Does your gym routine look something like this: bench, bicep curls, shower? If so, maybe Nate Robinson’s shred sessions are just the inspiration you need. Whether it’s the sled reverse flys or the sledge hammer ‘hammer-downs’ – it’s no coincidence Nate Robinson still looks like he could win the NBA slam dunk contest.
After all: Nate has no choice but to be one hell of an athlete. At 37 years old, the American professional basketball player (currently playing in the Lebanese Basketball League, for Homenetmen Beirut), is approaching an age where most ballers’ careers start to decline. However, judging by his Instagram (and his plans on returning to the NBA), the super sub point guard has no plans on slowing down.
Enter: his workouts. You see, Nate isn’t one to post inspirational quotes and leave it at that. No, he actually walks the talk. Don’t believe us? Take a look at this clip.
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We’re not guaranteeing our suggestions will get you Nate Robinson’s physique, but these exercises should help. Now, while we can’t tell exactly how many reps/sets etc. were done in the video, this is a sample workout, curated by yours truly, to get your ass body in shape. Oh, and we’ve added in a warm up not included in the clip, because we can’t all jump straight into a medicine ball wall toss.
Start with some Rock N’ Rolls. No matter how strong you think you are, you should always warm up. A great way to do this is with some light-weight rock n’ rolls. Starting off with no ball (or a very light one), this exercise will light up all the major muscle groups in one powerful move.
- Step one: Lie down, back to the mat, with knees bent.
- Step two: Hold a medicine ball on the ground (overhead) with your arms fully extended.
- Step three: Pull your knees into the chest, preparing to use the weight of the ball (and your soon-to-be cheese-grater abs) to catapult yourself into a controlled squat position, then standing.
- Step four: Next, gently lower back down to the floor, the way you came. Repeat.
Once you’re warmed up: begin Nate’s workout (as per the above clip), curated below for your convenience.
- Medicine Ball Wall Toss – Stand up straight with a tight core and flat back. Holding a medicine ball with both hands, face a wall and make sure you have distanced yourself about 5 feet away (closer if you’re brave). Bring the medicine ball up and behind your head in an arc fashion. Launch the ball forward towards the wall. Catch the ball as it bounces back and bring it back up and behind your head. Repeat. If you want to introduce variance, do it side to side instead of overhead, like Nate.
- Knee To Shoulder Wall Toss – stand with your back to the wall. Hold the medicine ball at your right knee. Lift and toss behind your head, in line with your left shoulder. Repeat. Then switch sides.
- Pick Up Throws – stand in an empty space (or the crossfit part of your gym), with the medicine ball in front of you on the ground. Pick it up and chuck it behind you at someone irritating. Kidding. Make sure no-one is standing there and throw it behind your head to the other side. Repeat.
- Pick Up Slams – this one’s pretty self explanatory – pick the medicine ball up, and slam it back down, sumo style.
- Battle Rope – make double arm waves, and add in some double arm slams if you’re feeling brave.
His next workout (below), if you can believe, is just as intense. So if you’ve mastered the medicine ball, feel free to have a crack at this.
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This workout features: sled reverse flys, sledge hammer ‘hammer downs‘ and a trap, shoulder and back busting bar (and kettle) bell carries. The piece de resistance, however, is the ab workout, which involves kneeling on a plastic wedge, putting sliders on your hands, and sliding back and forth on the artificial grass (see end of video). After this comes the elastic band arm push-outs, which are a great way to reduce the lactic acid build up from the heavier exercises.
This next clip has a whole bunch more. We recommend the box push ups for strength, and the arm slides for mobility.
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We dare you to add at least one to your routine.