The Baseball Zone Blog

Baseball Exercise of the Week | "Wrist Extensions"

This week's Baseball Exercise of the Week is "Wrist Extensions”  

In last week’s blog we discussed Wrist Flexions and the benefits associated with strengthening your forearms. This week we feature Wrist Extensions and the multiple muscle groups in the forearm that are strengthened from this exercise. With Wrist Flexions we were working the flexor muscles in the forearm, while this week with Wrist Extensions we are working the extensor muscles. Flexors and extensors oppose the actions of muscles on the other side of the joint. It’s important to work both the flexors and extensors so as not to create a muscular imbalance and to increase strength overall.   

Wrist Extensions strengthen multiple muscle groups that make up your forearm such as;  

• Extensor Digitorum
• Extensor Carpi Radialis Longus
• Extensor Carpi Ulnaris
• Extensor Carpi Radialis Brevis
• Extensor Digiti Minimi

It's vitally important for baseball players to have strong, muscular forearms to help prevent injuries to the elbow, as illustrated in a study of 30 collegiate baseball players by Laudner et al (2012); “with the steady increase in ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) injuries of the elbow among baseball players and the proven resistance to valgus force provided by the flexor-pronator mass of the elbow, the results of this study may prove beneficial in the prevention, evaluation, and rehabilitation of such dysfunctions.”  

Our number one goal with our players is injury prevention. Yes we want them to get stronger, leaner and more explosive, but you can’t play if you are injured.

So how de we do it? Take a look at the video to find out and/or follow the directions below:

Setting up for dumbbell Wrist Extensions;

• Kneel over a flat bench holding the dumbbells with your palms facing down supporting your wrists at the edge of the bench
• Let the wrists flex downward towards the floor keeping a firm grip on the dumbbells
• Once at the bottom position, flex the weight up as far as your range of motion allows you
• Repeat for 2-3 sets of 8-15 repetitions

A similar prescription as your Wrist Extenstions. We'd recommend adding these at the latter end of your training program unless wrist strength has been identified as a major weakness and/or you are rehabbing a wrist or lower arm injury in which case we would place them at the top of your workout.

So for better performance on the diamond and staying off the disabled list make sure you are diligent with both your Wrist Extensions and Wrist Flexions!

Sincerely,

Rick Boutilier

Head Strength Coach - SST Mississauga & The Baseball Zone

PS - If you have any questions about this blog or anything else to do with your training program I would be happy to answer them for you, no charge, no obligation. Just click the button below!

Baseball Functional Friday | "One-Legged Plate Push"

This week's "Baseball Functional Friday" Exercise of the Week is the "One Legged Plate Push".  

The One Legged Plate Push challenges the athlete to stay low and recruit all sorts of strength, power and stability to propel themselves forward. This is a similar demand to various movements that a baseball player will find themselves making through the course of a game, such as a quick lateral movement to field a ball; bounding out of the box; stealing a base; and moving from a catch to throw position to name the most likely to occur.

It is also a great lower body exercise that helps develops strength and speed. By pushing the plate along the ground it targets the VMO (Vastus Medialis Oblique), the teardrop shaped muscle above your knee. A strong VMO will help decrease a baseball player's ground contact time when they run, which will help with their ability to accelerate. 

(Note - it is also INCREDIBLY challenging, and if you feel a sadistic streak coming on, this is what you are looking for! Your target is guaranteed to end up looking like these track athletes when all is said and done.)

Another important reason to have a strong VMO is it may help prevent ACL and other knee injuries as well and strengthening it is typically an essential element of any knee rehabilitation program.

A third reason is that a strong VMO, which is often the first quadriceps muscle to atrophy and the last to rehabilitate, is that it keeps the kneecap properly positioned during active knee extension so that the larger lateral muscles on your thigh do not pull your patella laterally. It prevents what is known as lateral subluxation or, patellar tracking problems, with many associated symptoms of pain and dysfunction.

The One Legged Plate Push can be done by any athlete of any age but it is very demanding so make sure you can do the 2 legged plate push first before trying the 1 legged variation. This can be done during the season or off-season. We can also use smaller lighter plates for our younger athletes as well. This is a great finisher on a leg day!

