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Hey Pitchers!
Have you ever been told that you should start lifting weights or hitting the gym? Your coach or dad has probably been, or will probably be, the first person to tell you this. And I agree with them!!
You SHOULD start lifting weights and working out in the gym - but I want to tell you WHY.
The pitcher is the most important position on the diamond. Day in and day out you have to throw hard, you have to throw strikes, you have to play well, you have to stay composed. Most importantly, you have to stay HEALTHY. The #1 reason why strength training is so important is because it is going to decrease your risk of overuse injury. Getting stronger, more coordinated and more conditioned will lengthen your pitching career and decrease your risk of any injuries. The #2 reason why strength training is so important is to increase your athletic performance! This means, the stronger you are the faster you throw. The more coordinated you are, the better mechanics you'll have. The more conditioned you are, the more stamina you'll have and the more successful innings you'll have.
Everything you do in the weightroom and on the field will determine your success on the field. But before jumping right into a strength training workout, ask yourself these questions.
What are your training goals? What are your pitching goals? Do you have any experience lifting? Do you have a coach to teach you how to lift correctly?
These questions are essential to consider before starting a lifting program by yourself. Lifting can be dangerous, so make sure you know what you are doing and be safe!
Here is a photo of me pitching for my high school team during my Junior year. You can tell that I have a tennis-elbow band around my forearm. This is because I had severe tendonitis on the medial and lateral sides of my elbow from pitching too much without my body being strong enough to handle the stress of all those pitches. But because I wanted to pitch and I was needed by my team, I continued to pitch through the pain. And trust me - it was painful. After my high school season ended, I wanted to find a way to make this pain go away and never come back. So I started strength training and working on increasing my grip strength, my forearm strength, and my total body strength. I saw an immense difference from my junior year to my senior year in terms of pitch speed, accuracy and stamina. I was able to pitch more (and pitch faster) with minimal pain and minimal worries on if i was going to be able to make it to the end of the season!
If you are a member, you will have access to a FREE 12-week strength training, speed training and conditioning program available on your member page (Beginner/Intermediate/Advanced).
Stay tuned on this blog page for more of my story, and my thoughts on pitching and softball!
Keep working hard,
Coach Emily
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