Page 101 - Men’s Health - USA (December 2019)

Get NBA

CLUTCH!

Your favorite b-ball stars love NBA 2K20
as much as you do but for a different reason:

It boosts their confidence on the court.
That’s what Washington Wizards
performance guru Navin Hettiarachchi
believes. “It’s a lot of rehearsing and mental
reps,” he says. Turns out digital reps
translate to real-life in-game self-esteem,
which is why Hettiarachchi actually

encourages his players to video-game hoop
when they’re not hooping for real.

You can improve your own clutch factor
by creating a doppelgänger of
yourself in 2K20—or take the tactic off the Get NBA

court and let it help you prep for your
next big event. Rewatch your favorite movie
speech (think William Wallace’s “Freedom” BRAWN!
speech in Braveheart) and visualize
yourself in that role. “Be the person you
want to be,” says Hettiarachchi. like Draymond Green

Golden State’s star forward needs muscle
to grab rebounds. He explains how old-school
moves help him hold his ground.

PULLUP

WHY: This one’s about control. “It’s easy to squirm on the way up
and use your lower body to give you a boost,” says Green. “On the
fl ip side, it’s easy to just not contract your muscles going down.”
HOW: Hang from a pullup bar with a shoulder-width grip, core
tight, shoulder blades squeezed. Pull your chest to the bar, then
slowly lower. That’s 1 rep; do 3 or 4 sets of 8 to 12.
Getty Images (top) DEADLIFT

WHY: The deadlift doesn’t just build jumping strength. It forces
you to develop hip mobility, which Green knows he needs. “I now
understand a lot of my power comes from there,” he says.
HOW: Stand over a loaded barbell, feet hip width apart. Bend at
the knees, hinge forward at the hips, and grasp the bar. Keeping
◀ HALF-BENCH your hips lower than your shoulders, tighten your core and stand
SINGLE-ARM PRESS up with the bar. That’s 1 rep; do 4 sets of 8.

Lie on a bench, a dumbbell in
your left hand directly over DEAD BUG
your shoulder. Slide to the left
until the left side of your torso, WHY: “Everything you’re doing involves your core,” says Green.
your left glute, and your spine “Your explosiveness involves your core. Shooting a basketball
are off the bench. Bend at the involves your core. Everything.”
elbow and shoulder, lowering HOW: Lie on your back, arms over your shoulders, knees over your
the dumbbell to your chest; hips. Keeping your lower back pressed into the fl oor, straighten
press back up. That’s 1 rep; do your left leg and extend your right hand overhead. Return to the
4 sets of 8 to 12 reps per side. start; repeat on the other side. That’s 1 rep; do 3 sets of 10.

MEN’S HEALTH / December 2019 103