Here is a video explanation and demonstration:

Here are some great pointers on performing the Plate Push from varietytrainer.com:

• First, make sure the plate is set down with the smooth side down on the ground or floor.
• Your hands will be places just slightly behind the mid line of the plate.
• You will get down low just like a sprinter would who is ready to explode out of the starting blocks.
• Position yourself behind the plate so that your shoulders are not over the plate but behind it.
• Contract your core by pulling in your belly button towards your spine.  This is a draw-in technique and you should still be able to breathe.
• Lift your knees off the floor, elevate 1 leg in the air and you are ready to start pushing and hopping!

There are factors to be considered here which will determine the level of resistance:

• How much of your body weight will you be pushing downward onto the plate.
• Your surface area.  The plate will push much easier on a smooth surface and much harder on a surface like a rubber floor, carpet, or grass.
• How much paint is on the smooth side of the plate.  A plate with a lot of paint will tend to feel tacky when pushing on a rubber floor verses a plate with very little paint on it.

So if you need a HUGE challenge, get the One-Legged Plate Push into your program or your athletes' programs. It is TOUGH, but it is also fun, challenging and can be a great team building exercise!

For more information on functional baseball training, please click the button below to contact us and tell us a little more about your questions and interests and we will be happy to help you!

Sincerely,

Rick Boutilier, Head Strength Coach - The Baseball Zone & SST Mississauga

 

Previous Posts:

Sled Crossovers

Sled Shuffle

Lateral Bounding

W Drill

Pro Agility

Image courtesy of standard.co.uk

Baseball Exercise of the Week | "Wrist Flexions"

This week's Baseball Exercise of the Week is "Wrist Flexions”  

When you look at some of the best hitters in baseball, especially power hitters, one of the most common physical attributes they each possess is big, strong, powerful forearms. Guys like Josh Hamilton, Mark McGwire and Albert Pujols all possess well developed forearms. These hitters also have what might be termed "quieter" swings than some others like Jose Bautista, and it is possible that their superior grip strength can help contribute to them being more “static” type hitters when it comes to generating bat speed (Don't go crazy - I am not saying they ARE static, just MORE STATIC than some other hitters). These hitters look like they just flick their wrists and the ball jumps off the bat! It is not that easy, but being strong in the wrists surely doesn't hurt at all.

Wrist Flexions strengthen multiple muscle groups that make up your forearm such as;  

• Flexor Digitorum Superficialis
• Flexor Carpi Radialis
• Extensor Carpi Ulnaris
• Palmaris Longus

So while eating a bunch of spinach is definitely good for you, it won’t give you forearms like Popeye the Sailorman. Doing exercises like wrist flexions/extensions, plate pinch, chin-ups, rows and wrist rotations will!

Szymanski et al (2004) tested high school baseball players over a 12 week period and found that extra forearm and wrist strengthening exercises lead to increased strength in not only grip and wrist strength, but other strength tests like the squat and bench press whcih might help explain the observational relationship of big forearms with quieter swings - if you have big, strong arms, the liklehood increases that the rest of that power-inducing machine (your body) is strong

Having a stronger grip and forearms may not only lead to increased power potential and bat control for hitters. For pitchers, better grip and forearm strength may improve velocity and decrease the likelihood of injury by strengthening the muscles and ligaments surrounding the elbow.

So how de we do it? Take a look at the video to find out and/or follow the directions below:

Setting up for dumbbell wrist flexions;

• Kneel over a flat bench holding the dumbells with your palms up supporting your wrists at the edge of the bench
• Let the wrists extend downward towards the floor allowing the dumbells to roll down to your fingers
• Once at the bottom position, roll the weights back onto your palms and curl the weight up flexing your wrist and forearms
• Repeat for 2-3 sets of 8-15 repetitions

Baseball Functional Friday | "Sled Crossovers"

This week’s "Baseball Functional Friday" Exercise of the Week is the "Sled Crossover".     

Sled Crossovers are a lower body strengthening exercise that challenges the body in the frontal or coronal plane and helps strengthen the hip flexors, adductors and improves lateral movement. The crossover is used more than you might think on the baseball diamond and becoming stronger and more efficient with this movement will make you a better athlete on the field.  

