In his latest blog post on BiProUSA, the LA’s best poster maker, Larry Nance Jr, said his biggest goal going into his third season is to arrive at training camp in the best shape of his life. Besides time on the court and in the weight room, he plans on pulling it off by chilling at the beach. Lazy ass tanking Laker!

I’m kidding! He’s on the beach running up and down hills and sprinting with a parachute on.

The sand is perfect for a lower-body workout because it offers the lowest amount of impact on the joints of any surface I can think of. I’m able to get my heart rate up and engage my leg muscles without putting too much stress on my knees. I want to keep those fresh for the season.

Sand takes a normal workout to the next level because it adds a layer of instability. Whether I’m running in a straight line or up a hill, I can feel my ankles constantly working and strengthening in the sand to keep my body upright. It’s great training for basketball because we obviously do a lot of cutting and turning on the court, so ankle strength is huge.

The sand’s instability makes a hard workout much more difficult. If you’ve ever run hills you know how tiring they are, but striding up sand hills is a whole different animal. Doing sprints with a parachute creates added resistance, working your legs harder than a normal set of sprints. Parachute sprints in the sand are like increasing the difficulty of a video game from “easy” to “expert.” While the added difficulty is tough to adjust to at first, it helps you level up. When I move back to the hardwood, it feels like I’m flying around.

Flying like this…

Or this…