NBA FIT Team: Brandon Roy

The NBA is known for its tough 82 game schedule. With all that goes into completing an NBA season, how important is it for you to remain active during your downtime during the season and during the off-season?

During the season, I really try to keep my body fresh. It is a long season and you will not get through it if you don’t take care of your body. Its really important for me to stay active, stretch a lot, eat the right way and get a lot of rest. During the off-season, staying active is really important so you come into training camp ready to go. You really have to be disciplined and dedicated during the off-season to maintain your strength and conditioning.

What you put into you body is very important to your overall performance. What foods or beverages do you incorporate into your daily routine that helps you perform at your maximum level?

I really just try to focus on an overall healthy diet. One of the biggest things is spacing out my meals throughout the day. When I first came into the NBA, I probably ate the three main meals that everybody does (breakfast, lunch and dinner). Now I try to eat five or six times a day. Especially when you are on long road trips, its important to eat several times a day even if you just have a small snack.

NBA players are some of the best conditioned athletes in the world. Other than playing basketball, what would you say are some of the benefits of being and eating healthy?

My body feels fresh and healthy when I am working out and eating well and i have more energy throughout the day. Back in high school and college, I would notice that I would always feel tired and fatigued when I didn’t have a workout routine. Working out and eating right keep me feeling healthy.

The NBA game is fast paced and physical. As an NBA player how important is it to develop a strong core since running, jumping, physical play, endurance and athleticism are key to having success?

Core training is the most important thing to work on for a basketball player. Core strength is vital to being able to take the beating we do over an 82 game season. I didn’t focus on training the core of my body in high school or college. When I got to the NBA, the first thing our strength coach talked to me about was the need to strengthen my core muscles and how important that would be to me being able to get through a season.

In order to reach your maximum performance level for games, what meals do you eat pre-game? Post-game?

Before the game, I try to load up on protein and carbs. I usually have chicken breast with some pasta and take down a Muscle Milk. After the game its mostly the same, chicken or steak with vegetables and a lot of water to make sure I don’t get dehydrated.