Baseball players use the crossover movement when;

• Transitioning out of the batter’s box and running towards first base
• Stealing a base or advancing a base, you will require a 90 degree turn to your right which will involve a crossover step
• Infielders'/Outfielders' initial movement when moving laterally and/or diagonally on a batted ball will be a crossover

This drill can be used for 3 different phases of your off-season training program:

1. This drill can be used in a general preparation phase at the beginning of your off-season with light to medium weight and a medium pace
2. This drill can be used in the middle of your off-season while you are in an intensification phase with heavy weight and a slow pace
3. This drill can be used in the last 8 weeks of your off-season with no weight or very light weight with a quicker pace

This Sled Crossover can also be done with a belt instead of a rope handle and if you don’t have a sled you could attach some chains to a tire or plate. All you will need is about 20 yards of open space.

Here is a quick demo of the Sled Crossover:

 

Coaching cues to this drill are:

• Get into an athletic stance, turning your toes 45 degrees towards the direction you would like to go
• Keep your chest and hips square facing the wall 
• Make sure there is no slack on the chain
• Keep space between your feet approximately hip width while performing your crossovers
• Don’t forget to breathe!

Sled Crossovers can be done by any athlete of any age, during the in-season or off-season. Good luck!

For more information on functional baseball training, please click the button below to contact us and tell us a little more about your questions and interests and we will be happy to help you!

Sincerely,

Rick Boutilier, Head Strength Coach - The Baseball Zone & SST Mississauga

 

Previous Posts:

Sled Shuffle

Lateral Bounding

W Drill

Pro Agility

Tug of War

Image courtesy of rantoulpress.com

Baseball Exercise of the Week | "Med Ball Slam w/ Hip Toss"

This week's Baseball Exercise of the Week is "Med Ball Slam w/ Hip Toss". 

Med Balls are a great training tool that can be used by baseball players of any age or position. We use a variety of exercises with them and several variations for each one. The Med Ball Slam with Hip Toss combines the slam and the hip toss together in one drill. This one drill will help strengthen the core and arms and also teach players to use their lower half for rotational movements in coordination with their upper bodies. Rotational power exercises work the transverse plane of the body where these movements are made. Increasing your strength levels in this plane can lead to a more powerful swing and throw.  

Some relevant research that supports the intuitive theory that this type of exercise can help baseball players can be accessed below:

• Szymanski et al. (2010) found that bat velocity improved with rotational power exercises performed by high school baseball players over a 12 week training period.  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20881505
• A separate study by Shaffer et al. (1993) showed power in the swing is initiated in the hip, and therefore exercises that emphasize such strength development are important. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8519123

So we love all sorts of Med Ball rotational exercises for baseball players. They are very safe and don't require very much space or equipment, thus can be done by just about everyone...and should be.

Here is a quick video of the Med Ball Slam w/ Hip Toss below:

To perform this drill follow these steps:

1. Start in an athletic stance with the medball at your waist;

2. Bring the ball straight up in front of your body and behind your head. This is the loading phase for the slam;

3. Using your whole body slam the ball into the ground in front of you;

4. Catch the ball as it bounces back up towards you and initiate the hip toss (however don't think about catching the ball before you finish the slam - this will lead to you not putting as much force into the slam as you can);

5. When loading for the hip toss, squat and rotate turning the back of your shoulder to the wall, then recoil towards the target releasing the ball as your hips rotate back to the starting position;

6. Catch the ball and repeat the slam, catch and hip toss from the other side.

This can be done for 2-3 sets of 6 to 12 total throws making sure you equal the amount done on either side. We will even have athletes do more from their non-throwing or non-swinging side at times of the year if we think they might need a little dose of symmetry (not that they will ever get it) and to combat any concerns over imbalances getting out of hand and potentially leading to injury of inefficiency in the kinetic chain.

An additional variation is to do this with a partner and to toss the ball back and forth to each other. Widen the distance between each other as can be handled. This will provide a more objective and visual measurement to your tosses - otherwise you can easily get stuck in a rut of applying the same force with your tosses. As they say, if you want to improve something, measure it!

Baseball Strength Training Transformation Tuesday | Nick MacIntyre

In this edition of Transformation Tuesday, we have the great success story of 13 year old baseball and hockey player, Nick MacIntyre.

Nick and his brother Alex have been clients with us for several years now and over the last two winters the boys decided it was time to get in shape. As we all know, or should know by now, perhaps the most difficult and important part of that lifestyle change is the diet aspect - it can be very difficult making the transition from junk food to healthy food. One of the first things I do when assessing an athlete is hand him or her a blank piece of paper and in my best Dirty Harry voice, ask them to write down everything they ate and drank in the last 48 hours. First off, I’m amazed at how many kids cannot answer this question? They usually have to ask Mom or Dad and together they piece together all the meals and snacks over that time. What I end up getting back is a sheet filled with many of the same foods many North American kids grew up on: 

• Kraft dinner
• Chicken nuggets
• Grilled cheese sandwiches
• Sugary cereals
• Pizza
• Subs
• Fast food hamburgers 
• French fries

These are all common meals in our a lot of our kids' diets...well, that is, before they start training with us!

