Baseball is a different sport from most others, and so the usage of weightlifting in training programs for players has been widely debated. That’s why you won’t see any major league baseball players doing bicep curls, lat pulldowns, and tricep extensions. However, that doesn’t mean that baseball players don’t spend any time conditioning and getting into the best shape possible to be able to play well throughout the entire season.
In this article, we’re going to look at the kind of training baseball players typically do, why it’s crucial for them to work in that way, and what parts of weightlifting do fit into an MLB athlete’s style of workouts.
What Does Weightlifting Look Like for Baseball Players?
Most baseball players won’t be seen doing traditional weightlifting exercises such as the deadlift or the squat. Instead, they will do their best to focus on dynamic and functional strength movements that don’t build thick, big muscles but instead help you build the kind of endurance and durability that’s needed in the sport of baseball. In most cases, the players will focus on exercises that are quick and efficient and that don’t require a ton of weight being moved around. However, in cases where they have to perform barbell exercises, using chalk to prevent skin damage is a must, as the hands are one of the most important body parts for baseball players.
What Are Some Typical Weightlifting Exercises for Baseball Players?
When we’re discussing weightlifting for baseball, we’re never talking about players lifting huge numbers or trying to go for a one-rep max. So, the exercises you will see below are usually done with lighter weights and for more reps, but you can always up the way, if required.
Lunge Matrix
The lunge is an incredibly popular exercise for most sports. However, the lunge matrix is a different kind of beast. It requires an athlete to move their legs in all directions – front, back, and laterally, which results in a quad-burning phenomenon that not many can take. This is a movement that can be done with no weight or with dumbbells, and it’s a pretty good bang for your buck as it challenges the lower body and the core, requiring that the athlete maintains balance throughout the entire exercise.
Step-Ups
The step-up is considered to be an incredibly sport-specific movie for baseball players. It’s typically done by stepping up with one leg onto a box or on a bench, but you can also mix it up by making the athlete step up laterally or adding barbells or dumbbells to make the movement more challenging.
One-Arm Dumbbell Chest Press
Doing one-handed movements is great for baseball players as it negates some of the negative effects of the asymmetrical nature of the game. By targeting each side of the upper body individually, the athletes can ensure they don’t have any major differences between the left and the right side, regardless of which hand is their dominant one. When it comes to doing the one-handed chest press, it can be done on a bench on a physioball, or a foam roller so that it’s more challenging for the core and the ability of the athlete to maintain balance.
Single-leg RDL
The single-leg Romanian deadlift is a particularly useful exercise for pitchers, as it imitates the movement they do when they have to do when letting go of the baseball. Along with that, it improves running technique as it teaches the athletes to drive from the hip and not the knee, which is great for injury prevention. Otherwise, the single-leg RDL is felt mainly in the hamstrings and glutes and is one of the best exercises for practicing balance.
Core Exercises
Here, we’re not talking about the good-ol crunches; instead, baseball players usually do exercises that challenge the core in multiple ways. Some of the movements being used include weighted sit-ups, Russian twists, medicine ball slams and, of course, the well-known but not loved plank. The idea here is to stabilize the spine, as baseball is an asymmetrical sport, and so working to make sure the core is strong, able to maintain balance, and increase rotational power is key.
In Conclusion
When it comes to baseball, the traditional weightlifting movements we know and love don’t work as well due to the nature of the sport. Here, the focus should be on functional movements that don’t over fatigue the muscles and that prepare the players for particular movements needed in baseball. Hopefully, our short article helped you learn a few of the exercises that can be included in a baseball-style workout schedule, as well as what the pillars of weight training are for such athletes. With that said, these five movements that we discussed only scratch the surface of a comprehensive baseball workout for a professional, but they do provide you with a pretty clear guideline of what kind of movements you need to be on the lookout for.
