Working Out for Baseball

[NYM]

Well I checked out the gym down the street from me, and it looks nice. I'm going to sign up, and I'm going to get a trainer for about a week, just to show me what to do with weights, because I don't want to hurt myself and look like a jackass at the same time.

What I do know is that I should stay away from is long distance running on the tredmill, because hockey and baseball are games of sprinting for short distances at a time. I also know I should workout my legs a lot, getting them strong, and able to lost short vigorous sprints.

What I need to know is what other part of my body should I work out? I'm mostly doing this for hockey and baseball. I don't want to build up parts of my body that won't be any use to me. Chest, arms? Any advice would help. I'm also doing pushups and crunches on the side on my own though.

[ronmexico]

You should check out Arnold Schwarzenegger's book The New Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding : The Bible of Bodybuilding. It is good for sport and bodybuilding.

[Kccitystar]

You don't want to build up too much muscle as it will only make you slower. Work on strengthening your arms, shoulders and your legs as you will need your legs to drive the ball as well as being the foundation for throwing the ball.

[ronmexico]

The book isn't about building muscle entirely, it has parts about how to build yourself for sport. That is what I used to give me enough muscle, and I'm tiny, I'm 5'7 140 lbs. It gave me muscle, and instead of hitting 70 mph i hit 75-77 mph. I still kept my flexability and speed.

[SloppyChris]

If you're just starting to work out, I would make two quick suggestions. Eat a lot. Way more than you're used to. Lots of protein, protein, and carbs. It may be more convenient to use whey protein supplement.

Secondly, and I'm no expert, be sure to vary your workouts. Training each part of your body individually helps everywhere.

There are a ton of resources on the web, my favorite is bodybuilding.com. You can get good deals on protein there too, GNC is a waste of money.

And if you have worked out before then you know this stuff already, so disregard this.

[NYM]

Eat a lot.

Seems like a tough task, but I think I can manage it :-).

Like KC said, I'm not looking to be a body builder, just build up some extra muscle. Nothing serious, I'll probably continue my crunches and pushups everyday, and workout 3 or 4 times a week.

This past year I drastically increased my speed, and I intend to keep my speed at where it is too. In the winter, I sprinted about 15-20 feet, tree to tree for about five minutes everyday. I also worked out with the track team when they did there agility drills, and that also helped a lot. So while increasing my strength I don't plan on losing speed, so I'll keep working with the track team.

[JP_Frost]

Who needs workouts when you can get the Clear an the Cream!!!!

[NYM]

Yea, I'm gona call my buddy greg Anderson, see if he can hook me up.

[D-Unit]

Yea, I'm gona call my buddy greg Anderson, see if he can hook me up.

Yeah he's the go-to guy in these parts....time to get what his clients call "the s***."

but seriously, for basics, always stretch before and after working out with weights and stuff because if you don't, you're gonna lose whatever flexibilty you have and become a musclehead. even if you get huge with weights, stretching and stuff will help you leep flexible.

[Ace152]

My season just ended. Now I start my offseason program of eating everything in sight and boozing it up.

I probably wont start throwing again until February.

[ronmexico]

You can't call Greg Anderson...he's back in jail, you have to wait until the next grand jury is trying him, and until this one expels.

[adonis2109]

My season just ended. Now I start my offseason program of eating everything in sight and boozing it up.

I probably wont start throwing again until February.

Nice Bonny, good luck with the Babe Ruth workout plan. :D

[brutushayesosu]

i found this site useful http://www.exrx.net/Exercise.html

[dwdufour]

I am a personal trainer. I also played baseball. A shoulder injury derailed my pro career opportunities while I was in college. The stretching myth is bogus. Stretching prior to a workout actually lowers your ability to do high intensity exercises (squats, hack squats, leg press, etc.). Post workout stretching is generally fine, but remember you are stretching muscles that have already been broken down. I recommend stretching a few hours later and on off days to maintain flexibility and increase bloodflow to the muscle. This will also trigger faster healing. Remember, blood carries nutrients to the muscle.

