- Luka Doncic said cardio, weight training, and diet changes helped improve his performance.
- Doncic said he had to lose weight in December and has reportedly lost over 20 lbs since then.
- Cardio and weight training are effective weight loss methods when combined, experts say.
Luka Doncic said he improved his on court performance by incorporating more cardio and weight training into his workouts, according to The Dallas Morning News.
The 23-year-old Dallas Mavericks star reportedly weighed around 260 lbs — 30 lbs more than his listed playing weight of 230 lbs — in December, according to Sports Illustrated. That same month, Doncic said he had to lose weight and improve his conditioning in a press conference after a loss to the Brooklyn Nets.
During a recent interview on Texas sports radio station 96.7 The Ticket, Mavericks owner Mark Cuban said Doncic used criticism as motivation to get in shape and improve his overall performance.
"He didn't like being called out for his weight and other things, and it finally clicked that there's a level of discipline that's required," Cuban said.
Doncic reportedly got his weight down to around 240 at the end of January, ESPN reporter Tim McMahon said during an interview on the Lowe Post podcast on January 31.
Since then, Doncic has been one of the NBA's leading scorers with 33 points per game, and earned his third All-Star game appearance.
Cardio and weight training are effective weight loss methods when combined, according to trainers
Doncic told The Dallas Morning News that he started to do more cardio and weight training to build endurance and strength, in addition to making changes to his diet.
Combining cardio with strength training is a more effective weight-loss method than just doing one of the two, personal trainer Ben Carpenter previously told Insider's Rachel Hosie.
"Lots of people start doing cardio because they want to lose body fat, but unless you're doing a really high workload, cardio doesn't burn a huge amount of calories," he said. "And for at least a subset of people, it increases the appetite disproportionately to how many calories they've burned."
Still, cardio workouts like running, cycling, swimming, and even walking can help promote weight loss when combined with healthy eating habits and strength training.
Strength training can help promote weight loss by engaging the legs, back, core, and arms, which burns more calories than cardio workouts, Noam Tamir, founder and CEO of TS Fitness, previously told Insider's Gabby Landsverk.
Strength training also helps the body burn calories after the workout is over, competitive weightlifter Sarah Carr previously told Insider.