Hoops For Health - basketball

Ebony, Oct, 2001 by Bobbi Roquemore

Basketball gives the body a full workout

INSIDE or outside, where there's a basketball hoop, there's usually a crowd. Shots clang, bodies bang and, off the rim, players hang. And everyone has the same thing in mind: Just winning, baby.

Yet for many, playing basketball is more than living out a hoop dream. Basketball, like traditional jogging and aerobic sessions, is a form of exercise that keeps the body fit.

"It's an activity because you like to play the game and it's an exercise because you like to stay in shape," says Machi Barrett, a 30-year-old Chicago salesman and avid basketball player. "A lot of people around our age really don't like just running, and they still have that competitive nature. Basketball balances out exercising as well as the competitiveness."

Barrett, who played college basketball, works out regularly with a group of fellow former college basketball stars, including Richard Smith Jr., 32, a Chicago high school teacher; Phil Henderson, 33, executive director of the Greater Chicago Inner City Games; and Larry Stewart, 32, manager of academy operations for Chicago Bulls/Chicago White Sox Training Academy. The four men gather with other young professionals to exhibit their skills and, at the same time, give their bodies a worthwhile exercise.

So how exactly does the Shirts vs. Skins throwdown at the playground translate into a full workout? Just take a typical minute in basketball: You sprint down court on a fast break, which ignites the heart and cardiovascular functions. You work on upper-body strength and foot speed as you fight for position deep in the key. And once the shot goes up, you stretch from the toes to your fingertips to snag a rebound.

"The biggest issue about basketball is that it's a little more strenuous than walking or straight-ahead running because you change directions," says Dr. Joel Boyd, a Minneapolis orthopedic surgeon and team physician for the Minnesota Lynx of the Women's National Basketball Association and the Minnesota Wild of the National Hockey League. "It's a multidirectional sport, and that's a good thing, because you're exercising your joints and the muscles as you change directions. You get a complete workout from sports like basketball, soccer and volleyball."

Basketball leaves no muscle unused. But, Boyd says, the body parts aided most by the sport are the lower extremities such as quadriceps and the calves, and the biceps, triceps and heart and lung capacities above the waist.

Smith, a teacher, enjoys the benefits of such exercise. "With basketball, my body gets a different kind of workout," Smith says. "With jogging, you're running straightforward. With basketball, you're cutting, jumping and doing all different types of body movement. It's a better type of workout for me."

Basketball also bums numerous calories. A 130-pound person loses 472 calories in a typical game, according to NutriStrategy. People weighing 155 pounds and 190 pounds eliminate 563 and 690 calories per game, respectively. Moderate bicycling bums the same amount of calories per hour, and general jogging gets rid of 604 calories in a 190-pound person.

Still, jumping into the next 3-on-3 game and going full speed isn't as simple as lacing the tennis shoes for an afternoon stroll in the park. The body must be carefully prepared to handle the rigors of basketball.

"Basketball is a next-level sport, as opposed to your basic walking or running program or lifting weights at the gym," Boyd says. "You can build a program of fitness around those. The recreational athlete is someone who has that first-base level, and has done all of those other things to get themselves fit."

Once the joints are loosened and the body is ready, there are countless opportunities to get into the game. For example, Smith belongs to two organized leagues and plays more pickup ball on Sundays. Take a look at any local basketball court and there's likely a group waiting to play a half-court or full-court game. And on a lazy day or when you're out with the kids, a low-impact, imaginative game of HORSE or a free-throw shooting contest will work.

There are risks with any exercise, and basketball is no exception to the rule. No matter what level you choose, it should not be higher than your true physical ability. Playing above your means will not only negate any benefits of exercise, it can accelerate your heart rate and pose other problems. "You can put yourself in a situation where you're not aerobically fit enough to keep up with the game as it progresses," explains Boyd, who is also the assistant team physician of the National Basketball Association's Minnesota Timberwolves. "When you're younger, you play until you lose. That may be six or seven games in a row and you can be out there a long time. If you're not aerobically fit enough to do that, then it's a problem. If you're at a [certain] age, you shouldn't feel embarrassed if you need somebody to sub for you."

Women should be extra careful when playing basketball. Research shows women have a five-times-greater risk of injuring the anterior cruciate ligament playing basketball than men. "It doesn't mean women can't play the game or shouldn't play the game, it's just that they should be in the best condition they can be before going out," Boyd says. "They should work on their leg strength and strength in their back and abdominal areas to offset the potential for that situation."