Improve Baseball Power, Playing Speed, Bat Speed and Arm Speed

If you want to be a great baseball player, power and speed training is crucial in the offseason.


Full Body Power Training

Every baseball player wants more power, speed and strength. Not every baseball player is training right for explosive power. If you need more power hitting the baseball, more speed running the bases or more quickness at your position then you need this power workout manual. The manual's drills, techniques and workouts are designed for advanced baseball players.

Baseball requires a series of rotational and lateral movements. Therefore, the baseball player needs a strong core to generate rotational and lateral speed and power.

The physical 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.).

Rotational Power Training

Rotational power is obviously critical for baseball players.



You will need explosive levels of rotational core power to excel on the field. The medicine ball rotational throw should be done full speed to train your central nervous system and body to move faster and more explosive. The medicine ball rotational throw is an advanced exercise and should not be done by those athletes with inadequate body strength and core strength.

1. Stand with your feet hip-width apart. Place your left foot approximately one foot in front of your right foot.

2. Hold medicine ball with both hands and your arms slightly bent.

3. Swing ball over to the right hip and explosively underhand toss the ball forward to a partner or wall. Keep the stomach drawn in to maximize proper usage of muscle.

4. Catch ball on the bounce from your partner or wall and repeat immediately for the desired repetitions.

Improve Playing Speed

Work on improving your playing speed in all areas.



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

Most explosive movements in baseball occur after some other movement such as swinging or sliding. Maximum running speed is rarely reached by a player 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.

Bat Speed

Bat speed is much more than just swinging as hard as you can.  Power is producing force in the shortest amount of time.  



Bat speed can be improved with increased core strength, overall body strength and explosive power. Bat speed can also be improved with bat swing practice.

Training for power means that exercises are done at full speed. This trains your muscles to fire faster. For example, medicine ball exercises done at full speed improve your explosive core strength. This will improve your bat speed and arm speed.

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 (dynamic balance is another).

If you have strong legs, a weak core and a strong arm, you will have a power shortage when swinging a bat or throwing a ball. Strength and power must transfer from your legs to your core to your arms.

The plyometric workouts include exercises for the upper and lower body such as medicine ball throws, depth jumps, squat jumps, etc.

Arm Speed

If you want to add miles per hour (MPH) to your fastball or throws, add power to your body.



Just lifting weights and increasing arm strength won't automatically improve your arm speed and MPH. What you need is more power and explosion, or speed strength to improve your arm speed.

You will need strength and power in your legs, core and arm (particularly a strong shoulder). Power needs to be transferred from your legs through your core to your throwing arm. This will increase your arm speed and MPH. Many athletes have strong, powerful legs but weak cores.

Along with your weightlifting program, you need to include power exercises like squat jumps, sport-specific plyometric exercises and sport-specific medicine ball exercises. These power exercises should be performed at FULL SPEED.

Improve your throwing arm's MPH by "powerizing" your entire body.

Train hard and smart!

Download your FREE All-Star Baseball Power Workout Manual and improve your strength, power and explosiveness on the field!

Mark Dilworth, BA, PES
Sports Fitness Hut

Baseball Offseason Strength, Power and Speed Training

The offseason is the time to make big improvements in baseball strength, power and speed. Hopefully, you are going strong with your offseason baseball training. If you wait until 2-3 weeks before the season starts, it is too late.

Many young baseball players are too busy playing year-round and don't get in needed strength, speed and power training (that's a hint to dads and select coaches)!

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 60 yards and walk back to the start line. 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!

Download your FREE All-Star Baseball Power Workout Manual and improve your strength, power and explosiveness on the field!

Mark Dilworth, BA, PES
Sports Fitness Hut

High-Powered Baseball Offseason Training

You need to make the most improvements to your baseball strength, power and speed in the offseason. If you wait until 2-3 weeks before the season starts, it is too late.

Many young baseball players are too busy playing year-round and don't get in needed strength, speed and power training (that's a hint to dads and select coaches)!

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!

