Follow up Roger Conditioning for Mature Teens & Kids

Hi Roger,

After getting a 2nd cup of 'green tee' let me add some other info.

Read about Exercise & Conditioning and Physiology you also must go far beyond the basics. To do
so try the following & extracts below:

Jerry Kindall chapter in his book "Science of Coaching Baseball".

Also the Pat Murphy/Jeff Forney book
"Complete Conditioning for Baseball"

Principles of Baseball Conditioning
for Mature Teens & Up

Baseball is ballistic! During every play, the ball's always in motion, as are the bodies. Your conditioning program must keep these dynamics in mind. You're not training for strength, but for strength over a range of motion with velocity. Strength X Speed = Power!

Performance Base
Practice is for learning baseball skills and mechanics. Conditioning develops the performance base for strength, flexibility, speed, power and endurance:

Full-range weight training (not for bulk, for power).

Anaerobic training (for proper energy system use) 3 times a week.

Aerobic training (for endurance, especially for pitching) twice a week.

Training in sets and reps (to build intensity, measure improvement, spot weaknesses).

Periodic training (over several weeks, to build intensity from pre- to post-season.
Conditioning also helps reduce injuries and improve stamina - for season-long participation and performance.

Working with Weights:
Weight-lifting is beneficial if you remember some guidelines:

Be sport specific: Baseball is a dynamic sport - always exercise muscles in the way you need to use them in practice and games - the proper arc, rotation, and extension (see Range of Motion).

Maintain muscle balance: Major muscle groups need to be worked on both sides of a joint - i.e. work biceps AND triceps equally.

Be systematic: Do weights in a program - max. three times a week, set workout length, a number of exercises, each done a fixed number of repetitions (see Reps and Sets).

Build strength AND speed: Varying weights during exercise can improve overall power (see Pyramid System).

Really work at it: For maximum training, muscles have to be challenged - weights (and/or velocities) have to be increased over time. (See Off-Season for details.)

Rest builds muscles too: There's a difference between overload and overtraining. Give yourself a day off between weight sessions to let muscle tissue recover and respond. The next session will go even better.

Don't start yet: Don't grab the weights still you're ready. Every weightroom session should start with a full-body warm-up and stretching routine.

Reps and Sets
Repetition is what trains and tones.

Each rep is one lift - up and down. Each set is a fixed number of reps in a row without a pause (5 or 10). The rest/recovery (3 minutes) happens between sets of the same exercise or when moving station to station.

Whatever your maximum possible weightload in a given exercise, you're better to lift less, more often. The most you can lift 10 times in a row is about 75% of what you can lift once. That's called you 10RM (rep. max.) and it will produce good strength gains. (Alternate: 5 reps at 85-90%.)

Each set (of reps) should not exceed the anaerobic requirements - 10-90 seconds (see Energy Systems).

Do a number of different exercise so that all major muscle groups are worked. (Bench press, power clean, full squat would do it.) Plus the sport-specific motions.

Range of Motion
Always exercise over the full range of a muscle group's motion. More distance = more muscle work = more exercise benefit. This also maintains joint flexibility and mobility.

Go slowly! Raise a weightload (i.e. concentric muscle contraction) in 1.5 seconds, lower it (eccentric muscle contraction) in 3.0 seconds - for consistent application of force over the muscle's full range.

Weighted bats and balls are a good way to build strength while duplicating baseball's acceleration-deceleration over the full ROM. (See pyramid).

Pyramid System
Strength isn't the only baseball requirement, You need speed. Consider a progressive workout for hitting or pitching that combines both - by varying the bat/ball weight.

For batters: with standard weight of 30 ounces, light is 27-29 ounces and heavy is 31-24.

For pitchers: standard ball weight is 5 ounces, light is 4, heavy is 6.

The sequence (after warm-up) would go standard-heavy-light-standard.

For hitting, 25 standard bat swings then 50 heavy, 50 light, 50 standard for full workout.

For pitching, 10 standard-weight pitches then 20 heavy, 20 light, 20 standard.

The actual rep numbers would build during the season.

Principles of Baseball Conditioning for KIDS

Training a Kid

"Pre-teens and younger kids can't build muscle mass, but they can train muscle memory. Each kid grows and matures at his/her own pace. Some 12s could have reached full height and can start muscle development, while some 15s are still waiting." Dr. Greg Anderson, a PhD s