In-Season Baseball Strength Training & Conditioning

RT Staff Note: Twice a week for the next month or so, Jon Doyle,owner of Baseball Training Secrets, will contribute an article on pre-season and in-season Strength and Conditioning, as well as nutrition and supplements. Enjoy Jons contribution to Rounding Third.

By Jon Doyle

An extremely hot, and very misunderstood, topic in baseball is how to perform baseball strength training and weight training in-season. There is so much misinformation floating around I decided I had to write this article ASAP.

I figured I would list DO’s and DON’T’s so there is no confusion…

So here it is…The Top Ten In-Season Strength & Conditioning Do’s and Don’t’s…

In-Season DON’T’S

DON’T stop weight training in-season – This will simply lead to decrease strength, power, conditioning and ultimately performance,
DON’T perform a split routine. Rather 2 full-body sessions each week works best for most.
DON’T follow the performance-draining theory of “light weight and high reps” – All this will do is burn you out, leaving you slow, weak and fatigued.
DON’T waste time training small muscle groups with isolation exercises such as bicep curls, wrist curls and calf raises. These muscle groups will get plenty of stimulation with compound movements.
DON’T train the day before a game unless you have found this specifically works for you.
DON’T eat junk food. This will decrease performance and halt recovery, which is vital to performance.
DON’T drink soda, coffee or any other diuretic substance.
DON’T let any in-season weight training session go beyond 30 minutes. This will lead to central nervous system fatigue, which will lead to you becoming slow, weak and tired.
DON’T stay up late wasting time watching TV. Get your sleep so your body can recover.
DON’T push yourself when your body is extremely fatigued. Know when to pull back. Listen to your body and it will reward you. LEARN YOUR BODY!

In-Season DO’S

DO weight train in season. I have found two sessions per week lasting between 20-30 minutes works best to maintain strength, speed, power and help facilitate recovery
DO train using compound movements such as squats, cleans, snatches and deadlifts. (Found in Power/Speed Development Series)
DO focus on maximum bar speed with each and every rep.
DO perform sets of low reps between 2 and 5.
DO train with 45-60% of 1 rep max.
DO train immediately after or the day after a game.
DO perform a few static stretching sessions per week, lasting between 15-30 minutes after practice or a weight training session. This will help recovery and regeneration of the body, which will keep you fresh, fast, strong and feeling great.
DO perform a few sets of external rotation exercises and scapular exercises a few times a week. Keep weight light on these and train within 8-12 rep range with these.
DO eat whole foods and focus on getting adequate amounts of quality proteins, carbohydrates and healthy fats.
DO keep your body properly hydrated. Everyone knows this, but few do it. This does not mean tons of sugar-laden sports drinks. Water with added electrolytes works just as well. Simply add a small pinch of sea salt to every 1 liter of filtered water you drink.

There you have it. Stick to the above guidelines and you will be a well-oiled machine throughout the entire season. Be warned that if you fail to follow these guidelines you are setting yourself for failure. The choice is yours.