In this vlog, pro basketball player Elijah Bryant walks viewers through a full off‑season training day, highlighting the mindset, equipment, and specific drills he uses to stay durable and explosive for his upcoming EuroLeague season with Hapoel. He opens with his wife Janelle discussing the "keys to success"—consistency, faith, systems, and a playful nod to cashew queso. Elijah then shows the contents of his training bag, which includes barefoot basketball shoes, Kyrie Antas, a smart tracking basketball, foam roller, iPad for film study, a speaker, a weighted vest, and smoothies. The core workout focuses on basketball‑specific strength and mobility: single‑leg stands, flexion/extension movements, low‑height jump rope, and fatigue management, all performed while mic’d up. He explains that training at Utah’s altitude boosts his VO2 max, allowing smarter, less‑hard work. Post‑workout, he eats a kale‑rice salad and reflects on the importance of working smarter, not harder. The vlog also showcases family moments—Janelle’s humor, time with their child, and Elijah’s daily schedule that balances training, meals, chores, and quality family time. He wraps up by mentioning his upcoming return overseas for preseason, emphasizing faith, consistency, and community engagement ("W's in the chat").
Chapters
All right guys, this is my wife Janelle. What do you have to say? I'm doing a week workout with me. What's the keys to success?
Consistency, a hot wife. What do you think are the keys?
The keys are consistency, faith, systems, and Cashew queso is fire.
I'm staying at my in-laws' house just to be closer to family.
So in my bag I'm going to have my barefoot basketball shoes. I don't know if you've seen these. I haven't played played basketball in them yet, but I'm going to try them. Been wearing these Kyrie Antas. This ball is pretty cool, it tracks your arc and stuff like that. Let's bring a foam roller. Putting my iPad in here because during the workout sometimes I like to watch film just to get a breakdown of stuff. Um, smoothies in here. Oh, don't forget the speaker. It's ridiculous. So this thing is actually pretty cool. It's a weighted vest, I think it weighs like 10 pounds. I just throw it on and do everything with it. When I take it off after summer, 10 pounds lighter. Whoa, spider!
What the freak?
Through a full day of training mic'd up, showing you not just the strength and mobility work I've been focused on this summer to put me in basketball-specific movements that would translate directly to on-the-court skills. I like to call this an item that reduces friction. So you can do any exercise you want with this, basically. But the main reason I got it is because playing overseas, NBA players don't understand this, is that you don't get to go to the same arena, the same gym, the same all set up. If I know how to work out myself with this, then the environment doesn't matter. Floaters, off glass, not off glass, and then we go right into— if I could go back, like when I was younger, one thing I'd start earlier is basketball-specific strength work. I feel like this is what keeps you durable, explosive, and performing at a high level year after year because you're so used to those movements. Yeah, like that. There we go. See?
Yeah, fast. There we go. Yes.
So the result is when you do that, you either miss short.
So right here, notice because you're uncomfortable, uh, decelling on that outside foot. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Just establish your single leg stand, right? So now you're, you're locked out. Okay, knees up. Now I'm just going to open as wide as I can. Open, close. Flexion, extension. Flexion, extension. Just trying to flex. Stay—
keep your hips down.
Yeah, get back and then attack forward. Yeah, 16-2-1. Hey, let's go! 2, 1, nice. Try to sink deep though, right? Like as much as your body weight as you can tolerate. 2, 1, really good. That look good? Try to sink and then pop out.
Yep.
And we're gonna jump rope low.
Two legs?
Yeah, two legs. Lift that heel up. Don't let your butt come off the wall though. 2, 1. We can wait a second.
Yeah, he's tweaking.
It's crazy how much fatigue you have to play under, right? It's like if you're like fatigued at all. Your body is just like—
and your mind starts getting tired too, for sure.
Like, I'm not prepared for this.
All right, so we just finished up both my workouts. I do them at the local stake center. One thing also, being in Utah, I'm at elevation, so that's like another plus of working out in Utah, and that's why I do work out in Utah. My VO2 max is increasing without having to work as hard. That's a big component for me, is work smarter, not harder. That's why I wear the vest, all that stuff. Right here I'm eating a kale and rice salad. Don't usually eat out, but wifey got me this and this is healthy.
I'm pretty sure it doesn't have any seed oil. Cheers!
What's your hottest one?
Step away.
Why are my calves so— By the time I'm finished training, it's usually like early afternoon, which gives me the rest of the day to spend that quality time with the family, because at the end of the day, being a dad is my number one job.
Squeeze, squeeze, squeeze, squeeze.
Good job.
Let go.
6.1. Good job, bud. All right, so I'm back in the baby 2007 that I've been driving since college. She always likes to act like she's sick when I'm home and I have to take her in. She's gonna last until I'm done. These big moment decisions. Summer is always a little chaotic. We're trying to see all our family members, go on vacations, and then actually start training. So dinner's usually around 7, kids are down by 10, and then I've got a little time to either take care of a few chores or just chill before, you know, Just talking about my nightly routine and getting ready for bed before the next day. Soon it's back overseas for preseason with Hapoel and the grind of another EuroLeague season. If you want to see all behind the scenes of the ups and downs of a pro basketball player overseas, make sure you follow along. Remember, faith plus consistency. W's in the chat.
