Strength Training and the Baseball Athlete For many years strength training was misunderstood. In the past, strength training was seen as a program designed for the athlete to get as big as they could. This idea was great if the athlete was a bodybuilder or football lineman, but it did not translate very well to many other sports. It has only been in the last 60 years that strength training for sport-specific performance has become popular. Today strength training is recognized as a vital part of any sport including baseball. In the late 1950’s when Alvin Roy, a trainer who worked with the U.S. bodybuilding team, began working with football players using weight lifting and other movements to increase performance. The success of his efforts …show more content…
When the baseball player throws tens of thousands of pitches a year and the batter swings the bat tens of thousands of times their bodies become unbalanced, which leads to overuse injuries. Even the smallest imbalance can lead to injuries. The most effective way to prevent this is with exercises to redevelop the natural balance between the right and left side of the body as well as the opposing muscle groups. (Sports Fitness Advisor Baseball Strength Training) Shoulder and elbow injuries are of particular concern for pitchers because of the unnatural overhead throwing motion. Pitching places an inordinate amount of stress on the shoulder and elbow and a training program should include assistance exercises, not just weight lifting, to strengthen these muscles to help prevent overuse injuries. (Sport Fitness Advisor Baseball Training) “MaryBeth Horodyski, an assistant professor with UF 's (University of Florida) department of exercise and sports sciences, said a three-year study of athlete injuries shows that players who follow a controlled strength-training program reduce their chances of suffering from severe injuries.” (Meisenheimer) Strength training is also an important part of the rehabilitation of an injured athlete. Range of motion, strength and sport- specific training are vital to the healing …show more content…
Sport-specific strength training is a relatively new idea in the world of baseball, but it has proven itself to be an effective part of the training process for players. Over the past 30 years players have become stronger, faster and more effective because of strength training. Pitchers are throwing harder than ever before and batting speed and exit velocity continues to rise. “Thanks to weight training, better nutrition and constant swing analysis, modern players have the tools to hit baseballs harder regardless of the type of bat they 're using.” (Rand)
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