Baseball Workout for Power Hitting
Building a more powerful baseball swing begins with the base. You can’t just swing as hard as you can or do a crazy amount of rotational exercises and expect to add power. You need a baseball workout for power hitting that incorporates building a strong core.
A lot of people hear “core” and immediately think of Crunches and Sit-Ups, when in reality these exercises couldn’t be further away from the true function of the core: to stabilize the spine and transfer force.
In order to provide the full workout, I’ll give you one basic exercise for each function of the core.
RELATED: Increase Your Hitting Power With 4 Key Exercises
Plank Hold
This old-school exercise is great for anti-extension core strength and stability. Often overlooked because they’re so simple, Planks will improve your core strength and your power on the field. For additional Plank variations, check out the video player above.
How to: On the ground, place your forearms down and pop your hips up. During the hold, brace your abs tight and keep your back flat.
Sets/Duration: 2-4x:25-:45
Half Kneeling Pallof Hold
This targets the anti-rotary components of the core. It’s a tough exercise to master.
How to: Loop a band around a stable upright, place one knee on the ground facing perpendicular to the band, lock the band out in front of your chest and hold.
Sets/Reps: 2-4 x 20-30, per side
Glute Bride ISO Hold
The Glute Bridge Hold builds the often overlooked posterior component, or anti-flexion component, of core strength. Again, this exercise may look easy from the outside but spend some time holding this position and you’ll quickly realize just how tough it is.
How to: Lie flat on your back, drive your hips straight up and squeeze your glutes.
Sets/Reps: 3-4×35-60
Now that we’ve got the “boring” stuff out of the way, let’s talk about ways to directly build rotational power for hitting.
The most effective way to do this is with various med ball tosses. I’ll show you two of our favorites here at ATS. Both allow you to train the exact movement pattern. The swing and the ballistic nature allow you to completely remove any deceleration, meaning you can throw the ball as hard or as far as you want. This allows for absolute carryover onto the field—exactly what baseball players are looking for.
Med Ball Scoop Toss
How to: Stand perpendicular to a wall or partner holding a med ball at your waistline. Rotate your back slightly to load the hips, then explode forward and release the med ball.
Sets/Reps: 3-4 x 3-8 per side.[youtube video=”3ceUINuQqUo” /]
Med Ball Shot Put
How to: Again, stand perpendicular to a wall or partner holding a med ball at shoulder height with your elbows up. Rotate your back slightly to load your hips, then explode forward and release the med ball.
Sets/Reps: 3-4 x 3-8 per side
[youtube video=”AEhU1LNZUbg” /]RELATED: Top 5 Explosive Med Ball Exercises for Baseball Players
RECOMMENDED FOR YOU
MOST POPULAR
Baseball Workout for Power Hitting
Building a more powerful baseball swing begins with the base. You can’t just swing as hard as you can or do a crazy amount of rotational exercises and expect to add power. You need a baseball workout for power hitting that incorporates building a strong core.
A lot of people hear “core” and immediately think of Crunches and Sit-Ups, when in reality these exercises couldn’t be further away from the true function of the core: to stabilize the spine and transfer force.
In order to provide the full workout, I’ll give you one basic exercise for each function of the core.
RELATED: Increase Your Hitting Power With 4 Key Exercises
Plank Hold
This old-school exercise is great for anti-extension core strength and stability. Often overlooked because they’re so simple, Planks will improve your core strength and your power on the field. For additional Plank variations, check out the video player above.
How to: On the ground, place your forearms down and pop your hips up. During the hold, brace your abs tight and keep your back flat.
Sets/Duration: 2-4x:25-:45
Half Kneeling Pallof Hold
This targets the anti-rotary components of the core. It’s a tough exercise to master.
How to: Loop a band around a stable upright, place one knee on the ground facing perpendicular to the band, lock the band out in front of your chest and hold.
Sets/Reps: 2-4 x 20-30, per side
Glute Bride ISO Hold
The Glute Bridge Hold builds the often overlooked posterior component, or anti-flexion component, of core strength. Again, this exercise may look easy from the outside but spend some time holding this position and you’ll quickly realize just how tough it is.
How to: Lie flat on your back, drive your hips straight up and squeeze your glutes.
Sets/Reps: 3-4×35-60
Now that we’ve got the “boring” stuff out of the way, let’s talk about ways to directly build rotational power for hitting.
The most effective way to do this is with various med ball tosses. I’ll show you two of our favorites here at ATS. Both allow you to train the exact movement pattern. The swing and the ballistic nature allow you to completely remove any deceleration, meaning you can throw the ball as hard or as far as you want. This allows for absolute carryover onto the field—exactly what baseball players are looking for.
Med Ball Scoop Toss
How to: Stand perpendicular to a wall or partner holding a med ball at your waistline. Rotate your back slightly to load the hips, then explode forward and release the med ball.
Sets/Reps: 3-4 x 3-8 per side.[youtube video=”3ceUINuQqUo” /]
Med Ball Shot Put
How to: Again, stand perpendicular to a wall or partner holding a med ball at shoulder height with your elbows up. Rotate your back slightly to load your hips, then explode forward and release the med ball.
Sets/Reps: 3-4 x 3-8 per side
[youtube video=”AEhU1LNZUbg” /]RELATED: Top 5 Explosive Med Ball Exercises for Baseball Players
[cf]skyword_tracking_tag[/cf]