Weight Lifting for Baseball Players
Although sports such as football or basketball might be synonymous with spending a massive amount of time in the weight room, to be successful, baseball players also have to put in their dues lifting weights. Although in-the-field training is much more important to a baseball player's career, there are a number of weight room exercises to help a player's power potential.
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Medicine Ball
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An old-school method of weightlifting, baseball players get a lot out of working with the medicine ball. Getting a partner to toss the ball, using two hands, over your head with help strengthen your arms as well as define your throwing motion. Other exercises include lying on the ground and tossing the ball up and catching it to improve chest muscles and holding the medicine ball in your hands and swinging back and forth to improve core muscles.
Dumbbell
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For every position except designated hitter, a player's arm is the most important part of his body. Use a dumbbell to perform curls to strengthen your biceps or lift it over your head to strengthen your shoulder. Do 12 reps of each exercise on each arm, three times a week, to maintain your physique. If you want to strengthen even more, use heavy barbells, too.
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Bench Press
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To generate power when hitting a baseball, a player has to create a large amount of torque during the swing. One way to achieve this is by having well-defined chest muscles. Doing a round of bench press (12 reps) once a workout will maintain these muscles.
Squats
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Whether you're a pitcher or hitter, a baseball player must have a low and forceful center of gravity to excel. One way to do this is by doing squats. To do this, take a squat bar and place it on your back, resting on your shoulders. Lower the weight using only your legs, and then raise the weight again back to its original level. Do 12 reps of these three times per workout. This will work out your thigh muscles and improve your lower body power.
Jump Rope
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Not all weightlifting programs have to be about power. Some can be simply about producing speed and tone. By jumping rope before, after or in the middle of a workout, the baseball player can work on developing calf muscles and foot speed, both of which come in handy when playing the field or running the bases.
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References
- Photo Credit baseball image by Tomasz Plawski from Fotolia.com
