The Benefits

Weight lifting for baseball can help protect your arm from injury, which is especially important to the pitcher, and increase your speed, explosiveness and sheer power.

It only stands to reason that the more power you have, the farther you can hit and throw the ball, which are two key elements in baseball. Pitchers can not only protect their arms from injury, but increase their fast-ball speed. Runners can increase their acceleration, making it easier to reach those hard-to-reach grounders or navigate the bases with more speed.

Baseball is a start-again stop-again sport. While absolute strength is important, it’s far more important to have explosive speed, with a base of functional strength. In baseball, you need to be able to twist and turn, and be able to function well on different body angles. This is why weight lifting for baseball is a little bit different than weight lifting for raw strength and size.

What Are The Best Exercises for Baseball Strength Training?

Weight lifting for baseball is about functionality. You want to avoid any heavy overhead lifts, because you could damage your rotator cuff, which could be catastrophic, especially if you’re a pitcher. Instead you want to focus on exercises that target your core and legs.

There are a number of exercises that are designed to do just that. Below you’ll find a list of some great weight lifting exercises for baseball players.

• The barbell squat is a great exercise for baseball players. It works most of the major muscle groups in the body, yet doesn’t put undue stress on your arms or shoulders. Very few exercises can compete with the squat when it comes to building all-over body strength.

• The deadlift is another great exercise for training multiple muscle groups, without putting a lot of stress on your arms or shoulders. It hits the entire “posterior chain” (back, ass, legs) and is up there with the squat for whole-body strength.

• The lunge can be done using just your own body weight or you can amp up the intensity a little by adding in hand weights. This exercise is great for building functional strength in the hamstrings that carries over to baseball.

• Pull-ups using your own body weight are a great training tool for baseball players. Most people can only do a half dozen of these on a good day, and they really help to build strength in your back and arms. Do them holding the bar with palm facing outwards for building “pulling power”, which is important for batters.

• The bench press should be avoided. Many weight lifters love this exercise, but for a baseball player, it poses a risk to their rotator cuff. Shoulder health is more important to the baseball player than the small increase in in performance he will see from doing the bench press.

• Push-ups are a great way to build up your core muscles. You can do them anywhere, and a lot of weight lifters underestimate the effectiveness of this well-known exercise.

• Kettlebell swings can really improve the strength in your buttocks, hips and legs. When done with light weights for high reps - 10 sets of 10, for instance - they also build immense levels of stamina and conditioning, which is important to any athlete.

• The single leg squat (pistol) is another excellent strength training tool for a baseball player. However, they are very difficult, and it’s a good idea to practice on the two legged squat before attempting the one legged.

If you’re a pitcher, you also want to concentrate on strengthening the rotator cuff muscles. Your arm is your best asset, so don’t put it at risk. Stretch your rotator cuff before throwing the ball, and afterwards too. You should also consider using surgical tubing in your resistance training. Basically, surgical tubing can be used to supply the resistance in a number of exercises that are designed to strengthen the rotator cuff.

The rotator cuff muscles also respond very well to light weights. There are a number of exercises you could do with 2.5lbs-5lbs hand weights that could minimize your risk of injury. Remember to stay away from heavy weights when training your upper body!

The medicine ball is another useful tool when it comes to baseball strength training. You can use them to augment the angle of your push-up, or use them in different exercises all together.

When weight lifting for baseball, the most important thing to remember is to use heavy weights on your lower body, and use light weights on your upper. When it comes to baseball, like most sports, strength training is an essential component if you want to be competitive and perform at your best.

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