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The University of Florida men's basketball team is hunting for a repeat national championship. Here's how they train their bodies to go the distance
Workout Photography by: Beth Bischoff, Photographs by: Alex Tehrani, By: Ted Spiker
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Let the fans worry about the 33-game regular-season schedule, the Southeastern Conference tournament, and March's season-ending win-or-go-home tourney. The University of Florida Gator hoops squad is just trying to survive its coach's morning drills.



"We practice harder than we play in games," says Lee Humphrey, UF's starting shooting guard, who last year sank a school-record 113 three-pointers. Sure, Humphrey's comment is the same cliché you'll hear from any athlete. But when you consider the controlled chaos that is the Gator game plan--a hard-charging offense with hustle reminiscent of the great Celtics teams of the '80s -- you realize just how intensely these players condition their bodies when nobody's watching.



"We press the ball on defense and run all out on offense, so we have to be in great shape," says Al Horford, a 6'10", 245-pound rebounding beast who disappointed NBA scouts by returning to school for a second championship. One glance at Horford and you know the Gators take strength training as seriously as cardiovascular conditioning.



Which is perhaps why Matt Herring, UF's strength-and-conditioning coordinator for basketball, is owed as much credit for the team's success as Humphrey, Horford, and Joakim Noah, their Sports Illustrated cover star. In the 40-minute contest that is college hoops, superior conditioning is often the difference between equally talented teams.



"I have them handling heavy loads in the weight room, so they can not only control their own bodies, but maintain their movements when people hang on them," says Herring. "Nothing is outside their comfort zone."



He meets his players at 6 a.m. daily on their home hardwood in party-happy Gainesville. No smiles here, though; these training sessions are grueling. Says Herring, "Every team that reaches the NCAA tournament will have played a ton of games. We're all going to be broken down. It's a matter of who's beat up the least." So Herring's built a workout that makes players tougher and more resistant to injury. And for those of you not on scholarship? It'll make you look and feel like an athlete. That's because the by-product of the Gators' training plan is a lean, rock-solid frame capable of executing anything you ask of it.



The Gators believe they can retain their title this March. They're confident because the NCAA doesn't crown the best team. It weeds out the weak, allowing the fit to rise.
Train Like a Gator

The Gators' workouts are planned around movements, not muscles. "We're training the body the way it actually functions," says Herring. "Our players must move forward, backward, sideways, and rotationally. They need to be reactive, dynamic, and explosive." That's why this plan develops strength and power--for jumping and sprinting--as well as the stability and flexibility needed to do both while twisting and turning. And because these exercises work your entire body at a demanding pace, you'll burn excess belly fat.



How To Do It: Perform each pair of exer-cises as a superset--doing one set of both movements before resting as little as possible. Complete a total of three sets of each exercise, then move on to the next superset.



Superset 1
Overhead Lunge Matrix

Hold a medicine ball over your head with both hands. Step forward (toward 12 o'clock) with your left leg, lowering yourself into a lunge. Rise and lunge toward 3 o'clock, then 6 o'clock. Switch legs and lunge toward 12, 9, and 6 o'clock. Face 12 o'clock between reps. Once around the clock equals a set.

Medicine-Ball Throw

Stand 6 feet from a wall, facing it, with your feet shoulder-width apart. Hold a medicine ball over your head with your arms extended. Without taking a step, lower the ball behind your head and throw it powerfully toward the wall, then catch it. Repeat three times, for a total of four repetitions.
Superset 2

Dumbbell Squat With Rotation Press

Stand holding two dumbbells at your sides at arm's length, your palms facing each other and your feet shoulder-width apart. Squat down, lowering your body until your thighs are at least parallel to the floor. As you push your body back to the starting position, curl the weights to your shoulders and press the right dumbbell overhead as you rotate your torso to the left. Return to the starting position and repeat the entire movement, this time pressing the left dumbbell overhead as you rotate to the right side. That's one repetition; do a total of six.
Cable Single-Arm Rotational Row

Attach a single-arm handle to a low-pulley cable, grab the handle with your right hand, and stand facing the weights. Place your left foot 12 inches in front of your right. Your right arm and the cable should form a straight line. Simultaneously squat down and bend forward at your hips so that your right knee is bent 45 degrees and your torso forms a 45-degree angle with the floor. This is the starting position. Now pull the handle to the side of your rib cage as you stand and rotate to your right.



