10/15/2025 – Workout of the Day (Lower Body Strength & Power)

Hello, I’m Adam Kemp, a professional basketball player, fitness expert, and nutrition educator.

Today’s strength training workout for athletic performance marks a special moment in my life, as it is my first Workout of the Day post since December 10th, 2024, which was two days before my wife and I were in a serious car accident that changed everything.

For the past ten months, my focus has been on recovery.

Not just rebuilding my body, but restoring faith, balance, and purpose.

The accident left both my wife and me with severe concussions and a variety of injuries.

I underwent a full meniscus repair on my left knee, while she faced neck, jaw, teeth, and back complications.

Together, we spent nearly a year at home healing, both physically and emotionally, through prayer, patience, and consistency.

In that time, I had to pause my training posts and shift my workouts toward rehabilitation, mobility, and rebuilding foundational strength.

I used Amoila Cesar’s 645 program as a bridge, as it is something structured and progressive that helped me stay disciplined while regaining confidence in movement.

Now, as I’ve returned to professional basketball, currently playing for Astoria Bydgoszcz in Poland’s 1st Basketball League, I’m ready to once again share my workouts, mindset, and spiritual focus with all of you.

This new chapter is about moving forward with gratitude, purpose, and renewed strength.

Verse of the Day:

John 1:14
“And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.”

Today’s verse, John 1:14, reminds me that we are called to live as reflections of God’s grace and truth, even through hardship.

The process of recovery has tested every part of me, yet it also revealed how much grace can carry us through pain and uncertainty.

This workout represents that next step.

It’s about movement with purpose, combining power, stability, and control to symbolize progress through resilience.

Quick Workout Summary

This session builds functional strength, stability, and explosiveness by focusing on single-leg strength, core stability, and total-body coordination.

These movements are staples for athletic development and injury prevention, ideal for anyone rebuilding after setbacks or looking to refine balance and strength.

Since I am in-season, I have to keep the total volume of my weightlifting sessions lower, but I am still trying to regain strength and power.

Workout of the Day (10/15/2025)

Today’s workout marks a defining moment in my journey back to strength and purpose.

After nearly a year of recovery and rebuilding following the car accident that changed my life and my wife’s, I’m finally ready to share my training again.

This session represents progress, not perfection, and a renewed focus on becoming stronger, more balanced, and more grateful for the ability to move.

Every rep today is a reflection of perseverance, faith, and grace in motion.

Warm-Up

Doing a proper warm-up is critical as it increases blood flow and improves joint mobility, preparing the body for peak performance.

• 10 Minutes Dynamic Mobility (Hips, Ankles, Shoulders): Focus on dynamic hip openers, adductor rock backs, and dynamic hamstring stretches and other dynamic stretching exercises to prepare joints and tissues for training.

If you need ideas, check out my mobility videos on YouTube.

1A) Bulgarian Split Squat (5×5)

Benefits: I love the Bulgarian split squat because it builds unilateral leg strength, improves balance, and enhances knee and hip stability. This movement is crucial for athletes recovering from lower-body injuries, especially after knee surgery.

Safety Tips:

• Keep your front knee aligned with your toes.
• Engage your core to stabilize your pelvis.
• Use controlled tempo to protect your joints.

Progression/Regression:

• Add dumbbells or a barbell for progression.
• Use bodyweight or TRX support for regression.

1B) Push-Ups (5×10)

Benefits: Push-ups are a straightforward and effective bodyweight exercise that strengthens the chest, shoulders, and triceps while activating the core. Push-ups also promote shoulder health and stability through full-body control.

Safety Tips:

• Maintain a straight line from head to heels.
• Keep your elbows at a 45-degree angle to your torso.

Progression/Regression:

• Elevate feet for progression.
• Perform incline push-ups or knee push-ups for regression.

1C) Lateral Band Walks (5×10 Steps Each Direction)

Benefits: Lateral band walks activate the glutes, hips, and outer thighs to improve lateral stability and prevent knee valgus, which are essential for athletes returning from lower-body injuries.

Safety Tips:

• Keep constant tension on the band.
• Stay low with a slight bend in the knees and hips.

Progression/Regression:

• Use a heavier band for progression.
• Perform standing abductions if lateral steps cause discomfort.

2A) Copenhagen Plank (4×20 Seconds Each Side)

Benefits: Copenhagen planks strengthen the adductors, core, and stabilizers of the pelvis, and are a key movement for protecting the knee joint post-surgery. I still have not progressed very much on the Copenhagen plank since my knee surgery, but lately in my basketball practices, I have been having medial knee pain and am looking forward to focusing on and progressing this exercise.

Safety Tips:

• Keep your body in a straight line.
• Avoid letting your hips sag.

Progression/Regression:

• Extend the lever arm by placing the foot higher on the bench for progression. You can also add a rotation to the exercise.
• Bend the lower knee for regression.

2B) Hang Clean (4×4-3-2-1)

Benefits: Hang cleans are one of my favorite lower-body power exercises. They build total-body power and coordination by developing the ability to transfer force efficiently from the lower to the upper body. The hang clean also trains explosiveness and reintroduces advanced movement patterns safely post-rehab.

Safety Tips:

• Start with light weights to perfect form.
• Drive through the hips, not the arms.
• Maintain a neutral spine and stable feet.

Progression/Regression:

• Add weight each set if technique allows.
• Perform dumbbell cleans or high pulls for regression.