Baseball Strength, Power and Speed Offseason Training

Baseball strength, power and speed training begins in the offseason---if you want to be a successful player on your team.



If you don't have foundational strength and stability then that's where your training would start. You should not progress to more risky sport specific training exercises until you build your foundation.

During the offseason, you have adequate time to strength train and recover. Maximal strength is not the goal here. The baseball player's objective is to achieve adequate core strength and limb strength to aid in training for sport-specific power.

So, forget about lifting as much weight as you can (i.e., one-rep max) and concentrate on building full body strength and conditioning.

Exercises such as dumbbell bench press, squats, step-ups, rows, shoulder press, lunges, etc. are used. Also, every baseball player needs a strong shoulder/rotator cuff of the throwing arm. There are a series of exercises designed to strengthen and stabilize this area.

As for muscle growth, you will need a certain amount of muscle growth but not so much as to inhibit playing the game with fluidity. Power is more important to achieve.

Rate-of-force production or power (how fast your muscles can produce force) is one the best physical predictors of success in baseball and sports in general.

Power is achieved by performing resistance and plyometric exercises at maximum effort. This type of training has great potential for injuries. So, it is imperative that you have adequate core and body strength before starting power training.

The speed demands of baseball are: starting ability, acceleration, stopping, cutting, stride rate, stride length, sprinting form and speed endurance.

Most explosive movements occur after some other movement (swinging, sliding, etc.). Maximum velocity is rarely reached except in the case of hitting a triple, inside-the-park homerun or running down a long fly ball. Therefore, starting ability, acceleration and lateral speed should be emphasized during speed training.

Long distance running for position players should be limited. Too much long distance running decreases speed. You must train fast in order to get faster. A better alternative would be to do high intensity interval cardio training.

This type of cardio training would consist of rotating sprints and walking/jogging. A good example would be to sprint for 30 seconds and walk or jog for 1 minute. Do this rotation for 20 minutes. This type of cardio training has been proven to produce superior heart health and fat burning results.

Train hard and smart!

Sports Fitness Hut's All-Star Baseball Power Workout Manual will show you how to improve your strength, power and explosiveness!

Mark Dilworth, BA, PES
Your Fitness University
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7 Tips to Run Faster

Running speed is critical in many sports....some are born with more speed than others...One fact is true: you can improve your running speed no matter who you are!

The running mechanics are important to improve straight-ahead speed. Practice these mechanics every day! Strengthening your body (core included) will also help make you faster.

Here are 7 Tips to help you Run Faster:

1. There is one running technique that is often overlooked. One way to run faster is to apply more force to the ground with your feet. Every action has an equal and opposite reaction. The more force you apply to the ground, the more the ground will "give you power."

When you run, don't lift your knee past your "thigh being parallel" to the ground. This way, you will use your "power center" (glutes and hamstrings) to apply force to the ground instead of the less powerful hip flexors. In other words, running "with high knees" is not the best way to run. Also, step over the opposite knee and drive the foot down into the ground to create maximum force.

2. There is another running technique that is often overlooked. MAKE SURE YOUR FEET LAND UNDER YOUR HIPS (your center of gravity)! And, when the foot leaves the ground, it should follow a path straight up to the buttocks. It should not flail from side to side.

One of the most common running mistakes is overstriding. When you overstride, your heel lands first with your foot well ahead of your body's center of gravity. This causes "braking" and slows you down. Its also a good way to get injured. The heel should never touch the ground when you run.

3. This may sound elementary (and it is) but pump your arms as fast as you can (with control) when you run. If I see 10 athletes run on a given day, chances are that all 10 will not be pumping their arms correctly. And, some will not be pumping their arms at all! Pumping your arms allows you to use your upper body to run faster with more power. And, when you get tired, pumping your arms can help you maintain your speed.

Use your shoulders (and not the elbows) to pump your arms as fast as possible. Your hands should be relaxed in unballed fists with the front hand rising up to about nose level and the back hand passing the buttocks.

Move each arm as one piece with the elbow bent at 90 degrees (drive elbows down and back). Arm action should be straight forward, up and down and never flailing side to side. Drive the lead arm (same as front leg) up as you begin your sprint (this helps acceleration).