Download your FREE All-Star Baseball Power Workout Manual and improve your strength, power and explosiveness on the field!

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

Captain Derek Jeter, Your Hard Work Rewarded

Captain Derek Jeter had the day of a lifetime: he reached 3,000 hits, hit number 3,000 was a homerun and he went 5-5 at the plate with the game winning hit! It sounds like a Hollywood movie script? No, I watched it happen this afternoon at Yankee Stadium. Congrats Derek! You have always played the game hard every day and you had some day dude.

One of the great players of all time, Jeter became only the 28th major league player to reach 3,000 hits. And, he is only the second player to hit a homerun for hit number 3,000.

You need baseball training tips from Jeter! He is also a champion with 5 baseball world series titles, the latest being in 2009! Jeter won 4 titles in his first 5 years in the major leagues (1996-2000)! Enough said!

Jeter is also my favorite baseball player so I will listen to what he has to say about baseball training tips. Young players need to follow Jeter's example! If the King of New York trains for and plays the game "with all-out effort," you should too!

In the April 2008 issue of Men's Health, Jeter talks about his training regimen. He plays one of the most demanding positions in baseball (shortstop) so he must be in peak condition for the long season. He doesn't go into a lot of detail about his workouts but he does list some workout principles.

1. Do a thorough, dynamic warmup before each practice or game like jumping jacks, lunges, arm circles, pushups and bodyweight squats. Research has proven that a dynamic warmup will prepare your body best for competition.

2. Jeter does a balanced weight training workout in order to prevent injuries and muscle imbalances. Some examples are deadlifts, pullups, rows, squats, lunges, shoulder presses, bench presses and core training. Rotational core training is critical for baseball players.

3. For his explosive training, Jeter does sprints and jump training (plyometrics) to keep his fast twitch muscle fibers tuned and working at peak performance. Fast twitch muscle fibers are crucial for speed and power and also the ones you lose the quickest as you get older.

Keep playing hard Derek!

Download your FREE All-Star Baseball Power Workout Manual and improve your strength, power and explosiveness on the field!!

Mark Dilworth, BA, PES
Your Fitness University
My Fitness Hut
Her Fitness Hut
Sports Fitness Hut

Baseball Power And Speed Workout

Baseball power and speed! Every baseball player wants more power, speed and strength! Not every baseball player is training right for explosive power. Your FREE All-Star Baseball Power Workout Manual will help improve your baseball game on the field!



If you need more power hitting the baseball, more speed running the bases or more quickness at your position then you need this power workout manual. The manual's drills, techniques and workouts are designed for advanced baseball players.

Baseball requires a series of rotational and lateral movements. Therefore, the baseball player needs a strong core to generate rotational and lateral speed and power.

The physical 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 and acceleration should be emphasized during training.

Major League Baseball scouts use these drills/exercises/sprints (among others) to test a player's speed, agility, acceleration and power:

30 and 60 Yard Sprints - The bases are 90 feet apart (30 yards). Scouts routinely time a player's speed from home to first base during an at bat or from home to second base on a double.

Running from home to first base in under 4.0 seconds is exceptional (especially for a right-handed batter). Times of 4.1 - 4.4 are more common. A major league average time for the 60 yard dash is 7.0 seconds, 6.5 - 6.8 seconds is good and 6.2 - 6.4 are great times.

Vertical Jump - The height of your vertical jump shows the amount of power in your lower body. A high vertical jump is also an indicator of great speed. A vertical jump of 35 is good and any jump 40 or above is exceptional.

Medicine Ball Rotational Throw - This exercise is a good indicator of core strength---especially the critical rotational power needed for baseball (swinging, throwing, etc.).

20 Yard Shuttle - This drill tests agility, explosion, postural control and quickness at high speed. The best players cover the 20 yard shuttle in about 4 seconds or less.

Download your FREE All-Star Baseball Power Workout Manual and improve your strength, power and explosiveness on the field!

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

Got Thrower's Elbow?

Throwers elbow affects both sides of the elbow. It is a common injury for any sport that requires a throwing motion---baseball pitchers, football quarterbacks, tennis serving or volleyball spiking.