Pause, then return to the starting position. Do four reps. Repeat with your right leg forward, holding the handle with your left hand.
Superset 3

Dumbbell Snatch Squat

Grab a dumbbell with your right hand and let it hang at arm's length in front of you, your palm facing your body. With your feet shoulder-width apart, bend slightly at your waist and knees until the dumbbell hangs below your right knee. In one movement, jump up as you thrust the dumbbell overhead while keeping it close to your body (as if you're trying to touch the ceiling). As you land, immediately lower your body into a squat while keeping your arm raised. Push yourself to a standing position, then lower the dumbbell and repeat. Do two or three repetitions with each arm.
Overhead Lateral Lunge

Stand with your feet hip-width apart and hold a light weight plate in front of your hips with both hands. With your left leg, take a wide step directly to your left side, keeping your toes pointed forward. Simultaneously raise the weight overhead and lower your body by bending your right knee until your right thigh is parallel to the floor. Then push back up and lower the weight. Repeat with your right leg. That's one repetition. Do four of them. (Too hard? Try it without raising the weight overhead.)
Cardio Tips from 4 Up-Tempo Teams

Cardio Challenge 1

The squad: University of Florida Gators

The biggest difference be-tween your pickup game and college ball: pace of play. Think you can hang? Try completing UF's sprint pyramid. Starting at the baseline (either goal), sprint 1 length of the court. Rest for twice the amount of time it took to complete that sprint. Then sprint 3 lengths of the court, followed by a rest of twice your sprint time. Continue increasing the sprints to 5, 7, and 8 lengths, adapting the rest interval appropriately after each. Then decrease, doing 6, 4, and 2 lengths. Still sprinting? Of course not. That's because whether your school's hoops team is a national champion or unranked, its members' fitness levels are elite status. Use this cardio challenge to measure up, and then train up.


Cardio Challenge 2

The squad: Bucknell University Bison

As a member of the Patriot League, they've beaten Kansas and Arkansas in the past two NCAA tournaments. Their reputation as a powerhouse underdog precedes them--so there's no letting up. Jerry Shreck, the Bison's strength-and-conditioning coach, puts his team through 22s. Sprint from one baseline to the other and back. "Then repeat for a total of 4 court lengths, finishing in under 22 seconds," Shreck says. Take 44 seconds to recover. Start with four rounds and work your way up--the Bison do a total of 22 sprints.
Cardio Challenge 3

The squad: Air Force Academy Falcons

To increase their agility, the Falcons run the "arrow" drill. Sprint in a straight line for 5 yards (you're now standing on the arrow's tip), shuffle 5 yards at a 45-degree angle back and to the left, then shuffle up to the tip. Next, shuffle 5 yards at a 45-degree angle back and to the right, shuffle up to the tip, and backpedal 5 yards back to your original starting point. Rest for 90 seconds. Repeat three times.
Cardio Challenge 4

The squad: University of Connecticut Huskies

Thanks to Chris West, UConn's strength-and-conditioning coach, few teams keep up with this NCAA big dog. West's secret: the hourglass drill. Standing at the corner of a baseline, sprint across the court to the opposite baseline's far corner. Then face the court and laterally shuffle your feet along the baseline until you reach the opposite corner. Sprint back across to the other baseline's far corner. Again, shuffle down the baseline (facing the court) until you reach the corner. Complete the drill in under 24 seconds. Rest and repeat for a total of 10 minutes. UConn goes for 30 minutes.