When aiming to improve your sports skills, you need to train the muscles used in that sport. Baseball is a sport that uses the entire body, such as throwing, hitting, and running, but which muscles in particular should be trained?
Here, we will introduce the muscles that baseball players need and an example of a muscle training menu that you can incorporate as part of strengthening your muscles.
【table of contents】
■What muscles are necessary for baseball players?
・Muscles used in hitting motion
・Muscles used in throwing motion
■How to train upper body muscles
■How to train lower body muscles
■It is also important to get proper nutrition through meals.
■Strengthen your muscles and aim to improve your baseball skills
■What muscles are necessary for baseball players?
Baseball is a sport that uses the muscles of the whole body to perform various movements such as running, hitting the ball, and throwing the ball. Although you don’t have to aim to have a body builder’s body, as it may make it difficult to move your body, it is important to train the muscles of your entire body to the right degree.
First, let’s take a look at what muscles are used in the two most important movements in baseball: hitting and throwing.
・Muscles used in hitting motion
When hitting a ball, you swing the bat by connecting your lower body, abdominal muscles, core, and upper body. Batting requires a good balance of muscles throughout the body, so it is important to train to strengthen your muscles evenly.
In particular, you need to focus on training the inner muscles around your shoulders called the rotator cuff, the pectoralis major in your chest, the latissimus dorsi and trapezius muscles in your back, the obliques in your stomach, and the gluteus maximus and quadriceps in your lower body.
・Muscles used in throwing motion
Throwing motions such as pitching and throwing use not only the upper body, including the muscles around the shoulder blades, but also the muscles in the lower body for stepping in and smoothly shifting weight.
The main muscles that are needed include the rotator cuff, obliques, and quadriceps.
The rotator cuff is used for twisting the shoulder and elbow when pitching, the oblique muscles are used for twisting the abdomen, and the quadriceps are used for stepping. In order to create a beautiful pitching form with smooth weight transfer, it is important to train your lower body properly.
■How to train upper body muscles
From here, we will divide your body into upper and lower body parts and explain what kind of training you should do. There are five upper body muscles that you especially want to train when playing baseball: the rotator cuff, pectoralis major, latissimus dorsi, trapezius, and obliques.
・External rotation
This is a training exercise in which you open your arms outward while keeping your body fixed. You can train the muscles around your shoulders, and expect to increase ball speed and distance when batting.
[How to do external rotation]
1. Lie on your side on a mat, bending your knees to stabilize your body so it doesn’t fall over.
2. Grasp a dumbbell with your upper hand (left hand if you are lying on your right side)
3． Starting from your elbows, lift the dumbbells by opening your forearms.
4. Raise your forearms until they are perpendicular to the floor and slowly lower them down.
External rotations can also be done while standing by using tubes instead of dumbbells. If you have a tube, this method is recommended as it has a lower risk of injury than using dumbbells.
[How to use a tube]
1. Hang the tube on a post or hold the end of the tube with one hand and press it against your lower back.
2. Hold the tube with the elbow of your moving hand bent at 90 degrees and the back of your hand facing the ground.
3． Keeping your elbow fixed, slowly move your hand holding the tube outward.
Aim for 3 sets of 10 reps on each side.
・Internal rotation
This training is the opposite of external rotation, in which you pull your arms inward. By doing these two sets, you can train the muscles around your shoulders in a well-balanced manner.
[How to do internal rotation]
1. Lie on your side on a mat, bending your knees to stabilize your body so that it doesn’t fall over.
2. Grasp the dumbbell with your bottom hand (or right hand if you are lying on your right side).
3． Using your elbows as a starting point, lift the dumbbells to your side.
4. Raise your forearms until they are perpendicular to the floor and slowly lower them down.
・Twist crunch
It is a type of crunch that is an abdominal muscle training exercise. By adding a twisting motion to regular crunches, you can train not only your rectus abdominis muscles but also your oblique muscles, which can improve your batting power.
[How to do twist crunch]
1. Lie on your back on a mat and bend your knees to 90 degrees.
2. Place your hands next to your ears or behind your head and raise your toes.
3． Raise your upper body by twisting your right knee and left elbow together and maintain your posture.
4. slowly return to the original position
5. When you return to your original position, lift your upper body and leg so that your elbow is touching your opposite leg.