Throwers elbow is distinguished from tennis elbow (usually affects the outside of elbow) and golfers elbow (usually affects the inside of the elbow).

So what causes throwers elbow? Overuse of the elbow is the most common cause of throwers elbow. The throwing motion stretches the structures on the inside of the elbow and compresses structures on the outside of the elbow.

Poor throwing mechanics is also a leading cause of this injury. Damage to the muscles, bones (fractures and spurs), ligaments and tendons around the elbow joint and forearm causes throwers elbow. This damage eventually causes a restriction of the throwing motion, inflammation and pain.

Inadequate core strength also leads to ineffective force transfer through your body and places undue stress on your elbow.

Pain is usually felt on both sides of the elbow joint and may even be felt as far down as the wrist. If your elbow doesn't get treatment and rest, blood flow could be cut off. The nerves that control the muscles in your forearm could also be pinched. Some numbness may be felt.

Prevention of throwers elbow is the best solution. Here are some tips:

1) Warm-up and stretch adequately. This should not have to be said but many don't take this advice seriously. It is important to increase blood flow and oxygen to the areas you will be using (forearm and elbow). Without a proper warm-up and stretching routine, the muscles and tendons will be tight and stiff and more susceptible to injury.

2) Strengthen and condition the muscles of your forearm and wrist. This will put less strain on your elbow. Also, strengthen your core and shoulder areas.

3) Avoid overuse of your elbow and get adequate rest from sports competition.

Download your FREE All-Star Baseball Power Workout Manual and improve your strength, power and explosiveness on the field!

Mark Dilworth, BA, PES
Your Fitness University
My Fitness Hut
Her Fitness Hut
Sports Fitness Hut

Lateral Cone Hops Improve Hip Strength and Power

Lateral cone hops will strengthen and power up your hips and gluteus medius. This will make you a more dynamic athletic in the field or on the court.



Use lateral cone hops to improve your power in the frontal plane of motion (side to side motions).

The frontal plane is an imaginary bisector that divides the body into equal front and back halves. The motions primarily involve abduction and adduction (side-to-side motions).

Abduction takes your limb away from the midline of your body and adduction takes your limb closer to the midline of your body. Examples include exercises performed on hip abductor and hip adductor machines. Other frontal plane motions would be lateral lunges, dumbbell lateral shoulder raises and lateral spinal flexion.

Quickness and agility movements made by athletes require adequate frontal plane stability, strength, power, flexibility and balance.

Lateral cone hops are done as fast as possible. Also, your feet should remain on the ground as little as possible as you do the hops. Focus on hopping (not jumping) from side to side (on the balls of your feet) with very little vertical height. You are working to improve lateral power with this exercise and not vertical power. Do 8-10 repetitions per set.

As you progress, you can begin to do single leg lateral cone hops. Train hard and safe!

Be sure and download your Free Dumbbell and Medicine Ball Metabolic Fat Burner Workouts and start shaping your body faster!

Mark Dilworth, BA, PES
Your Fitness University
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Her Fitness Hut
Sports Fitness Hut

Baseball Power Workout

The best baseball players have power---powerful arms, powerful swings and powerful movements. Baseball requires quick, powerful bursts, whether its on the basepaths, batter's box or in the field. You need the FREE All Star Baseball Power Workout Manual!.

The baseball power exercises are illustrated by All-American collegiate shortstop, Blake Kelso. Check out Blake's technique as he trains to excel at the most athletically demanding position in baseball!



Every baseball player wants more power, speed and strength! Not every baseball player is training right for explosive power. If you need more power hitting the baseball, more speed running the bases or more quickness at your position then you need this power workout manual. The manual's drills, techniques and workouts are designed for advanced baseball players.

Baseball requires a series of rotational and lateral movements. Therefore, the baseball player needs a strong core to generate rotational and lateral speed and power.

The physical 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 and acceleration should be emphasized during training.

Download your FREE All-Star Baseball Power Workout Manual and improve your strength, power and explosiveness on the field!

