High-School Pitcher off-season weightlifting/conditioning plan

[hellomoto]

I will be becoming a junior next year and I am currently a varsity pitcher for my high school team and the coach says the only thing i really need to work on come the off-season is to bulk up a little bit(right now I am 5'1" and 135 lbs). Does anyone know of any good plans I can use(without illegal or harmful substances of course)?

[Jerome]

Originally Posted by hellomoto

I will be becoming a junior next year and I am currently a varsity pitcher for my high school team and the coach says the only thing i really need to work on come the off-season is to bulk up a little bit(right now I am 5'1" and 135 lbs). Does anyone know of any good plans I can use(without illegal or harmful substances of course)?

god damn!!! 5'1 135?!! and i thought i was undersized. it's okay though. i am only 5'8 and about 140, and still got a scholarship to an elite division 1 program so size isn't everything (although my stuff didn't hurt either). what's your role? spot starter? middle relief? it matters for your overall conditioning regimen. give me a little background information on you, such as injury history, current workout routine, current conditioning schedule, etc. what are you doing during morning weights? post these details and i'll be happy to help you out. a list of all supplements you're taking will also help.

[Chubz]

squats, shoulder workouts, core training and extensive elg work will help you out a big deal

[hellomoto]

Sorry I meant 5'11" lol but yeah I am still rather skinny. I start and usually throw once a week at least 70 pitches each time out. Since the season has begun, my lifting schedule has diminshed a bit but I still do shoulders, wrist-rolls, tricep, bench, bicep, and core work at least 3 times a week. I also run about 4-6 poles a day. Up until this point I have had no pitching related injuries(knock on wood) but I have bruised my spinal cord and sprained my wrist but nothing too major. Currently I have no morning workout session and I was taking Creatine(and Muscle Milk maybe once or twice) but I have stopped since the season has begun. I think I covered everything so lets hear some ideas!

[Jerome]

well, you haven't listed any of the essential workouts so that'd be a good place to start.

as a pitcher, you absolutely, positively cannot neglect your legs, back or obliques. everything else is extra (shoulder workouts should never be done in season by the way). some minor lifting is fine but stretching it out through long toss and the use of tubing is more than enough to keep your rotator cuff, elbow, forearms and wrists in good condition. leave the weights to the big boys. if you want specific workouts i can post those, but you should be doing squats, calf raises, leg extensions, oblique twists, back extensions, as well as running as much as possible on grass (4-6 poles is fine prior to the game you're throwing in, but you should be running more than that on off days-- conditioning is of the upmost importance for a starting pitcher). 80% of your velocity comes from your legs, and your shoulder and bicep workouts do absolutely nothing for your arm action (except provide you the possibility of excess soreness or injury). since you should be in season, again, squats, calf raises, lunges (with no weights-- that's worthless), oblique twists, leg extensions and hamstring curls.

[hellomoto]

Ok thanks for your input and yeah my lifting right now is very light, especially shoulder work. We also long toss everyday which I can feel is helping since I am able to throw the ball farther and harder so I'm glad that is working. From what you have said, I guess I should just be doing a lot of leg work and I did do alot during the offseason and I can definitely feel the difference from last year. Also, if it isn't too much trouble, could you please post those specific workouts? I want to have a pretty set plan come the offseason since even though I worked hard last offseason, I don't feel I worked smart.

Also, just a side note, what college did you get accepted to? And what's your go-to pitch so to speak?

[Jerome]

oh yea, forgot to post more on conditioning. again, some light jogging (your 4-6 poles) is a great warm up prior to stretches before an outing. again, run more on your off days (you should be doing some cardio every single day). a recommend getting familiar with a jump rope to, as you should consider a rigorous plyometrics regimen in the off-season for more explosiveness from your bottom half. also consider running "stairs" (use the bleachers on your schools football field) once on the weekends. for conditioning your arm, you should be throwing every single day. if you're experiencing soreness this is a sign you did not adequately condition your arm prior to the season (you prematurely stepped up your "base" throwing routine). some light catch the day after your start should be followed with a 30 pitch bullpen session the following day (20 fastballs, 5 change ups, 5 secondary). long toss the day after that and the day of your outing. again, if you want specific i'm more than happy to help. my conditioning was impeccable, which is one of the reasons my arm lasted longer than it did (it was born with weak connective tissue and, well the rest is history). good luck to you on your next outing!