4. This is a real tough technique to master when it comes to running faster: RELAX!! That's right, relax and you will run faster. Actually, you will do any activity better if you will just relax. Here are some pointers to help you relax your running style:

a. Do a dynamic warmup before your workout or game. A dynamic warmup will prepare your body best for practice or games. Do static stretches after your workout or game (when muscles are warm) to increase your range of motion.

b. Make sure your "power center" is flexible. An athlete's "power center" consists of the glutes, hips, quadriceps and hamstrings.

c. Your hip flexors need to flexible. Tight hip flexors cause many problems, including problems with your glutes and hamstrings.

d. When you run, remember to relax your face, shoulders, arms and torso. You want your body to work like a "well oiled machine."

5. You have to train fast to get faster! This might sound simple but how many times have you seen coaches have their players run "sprints" after practice. That IS NOT speed training---that is general conditioning!

You can only run full speed when your body has recovered. That means you need adequate rest between sprints in order to run each one at full speed. About 1 minute of rest is needed for every 10 yards sprinted. Coaches, instead of having your players run sprints after practice, make sure that they practice at full speed during practice and drills.

And, a better tactic would be to run sprints before practice when your player are fresher (they would still need adequate recovery between sprints). Metabolic training and speed endurance training is also important for athletes.

The same holds true for plyometric exercises such as squat jumps. These drills need to be done at full speed with adequate recovery time between sets. Drills like squat jumps help improve speed and power.

6. You need enough lower body strength to enhance your speed and power. Here are a few tips:

Strengthen and condition your hips, glutes, thighs and hamstrings. These groups make up your athletic "power center."

"Powerize" your running with exercises like power step ups and squat jumps. Other single leg exercises like lunges are great because single leg exercises use the same pathways that it takes to run.

Make squats, deadlifts, good mornings, glute/ham drops and hang cleans regular exercises in your routine.

Strengthen your core every day. Exercises like planks, side planks and bridges can be done every day. A strong core is important for speed endurance.

How much lower body strength do you need to develop optimum power and speed? A male should be able to squat his body weight 8-10 times and a female should be able to squat about 75% of her body weight 8-10 times. If you are not able to squat, then you should be able to leg press about 1.5 times your body weight 8-10 times.

It doesn't help you to continually get stronger if power development is not there also. Power, or speed strength (how fast your muscles can produce force) is one of the best physical predictors of success in sports.

7. Core training is critical for improving your running speed. Here are the basics:

1. Slow to Fast
2. Known to Unknown
3. Stable to Controlled to Dynamic
4. Low Force to High Force
5. Correct Execution to Increased Intensity

You can start at the highest level of core stabilization training that you can control.

The dimensions of core stabilization training are:

Stabilization - The core exercises at this level involve little joint motion and are designed to provide optimum neuromuscular control. An example would be the plank on elbows:



Strength - At this level of core training, isometric exercises are replaced with dynamic, multi-planar and multi-dimensional exercises with the full range of motion. An example would be the ball back extension:



Power - At this level, sport-specific core exercises are used in all 3 planes of motion with the entire contraction velocity spectrum (different speeds). An example would be the medicine ball throw:



Many times, its practicing the "little things" that make you faster and better!

Download your FREE 10-Minute Strength and Power Workouts now!

Other things being equal, a muscular, powerful athlete will outperform a fat, slower or skinny, weaker athlete. Sports Fitness Hut's Fat Blaster Athletic Power Training System will give you your "lean and mean" athletic machine!

Mark Dilworth, BA, PES
Sports Fitness Hut

Top 3 Tips to Improve Explosive Athletic Power

Its easy to notice how explosive athletes are in sports like football, basketball and baseball. You have to train explosively to improve your explosive power. Genetics plays a part but hard work also figures in the equation.

One of the best physical predictors of success in sports is your "rate-of-force production" or how fast your muscles can produce force (power).

Here are my Top 3 Tips to Improve Your Explosive Power:

1. The number one reason that you don't reach your explosive power potential is a weak core area. The saying "you are only as strong as your weakest link" is true in the case of the human body.

The majority of powerful athletic movements are either initiated or transfer through your body's core area. Many sports injuries can also be linked to a weak core area.

Most athletic core exercises should be performed in a standing position since most athletic movements are on your feet. These exercises will also involve the important hip stabilizer muscles and not just the abdominals. A great full-body core exercise is the medicine ball rotational throw (pictured below).

The core exercises should be multi-planar, multi-dimensional and progressive. Many athletic movements involve twisting, rotating, turning, etc.

2. Functional training should be a huge part of an athlete's strength and conditioning program. Or, stated another way, you should train for the sport(s) you will play (train movements, not just muscles). Some traditional training techniques have not focused on functional training.

