I was asked an interesting question the other day:
“Ryan, I’m not a basketball player, but I really want to work with you. Do you have workouts for people other than hoopers?”
I was taken aback because that’s never been the point. My workouts, outside of basketball-specific court drills, are for ALL ATHLETES. It’s not about focusing on a single sport; it’s about building overall ATHLETICISM. Whether you’re on the court or not, every athlete needs to train like an athlete first.
Think about it—basketball players shouldn’t just be hoopers, they should be well-rounded athletes. If I were to train a golfer, 85% of the workout would be exactly the same as someone training for basketball. The last 15% is where we would differ to dial in sport-specific movements.
The science behind this approach is simple. Speed training benefits everyone. It fires up your central nervous system, makes your legs stronger, and has a massive impact on your body’s chemical structure. Did you know just two 20-second sprints at max speed can boost your body’s natural production of HGH by 200%? That’s like unlocking a cheat code for gains.
And it’s not just basketball—volleyball, football, golf, you name it. A simple example would be how every sport demands strong quads. In my experience what I’ve found is that The ATG split squat is one of the top ways and biggest bang for your buck exercise to strengthen the quads. That’s why it’s a staple in every workout I design.
The message here is simple: Athletes are athletes first. Sport-specific training matters, but it’s only a small part of what we do. The real work is in building the foundations—strength, speed, and athleticism—that apply to every sport.
So no matter what sport you play, when you train with me, you’re training to be a better athlete overall, not just a specialist in one area. It’s time to elevate your game.