Entering the clan of superstars last season, Ja Morant will begin his fourth NBA campaign this Wednesday with very high goals in mind. But to hope to accomplish them, the phenomenon of the Grizzlies must obviously remain in good health, hence the importance of a good big preparation during the off-season. What has Ja been working on this summer? What types of exercises has he carried out to be in the best conditions for the coming year? Answer in video with his personal coach.
The name Mo Wells may not mean anything to you, but know that we are talking regarding the personal trainer of Ja Morant. It is therefore he who is responsible for preparing the war machine as well as possible so that it smashes everything in its path this season. Last year, the number 2 of the Draft 2019 entered a new dimension as evidenced by his title of MIP, he who established himself as one of the best leaders on the planet and at the same time became the player the most hyped in the NBA. We have all seen his crazy highlights, his offensive cards, and his ability to carry the Grizzlies to the heights of the Western Conference. Problem, Ja missed 25 games in regular, which prevented him from really integrating the discussion of the MVP. Worse, he was injured in the second round of the Playoffs once morest the Warriors, which cost Memphis dearly as the Grizz ended up losing 4-2 in the series. If controlling the risk of injury is always a complicated mission and it is sometimes the fault of bad luck, Mo Wells has a clear objective before each season: to prepare Ja Morant for an 82-game season. And for that, Mo has set up a very specific program ahead of the 2022-23 campaign.
- Manual therapy: in other words, massages and other treatments to treat a few minor muscle sores (not to mention the tendons, ligaments, joints, etc.) in order to be able to move on serenely.
- Warming up and muscle activation: before being able to carry out the exercises at intensity, obviously the warm-up is essential. Knowing that Ja Morant will then go through the weight room quite a bit, one of the main areas of work in this part concerns the mobility of the shoulders and the activation of the posterior muscular chain.
- Aerobic and/or anaerobic exercises, passage in the weight room…: depending on the program of the day, Ja Morant and his personal coach work on different elements. Endurance, resistance, agility, power, explosiveness.
- Work on the floor: Ja Morant’s team is not only made up of Mo Wells, but also two other coaches who work with the Grizzlies superstar to improve his skills on the court. It is in these sessions that Morant specifically works on certain aspects of his individual game.
The main exercises imposed on Ja Morant during the offseason
- Deadlift: The deadlift consists of lifting a load placed on the ground in order to work different parts of the body such as the thighs, forearms, back and glutes. Not Ja’s favorite exercise, but very useful for working on explosiveness.
- Pull-ups: classic exercise, and perfectly adapted to the very explosive style of play of Ja Morant because it obviously allows to strengthen the upper body. The muscles of the back, the biceps and the pectorals are all solicited in this kind of exos.
- Plyometrics: plyometrics, what? It is in fact a family of exercises intended to work in particular on power, tonicity and explosiveness. And how does that translate? In particular through dead jumps, changes of direction and other very dynamic exos.
- The bench press: another classic that you probably know very well. The objective of the bench press is to strengthen the entire upper body, in particular the pectorals but also the triceps and even the abs. It also strengthens the shoulders nicely.
Not bad this small overview of the preparation of Ja Morant for the coming season, but it is really on the floor that we will see if all this bears fruit. The first outing of the Grizzlies phenomenon? It is precisely this Wednesday once morest the New York Knicks, at 1:30 am.
Source texte : The Kollective