The argument could be made that the throwing shoulder of a pitcher incurs more stress than any joint of any player in any sport. Keeping your shoulder limber, strong and functional requires hours upon hours of exercises both in and out of the gym. Before beginning any rigorous exercise regimen, consult with your primary care physician or team trainer to ensure your shoulder and elbow are healthy enough for each movement.
Strength
Shoulder muscle mass is far less important than the strength of your shoulder tendons and stabilizer muscles. If anything, too much muscle mass restricts the overall flexibility of the joint, reducing your effectiveness on the mound. Shoulder strengthening exercises are done with surgical tubing to keep resistance at a constant but minimal level. Movements like diagonal rotations, over-the-top rotations and lateral raises are ideal for pitchers. For each movement, perform three sets of 15 to 20 repetitions.
Flexibility
Shoulder flexibility can be increased through stretches either in or out of the gym. Do them daily throughout the year, not just during the season, to keep your muscles and ligaments accustomed to the stress of pitching. Do movements like posterior, middle and anterior deltoid stretches with supervision when you first learn them, to ensure you are doing them properly. At no point should you stretch your shoulder past its natural range of motion.
Explosiveness
According to Dr. David Pezzullo, an athletic trainer at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, plyometric exercises are an excellent fantastic tool to strengthen your pitching shoulder and rehabilitate old injuries. Pitching on its own is a plyometric exercise, in that it's a short, quick, intense motion that involves little more than your own body weight. There are many different plyometric exercises that you can do by yourself or with a partner. Discuss with your team trainer which movements would be best for you.
Warnings
According to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, more than 670,000 baseball-related injuries are medically treated each year. Injuries don't happen just on the playing field, however. They can also happen in the gym when all you're doing is training to prevent injury. If at any point you are unsure of an exercise or the resistance associated with a piece of surgical tubing, stop and do something else until you can consult with a trainer. It's much better to use less weight and do the movement properly than to risk injury by putting too much stress on your shoulder.
References
- American Sports Medicine Institute: Throwers Ten Exercise Program
- Dan Blewett Sports Performance: More Shoulder Stretches for Pitchers
- "Journal of Athletic Training"; Functional Plyometric Exercises for the Throwing Athlete; David J. Pezzullo, et al,; March 1995
- American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons: Baseball Injury Prevention
