I know it’s been a little while since my last rant on off season training. In all honesty, I was planning (and taking) my trip back home and catching up with a few friends I haven’t seen in ages. I purposely left my trusty laptop behind, which, I now know, is something I won’t do again!
In any event, today I thought I’d share an “updated” version of the workout I shared with you a little while ago. (Off Season Weight Room Workouts.)
This workout is for pitchers only. At least that’s how the workout was named.
Here’s a snapshot of the workout. I recommend you open it in a new window so you can take a peak at it while you digest my take on the “new and improved” training regimen. (Note: you might have to click on it more than a couple of times to get it to show up at full size. For some reason, this file wasn’t cooperating with me.)
If you remember from the last “baseball-specific” workout, I pointed out that nothing about the workout was specific to baseball. It was just your run-of-the-mill workout that was basically a melting pot of exercises and modalities. It was busy work at best and served no purpose to a baseball player… unless he was training for his summer on the beach.
I can’t say this workout is that much better, but there are a few things that were improved upon.
Here’s my two cents:
- The “trainer” got rid of the marathon warm up from the first workout, and replaced it with jumping jacks. That’s a step in the right direction. But to be picky, I would have the reps (40) in quotes, or have a minimum number, because some players will require more or even less reps to get ready for their workout.
- There is a lot of leg work… everyday. I don’t see much upper body work. I know that this is a “pitcher’s workout,” but I’m pretty sure the throwing arm is a part of the upper body, and is attached to other parts of the upper body.
- This guy loves doing hammer curls. I know this has been a staple for baseball players since the exercise was invented, but it doesn’t serve a purpose for the muscles pitchers use to throw a baseball (or a hitter swinging a bat, either). When throwing a baseball, the forearm supinates and pronates. Hammer curls do not prepare the forearm for either.
- Internal and External rotation – as a full blown exercise… again. I might include these in the warm up, but nothing more. Then again, this must be the trainer’s idea of upper body work.
- Core Sets: utterly pointless busy work. The reason: most if not all of the exercises has the pitchers exercising on the floor. Charlie Brown is the only pitcher I know of that spends most of his time laying on the mound instead of throwing from it. Do the majority of your “core exercises” standing up. (Even though it’s just a step up from laying on the floor, you can use a stability ball too.)
- Hanging Cleans: I’m O.K. with this – despite not being a baseball-specific exercise. It’s a full-body exercise, and recruits the super important “posterior chain.” That being said, it isn’t baseball specific, and I haven’t seen an exercise yet that is one.
- Leg Extensions and Hamstring Curls: simply bodybuilding/rehabilitation exercises and nothing more.
- Don’t you find it funny that in the Pitchers Workout, there’s an exercise called the “Home Run Press?”
- Calf Raises. Take it from someone who has no visible sign of calves – yet in my prime had a 33″ vertical: this exercise is cosmetic.
- Target Rep Range. Six to ten reps. For every exercise? I hope Joe Weider gave the O.K. to plagiarise Flex Magazine!
The bottom line: Although it is an improvement from the original training program, it is still missing an important ingredient:
A throwing program!
This is a pitcher’s training program, or is supposed to be one anyway. I can’t find one exercise that mimics the movements pitchers go through every time they throw a ball. I don’t see any instructions telling the pitchers to throw a ball at all! All I see is another failed attempt to create a specific workout.
The pitchers that will follow this training program will get stronger, possibly bigger (depending on their diet), and see a difference in their overall athletic ability. But they will NOT get any better at throwing (or I should say pitching) a baseball.
Listen…
I’m all for building strength in the off season, which is why I have no problem with certain full body exercises that aren’t baseball-specific. However, they should not come before (or replace) the actual skill you are trying to enhance in the off season!
I think that should do it for now. Take another look at the workout. If there’s something there that I didn’t mention, or you completely disagree with what I said about parts of this workout, please let me know. Head down to the comments form and let me know what you think.
Keep Chuckin’
Coach Bones
