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FOUR LITTLE-KNOWN
BASEBALL/SOFTBALL TRAINING
SECRETS, REVEALED AT LAST, PART 4
When performing
RESISTANCE TRAINING, strive for STRENGTH BALANCE ACROSS JOINTS
AND MUSCLE GROUPS, as opposed to merely developing size and strength
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Why
does this matter? Because muscle strength imbalances are
among the leading causes of sports injuries. For example, pulled
hamstrings (back of upper leg) are often the result of quadriceps
muscles (front of upper leg) that are stronger due to over-training.
It's more
"fun" for athletes to train those quads, as they look more
impressive than even well developed hams. And therein lies a big
problem: TRAINING
FOR THE WRONG REASONS Playing baseball
and softball requires the use of every muscle in the body.
Clearly it is to your advantage and will help your game to be STRONG and
FLEXIBLE. As a ball
player, your ultimate goal is POWER, the ability to do explosive
work. Strength & flexibility are necessary components of
power. So your lifting
should be oriented to the acquisition of power - NOT BUILDING
"COSMETIC" muscle. Leave the 18" arms and big bench
press to your gym and football buddies - at least until your More specifically, WORK
EACH OPPOSING MUSCLE AND MUSCLE GROUP AS EVENLY AS POSSIBLE For
example, do as many sets and reps of an exercise (as nearly as
possible) for a muscle on one side of a joint as the other. Lifts such
as biceps curls should be balanced by an equal amount of Don't forget quads/hams, abdominals/hips/ lower back, front shoulders/rear shoulders, and forearm flexors/extensors. (C) 2004,
Baseball Fit LLC. All Rights
Reserved. Quotations with attribution permitted. Cite source as Steve
Zawrotny's BASEBALL FIT Hitting & Pitching Academy - www.BaseballFit.com
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