Nick was no different. I told him that with a commitment to a baseball strength training program he will get stronger, we will kick his butt 3-4 days per week in here and he will become a better athlete, no matter what. But that isn't the whole story. What happens in here or any other training facility is only part of the story, and it can be said is actually the easy part. I also made it clear that I can’t control what he eats when he leaves, as only he can do that. Granted, this is a lot to ask a 13 year old kid to give up 80% of the foods he eats every day of his life, the foods his friends, teammates and family members eat. But he did it. He did it and he stuck with it. He didn’t quit. He still has a burger and fries now and then - he’s a kid and we want them to enjoy being a kid and having junk food occasionally. It's normal. It's healthy in its own way. 

Nick has lost 11% body fat since he started training. He has improved his testing numbers in every category, too many to list here. What I am most impressed with is that during the summer he did not fall off the wagon so to speak, which happens to too many baseball players during the season. Train hard and eat clean all off-season, then revert back to your old ways of a subway sub before your game and a bagel and chocolate milk from Timmy’s after. This happens too much. But Nick stuck with it.

He completely changed his eating habits. Pretty outstanding for such a young kid to make such a grown up decision. And what a great, healthy exercise to make such a tough decision that can be very different fron what his friends and peers are choosing to do and sticking with it. This isn't easy and deserves a hearty congratulations.

Great Job Nick!

If you are ready to take the first step towards transforming your own career, just click the link below and we'll be in touch with you shortly. There is no cost or obligation to do so.

We look forward to helping you achieve your goals!

Sincerely, Rick Boutilier - The Baseball Zone and SST Mississauga

Some other recent Transformations:

Cory Hayden

Evan Lawrence

Justin Wamboldt

Andrew Lonsdale

Joe Guaragna

Image courtesy of vhamilton.blogspot.com

Baseball Functional Friday | "Sled Shuffle"

This week’s "Baseball Functional Friday" Exercise of the Week is the "Sled Shuffle". 

Sled Shuffles are a lower body strengthening exercise that challenges the body in the frontal or coronal plane and helps strengthen the hip flexors and improves lateral movement. The lateral shuffle is a common movement pattern used by baseball players and improving your quickness and agility in this plane will help you in many ways on the field. Whether you are reacting quickly to a ball hit to your left or right or getting a better secondary leadoff, lateral mobility can help you become a better athlete on the diamond. This can happen by saving more runs by getting to more balls defensively or by scoring more runs by getting better jumps on batted balls or straight steals.  

This drill can be used for 3 different phases of your off-season training program:

1. This drill can be used in a general preparation phase at the beginning of your off-season with light to medium weight and a medium pace
2. This drill can be used in the middle of your off-season while you are in an intensification phase with heavy weight and a slow pace
3. This drill can be used in the last 8 weeks of your off-season with no weight or very light weight with a quicker pace

This exercise can also be done with a belt instead of a rope handle and if you don’t have a sled you could attach some chains to a tire or plate. All you will need is about 20 yards of open space.

Here is a quick demo of the Sled Shuffle:

Coaching cues to this drill are:

• Get into an athletic stance, butt down and head and chest up
• Make sure there is no slack on the chain
• Do not bounce up and down with your shuffle steps, keep your shoulders at the same height throughout the drill
• Do not click your feet together, keep space between approximately hip width
• Don’t forget to breathe!

Sled Shuffles can be done by any athlete of any age, during the in-season or off-season. Good luck!

For more information on functional baseball training, please click the button below to contact us and tell us a little more about your questions and interests and we will be happy to help you!

Sincerely,

Rick Boutilier, Head Strength Coach - The Baseball Zone & SST Mississauga

Previous Posts:

Lateral Bounding

W Drill

Pro Agility

Tug of War

Car Push

Image courtesy of canadafootballchat.com

Baseball Exercise of the Week | "Trap Bar Deadlift"

This week's Baseball Exercise of the Week is the "Trap Bar Deadlift". 

