Get Tougher With Skylar Diggins-Smith’s Bodyweight Workout
When Skylar Diggins entered the WNBA as a rookie in 2013, she encountered a level of physicality she wasn’t expecting. She says, “My first year, I felt like a pinball. I didn’t feel like I was as strong as I wanted to be, and my play reflected that.”
Determined to rebuild her body for the daily grind of the WNBA, Diggins focused on core and balance training. “I use a lot of bodyweight, and I don’t use a ton of barbells,” she says. “It’s high-intensity training. What I like the most about it is you can get twice the results in half the time.”
The shift in focus worked. In her second year in the league, she improved from 8.5 points per game to 20.1 and became an All-Star.
Train your body to succeed at the next level by incorporating Diggins’ training into your workouts.
One-Leg Pistol Squat
Begin standing up straight. Raise your right leg off the ground and slightly bend your right knee. Holding your arms out in front, squat down by bending your left knee and straightening your right leg until your butt is a few inches off the floor. Drive back up and repeat.
Sets/Reps: 3×5 each leg
Mini-Hurdle Hops
Set up a line of mini-hurdles spaced a couple of feet apart. Get into an athletic stance in front of the first hurdle. Jump over the first hurdle and continue hopping over the remaining ones.
Repeat 3 to 5 times
Low Plank
Lie on your stomach. Keeping your feet together, your shoulders above your hands, your elbows above your wrists and your back flat, slowly lift your body off the ground, forming a straight line from your shoulders to heels.
Hold that position until failure.
High Plank
Lie on your stomach. Keeping your feet together and your shoulders above your hands, slowly raise your body off the ground until your arms are completely extended.
Hold that position until failure.
Low Plank to High Plank With Push-Up
Get into a Low Plank position. Hold for ten seconds, then lower yourself down and complete a Push-Up. On your way up, fully extend your arms to get into High Plank.
Hold that position for 15 seconds.
Plyo Box Jump
Get into an athletic stance in front of a plyo box at a height appropriate for your ability. In one motion, jump up and land on top of the box softly. Step back down and repeat.
Sets/Reps: 3×5
RECOMMENDED FOR YOU
MOST POPULAR
Get Tougher With Skylar Diggins-Smith’s Bodyweight Workout
When Skylar Diggins entered the WNBA as a rookie in 2013, she encountered a level of physicality she wasn’t expecting. She says, “My first year, I felt like a pinball. I didn’t feel like I was as strong as I wanted to be, and my play reflected that.”
Determined to rebuild her body for the daily grind of the WNBA, Diggins focused on core and balance training. “I use a lot of bodyweight, and I don’t use a ton of barbells,” she says. “It’s high-intensity training. What I like the most about it is you can get twice the results in half the time.”
The shift in focus worked. In her second year in the league, she improved from 8.5 points per game to 20.1 and became an All-Star.
Train your body to succeed at the next level by incorporating Diggins’ training into your workouts.
One-Leg Pistol Squat
Begin standing up straight. Raise your right leg off the ground and slightly bend your right knee. Holding your arms out in front, squat down by bending your left knee and straightening your right leg until your butt is a few inches off the floor. Drive back up and repeat.
Sets/Reps: 3×5 each leg
Mini-Hurdle Hops
Set up a line of mini-hurdles spaced a couple of feet apart. Get into an athletic stance in front of the first hurdle. Jump over the first hurdle and continue hopping over the remaining ones.
Repeat 3 to 5 times
Low Plank
Lie on your stomach. Keeping your feet together, your shoulders above your hands, your elbows above your wrists and your back flat, slowly lift your body off the ground, forming a straight line from your shoulders to heels.
Hold that position until failure.
High Plank
Lie on your stomach. Keeping your feet together and your shoulders above your hands, slowly raise your body off the ground until your arms are completely extended.
Hold that position until failure.
Low Plank to High Plank With Push-Up
Get into a Low Plank position. Hold for ten seconds, then lower yourself down and complete a Push-Up. On your way up, fully extend your arms to get into High Plank.
Hold that position for 15 seconds.
Plyo Box Jump
Get into an athletic stance in front of a plyo box at a height appropriate for your ability. In one motion, jump up and land on top of the box softly. Step back down and repeat.
Sets/Reps: 3×5