Durant: I've Been Hitting The Weight Room "A Lot"

[Slava]

Taking advice from a top 50 center last year is a bad idea???

You know he sucks when you have to qualify him as top 50 when there's only 30 teams in the league.

...
that's the joke

I hope so, but with a username like OKCMagic you're never sure.

[Chitownbulls]

Hits the gym....then walks out 5minutes later after doing a set of calf raises

[HotRocks34]

What KD really needs, IMO, is leg strength. So little guys can't guard him, and so he can more easily post them up and not get pushed off his spots by Chris Paul, etc.

Mass helps. Ralph Sampson was strong as an ox. But because he was so thin, he could never get good post position.

[Effigy]

He's still skinny as ever, don't think he'll put on that much from now until October and if he does he'll most likely lose it.

So he and Raymond Felton are the only two players nobody is going to accuse of being on steroids. For completely different reasons...

[og15]

Taking conditioning advice from Kendrick Perkins is a bad idea.

Taking advice from a top 50 center last year is a bad idea???

LOL, what in the world does Top 50 at a position mean in a 30 team league?

More weight helps some players, doesn't help some if they can't stay healthy at larger weights. More strength helps all players. He can get stronger without necessarily getting bigger or weight much more, so that will help either way.

Good for him though.

[OkcMagic]

You know he sucks when you have to qualify him as top 50 when there's only 30 teams in the league.

...
that's the joke

I hope so, but with a username like OKCMagic you're never sure.

Lmao calm down, even I know Perkins is garbage, just I love saying top 50 for weak players, give them some credence, and is it not true?

[Wizkids12345]

As others have said he just needs to work on core strength and leg strength, doesn't need to get jacked just big enough not to get pushed by chris paul (which is actually kind of hard when someone is so much smaller than you pushing because of the leverage). If he can do this and develop a little post game his game really will be complete.


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[gino_giode]

For most players adding weight is a strain on their knees over the course of the season. But for KD, he could really use it if only to add durability when taking hits as well as strength for getting through people.

Only risk is that he loses some of that quick first step.

[Johnny Firpo]

Too bad the gym hit back.

[Johnny Firpo]

For most players adding weight is a strain on their knees over the course of the season. But for KD, he could really use it if only to add durability when taking hits as well as strength for getting through people.

Only risk is that he loses some of that quick first step.

Just to have a serious post in the thread too: if he would gain that weight on his legs, he would not become a bigger injury risk, in fact he would probably lower his chances of injury, and he would also became more explosive. Explosiveness comes from the quad and buttocks. I would train him for his legs and shoulders, nothing else, it makes zero sense for a basketball player to train for biceps for example.

Look at Lebron, he doesn't have any biceps, he has a solid chest, triceps and back but nothing crazy, but he has huge shoulders, which is the most important non-leg muscle for a basketball player imo. Durant doesn't need anything crazy, 7-8 pounds of muscle on his legs and shoulders combined. That's all it would take for him to take the next level.

If he really hits the weights hard and can't gain weight, his trainer is either very dumb, or he simply can't force Durant to eat enough. Anybody (who's healthy) can gain weight/muscle, it's all about calories in. Problem is, Durant's BMR is probably sky high.

[Def Swami]

What KD really needs, IMO, is leg strength. So little guys can't guard him, and so he can more easily post them up and not get pushed off his spots by Chris Paul, etc.

Mass helps. Ralph Sampson was strong as an ox. But because he was so thin, he could never get good post position.

100% yes.

[DynastySS]

For most players adding weight is a strain on their knees over the course of the season. But for KD, he could really use it if only to add durability when taking hits as well as strength for getting through people.

Only risk is that he loses some of that quick first step.

Just to have a serious post in the thread too: if he would gain that weight on his legs, he would not become a bigger injury risk, in fact he would probably lower his chances of injury, and he would also became more explosive. Explosiveness comes from the quad and buttocks. I would train him for his legs and shoulders, nothing else, it makes zero sense for a basketball player to train for biceps for example.

Look at Lebron, he doesn't have any biceps, he has a solid chest, triceps and back but nothing crazy, but he has huge shoulders, which is the most important non-leg muscle for a basketball player imo. Durant doesn't need anything crazy, 7-8 pounds of muscle on his legs and shoulders combined. That's all it would take for him to take the next level.

