Really Good Baseball Workout

[xxxcre10xxx]

Anybody have some really good baseball workouts? My buddies and I are running test and we are curious if there are some good workouts for the gym to help us bulk up even more. What lifts do you guys prefer?

[brian11]

Workouts for what? What positions? Hitting? Throwing? Running?


Abs are very over looked in baseball training. Obviously shoulders, but not just heavy weights...lateral and front raises with light weights are good, remember you are throwing a baseball not a shotput.

[Hypertrophy]

Are you trying to bulk up and be a jock, or are you trying to improve your performance?

[Rod Farva]

I'm too old to play baseball (I could never hit fastpitch anyway) but I'm a very avid/competitive softball player and if you look at the elite softball hitters (capable of hitting softballs 500 ft, putting on pregame hitting displays at major league parks, ...) they all have legs like tree trunks. That and Triceps really help me out.

Mike Macenko was the biggest softball home run hitter and he was a huge workout junkie. He had a bunch of exercise stuff on his site including a bat speed drill that a lot of softball players swore by. It might help you out for baseball hitting as well.

http://www.bigcat844.com/ = his site which has been down of late BUT I found his batspeed drill HERE










In today's softball and baseball world "bat speed" is the most common phrase you will hear at the ball field. "It's bat speed that hits home runs." I am a firm believer of that. That bat speed does have a lot to do with how far the ball is launched. But, I think that your bat speed has to follow a fluid swing with good mechanics. Anyone that has a good swing and has good bat speed already, is only going to hit the ball farther if they can increase that bat speed.

Important Note: You want to increase your bat speed using the same weighted bat that you usually use. If you go to a lighter bat to increase your bat speed and it works that is great, but 9 times out of 10 you want to increase your speed with your bat weight that you have been using. I am a firm believer in moving a bigger and heavier bat at the incoming softball will onl,y increase the distance.

Simultaneous Summation Of Levers
Simultaneous Summation Of Levers is the same principle as the Domino effect. When you are swinging a softball bat, your swing actually starts at your feet, then your ankle, your knees, your hips and so forth. Your swing starts from the bottom and goes upwards as the body turns into the pitch. You will actually be exploding into the ball with all your force, that you built up into your mighty swing..
Example: ankles
knees
hips
shoulders
head
It should lead into one explosion at the end.



Equipment Needed for the Exercise
3 Softball Bats

1 Light Bat (softball bat without the plug in it- 20 oz.)
1 Regular Weighted Bat (your game bat)
1 Heavey Bat (something heavier than normal by at least 5 oz.)



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Below I have some photos of the different bats.

Photo # 1 Photo #1. - Here I am with a blank shell from a softball bat. There is no end plug. Therefore making the empty bat shell weigh 20 ounces.
Fast Twitch Muscles
Fast Twitch muscles are your smaller ones. You want to swing a bat that is lighter than your normal weight. Take a bat and remove the end plug to make it as light as possible. Around 20 ounces is just fine.






--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



Photo #2 Photo #2 - I am holding onto my regular weighted bat. (My game bat) You will need this size weight to swing during this exercise.
Both Twitch Muscles
Once you have performed this exercise for a 12 week period you should be able to notice an increase in your bat speed. Your bat speed will increase anywhere from 10% up to 25%. Therefore adding at least 10 feet on your ball.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



Photo #3 Photo #3 - I am holding a bat that is heavier than my regular weighted bat . A bat that weighs any where from 38 ounces and heavier is good for me.. You be your own judge on your own bat. You want to be able to swing it. You don't want to drag the bat through the zone. We need 10 good swings with this bat for 3 sets with this exercise.
Slow Twitch Muscles
Your slow twitch muscles are your bigger muscles in your body. I want to swing a heavier than usual bat for these muscles.

12 Week
Increase Your Bat Speed Routine

1st week Monday and Wedsneday
2nd week Tuesday and Thursday
3rd week Monday and Thursday
4th week Tuesday and Friday
5th week Monday and Wednesday
6th week Tuesday and Friday 7th week Monday and Thursday
8th week Tuesday and Friday
9th week Monday and Wednesday
10th week Tuesday and Thursday
11th week Monday and Thursday
12th week Tuesday and Friday

You need to do this routine for at least 9 weeks to get the full effect.
If done for the maximum of 12 it can only help you that much more.

