Before I get into a good post game routine you need to understand what lactic acid is and why it is an issue in recovery.

Lactic Acid – During power exercises such as sprinting, when the rate of demand for energy is high, lactate is produced faster than the ability of the tissues to remove it, so lactate concentration begins to rise. This is a beneficial process, since the regeneration of NAD+ ensures that energy production is maintained and exercise can continue.

I don’t expect you to understand everything in this definition of lactic acid but it is important to know what is happening to your body during intense training or a game performance. Research has shown that lactic acid isn’t completely responsible for muscle fatigue and soreness. They have found that it actually is a fuel for muscles. I know what you are thinking, “That is odd! So how is it bad, if it is a fuel. That makes no sense.” This is because when your body produces lactic acid as a fuel for your muscles there is very little oxygen in the body.  This is a survival mechanism that gives you energy even when oxygen is low. The problem is the more the muscles fire on lactic acid, the more it burns off more of the oxygen and what happens when you start burning off oxygen, you get hydrogen as a waste product. Hydrogen is poison to our bodies. This is what will lower our ph levels and kills us eventually. The build up of hydrogen is the problem here and it is what causes muscles to shut down and fatigue. It also causes the burning sensation, which eventually leads total fatigue and soreness. The point is your body can continue to perform on lactic acid, the problem is this fuel causes more problems than the other forms of energy or ATP. So when I say you need to flush your system of lactic acid, you now know what I am talking about.

Now that you have a good understanding of lactic acid then you will also understand why the main part of a post game routine focuses on its removal from your system. Here is a good post game routine for a starter and a relief pitcher to begin immediately after the performance.

Post Game Pitching Recovery and Rebuilding Routine

1. Take a 5 min jog to keep the blood flowing while you take in some big deep breaths to flood the system with more oxygen.
2. Finish the jog with some good static stretching or yoga to help reestablish the alignment of the skeletal system while increasing blood flow along with the deep breaths.
3. Take an Alka Seltzer to reduce your body’s acidity levels and the aspirin in the Alka Seltzer will lend some pain relief.
4. Icing 10-15 mins on, 10-15 mins off and repeat.
5. Within 30-40 minutes have a high carbohydrate meal to help replace your glycogen stores.
6. Follow the carbohydrate meal will a protein shake to help your body begin the rebuilding process.
7. Drink a lot of water with a multi-vitamin.
8. Stay away from caffeine drinks and alcohol.
9. Icing 10-15 mins on, 10-15 mins off and repeat again if you have soreness or the sore muscle is hot.
10. Get a lot of sleep!
11. Next day hit the gym with a good warm-up and perform some high intensity lifts, low reps, on your legs and core. This will force your body to produce more testosterone and growth hormone to heal itself. The Recovery Week in the Fusion System which is in the Ace Pitcher Handbook would be a good next day program.

I know this is a long list to do post game but recovery is key in the higher levels of the game, so you better get good at it now!

The two greatest pitchers of our time is Nolan Ryan and Roger Clemens. Their success came from their genetic make up and also their work ethics. Both of these pitchers had intense training programs. Roger Clemens was even using illegal drugs to enhance his work ethic and increase his improvements. Both of these pitchers grew bigger, stronger, faster in their careers and they both threw harder the older they got. This is because their work ethics improved their overall strength, which helped keep their flawless mechanics consistent and efficient. If they had slacked on their off-season training programs then you would have noticed a decline in their careers. This wasn’t the case and it is known today that they both where extremely hard workers.

Nolan Ryan and Roger Clemens careers are proof that proper weight training and plyometric training will lead to a successful career. So why do coaches ignore this fact? Because they usually do not have first hand experience. If you want to be a high performance machine then you must train your body to become one.

Why should pitchers use a good strength and conditioning program?

1. To enhance pitching mechanical efficiency, which will lead to more consistency and increased longevity.
2. Help the body heal faster.
3. Develop fast twitch muscle fibers which have a higher capacity for explosive energy.