Inseason Baseball Strength Training - Installment 3
If you missed my earlier articles of this series on Inseason Baseball Strength Training – Installments 1 and 2, you can check them out here(1) and here(2).
During the season we have a dilemma. We know from research that we have to train during the season to avoid losing strength and power. We also have to make sure we’re as close to 100 percent as possible for each game at a time when they can really stack up during the week due to postponements, short school seasons, and so on.
Another way to make exercises more difficult without having to increase the load is by introducing a stability component. Making the stability demand tougher means you have to reduce a considerable amount of weight to perform the exercise correctly. The result is an exercise that is just as difficult with a fraction of the load. Hopefully, this means less stress is induced and a shorter recovery time.
As an example, here’s a Yoke Bar Reverse Lunge on a Slideboard :
How to do it:
Place a slideboard inside of the rack (a paper plate or Valslide will also work on a non-rubber surface)
Unrack the weight and stand tall
In a controlled manner, slowly lunge back with your non-working leg, slightly leaning forward and keeping nearly all of your weight on your front heel
Lightly tap the ground with your back knee and drive up to the start position with your front heel
Due to the unstable nature of the slideboard surface, you’re forced to reduce the weight to avoid falling over. The exercise is just as hard, but with lighter weight, allowing you to bounce back quicker and recover faster from a training session.
Moving into upper body exercises, here’s a 1-arm Dumbbell Bench Press. The asymmetrical loading (only having a dumbbell in one arm) forces you to engage the opposite side’s obliques to stabilize your body on the bench.
How to do it:
Set up in the bench press position on a bench with a dumbbell in one arm
Use both hands to bring the dumbbell up to the starting position
Lower the dumbbell in a controlled manner, keeping your elbow 30-45 degrees away from your side and core engaged so your body doesn't rotate
Push up when your elbow reaches your side (DB 2-3 inches above your chest)
The inseason training period should be about maintaining strength and power while limiting recovery time from training sessions. Choosing an asymmetrical single-leg or single-arm exercise, executing a lift on an unstable surface, or another method that challenges stability are great ways to accomplish this when selecting your inseason training protocol.
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