Competitive sports always require a certain muscle set to be more trained than the others. The same is the case with baseball; your workouts will be slightly different than what regular people or people in other sports do.
It's the off-season, but you don't want your players to get rusty, do you? What you need is a workout which packs it all in. You need a routine that strengthens the players, and reduces the risk of injuries during the long and hard baseball season.
Baseball Workouts
Now before I tell you the exercises you need to include, it is important to know which muscle groups to focus on. Clearly, whether you're a pitcher or a hitter, the most commonly used and strained muscles are the back, chest, and hand muscles. Hitters also need to be able to sprint down the bases quickly, and hence, they need to have tough legs too.
Upper Body
- Bench Press: Nothing bucks up the chest more than the good old bench press. Lie flat on top of the bench. You can do the bench press with barbels or as a dumbbell exercise. The bench press really works out the chest muscles well, and is important for hitters as well as pitchers. 2 sets of 10 reps.
- Incline Bench Press: The incline bench press involves the same motion as the bench press, but works out the upper chest muscles. The incline bench press is, as the name suggests, performed by lying on an inclined bench. 2 sets of 10 reps
- Chin Ups: Chin ups are one of the basic upper body exercises which work out the back. A good strong back is the cornerstone of a good strong throw. Chin ups are performed by hanging off a horizontal bar, with your wrists pointing towards you. And then pull yourself up. 2 sets of 10 reps.
- Lat Pulldown: Another workout for pitchers as well as for the back is the lat pulldown. The lat pulldown is done on the machine and you use the strength of your lat muscles to pull the handle down. 2 sets of 10 reps.
- Push Ups: Push ups are one of those home workouts for which you really need no equipment. Push ups are a very basic exercise and are great for strengthening the chest, back, as well as triceps. 2 sets of 10 reps.
- Bicep Curls: A baseball player also needs sufficient power in his arms to pitch or hit. Hence, this bicep exercise, either with a dumbbell or a barbel, plays an important role in strengthening the arm muscles. 2 sets of 10 reps.
Lower Body
- Squats: Squats can also be done at home and requires no equipment again. Yet, squats can work out the whole leg like no other exercise can. 2 sets of 10 reps.
- Leg Extensions: Leg extensions work specifically on your quadriceps, which is the frontal thigh muscle. Leg extensions are done on the leg extension machine. 2 sets of 10 reps.
- Leg Curl: Leg curls are performed lying face down on the leg curl bench, and with leg extensions are one of the most important workouts. Leg curls work the hamstrings and strengthen the legs. 2 sets of 10 reps.
- Deadlifts: Deadlifts workout the hamstrings, calves, and to some extent, your lower back, all muscles which have important parts to play when the player plays the game. 2 sets of 10 reps.
I believe these will keep your players fit off-season and raring to go at the start of it! So get to it and start your training.
