One of the many celebrities who made headlines during the Covid pandemic, no not for having tested positive for the virus but for undergoing some jaw dropping transformation and surprising us with a new look includes the NBA star James Harden who made netizens positively shook with his new look. The 31 year old Houston Rockets shooting guard surprised fans by shedding over 20 pounds during the months of lockdown giving us a leaner, slimmer version of himself.
James harden who is an American professional basketball player, currently playing for Houston Rockets of National Basketball Association (NBA). The most accomplished college basketball player in the world, Harden was named as a consensus All American and Pac 10 Player of Year while at Arizona State. He went on to be picked 3rd overall by Oklahoma City Thunder in 2009 NBA draft.
Harden is an eight time NBA All Star and has received first team choices for six of them. He led the Thunder to their most recent Finals appearance in 2012, where he helped lead his team over Miami by winning Game 5 with a buzzer beater shot that will go down as one ounce game changer. But it’s not just about playing ball. His work ethic off the court means so much more than stats do here at home.
James “The Beard” Harden has been a part of two Olympic Gold Medal winning teams and is one third into his fourth World Cup championship. He’s also called ‘The Bearded One’ by fans who love how he manages to stay young looking with all that facial hair.
This perennial MVP candidate has been super impressive on and off court for he has never missed out on any of his games due to injury, also not to mention with his tall, beefy physique being trained by one of the in demand performance coaches Paul Fabrtiz whose clients include some of the elites in the sport of basketball.
A typical James Harden workout routine
A fascinating blend of brute strength and speed helps Harden drive toward the basket and step back from the three point line. His workout includes both normal exercises anyone can do in the gym and ones that require advanced equipment.
According to Men’s Health magazine, a typical James Harden workout includes the following
Begins with a dynamic warm up which comprises of:
- High skips
- Over unders
- Walking hamstring stretch
- Quad stretch
- Frankenstein kicks
- Adductor stretch
- Hip flexor stretch
The warm up is followed by mobility drills which include a high skip into a deep squat and a quickline into a tick. Moving on to Eurostep stability drills to activate his core and a Da Vinci plank to strengthen his core.
Harden concludes the workout portion with a high-intensity workout of weighted jumps, one-arm dumbbell presses, rear foot elevated split squats, and inverted rows. After recovering with an active hamstring stretch, a Samson stretch, 90-90 get ups, and a kneeling ankle mobility drill,
Phew! That was pretty intense to even type it out.
As one can clearly see James is someone who does not take his workouts lightly and goes all in and pushing himself while training.
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James Harden Diet
James harden like other pro sportsmen has been following a strict diet plan since his training days and had even mentioned in an interview: I don’t eat junk food a lot like that a lot anyway. So it’s just like the regular season, you know, making sure I get my work in, I eat properly, I get the proper treatment, weight lifting, and stretches, massage, things like that.“Because like I said, there’s no telling when we startup. I want to be ready to go as much as possible.”
James claims to have always eaten clean and had prioritized taking care of his body in order to have a successful season when he is playing.
“Nutrition means everything,” says Harden, who’s equating at 26.9 points per game this term. “Now I know you have to make sure you’re putting the right things in your body so your career can last as long as possible.”
James’ everyday diet includes plenty of proteins in the form of eggs, turkey, bacon along with plenty of fresh fruits and smoothies. He also had been reported to have a great liking to Sea bass and halibut fish which help him stack up on Omega 3 fatty acids which are essential nutrients for muscle growth and strength.
The Rockets star does have cheat days where he indulges in some cookies, sundaes and brownies to satiate his sweet tooth cravings. He also makes sure to jeep himself hydrated throughout the day, more so post-workouts or a game and has been relying on sports drinks to boost up his electrolytes and to keep him afresh.
All this being said, James Harden who is one of the most chiselled players in the NBA no doubt knows exactly how to keep his body and health in check by eating right.
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The James Harden training during the pandemic
The pandemic, the quarantining, the lockdowns they’ve all put us through some hard times unable to go about our daily routines, flipping our lives over, having us trying to hold on to something solid to keep us sane. It was no different for these pro sportsmen when their super active lives came to an abrupt halt.
The NBA players were left to themselves and their devices to stay in shape and be ready for the game whenever they were to be called back on court.
James Harden told the Insider, that his setup is “very well put-together”, including a treadmill, weights, jump ropes, and a large backyard for sprints. He also adds on that he continued to train like a regular season, followed his regular diet and fitness routine throughout the lockdown.
However, Harden noted that there is a difference between workouts at his house and gearing up for NBA basketball.
“Individually working out and then playing actual five-on-five, where there’s contact and there’s a split decisions that have to be made, it’s totally different … The main part for me is just being in shape. Making sure my conditioning is up to where it’ll make the five-on-five easier.”
Harden said conditioning has been his main focus since the league was suspended.
James Harden’s grit and determination to stay in shape and to be back on the court with a head start gave him an unexpected loss of weight close to 20 pounds by the time the season was rebooted making him get in his best shape yet.
James attributes this to him doing a lot of cardio, hitting the treadmill and lifting weights lying around in his house for this new look of his which left his social media fans in a frenzy. He also adds that the high-intensity training he did 2 to 3 times a day along with mixing up various workout routines played a major role in getting him out of his comfort zone and get the lean look.
