program Wizard that builds one around your schedule and equipment.
Should basketball players lift during the season?
Yes, in short sessions on days that are neither a game day nor the day before one. Basketball In-Season Strength in Ægir Iron runs two sessions a week, one if the week has a single free day, and none in a week with no free day.