If he really hits the weights hard and can't gain weight, his trainer is either very dumb, or he simply can't force Durant to eat enough. Anybody (who's healthy) can gain weight/muscle, it's all about calories in. Problem is, Durant's BMR is probably sky high.

That is true, I often look at Lebron and think he doesn't have any biceps.

[Johnny Firpo]

That is true, I often look at Lebron and think he doesn't have any biceps.

Yeah. Lebron has a crazy good overall physique obviously, but he's not famous for his guns, that's for sure. Not that he should be. Also, keep in mind that he's 6'8. I just googled it, he has a 16'' arm according to him, which looks tiny on him at 6'8, but on a 6 foot guy, they would look all right, although obviously still small for any regular gym-goer.

[The_Ghost_of_JB]

Taking conditioning advice from Kendrick Perkins is a bad idea.

Perk got into great shape when he was with the celtics. Lost weight and gained a ton of muscle. He is actually a pretty good person to take advice from.

[NBAfan3024]

Don't think gaining loads is what he needs anyway.

[Ghost]

For most players adding weight is a strain on their knees over the course of the season. But for KD, he could really use it if only to add durability when taking hits as well as strength for getting through people.

Only risk is that he loses some of that quick first step.

Just to have a serious post in the thread too: if he would gain that weight on his legs, he would not become a bigger injury risk, in fact he would probably lower his chances of injury, and he would also became more explosive. Explosiveness comes from the quad and buttocks. I would train him for his legs and shoulders, nothing else, it makes zero sense for a basketball player to train for biceps for example.

Look at Lebron, he doesn't have any biceps, he has a solid chest, triceps and back but nothing crazy, but he has huge shoulders, which is the most important non-leg muscle for a basketball player imo. Durant doesn't need anything crazy, 7-8 pounds of muscle on his legs and shoulders combined. That's all it would take for him to take the next level.

If he really hits the weights hard and can't gain weight, his trainer is either very dumb, or he simply can't force Durant to eat enough. Anybody (who's healthy) can gain weight/muscle, it's all about calories in. Problem is, Durant's BMR is probably sky high.

Great post and I agree completely. It would be great for him to put on a bit of weight so he could just maintain his post position vs his smaller competition. It would add such a great threat to his game, more doubles would be forced to come which he could pass out of.

Bolded my problem

[pcbothwel]

For most players adding weight is a strain on their knees over the course of the season. But for KD, he could really use it if only to add durability when taking hits as well as strength for getting through people.

Only risk is that he loses some of that quick first step.

Just to have a serious post in the thread too: if he would gain that weight on his legs, he would not become a bigger injury risk, in fact he would probably lower his chances of injury, and he would also became more explosive. Explosiveness comes from the quad and buttocks. I would train him for his legs and shoulders, nothing else, it makes zero sense for a basketball player to train for biceps for example.

Look at Lebron, he doesn't have any biceps, he has a solid chest, triceps and back but nothing crazy, but he has huge shoulders, which is the most important non-leg muscle for a basketball player imo. Durant doesn't need anything crazy, 7-8 pounds of muscle on his legs and shoulders combined. That's all it would take for him to take the next level.

If he really hits the weights hard and can't gain weight, his trainer is either very dumb, or he simply can't force Durant to eat enough. Anybody (who's healthy) can gain weight/muscle, it's all about calories in. Problem is, Durant's BMR is probably sky high.

That is true, I often look at Lebron and think he doesn't have any biceps.

Its no different with a lot of MMA fighters. To much muscle jeopardized flexibility and causes lactic acid to build up (blood pumping/buring feeling in muscle from high reps). For a sport so reliant on soft touch(shooting a basketball), you cant afford to get rigid and out of sync.

[trickshot]

Hope the guys here know you dont necessarily need muscle mass to increase your strength. With good training KD can still be as strong as anyone without looking as big

[PCProductions]

Adding weight is pretty overrated. I think adding weight is a big part of why Lebron slowed down in 2011 and 2012. Once he slimmed back to his Cleveland days, his offensive game was stronger than ever.

A lot of success in the post is about training and skill rather than just mass. Of course mass helps, but it isn't the solution. KD just needs to work on it, plain and simple.

[Mamba Venom]

If KD isnt going to post up he doesn't need the weight. Is KD going to expand his game? He is already so good. If he develops a post game w/ his height and wingspan he could dethrone LeBron.