As a baseball player, you should spend most of your practice time refining your batting, catching, fielding and throwing skills. However, you may also benefit from a well-designed weightlifting program. Weightlifting can help increase your performance level and may decrease your risk for injury. Perform exercises that strengthen the muscles you use on the field and that mimic baseball-specific movements as closely as possible.
Overload for the Quick Bat
During the baseball swing, you pull the handle of your bat backward to increase the acceleration of the bat barrel through contact with the ball. The overload for the quick bat exercise, developed by Mike Marshall, a former professional shortstop and pitcher, trains the muscles that execute this movement. Place a 5-pound dumbbell on the floor next to a flat bench. Lie on the bench, on your left side if you are a left-handed batter or your right side if you are right-handed. Rest your elbow on the bench and your head on your hand. Extend your top arm down and grasp the dumbbell. Lift the weight straight upward across your chest, allowing your elbow to flex. Once the weight passes your chest, powerfully extend your arm to lift the weight above your body. Reverse back to the starting position and repeat. Perform three repetitions slowly, and then seven more explosively to mimic the baseball swing. Gradually increase the weight over time, but do not lift more than 25 pounds.
Squats
All baseball players run multiple short sprints throughout the course of a game while running the bases or chasing ground balls and fly balls. Squats strengthen your hips and thighs to increase your speed and help you stop and start quickly. Always perform squats inside a squat rack with safety bars positioned at waist-height to catch the bar if you fall. Also, have a partner spot you from behind to assist you if necessary. To perform the exercise, place your upper back and shoulders under the bar, lift it off the rack, and step forward slightly. Stand with your feet slightly wider than your shoulders and toes pointed forward. Keeping your back straight, flex your hips and knees to lower your buttocks like you are sitting on a chair. Have your partner say "up" when your thighs are parallel to the ground, and then explode back to the starting position. Perform six to 15 repetitions, depending on how much weight you use. Decrease the repetitions as you increase the weight.
Triceps Pushdowns
The triceps muscles on the back of your upper arms are the primary elbow extensors. They contract powerfully during the baseball swing and throwing motion. To strengthen your triceps, perform triceps pushdowns several times a week. Stand under a pulldown machine, which has a suspended rope attached to a stack of weights. Extend your arms over your head and grasp the rope with your hands no more than 6 inches apart and your palms facing forward. Pull the rope downward, in front of your chest, flex your arms completely, and tuck your elbows beside your ribs. Without moving your elbows, extend your arms to pull the rope straight down. Slowly return to the starting position, and then repeat. Perform six to 15 repetitions.
References
- "The Baseball Coaching Bible"; Jerry Kindall and John Winkin; 1999
- Dr. Mike Marshall: Dr. Mike Marshall's Baseball Batting Mechanics
- "Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning (Second Edition)"; Thomas R. Baechle and Roger W. Earle; 2000
- American Council on Exercise: Triceps Pushdowns
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