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

Thrower's Elbow Prevention

Prevention of thrower's elbow is the best policy! Thrower's elbow can put you out of game action and cause other compensation injuries.



Thrower's elbow affects both sides of the elbow. It is a common injury for any sport that requires a throwing motion---baseball pitchers, football quarterbacks, tennis serving or volleyball spiking.

Thrower's elbow is distinguished from tennis elbow (usually affects the outside of elbow) and golfers elbow (usually affects the inside of the elbow).

So what causes thrower's elbow? Overuse of the elbow is the most common cause of thrower's elbow. The throwing motion stretches the structures on the inside of the elbow and compresses structures on the outside of the elbow.

Poor throwing mechanics is also a leading cause of this injury. Damage to the muscles, bones (fractures and spurs), ligaments and tendons around the elbow joint and forearm causes thrower's elbow. This damage eventually causes a restriction of the throwing motion, inflammation and pain.

Pain is usually felt on both sides of the elbow joint and may even be felt as far down as the wrist. If your elbow doesn't get treatment and rest, blood flow could be cut off. The nerves that control the muscles in the forearm could also be pinched. Some numbness may be felt.

Prevention of thrower's elbow is the best solution. Here are some tips:

1) Warm-up and stretch adequately. This should not have to be said but many don't take this advice seriously. It is important to increase blood flow and oxygen to the areas you will be using (forearm and elbow).

Without a proper warm-up and stretching routine, the muscles and tendons will be tight and stiff and more susceptible to injury. An example would be the rotator cuff stretch.

2) Strengthen and condition the muscles of the forearm and wrist. This will put less strain on your elbow.

3) Avoid overuse of your elbow and get adequate rest from sports competition.

Download your FREE All-Star Baseball Power Workout Manual and improve your strength, power and explosiveness on the field!

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

Improve Agility During Pick-Up Games

I improved my agility during pick-up football, basketball and baseball games growing up. When you play pick-up games (or street ball), you don't think about technique---you just play the game. Consequently, you improve your agility skills (if you do them correctly).



You can work on your agility and speed during any pick-up game. You don't have to wait until your formal team practice to get better. Matter of fact, I learned much about how to compete by playing pick-up games with older guys. You either got better or embarrassed!

Improve your agility with these drills and then apply them during your movements in a pick-up game:

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

2. speed ladder drills

3. cariocas, tapiocas, back pedals, shuffles, toe taps

4. hip turn and hip flexibility drills (like leg swings)

What are you doing to improve your agility and speed to become a better athlete? Let us know!

Be sure and download your Free Dumbbell and Medicine Ball Metabolic Fat Burner Workouts and start shaping your body faster!

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

Sports Fitness Hut's All-Star Baseball Power Workout Manual

If you need more power hitting the baseball, more speed running the bases or more quickness at your position then you need this power workout manual. The manual's drills, techniques and workouts are designed for advanced baseball players.



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

Maximum 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.

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

The speed demands of baseball are: starting ability, acceleration, stopping, cutting, stride rate, stride length, sprinting form and speed endurance. The power workout manual will help you improve your athleticism and playing ability.

Most explosive movements in baseball occur after some other movement such as swinging or sliding. Maximum running speed is rarely reached by a player 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.

Download your FREE All-Star Baseball Power Workout Manual and improve your strength, power and explosiveness on the field!

Train hard and smart!

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

Baseball Training Tips From Derek Jeter, World Champion

You need baseball training tips from Derek Jeter, captain of the New York Yankees! He is a champion with 5 baseball world series titles, the latest being this November 2009! Jeter won 4 titles in his first 5 years in the major leagues (1996-2000)! Enough said!

Jeter is also my favorite baseball player so I will listen to what he has to say about baseball training tips. He is an admitted hard worker and plays the game hard every play, every day! Young players need to follow Jeter's example! If the King of New York plays the game "with all-out effort," you should too!



In the April 2008 issue of Men's Health, Jeter talks about his training regimen. He plays one of the most demanding positions in baseball (shortstop) so he must be in peak condition for the long season. He doesn't go into a lot of detail about his workouts but he does list some workout principles.