[Jerome]

Originally Posted by hellomoto

Ok thanks for your input and yeah my lifting right now is very light, especially shoulder work. We also long toss everyday which I can feel is helping since I am able to throw the ball farther and harder so I'm glad that is working. From what you have said, I guess I should just be doing a lot of leg work and I did do alot during the offseason and I can definitely feel the difference from last year. Also, if it isn't too much trouble, could you please post those specific workouts? I want to have a pretty set plan come the offseason since even though I worked hard last offseason, I don't feel I worked smart.

Also, just a side note, what college did you get accepted to? And what's your go-to pitch so to speak?

sure, not a problem. if you like, pm me your email address and i'll help you out however i can.

i received a large-partial scholarship from stanford after i graduated in 2002 as a middle-reliever/set-up man. my fastball topped out at only 90, but i really only had a two-pitch repertoire: split-finger fastball (81-84) and a circle-change. those two pitches were enough for me to win countless accolades, and possess an era below one my senior season (when i went 10-1).

[hellomoto]

Ok thanks for those good ideas. My arm was a little sore when we first started but now it is back to normal. So far, I have only thrown one bullpen all year and I have had 3 outings so the whole staff and I are hoping for some more work soon. I go again tommorrow and so far I'm 2-0 with I think 22 K's and 2 earned runs in I think 13 innings. My killer thing is letting up walks and HBPs as I have already hit 2 guys and had about 8 BBs.

[hellomoto]

And I will definitely PM you my email so I can keep in touch to get some more plans.

And wow I would love to go to Stanford not only for its program but also for the academics. And that's damn nasty to have an 84 MPH splitter since most of us here top out at like 83(I only throw about 77-80 but I rely on a curveball and location to get guys out).

[Jerome]

Originally Posted by hellomoto

Ok thanks for those good ideas. My arm was a little sore when we first started but now it is back to normal. So far, I have only thrown one bullpen all year and I have had 3 outings so the whole staff and I are hoping for some more work soon. I go again tommorrow and so far I'm 2-0 with I think 22 K's and 2 earned runs in I think 13 innings. My killer thing is letting up walks and HBPs as I have already hit 2 guys and had about 8 BBs.

numbers sound good thus far. 8 passes in 13 innings and only 2 HBP isn't really anything to get concerned about (you should be more worried about the pitch counts). are you a righty? if so, have you been trying to work the inside a bit more? usually these are symptoms of a pitcher adjusting his approach. if so, once you become more comfortable throwing inside, you should be alright.

[hellomoto]

I am a righty and I usually work the outside since my ball tends to move from off the plate to back onto the outside corner(almost like a 2-seam fastball but I throw a 4-seam I'm not sure why it has happened like this but I don't question it lol). I also am trying to run that fastball in more on right handed batters but I am still getting used to it so that is probably why my pitch counts are rather high.

[Jerome]

Originally Posted by hellomoto

And I will definitely PM you my email so I can keep in touch to get some more plans.

And wow I would love to go to Stanford not only for its program but also for the academics. And that's damn nasty to have an 84 MPH splitter since most of us here top out at like 83(I only throw about 77-80 but I rely on a curveball and location to get guys out).

i threw the split in lieu of a fastball, simply because at that level, and with the velocity of it, nobody ever got good contact on anything. i never gave up a home run before college. curves are tough to harness at your level. scrap it for the time being and focus more on the fastball and change (everybody needs a change up, rather a three finger or circle change). the ability to locate your pitches at a young age is something every recruiter and scout drools over. they don't care about your movement, they'll make adjustments to whatever breaking ball you throw. if you can change speeds and locate the fastball on the corners, you can be sure your career won't end after your high school graduation.