The trap bar, or hex bar, was originally patented in 1985 by a powerlifting aficionado named Al Gerard. Deadlifting, whether it be straight bar or a trap bar, is very beneficial for baseball players as this single exercise can strengthen the lower back and hamstrings - an area of the body we refer to as the "posterior chain" - which play an essential role in running, agility, power generation, velocity, etc. For instance, deadlifts are great at developing starting speed and increasing maximum speed. What player wouldn’t want to get a better jump on a stolen base or a better start out of the batter’s box? Often the difference between stealing a base or beating out an infield single is your start and first 3-5 steps.  

An athlete must overcome inertia on every step and the ability to overcome inertia is directly related to relative strength. Why are athletes slow, especially in the first 10 meters? Because they are weak, especially their posterior chain and even more specifically their low back.  A strong low back helps break inertia and allows for good sprinting posture at high speed. Baseball is played mostly in an acceleration phase, with quick bursts of speed over a short distance. The highest rates of acceleration are achieved in the first 8-10 steps, close to 75% of max running velocity is in the first 10 yards. So it is of paramount importance that baseball players are continually strengthening this area of their bodies.

Baseball players for the most part do not run in a straight line, with the exception or running down to first base or perhaps an outfielder tracking down a deep fly ball and running to a spot where he thinks the ball is going to be.  Therefore increasing your starting speed an acceleration is key for baseball players since it has been said that;

• A stronger faster athlete will be able to track down balls and protect runs
• A player who demonstrates the ability to steal a base is worth 0.50 runs per game the majority of the time he reaches base

When it comes to teaching the deadlift to our athletes we find that the trap bar is easier to coach then the traditional straight bar.  So we like to use our trap bar for our beginners and graduate them to more traditional deadlifts as they get stronger and more confident in their lifting abilities.  Most athletes lack the low back strength and hip mobility to perform a traditional deadlift properly so the trap bar is very useful.  

In addition Research by Swinton et al. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21659894  determined significantly greater peak force, peak velocity and peak power values were produced during the trap bar deadlift compared to the straight bar deadlift. 

So how de we do it?

Setting up for the Trap Bar Deadlift;

• Step inside the bar, making sure your feet are positioned equal distance between the front and the back of the bar
• Grip the handles tightly on either side with your elbows out
• Squat your hips down with an arch in your back with your head in a neutral position
• Once you are in position, stand up driving your feet into the ground, straightening your legs, and thrusting your hips forward
• As you approach the top of the movement, squeeze your glutes together and tighten your abdominals to finish the movement

We will use the trap bar deadlift during our legs days and our athletes will perform anywhere from 3-5 sets and 3-10 reps depending on their strength levels, age and peroidized phase of their program. This is an exercise that should be in a baseball player's program 12 months of the year

If you are not using the Trap Bar Deadlift in your program, start using it now! Time might forgive, but it doesn't forget the time you might be wasting!

Sincerely,

Rick Boutilier, Head Strength Coach - The Baseball Zone and SST Mississauga

For more information on strength training for baseball, please click the link below to contact us. No matter where you might reside, just tell us a little more about your questions and interests and we will be happy to help you!

 

Recent Exercises of the Week:

Grappler Rotations

Ankle Mobs

Skipping Rope, Part 1 and Part 2

Med Ball Side Toss

Med Ball Shot Put

 

Sources

Swinton, PA, Stewart, A, Agouris, I, Keogh, JWL, and Lloyd, R.  A biomechanical analysis of straight and hexaganoal barbell deadlifts using submaximal loads.  J Strength Cond Res 25(7): 2000-2009, 2011

Vogel, A. The Trap Bar Deadlift.  T-Nation

Image courtesy of stack.com

Baseball Strength Training Transformation Tuesday | Justin Wamboldt

It is Transformation Tuesday again and this week we feature high school freshman Justin Wamboldt of the Ontario Terriers 15U program and catcher for the Bantam Thornhill Reds.

Justin joined The Baseball Zone's Extended Fall High Performance Program back in November 2011. Over the next 8 weeks during the program, doing weight training only 2x per week, Justin added 8 lbs of lean mass to his frame and added 5 MPH to his raw velocity. His parents were so pleased with the results that they put him in our Winter High Performance Program and signed him up for additional training with SST Mississauga. Over the winter from January to April, again just strength training 2x per week, Justin added another 5 lbs of lean mass.   