・One hand rowing
This training involves repeatedly lifting dumbbells to strengthen the latissimus dorsi, trapezius, and deltoid muscles around the shoulders. By training your back muscles, which are responsible for closing and pulling your arms, you can increase your batting distance.
In addition, increasing flexibility around the shoulders will help prevent injuries, so it is effective to do some stretching as well.
[How to do one-handed rowing]
1. hold a dumbbell in your right hand
2. Place your left hand and left leg from knee to shin on a bench, etc.
3． Lay your back straight forward so that it is parallel to the ground, and lower your dumbbell hand toward the floor.
4. Slowly raise the dumbbells until your upper arms are parallel to the ground
5. slowly lower the dumbbells
Once you get used to it, you can increase the load by lifting the dumbbells and then stopping a little.
If you have a place or equipment where you can do pull-ups, we also recommend doing them. When doing pull-ups, be sure to use your back muscles to lift your body up, not your arm strength.
・Push-ups
Push-ups are an exercise that strengthens the pectoral muscles and triceps on the lower side of the upper arm (upper arm). The pectoralis major muscle is responsible for swinging the arm forward and is used for throwing and hitting movements.
It is said that if pitchers train their pectoral muscles too much, they will be more likely to injure their shoulders, so this is the muscle that pitchers want to train primarily to improve their batting.
[How to do push-ups]
1. Open your arms slightly wider than shoulder width and place your palms on the floor.
2. Stretch your legs out, put your toes on the ground, and lift your body up with your palms and toes.
3． Keeping your body straight, lower your body by bending your elbows.
4. Lower your body until your chest touches the ground, then slowly straighten your elbows and lift your body up.
The trick is not to do the repetitions, but to do them slowly and carefully with correct form. If you want to increase the load on your pectoralis major muscles, try doing this with your hands a little wider apart.
・Wrist curl
Baseball players often use their wrists for batting and pitching. To improve your performance, you need to strengthen your wrists with wrist curls.
[How to do wrist curls]
1. Grasp the dumbbells with your arms on a table etc.
2. Slowly raise and lower the dumbbells, moving only your wrists.
If the load is too high, you may injure your wrist. The key is to use light dumbbells and move slowly.
■How to train lower body muscles
Important muscles in the lower body are the gluteus maximus and quadriceps. Here is an example of a training menu that you can incorporate to train these muscles.
・Squat
Squats are a full-body workout that focuses on the lower body, such as the thighs and buttocks, but is also effective on the abdomen and back. Various effects can be expected, such as improving batting, pitching, and explosive power when running.
[How to do squats]
1. Stand straight with your feet shoulder-width apart
2. Keeping your back straight, lower your hips until your thighs are parallel to the ground.
3． After lowering your hips, slowly return to the starting position
The trick is to do this with the intention of crouching backwards so that your knees don’t go out in front of you. If you want to increase the load, do the movements slowly.
・Hip lift
This is a workout that strengthens your glutes and lower back muscles. The gluteus maximus is a muscle used to move the lower body, so we recommend training it regardless of your position.
[How to do a hip lift]
1. Lie on your back on a mat and raise your knees at a 90 degree angle.
2. Lift your hips so that there is a straight line from your shoulders to your knees
3． Maintain posture 2 while being conscious of tightening your buttocks.
4. Slowly return to position 1
・Side lunge
This is a workout that strengthens the gluteus maximus, adductor muscles in the thighs, and hamstrings on the back of the thighs. You can expect to strengthen your stepping motion and weight transfer when batting.
[How to do side lunge]
1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your back straight.
2. Step one foot out to the side and lower your upper body while bending your knees.
3． Put pressure on your legs as if you were kicking and return to your starting position.
4. Step on the other side and do the same.
■It is also important to get proper nutrition through meals.
In order to effectively train muscles, not only training but also diet is important. Make sure to eat a nutritionally balanced diet that includes protein, carbohydrates, and vitamins.
If you find it difficult to replenish your nutrition during or immediately after training because you can’t get food down your throat or you don’t have time, we recommend using protein drinks or supplements.
⇒Search for protein/supplements/beverages/foods
■Strengthen your muscles and aim to improve your baseball skills
Muscles are essential for various movements in baseball. Different muscles are used depending on the movement, so you can train more efficiently by focusing on the areas you need.
Please train your muscles with reference to the menu introduced this time and aim to improve your baseball skills.
⇒Search for strength training equipment
[Text]Alpen Group Magazine Editorial Department
