We've all heard how swimming is the ultimate exercise sport, but let's face it, not anyone can swim. Not everyone enjoys being in the water either, and there isn't too many to swim with. Basketball, however, is one of the world's major sports. It is a staple in any sporting event, one of the most publicized and commercial that some of the richest and most popular athletes in the world are professional basketball players, and in modern, urban societies, basketball is even a gauge of masculinity.
But forget about masculinity (feminists would balk) and the professional basketball league for a second, those are stereotyped constructions of basketball. If anything, one should play basketball for fitness. Basketball is the ultimate exercise sport; not only does it thoroughly work out the whole body, but being a team sport, is a lot more fun and exciting than, say, swimming.
It is not a secret that basketball involves a lot of running. Not just running in one lateral direction, however, but frantic running, jumping, skipping, leaping in all possible directions, back and forth the court, whatever it takes to intercept the opponent and grab the ball, for more than an hour. In that kind of running alone, basketball is an excellent means of cardio and strength exercise. Over time stamina is strengthened, balance is honed, agility is achieved. Every muscle in the body is worked, especially those that tend to be overlooked and underused, such as the gluteals, hamstrings, outer thighs and arm muscles. Basketball also employs plyometric movements that develop lean muscles and burns fat fast. The constant, unpredictable movement of arms and legs works out the body in such an intensive way that unlike routinely exercise, the body never gets bored of it, building what is called a 'muscle memory' that creates an appetite for exercise and makes it easy to return to it after a slump.
This article has been viewed 18 time(s).Article Submitted On: January 31, 2011
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