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The Hooper’s Edge

Get no-fluff basketball training tups from strength coach Julian Lo Casto. Speed, power, strength, conditioning, recovery, and mindset strategies delivered straight to your inbox. Built for hoopers. Backed by science and experience.

Featured Post

The Biggest Lie in Basketball Strength Training...

“But Coach… won’t getting ‘too bulky’ make me slow?” Hey Reader, I put this post out a couple years back and recently reposted it for the messaging- since this question comes up every single year. A kid starts lifting… puts on a little muscle… and suddenly someone tells them: “You’re getting too big.” “You’re gonna lose your quickness.” “You’ll get slow.” And because most hoopers don’t understand how training actually works, they believe it. But here’s the truth: Muscle doesn’t make you...

Hey Reader, Tryouts are done. The season’s here. The energy’s high, practices are intense, and your schedule just got packed again. But this is also the point where most players lose everything they worked for. They stop lifting. Stop sprinting. Stop recovering. And by mid-January? They’re tired, sore, slower, and weaker than when the season started. Let’s not make that mistake this year. Here’s how to actually get better during the season — not just survive it. 1.Think “Maintenance,” Not...

Hey Reader, Tryouts are here (or right around the corner). You’ve been putting in work all fall — lifting, hooping, open gyms, fall leagues. But this is where most players blow it. They panic. They overtrain. They stay up late. They gas themselves the day before tryouts thinking one more workout will “get them ready.” Here’s the truth: you don’t get better the week of tryouts — you show what you’ve already built. Your only job now is to stay sharp, fresh, and confident. Here’s a simple 5-day...

Fall ball is wrapping up. Your body’s a little beat up, practices and games have been nonstop, and now tryouts are right around the corner. This is where a lot of players mess up: they either shut it down completely and lose their edge… or they overdo it trying to “cram” for the season. Here are 5 simple things you can do in the next couple weeks to show up fresh, confident, and explosive on day one: 1. Short, Intentional Lifts Cut your sessions down — 30-45 minutes is plenty. Stick with big...

Hey Reader, Fall ball has been rolling for about a month now. By this point, most hoopers fall into one of two camps: They’ve let training slide. The excuses creep in — “I’ll get back to lifting after fall ball,” or “I’m too tired to do extra.” They’ve stayed consistent. Kept lifting. Kept sprinting. Kept stacking small wins even while juggling games and practices. Guess which group is going to look fresher, stronger, and more explosive come November tryouts? 👉 Fall ball runs through the end...

Hey Reader! Fall leagues are starting or have been going on. Open gyms are back. School is back and in full swing. Your schedule just got a lot busier. And for a lot of hoopers, this is where the backslide begins. They stop lifting. Stop sprinting. Stop training altogether. They think: “Fall ball is my training now. I don't have time to train.” But fall ball isn’t development — it’s exposure. You’re showcasing what you built this summer. And if you stop now? You’ll be a lighter, slower, more...

Hey Reader! We’re in that in-between zone now. The summer is over. School’s back. Fall ball is around the corner. And suddenly, you’re seeing a flood of “sport-specific” drills again on your feed: Bungee cords while dribbling through cones. Shooting while standing on a BOSU ball. Band-resisted layups off trampolines. Here’s the truth: Just because something looks like basketball doesn’t mean it actually improves basketball. Let’s clear something up… ✅ "Sport-specific" is a lie — what you want...

Hey Reader! August is wrapping up. School is slowly approaching. Open gyms. Fall ball leagues. Schedules get messy. Priorities shift. And most hoopers? They stop training or take time off. But here’s what separates the ones who plateau… from the ones who keep rising: The best athletes don’t quit their routine when life gets busy. They adapt it. So if you want to maintain your strength, power, and movement quality heading into fall ball, here’s how you do it. ✅ Shift from Volume to Efficiency...

Hey Reader! You’ve got a few more weeks of open time before school, fall ball, and life start crowding your calendar. That makes right now one of the most powerful stretches of your year — if you use it right. The secret most hoopers don’t know? The best athletes don’t just train harder. They train smarter. They plan their week with purpose — lifting heavy when they’re fresh, sprinting when their nervous system is primed, and recovering when it matters most. And if you’re serious about...

Hey Reader! AAU’s done. Now what? The coaches go home.The highlight clips get posted.And most hoopers? They relax and hope their game gets better before fall. That’s not you. This is the most important 3–4 week window of your year. Why? Because you’re not traveling every weekend.You’re not dealing with mid-week games.You actually have the time, space, and freedom to focus on one thing:Getting better. But most athletes waste August.They’re either too tired… or too aimless.And when school and...