Strength and Conditioning Guidelines for Baseball Pitchers
Shannon Bright, ATC
Hughston Athletic Training Fellowship
In baseball, the pitcher has one of the most important positions, being that the game begins and ends in his hands. In a single game they may throw more than 80 pitches, which can lead to overuse injuries caused by the repetitiveness of the position. Overuse injuries are very common. Since the shoulder and elbow are such complex joints, many times the recovery from an injury is very long and difficult.
When designing a strength and conditioning program for a baseball pitcher during the season, it is imperative to consider the importance of not overusing the arm in work-outs. In-season training is considered primarily maintenance-related for this reason. The focus is chiefly on multi-joint exercises limited to one or two times a week. The intensity and volume need to stay relatively low, as the focus is not building muscle, but maintaining what was gained during the off season. As work-out volume decreases there is an increased amount of time spent on skill training or position specific exercises. During a week, training should be more intense at the beginning, progress to moderate, and then end light just prior to competition. The main goal of in-season strength and conditioning is to ensure that the athlete stays at their personal peak of performance.
With a baseball pitcher the most important factor is to always strengthen their shoulders, specifically their throwing arm. It is also imperative to strengthen surrounding muscles to protect the stability of the various joints. Cardiovascular workouts should be supplementary to other workouts and include aerobic, as well as anaerobic benefits. Above all, it is vital to keep your athlete interested and not bored with the training sessions. Keep daily workouts between 30 minutes and an hour giving them at least one day off per week to rest. Using these guidelines, the athlete will be in top performance when the season begins and stay conditioned throughout.
Shannon Bright, ATC is a first year graduate student and recipient of the Hughston Athletic Training Fellowship in Columbus, Georgia. She received her Bachelor of Science Degree in Athletic Training/Sports Medicine from Valdosta State University in May of 2008. While at VSU, she worked with baseball, football, volleyball, and Valdosta High School. Shannon also completed rotations with The Hughston Clinic in Valdosta, Family Medicine, Valdosta Physical Therapy, and Farber Student Health Center, as well as an internship at LaGrange College. She is an active member of the National Athletic Trainers Association (NATA), the Southeast Athletic Trainers Association (SEATA), and the Georgia Athletic Trainers Association (GATA) where she currently serves as the President of the GATA Student Advisory Committee. She is married to Adam Bright, a teacher and coach at Harris County High School and serves as the head athletic trainer at Kendrick High School, Columbus, Georgia.