So Justin’s baseball season was starting in May and a lot of our athletes decide to stop training and just focus on baseball for the summer and pick up their training again after the season ends. This is a BIG mistake. We explained the benefits of in-season training to Justin and his parents such as;

• Maintaining and/or increasing lean muscle mass

• Staying on top of muscular imbalances created by your sport

• Decreasing the likelihood of injuries

• Peaking at the end of the year when the games matter most ( playoffs )

So, Justin signed up for our SST Mississauga In-Season Baseball Strength Training Program and The Baseball Zone Summer High Performance Program. At the end of Justin’s season when we retested his body composition in October he had gained another 7 lbs of lean mass!! Most athletes who don’t train during the season come back in the fall with less lean mass then when they left. Now we have to spend 8 weeks just getting them back to where they were when they left! Why train all fall and winter just to go back to square one again after the season is over?! But this didn't happen with Justin and this is why in-season strength training is so important for athletes and their long term development.  

We are happy to report that Justin added another 10 lbs of lean mass this off-season and he has crushed his original testing numbers from when he started just 18 months ago. Check out some of these numbers.

Great Job Justin and we will see you again this summer!

If you are ready to take the first step towards transforming your own career, just click the link below and we'll be in touch with you shortly. There is no cost or obligation to do so.

We look forward to helping you achieve your goals!

Sincerely, Rick Boutilier - The Baseball Zone and SST Mississauga

Some other recent Transformations:

Andrew Lonsdale

Joe Guaragna

Varun Kuo

Thomas Radigan

Ridhwan Jainudeen

Baseball Exercise of the Week | "Grappler Rotations"

This week's Baseball Exercise of the Week is "Grappler Rotations".

Grappler Rotations are a rotational power exercise that work the transverse plane of the body where rotational movements are made. There is a great deal of rotational movement in both the throwing/pitching movements and the hitting movements, but we are going to focus on hitting here. Increasing bat speed and hitting for more power should be a goal for every positional player when setting up a strength program. Because so much of our bat speed and power comes from our lower half it's vitally important that we train our trunk and hip muscles properly to maximize our results in the off-season. 

An electromyographic (EMG) study on the baseball swing by Shaffer et al. showed "That batting is a sequence of coordinated muscle activity, beginning with the hip, followed by the trunk, and terminating with the arms. Power in the swing is initiated in the hip, and therefore exercises that emphasize such strength development are indicated. The maintained, high muscle activity in the trunk muscles indicates a need for back and abdominal stabilization and rotation exercises. The relatively low level of activity in the four scapulohumeral muscles tested indicated that emphasis should be placed on the trunk and hip muscles for a batter's strengthening program." http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8519123

Szymanski et al. also found that bat velocity improved with rotational power exercises performed by high school baseball players over a 12 week training period.  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20881505

To perform Grappler Rotations, you will need an Olympic sized barbell and a landmine holder.  If you don’t have a landmine, you can place the end of the barbell in the middle hole of a barbell plate or wedge the bar into a corner floor of the gym/weight room. Make sure you have plenty of room to perform your movements.  

1. Hold the end of the barbell with both hands, standing tall with the bar angled at about 60 degrees.

2. Rotate left to right, bringing the barbell down towards your knee. Then swing the bar back up and around to the other side, bending slightly at the hips not the waist.

3. While performing this movement keep your abs "tight" like someone was going to punch you in the stomach.

The key to maximal rotational power generation is to start your movement with the large muscle groups and transfer that force to the next muscle group, with each muscle adding to the building of force until the power is finally transferred to the bar. Each muscle group should be relaxed and lengthened to allow the energy to be transferred through and then it can contract to add an additional boost.  

This exercise can be performed during the off-season or in-season and can be done by athletes 13 and older.  You can also perform this with younger athletes as long as you have a lighter barbell or use medicine ball variations.  

Sincerely,

Rick Boutilier, Head Strength Coach - The Baseball Zone and SST Mississauga

For more information on strength training for baseball, please click the link below to contact us. No matter where you might reside, just tell us a little more about your questions and interests and we will be happy to help you!

 

Recent Exercises of the Week:

Ankle Mobs

Skipping Rope, Part 1 and Part 2

Med Ball Side Toss

Med Ball Shot Put

Mid-Pulley Woodchoppers w/ Stability Ball

Image courtesy of strength-basics.blogspot.ca