In this vlog, professional basketball player Elijah Bryant walks viewers through a typical week of his offseason preparation for the upcoming EuroLeague season. He emphasizes that improvement requires both physical and mental work, outlining daily habits such as meditation, journaling, mobility drills, weight‑room activation, manual therapy, and nutrition. Bryant explains how he uses measurement tools—video analysis of shot mechanics, a DEXA scan for body composition, and regular tracking of lifts—to ensure progress and avoid injury. He also shares his philosophy that consistency, simple systems, and intentional, data‑driven work outweigh flashy drills. The video is aimed at serious hoopers who want to build a solid foundation and sustain performance throughout a season.
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Hey, how's it going? It's Elijah Bryant, NBA champion. Bryant, the follow-up rebound and put Elijah Bryant. Yes, EuroLeague champion.
That 3 is up and good from Elijah Bryant.
Quick ball movement to Bryant. Nice pass.
7-year professional basketball player going into my 8th year. In this video, I'm going to take you along a week of work of skills that I'm doing weekly. Hopefully you can take something from this and apply it to your game and be more consistent. But if you're you're not trying to get better at basketball, be more consistent, this video is not for you.
Tap in.
Most hoopers honestly only train their body. Few train their mind, and that's why they break down during the season. So for me, what I'm doing here is meditating, journaling. They're a must for me. The game is full of highs and lows in the season, as you've seen in my career, and I've learned that if you like, you know, you don't control your mind, it's honestly going to control you.
So now moving into Monday, my first workout back for the summer.
Fortunately for me, my trainer wasn't in town. The hoop at the church gym, I honestly couldn't figure out how to get it down. But here's the thing, excuses aren't going to make you better. The work is going to make you better, I promise. So I kept it simple, just, you know, ball handling, rhythm, light cardio. It wasn't necessarily about intensity, it was more so about just like being in the gym, finally back in the gym. I wasn't going to waste a day because my trainer wasn't there. And consistency is what separates players from what I've seen. Right here, I'm just making a berry smoothie. It's just quick fuel, it's clean, and it doesn't weigh me down. If I need extra carbs, I'll try to eat some oatmeal or something, but it's just easy to make fast. I get out the door and it can be with me. So being in the weight room or getting your body acclimated for the season is foundational for on-court success, but I feel like most players get it wrong. They skip it completely or they load too heavy early and break down. It's about ramping up the right way, and honestly, you need to be in there. So early in the offseason here, I'm just focusing on mobility, lower leg strength, and activation. You can't stack weight until you lay the foundation. It's like building a house, right? Like, you can't put the bricks on until you put the foundation. So foam roller work, hip pushes, heel elevated lifts, movements that translate directly to basketball. I feel like when I was younger, I was just doing a lot of movements that were Olympic lifting but not basketball specific. So here I'm just doing manual therapy, and it's a must as a hooper, something I didn't do as much as I should have when I was younger. But with traveling, jumping, collisions, your body gets beat up. So I've been working with Bueller's since college. He's worked with Odell Beckham, John Stockton. The adjustments honestly keep me like aligned and healthy, and I've learned that for me, like, once a week is probably best, but you would have to see for your body. Your body needs more. Before this workout, I was just feeling like I needed some more juice, so I had some eggs with some waffles and coconut oil for some good fats, and I felt good, you know. And the healthy fats The Clean Protein, the Fuel will get me through, you know, those 2-a-day workouts. As you see, my workouts aren't flashy. They're boring, repetitive, consistent. This is for like real hoopers who understand that showing up daily and being consistent is what's going to separate you. And that's what I wish I would have known as a younger player. Shot mechanics is a big emphasis in my summer routine just because I want to be able to be an elite shooter as I age. And I think not a lot of people focus on that, they just focus on reps. I'm focusing on my index finger down, front foot heavy, looking at the ball, making sure I'm analyzing how it goes in— back rim, front rim, side rim, all that stuff.
You want to be eating wild-caught salmon because it's not farmed. Most of the salmon that we eat is raised in a farm in the water, so it has a bunch of plastics, a bunch of pesticides in it. This wild-caught salmon is elite.
Thank God for you. Will always take what you offering, never too much, never giving me less. On the days that you ain't got it, you always give it your best. Lady, you are mine. I say that shit with my chest. Reason that I love you, you always easing the stress. You my backbone and that's the reason I flex. The same one that helped me—
So back to shot mechanics, but at the time it's about measurement. Adam, my trainer and one of my good friends, honestly films everything because you can't manage what you don't measure. So I'm studying like landings, balance, rhythm, follow through. Index finger down. If you're not tracking this or analyzing it, how are you going to improve?
Because you can't manage what you don't exactly What meditation kind of does for me is like lowers my stress, sharpens my focus.
Scientifically, rewires your brain. It's training your mind the same way we train our body.
Crazy Miami, we make love in Argentina.
So I did my first Dexa Scan in summer too. It's a machine that tells you your body fat. You can't manage what you don't measure, so get the data so you can manage it. This summer I trained my feet like never before. Some days my calves felt like they honestly were tearing, and I think a few days I was like, I gotta take a day off. Massage gun on it, like everything. Like, yeah, this is what happens when your calves aren't strong enough and your lower legs aren't strong enough. It was uncomfortable, but you got to be comfortable with being uncomfortable.
[MUSIC] Right here, what are the rubber parts? It's red and there's this white stuff I don't know what.
The summers aren't really fun for training because I'm so intentional and I'm just so consistent and mundane that it becomes boring, right? So I think I've learned that over the years, that the more consistent I can be, the more consistent my seasons will look. With this yogurt and just over the years of my body, I've learned like dairy doesn't sit right with me. So I usually try to get a dairy-free yogurt and try to do grain-free stuff like siete tortillas. Everyone's different, but the point is to like find what works for you and makes you feel the best. This summer wasn't necessarily won by chasing, you know, flashy drills or waiting for the perfect conditions. I think for me, if you've seen this video, it's about the systems. I think if you can focus on your systems, then you'll be able to see the progress later. So use meditation to control your mind, be consistent in the gym and in your routines, try to fuel with clean nutrition as best as you can, and build your foundation like a house. Start in the weight room and then move out to the court. Be intentional and measure your stuff. I really appreciate you guys watching, and if you're honestly serious about getting better, like, start with the system, because that's how you're gonna win on court, and that's how you're gonna make your life more consistent. And as you know, faith plus consistency.