1. Do a thorough, dynamic warmup before each practice or game like jumping jacks, lunges, arm circles, pushups and bodyweight squats. Research has proven that a dynamic warmup will prepare your body best for competition.

2. Jeter does a balanced weight training workout in order to prevent injuries and muscle imbalances. Some examples are deadlifts, pullups, rows, squats, lunges, shoulder presses, bench presses and core training. Rotational core training is critical for baseball players.

3. For his explosive training, Jeter does sprints and jump training (plyometrics) to keep his fast twitch muscle fibers tuned and working at peak performance. Fast twitch muscle fibers are crucial for speed and power and also the ones you lose the quickest as you get older.

Download your FREE All-Star Baseball Power Workout Manual and improve your strength, power and explosiveness on the field!

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

Medicine Ball Side Lunge

The medicine ball side lunge exercise works the often neglected frontal plane (lateral movement) of motion.



The medicine ball side lunge forces you to decelerate movement through one hip at a time, placing greater emphasis on the gluteals and hamstrings. It trains you to move correctly in the lateral direction. Many knee ACL injuries occur when athletes place too much stress on their knees and not enough stress on their hips during deceleration. In other words, the hips are often under-used during sports activities.

You will improve your lateral speed and power only if you have adequate strength in the frontal plane of motion.

Be sure and download your Free Dumbbell and Medicine Ball Metabolic Fat Burner Workouts and start shaping your body faster!

Mark Dilworth, BA, PES
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Soccer Throw With Medicine Ball

The soccer throw with medicine ball is a great sports power exercise to improve your core strength and arm speed.

The soccer throw works the muscles that you use to throw a ball or swing a racquet overhead. The soccer throw is an advanced core exercise.

Do the soccer throw full speed if your body is ready for the intensity. Use a medicine ball that is 10% of your bodyweight if you can throw a ball this heavy at full speed. If not, start with a lighter ball.



Be sure to also use your legs as you throw the medicine ball. If you don't use your legs, you won't be able to throw at full speed. Don't stand straight up as you throw. Keep your back leg straight and your front leg bent.

Be sure and download your Free Dumbbell and Medicine Ball Metabolic Fat Burner Workouts and start shaping your body faster!

Mark Dilworth, BA, PES
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Improve Speed With Power Step Ups

Improve your speed with power step ups. Do this exercise full speed with control.



1. Face a bench or platform (knee high) and put your right foot on the bench. Your knee should be bent 90 degrees. Don't do this exercise with dumbbells until you have mastered the bodyweight version.

2. Alternate your feet on and off the bench or platform (you will be sprinting in place).

3. Explosively drive your knees up and pump your arms as fast as possible. Each set should be 20-30 seconds.

4. Do this exercise with correct running mechanics.

Challenge yourself to get better each day!

Be sure and download your Free Dumbbell and Medicine Ball Metabolic Fat Burner Workouts and start shaping your body faster!

Mark Dilworth, BA, PES
Your Fitness University
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Rapid Fat Loss and Six Pack Abs

Rotator Cuff Stretch

If you are in a sport that requires a throwing or swinging motion like baseball, softball, lacrosse or tennis then you need to regularly stretch and condition your rotator cuff....



1. Stand with your arm out and your forearm pointing 90 degrees.

2. Put a stick in your hand and behind your elbow. With your other hand, pull the bottom of the broom stick forward.

This may sound simple but it is a very important stretch for your rotator cuff. You also need to strengthen and stabilize the rotator cuff with strength exercises. Resistance band exercises and light dumbbell exercises work well for the rotator cuff.

Avoiding or lessening the risk of injury is a major part of sports fitness training!

Download your FREE All-Star Baseball Power Workout Manual and improve your strength, power and explosiveness on the field!

Mark Dilworth, BA, PES

Train Your Body During Baseball Season

Just because your baseball season has started doesn't mean that you can stop training your body....the baseball season is long and grinding so you need to continue to strength train between games. If you don't, you will find your body beginning to wear down and your performance suffering.

