"If you ask Ojeleye, he's always been like that and he always will be.
"The guys who succeed in the NBA are the guys who can go the hardest, the longest. “We went big with the Olympic lifts, leg presses, and squats, and I got really strong—but almost too strong for basketball. So, we did more sets, increased reps, did sets to failure, and there was always a cardio component, either the bike or running on the treadmill, at the track, or in the sand.”Fabritz and Ojeleye worked out together five afternoons a week, in between Ojeleye’s morning and evening on-court basketball training sessions. Pronunciation: \Shem-ee OH-jah-lay\. Semi Ojeleye. "About 20 percent of the exercises are basketball-specific, but all of them will help Semi in-game. Ojeleyeâs minutes typically rise against teams like the Philadelphia 76ers, Milwaukee Bucks, Los Angeles Lakers, and Orlando Magic, which have big men who handle the ball and crash the rim. “About 20 percent of the exercises are basketball-specific, but all of them will help Semi in-game.”“It’s the perfect size and shape, and you can use it to mimic single-leg landings and lateral movements,” Ojeleye says.Alternatively, Ojeleye will work on cuts, drop-steps, decelerations—moving one way aggressively, then stopping on a dime—and other on-court footwork as Fabritz resists him with a power band around his waist.Traditional gym activities rarely involve a barbell because Ojeleye packs on muscle too easily and has to slow down. I didn't feel like I could move on the court. '"Ojeleye does hip and ankle mobility exercises every day. In high school, he copied the lifting program his older brother Victor was given at Kansas State, but Ojeleye’s serious lifting started when he entered Duke University in 2013 and began training with sports performance coach Will Stephens.“At Duke, we took it to the max,” Ojeleye says. During the 2018 offseason with Fabritz, the focus was again on mobility. Fabritz realized that one heavy exercise a week was enough to maintain Ojeleye's strength. Semi Ojeleye's page on Basketball-Reference.com lists the many nicknames of the Boston Celtics wing: Muscles Jesus, The Ox, Thor, The Ojeleye Factory, The Man Made of Granite. "With mobility no longer a glaring weakness, Ojeleye and Fabritz had a new objective for the 2019 offseason. ""It's the perfect size and shape, and you can use it to mimic single-leg landings and lateral movements," Ojeleye says.Alternatively, Ojeleye will work on cuts, drop-steps, decelerationsâmoving one way aggressively, then stopping on a dimeâand other on-court footwork as Fabritz resists him with a power band around his waist.Traditional gym activities rarely involve a barbell because Ojeleye packs on muscle too easily and has to slow down. Motivation
Training
Lindsay Berra is a freelance sports journalist based in Montclair, New Jersey.
He hates single-leg squats, is still working on perfecting the kettlebell Turkish get-up, and has a love-hate relationship with the sand dunes in Manhattan Beach. "We went big with the Olympic lifts, leg presses, and squats, and I got really strongâbut almost too strong for basketball. "Ojeleye, 25, is now in his third season with the Celtics and is showing his potential to be a highly productive 3-and-D playerâsomeone who specializes in defense and shooting 3-pointers. "Semi's genetics are the best of anyone I've ever worked with, and I work with a lot of NBA players," Fabritz says. February 24, 2020 Play-by-play data available for the 1996-97 through 2019-20 seasons. He’s really the full package.”Ojeleye, 25, is now in his third season with the Celtics and is showing his potential to be a highly productive 3-and-D player—someone who specializes in defense and shooting 3-pointers. Always consult with a qualified healthcare professional prior to beginning any diet or exercise program or taking any dietary supplement. He's really the full package.