Bat Speed Routine

Sets Bat Weight Reps
1st set Heavy Bat 10 - 12
2nd set Light Bat 10 - 12
3rd set Heavy Bat 10 - 12
4th set Light Bat 10 - 12
5th set Heavy Bat 10 - 12
6th set Your Own Bat 10 - 12

Important!!!
The key to this exercise is to do it at least two times a week.
If you want to do this routine more than the 2 times I have perscribed
feel free to do it. It won't hurt you.
If done correctly you should have increased your bat speed anywhere from 10 to 25 %
It should definitely help in 2 ways.
1. It will help you with the distance of your ball.
&
2. It will help you hit the ball through the infield that much faster.

If you have any questions about this program feel free to e-mail me. Thanks!

[NorCaLifter]

Ok bro... i'm not going to post a lot of junk to read, hear is the basics. Legs are key in anything, pitching...throwing....hitting...fielding... and then you have forearms.... that will help with bat speed... your abs also... .. just lift heavy...but make sure you stretch...flexibility is key, once you lose that..your really screwed.

[asimov]

NorCal Lifter has few good points there. Legs and abs are the base for strength and balance out there, whatever position you are playing. Forearm strength is a big factor in bat speed. Flexibility is very important as well, don't get too big to quickly, you need your flexibilty. Look at great hitters and you see that good trunk rotation in a swing is a combo of power and flexibility. If you are a pitcher, legs and abs still apply. Flexibilty could be a bigger factor than strength. Also, rotator strength is a must for velocity and health.

[Theedge]

Whatever type of Strength Training you do, make sure that while your are making gains in the weight room, you are continuing to Hit, Throw, Run, Take ground balls, and basically stay in baseball shape, so that the strength and power you develope in the weight room translates into usable strenght and power on the field....I know guys that come into Spring Training, weight room strong and it takes them 2 weeks to hit the ball out of the infield..don't be that guy.

[BigDogRonnieC]

very true i like what the edge has to say. core strenght is huge is keeps your whole body balanced also helps with speed and agiltiy.legs and forearms all big areas. forarms i bealive the most important but im a hitter thats just me i love forearms, gigantic forearms, gives you control of the bat and ineffect controll of the atbat.

[TheChosenOne]

Depending on your status whether coach, player, personal trainer, etc you may want to look into being a member of NSCA (National Strength Conditioning Association). They have a number of peer approved articles on specific programs, exercises, endurance needs, plyometrics, and anything else you can think of to design a solid sport specific program. Their site is NSCA-lift.org. You need to be a member to check out their entire length articles though and that costs some money but they do have a student rate given you are a collegiate or HS athlete.

[Theedge]

very true i like what the edge has to say. core strenght is huge is keeps your whole body balanced also helps with speed and agiltiy.legs and forearms all big areas. forarms i bealive the most important but im a hitter thats just me i love forearms, gigantic forearms, gives you control of the bat and ineffect controll of the atbat.

Thats funny that you mention the forearm thing. I measured my arms last night..and my Biceps are 15 1/2inches and my forearms are 14 inches cold flexed. I guess thats a good thing if I'm a hitter, but kinda funny looking.
OH well...it gets the bat through the zone.

[O.T]

edge,

you looking like popeye man!

[Theedge]

I wish

[Wannabswole]

I would recommend doing a lot of forarm workouts. Definately back-extentions. Try doing 21's when doing bicep curls. This really works your forarms as well as biceps.

[Theedge]

I would recommend doing a lot of forarm workouts. Definately back-extentions. Try doing 21's when doing bicep curls. This really works your forarms as well as biceps.

I agree but make sure that when you are building up strenght in your forearms that you continue to swing the bat to transfer that strength into bat speed/power. But doing that much biceps..do we really use our biceps that much in baseball?

[LD_18]

i agree about biceps. In my opinon they really serve no puropse in baseball. Everyone on my team is lookin to have the huge biceps but when i ask them "why", they really have no response. So i have come to the conclusion that biceps in baseball are just mainly for looks.

[FRANK WHITE]

Nice Post. Very Helpful.

[O.T]

biceps is used as a stabalizer for the shoulder and helpful when throwing. If you ever injure your shoulder you will learn that so I wouldn't say "serve no purpose"

[Rod Farva]

I'm a softball player but the swing translates pretty well. Triceps are the key to my swing.

Here is a softball (baseball) specific workout forum. It's got a lot of exercises tailored specifically to building batspeed.