FitFact: Top 3 basketball movies and the iconic drills behind them
Game time at ACTIV FITNESS! 🏀 The 2025 European Basketball Championship began on August 27. Europe’s top teams are battling it out for the title. Even though Switzerland is not on the court this year, enthusiasm for basketball is growing steadily in this country. At ACTIV FITNESS, we say: Why just watch when you can get active yourself?
The European Championships are the perfect opportunity to take your training to the next level. What could be more motivating than three of the most famous basketball movies of all time? They tell stories of discipline, passion, and hard work. We bring this energy to your workout. Whether in the gym, outdoors, or at home, these movies provide inspiration and the right exercises to go with them.
3. Hoop Dreams (1994)
The road to college basketball is tough and leads not only across the court, but also through the weight room. One of the most effective exercises for increasing power is the leg press. It strengthens your legs, improves jumping power, stability, and explosiveness—exactly what you need for your next dunk.
Here’s how it works:
• Sit down on the leg press machine with your feet shoulder-width apart.
• Push the weight upwards without fully extending your knees.
• 3 sets of 8–12 repetitions.
Alternative: If you don’t want to use a leg press, grab some kettlebells or dumbbells and do classic squats. This variation is straightforward, also trains your legs and core, and provides you with more strength and stability, which you need on the court.
2. He Got Game (1998)
Spike Lee’s classic film shows that talent alone is not enough. If you want to be successful in basketball, you have to work hard and master the basics. One of these basics, which everyone is familiar with, is the push-up. It is one of the most important basic exercises because it strengthens the chest, shoulders, triceps, and core. It improves your stability, makes you more explosive, and even increases your throwing power.
Here’s how it works:
• Hands shoulder-width apart, body in a straight line.
• Lower yourself in a controlled manner, then push yourself up explosively.
• 3 sets of 10–15 repetitions.
Variation 1: Incline push-ups – focus on chest and triceps
Place your hands on a raised surface such as a bench and keep your body straight. This variation is less intense than classic push-ups, but specifically activates the chest and triceps. Ideal after an intense workout or as an introduction to your strength training.
Variation 2: Decline push-ups – focus on shoulders
Place your legs on an elevated surface, such as a bench or box. This makes the exercise much more intense and shifts the training focus to the shoulders. Perfect if you want to make your push-ups more challenging.
1. Coach Carter (2005)
Discipline, team spirit, and lots of sweat: Coach Carter impressively shows how hard training leads to success. The scene in which a player runs hundreds of suicides is legendary. These sprint drills get their name because they are extremely demanding—short, repeated sprints between lines that test endurance, speed, and mental strength. Perfect for your next cardio workout, because here, discipline pays off!
Here’s how it works:
• Mark four lines (e.g., baseline, free throw line, center line, opposite baseline).
• Sprint to the first line and back, then to the second, back, etc.
• 3–5 rounds, with short breaks in between.
Alternative at the gym: No basketball court in sight? No problem! Simply simulate the effect on the treadmill: Start with interval runs—for example, 30 seconds of sprinting followed by 30 seconds of walking, for a total of 10–15 minutes. This will give you that suicide drill feeling at the gym—effectively and without straining your joints.
Conclusion:
These films make it clear: success doesn’t start on the court, but with hard work – just like your training. With the start of the European Championships, now is the perfect time to get active yourself. Whether on the court or at our gym: every step brings you closer to your goal. Start your basketball-inspired workout at ACTIV FITNESS and share your moves with us on Instagram!
And because it’s okay to celebrate after the court: The next issue of FitFact will be all about Oktoberfest. We’ll show you how to stay fit while the beer mugs clink.🍻
