Lebron James still soaring at 33 - a close look at his workouts

Did you ever wonder how Lebron James stays in such fabulous shape? Read on and find out.


There are few deep secrets about Lebron James fabulous physique or how he maintains it. And that is what is amazing about what he does. His workouts look like preparation for Mr. Olympia competition, but they are merely geared to maintain what he has achieved. He hits the gym long and hard - knows how to get results - and spends roughly 1.5 million per year on keeping himself healthy and in shape.



As you can see from the videos, the Vertical Climber (VersaClimber) is a mainstay for him. You might remember the gym machine as part of Ivan Drago's workout routine in the movie, Rocky IV. It is not a machine that is often found in commercial gyms, but it is a good one.

It is obvious that The King already has a fantastic muscle base and a level of leanness I estimate at 4-7% body fat. He does the usual incline chest presses, squats and farmers walk and the other common muscle and strength-building exercises to maintain that status, but he does a lot of balance/small-base stuff that most of us would never attempt. And he obviously does a lot of cardio to increase cardiovascular health and maintain leanness.



Lebron also relies heavily on Bodyblade work, often while perched on an unstable Swiss ball. The Bodyblade is one of the few pieces of exercise equipment that I have never used - yet. The fact that Lebron relies on it is enough evidence for me to try it.

As always, the claims probably surpass the actual benefits, but I am sure, if used correctly, the vibration-training tool will help strengthen the core and fine-tune muscle definition in the shoulder and arms.

The video below displays a piece of equipment that would not be found in the average home or gym. It is a hyperbaric chamber. It's purpose is to provide air pressure above that of sea level and feed pure oxygen to the occupant. The idea is to increase the availability of oxygen to the person inside.

It is the type of equipment that has a history of use as a cure for decompression sickness, but its use effectiveness for athletes is not yet know to my knowledge.



Here is what I see with James. He is a super-elite, 260-pound athlete with a body fat of roughly 5%, meaning he carries only 13 pounds of fat and 247 pounds of solid, lean mass. He has all the muscle he needs, and adding more could hamper him on the court.

The late martial artist Bruce Lee made sure to carry only sufficient muscle to accomplish the task, which for him was to bash the hell out of any attacker. The King does the chest presses, pull-ups, squats, land mines, shoulder presses, farmer's walk and all of the usual stuff to maintain his muscle mass and strength. But he makes use of Bodyblades, exercise balls, suspension training straps (I prefer gymnastics rings) and many other devices to give him more of an edge on the court.

Most NBA players peak in their mid-to-late 20's, and Lebron is still soaring at 33 years of age. He makes sure that his body and athleticism do not fail him. It certainly has worked so far.

Follow Tom at TomLaneHC

Photo via Instagram
Top video via AthletesTraining
Middle video via MVP Romania
Bottom video via Uninterrupted