Strength and Conditioning for Pitchers

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Feb 3, 2010
5,752
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Pac NW
In addition to a dynamic warm up, the following exercises are considered to be very good for pitchers:

Here are a couple exercises that can be done as part of a warm up:


.
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Drive Mechanics (by javasource) contains several plyometric and core strengthening exercises:

I hope these are helpful.

Thanks,
Ken
 
Nov 8, 2018
774
63
Yup all
Good. Do versions of all of them.
These are all really good joint stability exercises to strengthen the joint integrity of the shoulder. My dd will do these 3x per week off season and 2X per week in season.
There are variations for the hips as well.
Dirty dogs/fire hydrants, bird dog and rotate, horseback riders/hurdlers , hip bridges, sl balance touch, sl balance reach, abductions, adductions etc.
all great for hip joint stability.
You can look most of these up online.


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Feb 3, 2010
5,752
113
Pac NW
There are variations for the hips as well.
Dirty dogs/fire hydrants, bird dog and rotate, horseback riders/hurdlers , hip bridges, sl balance touch, sl balance reach, abductions, adductions etc.
all great for hip joint stability.
You can look most of these online.

Please post any favorite videos or links. (I have significant hip flexor and iliotibial band pain and really need to get on top of it!)
 
Last edited:
I hear a lot that as a pitcher gets older and stronger she will pitch faster. Yes as they grow they will get stronger and they definitely need to be working out to gain optimal pitching speeds. However a bodybuilder workout is more likely to build bigger muscles and big muscles are slower muscles. Something like cross fit with speed and agility training is going to work best for pitchers. There’s no one muscle exercise that’s going to make her pitch faster. She has to work the whole body. Become stronger and quicker.
 
Jun 7, 2016
275
43
LA--
Going to disagree with you to a certain extent. Look at the big muscles on the NFL running back and def backfield. Muscle size doesnt correlate to "slower" muscles. For example, to get faster in sprinting, yes you have to make your stride rate faster but additionally, you need each stride to be powerful to drive the body forward. The more force you can develop to the ground the further you will go.
Ultimately, I will agree that a proper training regimen will help a pitcher to do both, make the mechanical efforts quicker, but also more powerful. All should translate to higher ball velocity.
FWIW, Denny Tincher has started a video blog on his facebook site hi-lighting some of these issues.
 
Nov 8, 2018
774
63
Diamond is 100% correct here. And in many was LA is also correct. All athletes need to train. But they all will train similar and different. A diver for example will not try to bulk up. A long distance Runner either. A sprinter will have way more muscle mass as will football player. They will have even more.
All of this depends on how we are trained.
Ideally for a pitcher , like a sprinter , wants lean muscle mass. Fast explosive muscles and has to be trained as such.
One size doesn’t fit all.
LA you mention crossfit. Not the best example honestly. No offense to you or them but if you’ve seen high end CrossFit competitors they are not lean. They are sticky and bulky. All based on the training g regiment. But I know what you mean. Maybe more cross training vs crossfit.
At the end of the day a pitcher needs to be in shape. Great cardio, lean strong muscle mass, explosive mass and her core has to be rock solid. Oh and if I haven’t mentioned, joint Integrity is also critical.
How you get all this is debatable I suppose but this IMHO is what pitchers need.
Some of you pro pc’s I’m sure can add to my list and I welcome it because I’m always looking for ways to improve my dd fitness.

Thanks guys. DR T.


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Last edited:
Nov 8, 2018
774
63
@Ken B mentioned posting favorite exercises.
This week I will post some great joint stability exercises on a video for you all that will help keep your dd shoulders and hips strong. Keep her joint integrity solid which will improve ROM and decrease risk of injury.
Hoping my dd will help me. You know she will but she may not like it. Lol.


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sluggers

Super Moderator
Staff member
May 26, 2008
7,132
113
Dallas, Texas
At the end of the day a pitcher needs to be in shape. Great cardio, lean strong muscle mass, explosive mass and her core has to be rock solid. Oh and if I haven’t mentioned, joint Integrity is also critical.

If I remember my anatomy correctly, "lean muscle mass" is not the same as a "lean body".
 

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