Feb 28, 2018Strong All Season Long
Many of the gains made during the off-season can start to diminish if proper in-season training is neglected. For baseball players, maintaining strength throughout the spring is crucial for their performance on the field. With the right approach to training, players will be primed and ready for each and every game.
Strength coach John O’Neal of Cressey Sports Performance shares seven simple yet effective ways for players to maintain strength throughout the baseball season.
1. Maintain Body Weight
According to O’Neal, Rates of Force Development (RFD) are a key factor in athletic performance, and athletes with more weight are generally more likely to produce greater force. That means it’s very important to maintain weight throughout the season. This can be difficult for some players, so they should bring food to the field, stay properly hydrated, and potentially have something to eat mid-game.
2. Manage Stress
It’s important to balance time on the field with time in the weightroom. During the season, players will often be practicing out on the field, which doesn’t leave much time for other types of strength training. O’Neal recommends sneaking weightroom sessions in on the same days you have extensive on-field work in order to balance high-stress days with low-stress days. That means certain days will be more demanding, but it will still allow for the same amount of off days for rest and recovery, which is key to reducing stress on the body.
3. Keep Sessions Short
It can help to keep weightroom sessions short during the season, for multiple reasons. For one, you want to allow for adequate on-field training. Secondly, three or four 20-40 sessions throughout the week are enough to maintain strength without over-exerting your players. Be sure to design full-body workouts so that athletes can hit all the key areas.
4. Know the Right Intensity
Athletes don’t need to be sore after a workout in order to build or maintain strength. In fact, during the season, constant soreness will only limit a player’s ability to perform at a high level. In order to reduce soreness, try to avoid brand-new exercises during these sessions and avoiding high amounts of eccentric stress. This might mean slightly modifying certain exercises so that it reduces some of the stress being put on the athletes.
5. Don’t Waste Energy
The season is a grind and having enough energy to both train and perform in games is key. When it comes to in-season training, focus should be put on quality over quantity. As players become fatigued, they are likely to start using bad form and technique, so it’s important that you stop doing reps once technique starts to suffer. This is just as true for on-field reps, such as swings and throws, as it is for exercises in the weightroom.
6. Condition Correctly
Baseball is a sport of short, quick action with a lot of rest in between. Therefore, endurance running will do little to help players prepare for the demands of the game. Instead, focus on keeping speed work fast with adequate rest time between reps. This will help to mimic the actual nature of the game.
7. Maintain Mobility
To translate training in the weightroom to performance on the field, players will need to have adequate mobility. According to O’Neal, having a mobility/stretching routine before and after every practice can go a long way in helping to keep players healthy and performing their best. These only have to be about five minutes each for players to reap the benefits.
