NBA-Level Speed Training Part 2:

How to Use the 180 Formula to Train for Speed

1
Train aerobic system

2
Create energy faster

3
Move faster, all game

Goal: To move as fast as possible on the basketball court for the whole game. Current Strategy: Train aerobic system to create energy faster. Next Move: Find maximum aerobic heart rate using 180 Formula. In order to train your aerobic system you need to do 95% or more of your training at, or just under, your maximum aerobic heart rate, until your aerobic base is built. To nd your maximum aerobic heart rate use the 180 Formula. The 180 Formula: Step (1) Write down your age here _______ Step (2) Now subtract your age from 180 180 - (your age) = ______

Step (3) Take that new number and modify it by choosing from one of the four categories below. (Choose the category that best matches your current level of tness and health) Category ((A)) If you have or are recovering from a major illness (heart disease, any operation or hospital stay, etc.) or are on any regular medication, subtract an additional 10. Category ((B)) If you are currently injured, if your game has gotten worse instead of better, if you get more than two colds or bouts of u per year, if you have allergies or asthma, or if youve been inconsistent in your basketball training, subtract an additional 5. Category ((C)) If youve been training consistently (at least four times a week) for up to two years without any of the problems just mentioned, keep the number (180 minus age) the same. Category ((D)) If youve been training consistently for more than two years without any of the problems mentioned, and have made progress in competition (without injury), add 5 The new number is your Maximum Aerobic Heart Rate in beats per minute (bpm).*
*If youre 25 years old or younger, add another 5 beats to whatever number you now have.

Write it down here: ____________bpm

Examples using the 180 Formula:

If youre a 21-year-old junior whos been training consistently for more than two years, and youve made progress each year, then your maximum aerobic heart rate would be 169 bpm. (180 21) +5 from category D + 5 (for age) = 169

If youre a 22-year-old senior who hasnt been making progress lately and youve gotten three or four colds this last winter then your maximum aerobic heart rate would be 158 bpm. (180 22) 5 from category B + 5 (for age) = 158

If youre an 18-year-old freshman, and you have no injuries, allergies, or medications, youve been training 4 or more times a week for more than two years and youve been making progress in basketball competition every year, then your maximum aerobic heart rate would be 172 bpm. (180-18) + 5 from category D + 5 (for age) = 172

If you t into more than one category, choose the category with the larger number to subtract from.

This gives you an idea how the 180 Formula works, head to the 1-on-1 Coaching Forum with any questions.

NOTE: The 180 Formula was developed by Dr. Philip Maffetone, to learn more check out

The Big Book of Endurance Training and Racing

Questions and Answers:

Question: If using a heart rate monitor for speed training is so important, how come so many basketball players that didnt use heart rate monitors were able to get fast? Answer: Training the aerobic system is what all fast basketball players have done naturally. What a heart rate monitor does is take the guesswork out of training the aerobic system. Any player who had great speed-endurance followed the same principles that training with a heart monitor makes simple and easy. Thats why so many NBA players are using one.

Question: Ive seen other formulas that determine aerobic training heart rate, why use the 180 Formula? Answer: I asked Dr. Maffetone this same question, here was his response: Hi Antwan, Use the 180-Formula. When in doubt about the number, choose the more conservative one. Building this kind of endurance is very important in basketball because, as you know, the player who burns more fat will maintain good energy throughout the game, especially in the last crucial minutes. Considering that most players fatigue too much toward the end of the game, this will be a distinct advantage for your players. Best of luck--keep me posted. Dr. Phil

Question: Why does using the anaerobic system affect decision making late in games? Answer: The decision making part of the brain (the pre-frontal cortex), runs mostly on glucose. When an athlete burns up the limited glucose stores through anaerobic exercise, there is no fuel left over for the brain to use when making decisions. This is why a tired athlete commits more turnovers, misses easy shots, and has trouble focusing on the court. A key point to remember; aerobic exercise sips glucose, anaerobic gulps it.

PRO-ATHLETE TRAINING NOTEBOOK: How Jason Kidd used a heart rate monitor in his workouts to recover his speed after a major injury.
Kidd's perfect recovery is one for the medical books
In 2004, Jason Kidd was 31 years old and had a knee injury that required micro-fracture surgery. Most of the major stars whod had micro-fracture surgery like Penny Hardaway, Allen Houston, and Chris Webber, never really regained their status on the court after their surgeries. But Kidd did something a little different to heal himself. Heres a quote from Kidds trainer Matt Gibble, about his physical therapy treatments;

His early work included significant pool therapy, where he did other aerobic exercises while wearing a heart-rate monitor to make sure he was working out at the right intensity level.

After any major injury or hospital stay, you bodys aerobic system gets put to the test, because its your aerobic system that helps your circulatory system process all the cellular waste that develops during workouts, injuries, and surgeries. When your aerobic system is being used to clear out waste after an injury or surgery, adding in exercise creates more waste. You wont be able to exercise at the same intensity and still use your aerobic system until youve recovered. In other words, after an injury or surgery, your maximum aerobic heart rate is temporarily lowered. If you try and work out with the same intensity as you did before, you wont be using your aerobic system, youll be training your anaerobic system. Most players can remember how fast they moved and what type of effort they gave on the court before their injuries or surgeries, and they try to do it the same way in their workouts when theyre in recovery. Jason Kidd used a heart rate monitor to be sure that his workouts stayed aerobic and never crossed over into an anaerobic training zone.

PRO-ATHLETE TRAINING NOTEBOOK:

Once Kidd's atrophied leg muscles were strong enough, he resumed on-court activity. Gibble (Kidds trainer) watched game tapes and recorded the time it took Kidd to sprint from one end of the court to another. Then, he would make Kidd do those same interval repeats until the player met his time goal.
Kidd trained aerobically until his aerobic system was back to full strength and then he added anaerobic intensity to his workouts. By the end of 12 weeks, he was running just as fast as he had been running before the knee surgery. This is exactly what youll be doing when you start to do your workouts with a heart rate monitor. It will take roughly 12-16 weeks of only-aerobic training for you to develop your aerobic base, depending on your current level of aerobic health. At that point, you start to add in anaerobic training, bit-by-bit. For now, know that youre going to feel the benets of training at your maximum aerobic heart rate right after your rst workout. Youre going to end your workouts feeling like you could do more. Its going to feel too easy, too slow at rst. As you stay disciplined, using your heart rate monitor like a personal coach that keeps you in the right training zone, and the weeks of aerobic training add up, youll start to notice a difference. Youll be moving faster, youll be getting more shots up in your workout, youll feel fresh and ready to do your workout every morning, and old injuries will start to heal. These are all signs that youre on the right track. If these things arent happening, post a message in the Training Room (training.college2nba.com).

Read more about Jason Kidds recovery: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/12/19/SPG8QGA6P11.DTL#ixzz1meYunYHP http://www.exceltherapy.com/news.1109.02.html