Your body needs to be stabilized and strengthened before progressing to high-speed power exercise programs. If this is not done, you are headed for certain injury when more intense exercises are introduced.

Improve your total body strength, especially leg strength. Overall strength training (including core training) is needed to stabilize joints, build muscle, correct postural problems and improve flexibility.

A male should be able to squat his body weight 8-10 times and a female should be able to squat about 75% of her body weight 8-10 times. If you are not able to squat, then you should be able to leg press about 1.5 times your body weight 8-10 times.

Many young athletes are progressed too fast by coaches/trainers to "more glamourous" plyometric exercises! Along the same lines, athletes should perform an exercise correctly before progressing to power exercises.

The exercises should also constantly challenge and improve (progressive) your athletic ability.

3. Improve your explosive power. Often overlooked are team practices. It is important that you practice fast and explosively preparing for games.

Explosive weight lifting will improve your power and set you apart from your athletic competitors. Make your total body more explosive.

Just as you can do medicine ball exercises, plyometric exercises and light dumbbell exercises explosively, you can also lift heavier weights explosively.

Lifting weights explosively is an advanced form of exercise and shouldn't be done by beginners or youngsters. Your body should have the needed stabilization and strength before beginning explosive lifts.

It doesn't help you improve as an athlete to continually get stronger if power development is not there also.

Research has proven that only lifting heavy weights at a moderate or slow pace will not improve your explosive power.

Plyometrics, upper and lower body, help you to increase leg power and arm power.

Improving your quickness and agility will also enhance your explosive power.

In many instances, quickness is more important than straight ahead speed. In many sports, maximum speed is rarely reached or needed, but explosive reaction is often necessary. You can improve reaction times by training to make the right choices (choice reaction).

Reaction time is the ability to respond quickly with proper posture and control to a stimulus such as sound or sight.

How many times have you seen a player with "not great speed" repeatedly make plays to help the team win. This is not an accident. You can improve your change-of-direction speed with proper training. Read my post that discusses change-of-direction speed in detail.

Improve your quickness and agility in these ways:

a) As with any athletic move, core strength is critical. Overall body strength is also important.

Before you begin to train for speed and power, the foundation should be laid with sufficient core and body strength.

b) Body positioning is critical if you want to improve your change-of-direction speed. You will need dynamic balance. In many sports, it is not that easy to change direction and accelerate because the athlete is often off balance.

Some sports, such as football and basketball require running with or bouncing a ball. And, other sports, such as soccer require moving a ball with the feet. The best running backs, tennis players, basketball players, shortstops, etc. all have great dynamic balance.

Having great dynamic balance means that you are able to maintain your center of gravity over a constantly changing base of support. Thus, quickness and agility drills help you to improve dynamic balance and change-of-direction acceleration while not wasting motion.

c) To improve change-of-direction acceleration, you should have a shin angle of approximately 45 degrees for the first few steps. Your shoulders should also be slightly leaned forward.

The body lean should be at the ankles and not the hips. Having the feet just wider than shoulder-width apart will give you the most stable base of support. This is not always possible during athletic competition.

Therefore, stability needs to be added by lowering the center of gravity. Change-of-direction acceleration could be laterally, at an angle or forward (when back pedaling) and will catapult you to near maximal speed quickly.

The first step in the change-of-direction is important. If this step is too long, you will over-stride and bring the shin to a vertical angle instead of 45 degrees. This will slow you down. So, the first step should be under your hips. Again, the body lean should be at ankles and not the hips.

Improving your coordination will help improve your multi-directional speed and linear speed (straight-ahead speed). A player rarely reaches maximum speed during game competition.

Having great change-of-direction speed (agility with quickness) allows you to beat your opponent "to the spot" or recover from mistakes in positioning.

Improve your quickness and agility with these drills and then apply them during your movements in team practices:

---jump rope (one foot, two feet, slalom, Ali shuffle, backpedal)

---speed ladder drills

---cariocas, tapiocas, back pedals, shuffles, toe taps

---hip turn and hip flexibility drills (like leg swings)

Work hard to improve your explosive power! It will make you more successful!

Download your FREE 10-Minute Strength and Power Workouts now!

Mark Dilworth, BA, PES
Your Fitness University
My Fitness Hut
Her Fitness Hut
Sports Fitness Hut
Rapid Fat Loss and Six Pack Abs