Pitcher Specific Strength Training
I’m pretty firm on my stance here - baseball pitchers absolutely need pitcher specific strength training. Not just for maximizing performance, but also for injury prevention. And yes, starting before they “make it big” is essential.
Working with a strength coach or physical therapist is one of the best ways to get a perfectly customized program to address the areas where YOU need improvement. And getting one that understands the movements and biomechanics behind pitching? Combining strength, power, and stability? Yes, please!
Just to get this out there - the strength training plan for pitchers should change based on the time of year and season. The off-season lifts and intensity should differ from in-season, pre-season, and post-season. It is better to periodize and plan your workout load, intensity, and exercise selection with these factors in mind.This helps to optimize recovery and allow for development of muscle strength and power, while keeping injuries at bay.
Important factors in pitcher specific strength training
Pitching is a total body exercise. Which means that you need to target strength training for the entire body, not just the arms. It is important to include core and leg strengthening exercises. Pitching is a rotational movement as well, taking you through multiple planes of motion, which means you want to develop strength with a variety of movements.
Two of my best strength training tips:
Don’t forget to strengthen the hips
Make sure that you’re working on split stance or unilateral variations of your favorite movements.
Hip strength and stability = better mechanics, fewer energy leaks
Hip strengthening value and ideas for pitchers
An absolute must-do - add hip strengthening into your routine weekly. It doesn’t have to be every day or every workout, but make sure that you don’t skip it. Having adequate hip strength equates to you a powerhouse on the mound because it allows you to generate force and reduces strain on the arm with pitching.
By reducing arm strain you can decrease inflammation and set yourself up for more optimal recovery between pitching days, and especially between games.
Some ideas for hip strengthening exercises:
Hip bridges or thrusters
Squats (front, squat, kettlebell, goblet, etc)
Bulgarian squats
Cross over step ups
Glute kickbacks
Leg press
Romanian deadlifts
GHD machine
Glute kickbacks
More advanced (and important!) strength exercises for pitchers
Baseball pitchers spend a lot of time on one leg during the wind up and delivery, which means stability and strength through each leg is crucial.
It’s important to work on movements that involve a split stance or unilateral loading to help address these areas:
Split stance strengthening for pitchers:
Bulgarian squats
Split stance squats
Side lunges
Star lunges
Single leg strength exercises for pitchers:
Single leg squats
Single leg glute bridges or hip thrusters
Single leg Romanian deadlifts (RDLs)
Incorporate power and plyometrics for athletic performance
An often forgotten part of a well rounded strength program is power and plyometrics. This is the secret to getting explosive off the mound and packing a punch in every pitch. Work on these elements 1-3 times per week.
Examples of power and plyometric exercises:
Medicine ball slams and cross body throws
Medicine ball throws
Hopping for height and for distance
Lunge jumps
Skater jumps
Single leg jumps
Skipping
Bounding
Sprints
Promote Muscle Balance and Symmetry in the Arms
Make sure that the upper body exercises you choose are promoting muscle balance throughout the shoulders, back, chest, upper arms, and lower arms.
Working on shoulder internal and external rotation alone with the band isn’t enough to create a well rounded program. Make sure that you’re addressing how the shoulder blades move and work together with the thoracic spine and the shoulders.
Strengthening through a pain-free range of motion is key and it’s important to start with light weight to maintain proper form. There are a bazillion ways to target muscle balance in your program.
Here are some of my favorite upper body strengthening exercises for pitchers:
Pull-ups or lat pull downs
Cross body chops (up and down)
Shoulder internal and external rotation at various angles
Shoulder Y’s, T’s, and I’s on a stability ball
Rows
Straight arm pulldowns
Forward punches with the cable machine
TRX rows, chest press, chest fly
Reverse fly
Rotation pulls/bow pulls
My recommendation is to do some upper body exercises at least a couple times per week and do an arm care program before throwing (link to my other blog and video!!).
Working with a physical therapist is a game changer
Seeing a sports physical therapist can be helpful in getting a personalized assessment. This will help to identify any areas of weakness or potential problem areas, which can then be addressed before pain starts.
This is a major part of my physical therapy practice. I enjoy working with athletes to improve their performance and reduce the risk of injury.
I’ve had pitchers who presented with shoulder pain, but upon further evaluation the problem extended beyond the shoulder itself. Yeah, there was some inflammation present and signs of impingement. However, doing a total body evaluation revealed decreased ankle mobility and weakness through the hips. After addressing the ankle mobility and adding hip strength into his routine, the pain started to disappear - without a lot of direct treatment to the shoulder.
That’s not to say that the shoulder is never the problem, but a pitcher's shoulder is certainly impacted by other joints and muscles in the kinetic chain from the feet to the neck.
Team work makes the dream work
In my practice, I work closely with my athletes and, if given permission from the athlete, their trainers, strength coaches, and pitching coaches to develop programs that keep the athlete performing and feeling their best. Collaboration is key.
Train smart and advocate for yourself. Make sure that your program addresses muscle strength and power. Including stability exercises are an excellent way to incorporate core activation and better force transmission through the feet, ankles, knees, and legs. This helps to ensure that you’re utilizing the body properly to maximize force and pitch speed without putting the arm at risk.
Book a free discovery call and get started with a pitcher-specific program
If you’re local to the Tri-Cities area, my clinic is in Kennewick and I’d be happy to work with you to create an arm care routine that is specific for you as well as help you with professional pitcher-specific programming as well as recovery care such as manual therapy, dry needling, scraping, cupping, and more.
