Liftworthy
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Liftworthy

Every exercise ranked by research, by lifters and by results. Find what’s S-tier for your goal, then train it.

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Explore/Basketball

Gym exercises for

Basketball

Jump higher, land safer, own the paint.

  • Vertical jump and reactive strength
  • Landing mechanics and knee resilience
  • Lateral power

Live ranking · updated by evidence & ratings

Basketball workout My tier list
S
Bulgarian Split Squat
Lateral Bound
A
Single-Leg Calf Raise
Trap Bar Deadlift
Jump Rope
Lateral Lunge
Pogo Hops
Copenhagen Plank
Nordic Curl
B
Barbell Back Squat
Jump Squat
Medicine Ball Chest Pass
Medicine Ball Overhead Throw
Depth Jump
Trap Bar Jump
Reverse Nordic
Box Jump
Hang Power Clean
Petersen Step-Up
Backward Sled Drag
Push-Up
C
Spanish Squat
Tibialis Raise
Barbell Hip Thrust
Dumbbell Bench Press
Power Clean
Pull-Up
D
—
F
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Full ranking

  1. 1S
    Bulgarian Split Squat
    Strength · Dumbbell
    No ratings yet
    86
    Research
    Lifters
  2. 2S
    Lateral Bound
    Power · Bodyweight
    No ratings yet
    85
    Research
    Lifters
  3. 3A
    Single-Leg Calf Raise
    Protection · Dumbbell
    No ratings yet
    81
    Research
    Lifters
  4. 4A
    Trap Bar Deadlift
    Strength · Barbell
    No ratings yet
    75
    Research
    Lifters
  5. 5A
    Jump Rope
    Conditioning · Bodyweight
    No ratings yet
    74
    Research
    Lifters
  6. 6A
    Lateral Lunge
    Strength · Dumbbell
    No ratings yet
    74
    Research
    Lifters
  7. 7A
    Pogo Hops
    Power · Bodyweight
    No ratings yet
    74
    Research
    Lifters
  8. 8A
    Copenhagen Plank
    Protection · Bodyweight
    No ratings yet
    70
    Research
    Lifters
  9. 9A
    Nordic Curl
    Protection · Bodyweight
    No ratings yet
    70
    Research
    Lifters
  10. 10B
    Barbell Back Squat
    Strength · Barbell
    No ratings yet
    69
    Research
    Lifters
  11. 11B
    Jump Squat
    Power · Bodyweight
    No ratings yet
    66
    Research
    Lifters
  12. 12B
    Medicine Ball Chest Pass
    Power · Other
    No ratings yet
    66
    Research
    Lifters
  13. 13B
    Medicine Ball Overhead Throw
    Power · Other
    No ratings yet
    66
    Research
    Lifters
  14. 14B
    Depth Jump
    Power · Bodyweight
    No ratings yet
    65
    Research
    Lifters
  15. 15B
    Trap Bar Jump
    Power · Barbell
    No ratings yet
    65
    Research
    Lifters
  16. 16B
    Reverse Nordic
    Accessory · Bodyweight
    No ratings yet
    63
    Research
    Lifters
  17. 17B
    Box Jump
    Power · Bodyweight
    No ratings yet
    60
    Research
    Lifters
  18. 18B
    Hang Power Clean
    Power · Barbell
    No ratings yet
    60
    Research
    Lifters
  19. 19B
    Petersen Step-Up
    Strength · Bodyweight
    No ratings yet
    59
    Research
    Lifters
  20. 20B
    Backward Sled Drag
    Conditioning · Other
    No ratings yet
    57
    Research
    Lifters
  21. 21B
    Push-Up
    Strength · Bodyweight
    No ratings yet
    55
    Research
    Lifters
  22. 22C
    Spanish Squat
    Protection · Band
    No ratings yet
    53
    Research
    Lifters
  23. 23C
    Tibialis Raise
    Accessory · Bodyweight
    No ratings yet
    51
    Research
    Lifters
  24. 24C
    Barbell Hip Thrust
    Strength · Barbell
    No ratings yet
    49
    Research
    Lifters
  25. 25C
    Dumbbell Bench Press
    Strength · Dumbbell
    No ratings yet
    49
    Research
    Lifters
  26. 26C
    Power Clean
    Power · Barbell
    No ratings yet
    48
    Research
    Lifters
  27. 27C
    Pull-Up
    Strength · Bodyweight
    No ratings yet
    45
    Research
    Lifters

From the research

−50%ACL injuries in athletes who followed injury-prevention training.Webster & Hewett, 2018 · Mostly female athletes; too little data to judge men.3%faster sprints, on average, after strength training. Bigger squat gains went with bigger sprint gains.Seitz et al., 2014 · 15 studies, 510 participants.

What are the best gym exercises for basketball?

Right now Bulgarian Split Squat ranks first, with an overall score of 86 from the research rubric. It’s followed by Lateral Bound and Single-Leg Calf Raise. For the core of a programme, the top strength lift is Bulgarian Split Squat and the top power exercise is Lateral Bound. The best choice for you depends on your equipment and how it feels on your joints, which is why every exercise links to alternatives.

Why it ranks: Single-leg strength for jumping and landing off one foot.

How these scores are calculated →