At the least, you need one day of full body strength training and one day of high speed power training....this will keep you one step ahead of the competition.

If you're playing a 70 to 80 game college schedule or a 162 game professional schedule, you can see how your body will wear down. Don't let all the progress you made in the offseason go to waste!

Your full body circuit weight training should be with light weights and high repetitions (10-15 repetitions per set) and your power training could consist of high speed medicine ball exercises like medicine ball chops, rotational throws, soccer throws, squat jumps and slams (8-10 repetitions per set).

Have a more successful season by training during the season!

Download your FREE All-Star Baseball Power Workout Manual and improve your strength, power and explosiveness on the field!

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

Powerize Your Body With Medicine Ball Workouts, 2

Using medicine balls for plyometric exercises is ideal....upper body medicine ball plyometric exercises help to improve power because you can safely train at full speed to retrain the central nervous system to move the body faster....



It doesn't help you to keep getting stronger if your power (how fast your muscles can produce force) doesn't improve...racket sports (like tennis and lacrosse) and throwing sports (like baseball) require you to have superior arm speed.

The soccer throw (pictured above) and the two-handed chest pass are two great medicine ball exercises that improve power if you do the exercises at full speed. When these types of exercises are combined with your strength training program, you will be a powerful athlete!

Be sure and download your Free Dumbbell and Medicine Ball Metabolic Fat Burner Workouts and start shaping your body faster!

Mark Dilworth, BA, PES
Your Fitness University
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Rapid Fat Loss and Six Pack Abs

Lateral Bounding Drills Improve Speed And Athleticism

Lateral bounding (with proper footwork) during a game and explosively continuing with the play will separate you from the competition.

How many times have you seen a linebacker, running back, shortstop, soccer defender or basketball player bound laterally and accelerate past the opponent? High level athletes have excellent lateral speed.



Lateral bounding is a progression from lateral lunges that requires you to practice lateral movement at game-time speed.

Do not progress to full-speed lateral bounding until the proper mechanics are achieved with lateral lunges. One common mechanical breakdown is when the knees protrude far in front of the feet when decelerating, landing or squatting. This puts undue stress on the knees and often causes injury.

When's the last time you worked to improve your lateral speed and explosion?

Be sure and download your Free Dumbbell and Medicine Ball Metabolic Fat Burner Workouts and start shaping your body faster!

Mark Dilworth, BA, PES
Your Fitness University
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Rapid Fat Loss and Six Pack Abs

Shoulder Impingement Syndrome and Treatment

Shoulder Impingement Syndrome is caused by the excessive squeezing or rubbing of the rotator cuff and shoulder blade.

The pain is a result of an inflamed bursa sac over the rotator cuff, and/or inflammation of the rotator cuff tendons, and/or calcium deposits in tendons due to wear and tear. Shoulder impingement syndrome can lead to a torn rotator cuff.



Shoulder Impingement Syndrome needs to be treated---usually with anti-inflammatory medicines such as ibuprofen or naproxen.

You must consistently take the medication for about eight weeks for it to be effective. Taking anti-inflammatory medications for a short period of time will treat the pain, but it will not treat the problem and symptoms will come back. You may have to try different medications to see which one will work for you.

Daily stretching in warm water will also help. You should try to reach your thumb up and behind your back. Rest is critical---so no baseball throwing/pitching, playing tennis or lacrosse. Also, don't do any activity where your elbow moves above shoulder level.

For most athletes, medication, stretching exercises and rest will do the trick.

If the symptoms do not go away after using anti-inflammatory medicines, your doctor might give you a cortisone-type injection. Cortisone is a very potent anti-inflammatory medication which can weaken muscles and tendons.

So, it should be used only in serious situations. Many times, professional athletes will take cortisone injections to "play through the pain" during the season (to temporarily put off needed surgery).

Your doctor might also perform an MRI or arthrogram to check for a rotator cuff tear. If the rotator cuff is torn, surgery will probably be needed to repair it.

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