Baseball Strength Workouts

Strength workouts will help a baseball player to get in shape for the upcoming season. Some players may want to increase their hitting power, while others will focus on becoming faster. Many baseball teams have a strength coach who works with the players on an individual basis. The coach will develop a workout plan for each player, to help him achieve his fitness goals.

  1. Upper Body Training

    • Upper body training helps a player to hit with more power.

      Upper body weight training can make a baseball player a more powerful hitter. Many players also want to increase their bat speed, so they focus on explosive upper body movements during weight training sessions. During the early off-season, players may do upper body power lifting exercises such as heavy bench presses and barbell curls, so they can build up their strength and add some muscle density.

      As baseball season approaches, the players may start to reduce the amount of weight that they lift so they can perform more repetitions. The team's strength coach will help the players decide when to change up the workout. Increasing the repetitions helps a player to increase stamina and to improve muscularity. Performing exercises such as dumbbell curls, pull-ups and shoulder presses using high repetitions will help the players to increase their bat speed and improve their throwing velocity.

    Lower Body Training

    • Use lower body training to develop speed on the base paths.

      Many baseball players use lower body training so they can run faster on the base paths. Having a strong lower body will also help a player to be a better hitter, and can make it easier for her to field her position. During the first part of the off-season, players may do heavy lower body lifts such as squats and stiff-legged deadlifts, to build up some strength in their legs.

      When the players start baseball spring training, they may reduce the number of days they train their lower body with weights and add more cardiovascular exercises. For example, a player may do lower body weight training three days a week, run sprints two days a week and perform a distance workout once a week. A player may also stop doing heavy lifts and start performing exercises such as leg extensions and hamstring curls using a high number of repetitions. These exercises along with their pre-season cardio work will help to prepare the players for the regular season.

    Circuit Training

    • Circuit training can improve strength and stamina for baseball.

      Circuit training with weights can help baseball players to improve their strength and stamina. Circuit training also saves time, since the players will not rest as much between exercises. This allows them to recover faster from the workout, so they can focus on developing their baseball skills. During circuit training, players may choose to alternate between pulling and pushing exercises, with no rest after a set. For example, a player may perform a pulling exercise such as barbell rows, then immediately do a pushing exercise such as a set of overhead dumbbell presses. The team's strength coach will determine the specific number of circuit training movements each player must perform during a workout.