Exercises To Strengthen Rotator Cuff For Baseball

During the baseball throwing motion, your upper arm rotates outwardly and then inwardly to release the ball. With such powerful rotational forces acting on your shoulder joint, it is important to perform resistance exercises every day to strengthen your rotator cuff, which consists of the infraspinatus, subscapularis, supraspinatus and teres minor muscles. This will help prevent shoulder injuries, which are common to baseball players.

Side-Lying External Rotation

This exercise strengthens the infraspinatus and teres minor muscles, which function to externally, or outwardly, rotate your upper arm. It prepares your arm to withstand the forces created by the transition phase of the throwing motion, when your throwing arm outwardly rotates to prepare for the powerful inward rotation of the acceleration phase.

To perform the exercise, lie on your left side on a bench. Hold a dumbbell in your right hand with your forearm crossing your belly and elbow against your right side. Keeping your elbow anchored to your ribs, outwardly rotate your upper arm to lift the weight away from your body. Stop when your fist points forward and slowly lower back to the starting position. Perform eight to 12 reps with both arms. Start with a 1-lb. dumbbell and gradually increase the weight, but do not go beyond 10 lbs.

Side-Lying Internal Rotation

The side-lying internal rotation exercise strengthens the subscapularis muscle, which rotates your upper arm inwardly. This occurs during the throwing motion just before you release the ball.

Like the side-lying external rotation exercise, lie on your left side on a bench, but hold a dumbbell in your left hand instead of your right. Position your left elbow just in front of your ribs on the left side of your body, with your forearm pointed forward, hanging over the edge of the bench. Rotate your upper arm inwardly to lift the weight, so your forearm crosses your belly. Slowly lower the weight back to the starting position and repeat. Perform eight to 12 reps with both arms.

Standing Rotations

Standing rotations incorporate both external and internal rotation to strengthen all the rotator cuff muscles. This exercise may be more effective than the side-lying exercises because it closely mimics the baseball throwing motion.

Prepare for standing rotations by attaching one end of a resistance band to a sturdy object, about as high as your head. While facing the object, hold the other end in your throwing hand, raise your arm sideways to shoulder height, and bend your elbow to 90 degrees so your forearm points forward, still parallel to the ground. Keeping your elbow still, outwardly rotate your upper arm, stretching the band, until your forearm points upward. Then slowly lower it back to the starting position and repeat. Perform eight to 12 reps, and then turn around so your chest faces away from the object. Start with your forearm pointed upward, and inwardly rotate your arm about 180 degrees, until your forearm points downward. Do both exercises with your glove-side arm also to keep the rotator cuff muscles in both arms relatively balanced.