As far as baseball specific routines, stick to your high intensity exercises. Squats and leg presses should be included in every leg workout. Work calves and forearms at least 2 and not more than 3 days a week. They are small muscle groups and recover fast. Work push and pull muscles on the same day. Biceps and triceps, chest and back, legs and shoulders is generally a good way to split it up. And of course sprints. Always do your sprints post workout and on off days. Skip them on leg days. I generally recommend starting at 10 and working your way up to 40, 60 yard sprints per sprint workout. At at least 5 per week.

If you have any other questions, feel free to ask.

[ronmexico]

Hey dwd, have you ever read Arnold Schwarzenegger's book. Judging by your post, you would agree that weight lifting is an important part of working out for baseball. Do you think reading that book would be a good idea? I read it and found it helped me in working out for baseball.

[dwdufour]

That book is one of the greatest books ever written on the subject. Also, don't rule out GNCs and the like. The people who work at these places generally have a passion for what they do and are knowledgeable. With supplementation, stick to a mega dose multi vitamin and a good protein (whey) shake. I'm also a nutritionist and supplement expert if you have any further questions.

[ronmexico]

Are you Victor Conte? Mr I'm a nutritionist too.

[SloppyChris]

I'm also a nutritionist and supplement expert if you have any further questions.

Well, I've got a few I've wondered about.

My buddy says to eat some sugar with a protein shake, he says it helps for some reason. Do you know anything about this?

Also, I've been told it's near impossible to gain muscle without gaining fat as well. Would you recommend alternating periods (say a few months) of strength training with muscle toning? Also, do you have any information on diet while toning muscle as opposed to diet while strength training? (I would define 'toning' as performing more reps of a workout with less resistance, and working cardio in as well, and 'strength training' as doing as much weight as possible in about 3-7 reps)

Thanks for you help!

[dwdufour]

His reasoning for the sugar is to replenish glucose stores. I recommend a protein shake immediately after your workout and a meal 45 minutes to an hour later to do this. The meal should be 40% Protein, 40% carbs (preferably a combination of complex and simple) and 20% fat (preferably non saturated). Obviously the ratios can be adjusted depending on your goals and body type.

While its not impossible to gain muscle without gaining fat, it is much easier to just eat massive amounts of calories and forego cardio to attain large gains in size. If you aren't looking for huge gains, simply increase your protein amounts and lift moderate amounts of weight.

I believe in strength training all the time. Whether you are bulking or cutting, you should be making strides in strength and recovery. This doesn't necessarily mean you are going to increase poundages.

You should reevaluate your workout routine every 6-8 weeks. You can then alter it accordingly.

And yes, I do recommend alternating periods of bulking and cutting. Bulk in the winter (when your body wants to store excess pounds). Cut in the summer (when your body burns more calories naturally). Work with nature.

[SloppyChris]

And yes, I do recommend alternating periods of bulking and cutting. Bulk in the winter (when your body wants to store excess pounds). Cut in the summer (when your body burns more calories naturally). Work with nature.

Thanks for your help. I like this idea here.

[NYM]

My health teacher used to play in the Arena football league, and he said that when he trained he never worked independently on one muscle at a time. WHat he meant was, don't do chest one day, arms the next, legs the next. He said mix up the workout routine, otherwise your muscles will start working independently instead of together.

I also know cool down is also important. Health class gave me a whole bunch of information this year. It's this thing called lactic acid. it builds up after you workout, and eats away at existing muscle tissue. That's why it is imperative to do a cool down, most likely walk on a tredmil or ride a bike for about 5 min, and then stretch.

I also cut myself down to stricktly water. I barely drink anything but because just by drinking water, I've seen a big improvment in my body. It gets rid of all the bad sugar that stores up to be fat. Not to say I won't chug down one of those 99$ Arizona ice teas though. :-)

[SloppyChris]

Beer too. Don't forget it.

[ronmexico]

How old are you NYM06? You don't wanna over-do this depending on what age you are.