You want to throw harder? Try this (Part 2 of 6)

12/28/2013

Workout and Strength Training

The days of keeping pitchers out of the weight room are long gone. Today, specialized weight training programs are designed to increase pitchers overall strength and explosiveness leading to greater velocity and a reduced chance of injury. Of course, it is critical that you know what types of strength training programs are appropriate.

Your age will depend on what your strength training program should consist of. For example, a 12 year old should be doing body weight resistance exercises like lunges and pushups. A high school athlete should meet with a strength and conditioning coach to carefully plan a program designed specifically for pitchers (more on this topic later). Any weight program should focus most on building lower body and core strength as a significant amount of velocity is generated from those areas.

Any strength training program should include a detailed stretching program. You do not want to lose flexibility as a result of "bulking up". I once worked with an 18 year old pitcher who also played football. As a result of his football workouts, he was able to bench press 275lbs. He also had very little flexibility in his arm. As a result, he topped out at 74mph. Unfortunately, his football weight program caused him to lose velocity. This was a sad case but with a little knowledge of proper training this can easily be prevented.

Here are some links with some additional information about weight training specifically for pitchers.

Eric Cressey strength training for pitchers (blog)

Justin Verlander weight training program (video)

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What others have to say:

"My son is in Grady's VIP program and this was his first time focusing on training to be a pitcher. The program is exactly what you want, there is a movement screening, data driven approach to pitch design, mechanics, velocity , and command, along with strength training. My son has improved his velocity, command, movement and off-speed pitches but most importantly he has improved how he thinks as a pitcher and how to actually pitch, not just throw.

My biggest takeaway from the program is that Mike and his coaches care about helping my son reach his goals and support him. My advice to any parent is to sign your son up for the VIP program and make sure he follows it, you will not be sorry!" - Mike Hampu

"My first and lasting impression of Grady's Pitching School is the enthusiasm Mike and his instructors bring to EVERY lesson. They genuinely interested in your players growth and improvement. Mike isn't trying to make every pitcher throw the same way. He analyzes and experiments with each pitcher, e.g. different release points, different grips, etc. to try and maximize their individual skills. Mike's understanding of pitching and pitch design coupled with the technology is second to none. Mike truly uses the technology to enhance the players' training experience. A lot of young players don't understand or possess the self-awareness to make adjustments. The technology and Mike's analysis with your player allows them to not only see what they are doing, but to see how the adjustments immediately impact the results." -Ian Schechterman

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