Top 5 Pitchers Exercises

Pitchers that I know struggle to find a gameplan for their strength and fitness. More than any other position in sports, pitchers walk a fine line when it comes to strength training.  We are wary of any program which we feel might put our arms under stress, but we crave the strength gains we see in  every other position.  For us, it is more important to train smart and stay in control of our workout plans.

A pitcher’s workout should center on proper technique and balance throughout the exercise, just like a pitchers delivery.  If we control our explosive movements in the gym, we train our bodies to control our most important explosive movement, throwing a baseball. After all, throwing a baseball is successfully controlling movements to reach the desired outcome. (A quality strike) A chain of movements launches the ball forward, not just your arm.  You can train each of these movements safely and become a stronger pitcher.  From the drive in your legs through explosive hip twist and up through the forward thrust of the shoulder capsule and out to the forearm and fingertips, each movement can get stronger and more explosive.

In this post, you will find five of my favorite movements in the gym, each targeted toward a specific pitching movement.  You don't need an expensive gym to do theses exercises, but you will get a complete pitchers workout. Always check your form and posture and “train hard!”

Top 5 training exercises for pitchers

#1 Squats (Proper technique is crucial, just like pitching, if you’re not in the correct position at all stages, you’re going to get hurt in the long run.) Strong legs mean strong base, and strong delivery.

• -       Start very light, work your way up in weight 
• -       Always keep a strong back and lower hips keeping knees from moving outward or inward.
• -       Hips past ninety degrees, get deep!
• -       Push back up from heels, not toes
• -       Remember to breathe in on the way down, breathe out on the way up.

Start light, legs shoulder width

Push from heels, go deep

#2 Scap stability pushups (strengthens shoulder capsule and scap mobility) Pushup position on knuckles

• -       Keep elbows locked and move chest straight up and down with shoulders
• -       Feel your scap retract and visualize a pencil in between shoulder blades lengthwise
• -       Try to squeeze that pencil one the way down, and lift spine through ceiling on the way up
• -       Once you have set your scap, do a pushup and come back to neutral pushup position
• -       The rep is one scap retract and one pushup per rep.

 

Scap retract, push your spine thru ceiling using shoulders

Neutral pushup position, resting on fists 

Pushup on knuckles, arms close to body

#3 Med ball wall throws (Training explosive hip rotation)

• -       Concrete wall and weighted medicine ball are ideal. Stand four paces away from wall
• -       Stand feet perpendicular to the target wall further than shoulder width apart.
• -       Ball at your chest and push ball with backside explosive hip rotation at target.
• -       Pickup the ball on one bounce and reset. Not timed, ten reps. Remember to reset feet.

Concrete wall, power stance

 Explosive hip rotation

#4 Pitchers cone training (Training balance, leg strength and mobility)

• -       Stand facing the center of three cones, one front and two sides
• -       Lift left leg and extend upper body and right arm and touch center cone gently and come back up with leg still up. 
• -       Rotate upper body and right arm to right cone touch gently and come back to center, repeat for  left cone.
• -       Switch legs and arms. Complete two full rotations with both arms.

Maintain balance, slight bend in balance leg

     #5 Ver-Landers (Saw Justin Verlander crush these, gave them the name, and I have been struggling with them ever since.  Keep back low and stay balanced in the plank position. Balance and core training)

• -       Get on the floor in a pushup position
• -       With eyes forward, lift opposite arm and leg off the ground
• -       Keep proper balance and keep your back as low as you can. 
• -       Bring opposite arm and leg together underneath you and back up
• -       Switch leg and arm.
• -       Do five on each side

Back flat, opposite arm and leg

Contact directly underneath center of gravity

Bonus Workout:  Forearm and Grip Strengthening (Often overlooked, but think of forearms as the transmission in a car. Legs, torso and shoulder are the engine, but if your forearm and grip don’t convert that power, you're losing horsepower!)

• -       Hold a tennis ball or racquetball. Transfer the ball to your thumb and squeeze with each finger as hard as you can.  Ten squeezes with each finger
• -       Small hammer curls. Ninety degree angle shoulder and forearm is crucial.  Hold a hammer or any top heavy object and twist ten times left to center and ten times right to center. Then rotate down and back to center.
• -       Stand up with the hammer at your side, the head behind you.  Reverse curl the hammer ten times.
• -       Do these exercises as a set.

Squeeze and release between each finger and thumb

-Anthony Slama 

Get in the gym and train smart!