I remember when I was a kid, one of my dreams was to be a professional baseball player, preferably a pitcher. I loved playing the game and I was pretty darn good at it. Well, like a lot of people my dreams started taking me somewhere else and although I am not playing professional baseball, I am still part of a killer softball league. But for you serious baseball players out there, I would like to share a great pitchers workout program. Many people think pitchers do not have to keep in shape to perform at a high level, but that simply is not the case, strength is key and maintaining strength is very important during the season.
The great thing about keeping in shape as a pitcher all you need are dumbbells or resistance bands. In this pitchers workout program, we will be focusing on the shoulders, rotator cuff, wrists and legs. Again these are very simple but effective ways to improve your game.
Lets start with the shoulders and rotator cuff, start by using a lighter weight. There is no need to injure yourself while lifting weights, later on you can up your weight, but never strain yourself. Stand straight up with your arms at your side, palms should be facing away from your body, in a smooth motion pinch your shoulder blades and lift your arms to shoulder height, your thumbs should be up, hold and then return slowly to the beginning position. When doing this workout you should look like the letter “t”. Do it again and again until you start feeling the burn. The rotator cuff workouts are all very similar with just slight differences, with the next workout instead of lifting your arms to the side; lift them in front of your body. Lift them to the height of your shoulders with palms facing down remember to maintain control through the whole motion.
Another way to improve your pitching skills is strengthening your wrists. Here is a simple way to do that. Sit on a chair or a ball so your legs are bent at a 90-degree angle and your feet are flat on the floor. With your forearm resting flat on your leg, take a dumbbell or a resistance band and do wrist curls, your palms should be facing toward the ceiling, this should help you increase your speed.
One of the best ways to save your arms and shoulders a lot of pain is having a great lower body to push off the rubber. Here is a great workout to help strengthen your legs; they are called one leg lifts. Stand on one leg, with the opposite arm bend down and grab a weight, this will also help you balance. You should not be hunched over, but your back should be completely horizontal. With the leg that you are standing on go ahead and press up and down, but always keep your leg slightly bent, your knees should never lock up straight. Do this until you feel like you have gotten a great workout. This pitchers workout program should help jump start your way to becoming a strong injury free pitcher.