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The NBA Workout of Baron Davis
Even if you don't play pro hoops, you can use the tricks of this year's breakout star to get in prime-time shape.

Last off-season New Orleans Hornets point guard Baron Davis worked out for six hours a day. You won't be doing that. But if you take these pages with you to the gym and do the four tough hour-long workouts every week, a month from now they might need to clear a spot for you on the Hornets' bench. Best of all, Davis's coolest trick will actually save you time: By splitting one of your workouts into two sessions you can get 50 percent more bang for the same hour.

(See "Divide & Conquer" )

DAY 1 (ONE HOUR)
Jump rope A favorite of Davis's off-season conditioning guru, Dartgnan Stamps, for increasing foot speed. (400 jumps)
Sprint-and-drop Run the width of a basketball court, drop, and do ten push-ups. (10 sprints)
Stability dribble drill (right) The first of many core strengtheners with little-used equipment found at any health club. Stand on a Core board holding a medicine ball to your chest. Rotate your upper body to the left, then the right, and then fire the ball to the ground and catch it as it comes back up. (20 dribbles)
Seated figure eight Sit on a stability ball holding a ten-pound medicine ball in front of you. Your elbows should be tight by your sides. Slowly make a figure-eight motion with the ball, moving your lower body as little as possible. (15 figure eights, then 15 in the opposite direction)
Dumbbell chest press* (2 sets of 10)
Incline chest press (2 sets of 10)
Standing cable fly (2 sets of 10)
Standing dumbbell curl Curl one arm, then the other, for one rep. (2 sets of 10)
Single-arm triceps extension From a seated position, with the weight behind your head (not behind your shoulder), extend your arm until it's pointing straight up. (2 sets of 10 with each arm)
Elliptical machine (25 minutes)

*As with all dumbbell or weight machine exercises, use the heaviest weight that comfortably allows you to complete all the reps.

DAY 2 (ONE HOUR)
Jump rope (400 jumps)
High knee-raise sprint Sprint the length of a basketball court staying on your toes and lifting your knees as high as possible. (20 sprints)
DynaDisc figure eight Step onto a pair of discs (they look like deflated dodge balls) holding a ten-pound medicine ball. (15 figure eights in each direction, as described earlier)
Seated reverse crunch Sit on a flat bench with your legs sticking straight out over the end. Supporting yourself with your arms, lean back until your upper body is at a 45-degree angle to the bench and slowly bring your knees up to your chest, keeping your upper body stable. Slowly return them to the start position to complete the move. (2 sets of 15)
Leg curl (2 sets of 10)
Seated leg extension (2 sets of 10)
Hip abduction (2 sets of 10 on the standard Nautilus apparatus)
Hip adduction (2 sets of 10)
Stability-ball dumbbell chest press (right)Like a standard chest press but while lying with your back on the ball to get in a little more work on the core. (2 sets of 10)
Dumbbell front raise You're now getting into the part of the workout designed to really carve up the shoulders. Making sure your arms remain just outside of shoulder width, raise first one, then the other, for one rep. (2 sets of 10)
Dumbbell lateral raise To work the outside of the shoulder, stand bending slightly at the waist, holding a weight in each hand, your palms facing each other. Raise your arms to the sides until they're parallel to the ground, then return. (2 sets of 10)
Rear deltoid dumbbell raise Lie face down on a bench set to a 45-degree incline with weights in each hand, your arms hanging off the bench and slightly bent. Keeping that same elbow bend, raise your arms to the sides until they are parallel to the ground, then return. (2 sets of 10)
Single-arm dumbbell row Now for the back of the shoulders, hold a weight in your right hand, lean over, and place your left hand and knee on a bench for support. Keeping your back slightly arched and your shoulders parallel to the ground, draw the weight-bearing elbow up toward the ceiling, then return. (2 sets of 10, then switch sides and repeat)
Stationary bike (25 minutes)

