Baseball is a game that requires utmost levels of fitness. The arms, legs, thighs and shoulders of the players should all be flexible, strong and fit. Whether it is off-season or on-season, being at the top of the fitness scale is a pre-requisite for all baseball players. This requires a constant and rigorous exercise and workout routine. The chest, back and hand muscles are the most commonly used and strained muscles, while playing baseball. Hence, the players need a proper routine that makes them strong and less vulnerable to injuries, during the long and difficult baseball sessions. Apart from following a rigorous workout routine, players should also take protein, veggies and fruits for recovering from a workout to increase musculature. This article provides you with workout routine for baseball players to keep them fit and on the roll.
Exercise & Workouts For Baseball Players
Upper Body Workouts
Bench Press
Bench press is one of the most talked about and effective measures of building up strength and hence is tagged as the most recommended exercise for baseball players. For the exercise, you need to lie down on a bench comfortably. Lift the weight bar and get it straight down to the middle of your chest area, and then back up to full extension, without locking your elbows. The lower back should not be lifted up, while performing the exercise.
Chin Ups
Chin ups is another exercise that will be helpful for building strength for a baseball player. To perform this exercise, you need to hold the chin up bar with your palms, facing forward wide apart. Hang from the bar and pull your body up, until your neck touches the bar. Reverse the movement to lower your body back.
Barbell Curls
To perform barbell curls, stand straight with your head and chest up. Grasp a bar of a particular weight at the shoulder width and slightly raise the weight, making sure that your elbows are tight into your body.
Inclined Dumbbell Press
Inclined dumbbell press is yet another important exercise to build up your bicep muscle. Hold the dumbbells down to the level of your body, while lying down on an inclined plane. Raise the dumbbells slowly, keeping them steady and abdominal flexed. This exercise concentrates more on the deltoid muscle.
Push Ups
Lie flat on the ground, with your chest down and hands at the shoulder level, palms flat on the floor and slightly more than shoulder-width apart. Now, lift your body with your head up and the knees straight. Also breathe in and out on the way down and on the way up, respectively.
Lower Body Workouts
Squats
Squats are very effective for your lower body, making it stronger and muscular. Approach the barbell on the rack with the back of your shoulder under the weight. Keep your back and head straight and lift the weight off the rack. Keep your legs shoulder width apart and slowly bend your knees to come to a sitting position, making sure that your back is straight and the knees don’t go past your toes.
Seated Calf Raise
Sit on the calf raise machine with your thighs underneath the pads and the toes at the bottom of the pads. Lower your heels as low as possible and then raise them as high as you can. Adjust the weight in the machine, depending on how much you can support on your thighs.
Dead Lift
Stand with your feet shoulder width apart. Bend your knees to pick up the barbell with your back straight. Now, lift the weight using your legs and back, until you are standing completely straight. Keep the weight as close to your body as you can. The movement will be complete when you roll your shoulders back and stick your chest out.
Cardio Workout
Elliptical Or Cross Trainer
This is one of the newest equipments in the cardiovascular regimen. This cross trainer acts just like a runner, but has no or very less effect on the knees, making it popular among all the cardiovascular exercises.
Stepper
Stepper is one of the famous equipments that help in reducing weight and working on the lower body muscles of your body. This exercise was made popular by a myth that it helps in spot reducing.
Treadmill
This is the most common and popular cardiovascular exercising equipment. The disadvantage of this exercise is its impact on the knees and other joints because of which other alternatives, like a stepper, are preferred.