DAY 3 (A.M., 30 MINUTES)
Jump rope (400 jumps)
Two-mile run (8 to 10 minutes per mile)
DynaDisc foot-speed drill To develop the core, balance, and foot speed all at once, stand on the discs while holding a medicine ball. Do a small, quick hop so that your left foot is on the floor and your right foot is on the disc your left foot was just on. Hop back to your original position, then do a quick hop in the opposite direction, so that your right foot is on the floor. (20 moves in each direction)
DynaDisc dribble drill Stand on one foot on a disc holding a basketball with both hands at chest level. (Be glad that it's not a medicine ball.) Bounce and catch it while maintaining your balance. (20 dribbles on each foot)
Stability dribble drill Back to the medicine ball and the Core board. (20 dribbles)
Instability push-up (right) Do 2 sets of 20 with your hands holding the Core board.
Stationary bike (25 minutes)
day 3 (p.m., 30 minutes)
Jump rope (400 jumps)
Seated figure eight (15 in each direction)
Leg curl (2 sets of 10)
Seated leg extension (2 sets of 10)
Hip abduction (2 sets of 10)
Hip adduction (2 sets of 10)
Smith rack squat The safer squat (2 sets of 10)
Front raise (2 sets of 10)
Lateral raise (2 sets of 10)
Rear deltoid raise (2 sets of 10)
Single-arm dumbbell row (2 sets of 10)
Elliptical machine (25 minutes)

DAY 4 (ONE HOUR)
Jump rope (400 jumps)
q Butt kicker Sprint the length of a basketball court trying to make your heel touch your butt with each stride. You may want to wait until everyone else has gone home. (20 sprints)
Stability-ball squat To work the legs and core, place your back up against a stability ball pinned to the wall. Slowly lower your butt until your thighs are parallel to the ground. Return to the starting position. (3 sets of 10)
Lying figure eight Lie on a stability ball so that your back is supported by the ball and your hips are up. Hold a ten-pound medicine ball at arm's length in front of you, above your chest. Move the ball in a figure eight while trying to keep your body as still as possible. (15 figure eights, first in one direction, then in the other)
Stability-ball dumbbell chest press (2 sets of 10)
Stability-ball concentration curl To work the core while also isolating the biceps, sit on a stability ball with your legs wide apart and a dumbbell in your right hand. Lean forward slightly, letting the weight drop down between your legs. Place your right elbow against the inside of your right thigh to stabilize the upper arm. Flex the elbow to bring the weight up to the shoulder. Return to the starting position. (2 sets of 10 with each arm)
Superset of dumbbell chest press and incline chest press Do 10 chest presses followed immediately by 10 incline presses. Wait 40 seconds, then do another superset.
Superset of standing dumbbell curl and single-arm triceps extension The same idea as above. Do 10 biceps curls followed immediately by 10 triceps extensions with the right arm, then 10 with the left arm. Wait 40 seconds and repeat.
Elliptical machine (25 minutes)


Get Juiced Up
For the diet you'll be following during your monthlong program, Baron Davis's personal chef Shalese Edmond has carefully constructed a menu high in protein, low in fat and carbs, and made with only the freshest ingredients. "The real secret, though," she says, "is my special juice." At breakfast the juice is made from six carrots, an inch-long piece of ginger, an apple, and six sprigs of parsley. To cut the sweetness for lunch and dinner, Edmond leaves out the apple and ginger.

(Choose one option per meal)
BREAKFAST
-Asparagus and parm egg-white omelet
-English muffin topped with tomato, spinach, and light Hollandaise
-Oatmeal with peaches, brown sugar, and butter (Davis's favorite)

LUNCH
-Grilled halibut with lemon and dill sauce, asparagus, and brown rice
-Grilled shrimp over salad greens with ginger-pineapple dressing
-Shrimp scampi (light on pasta and oil)

DINNER
-Cornish hen and broccoli
-Cajun-spiced grilled redfish with stir-fried vegetables
-Spinach salad with egg and bacon, and olive oil, sherry, and garlic dressing
-Grilled chicken and sun-dried tomatoes

EVENING -Decaf green tea


By: Steve Steinberg
Photographs by: Tibor Nemeth
(March 2004)

 
Divide & Conquer
No one can work out for six hours straight, not even an NBA point guard whose physical state was imperiling his new $84 million contract. So Dartgnan Stamps split Davis's off-season regimen into two sessions each day, in the process taking advantage of a little-known concept of fitness dynamics: By breaking up a workout around some midday rest and refueling, you might be able to increase the impact by 50 percent.

How can they tell? According to a 1997 University of Virginia study, the body responds to the on-again/off-again stress by pumping out extra human growth hormone -- the same chemical lately popular among bodybuilders and geezers, and the key indicator of a workout's efficiency. While some HGH takers wind up with misshapen foreheads, the hormone is safe when generated naturally. More than that, the approach could be a great way to maximize your hour in the gym. Remember, twice a day gains you an hour and a half.