Pitching at your top velocity is a very intense movement that is performed on average about 75-100 pitches a game, not including practice. Most pitchers lose a lot of muscle mass or weight in-season which not only effects their recovery but their overall performance. If you can prevent losing your lean muscle mass, that you worked so hard to build up in the off-season when in-season, then you will give yourself a major edge over the competition.

I trained with Dan Miceli, who is a 14 year Major League relief pitcher, after my rotator cuff surgery. He was a big lifter and would go into spring training about 35 pounds overweight. This was all muscle mass from his off-season training. He said that the coaches would give him a hard time about his size during spring training and he would always tell them to just give him a few months and it would all be gone again. He was right!

It is a challenge for college and especially professional pitchers to keep up their lean muscle mass in-season which is also why steroids became such a problem in the game. This is why every pitcher must be on a daily protein program to promote more lean muscle mass which will promote faster recovery between appearances. A good protein program is not just eating meat and drinking milk, it is a lot more high tech than that these days. It evolves supplementing your diet with a combination of proteins to give your body everything it needs to do its job well which is throw blazing fastballs!

What is Protein?

Protein is the combination of essential and non-essential amino acids. Non-essential amino acids can be made by the body but the essential amino acids must be delivered through the diet. The ingestion of animals is the biggest source of protein but can be found in almost all food sources. When the protein is digested by the body it uses enzymes to break the proteins down into the amino acid chains. Once the protein has been digested into amino acids it can now be absorbed into the body and used for many purposes like fuel, blood clotting, fluid balance, production of hormones and enzymes, vision, and cell repair. It is most effectively used to rebuild the body and should not be used as much to fuel the body. It is used to fuel the body when there is a lack of glucose in the blood or there is two much protein in the body. This means you need to take your protein with carbs and you must not take to much.

Proof that Protein is Beneficial for the Pitcher

A study done by Fern et. al (1991) showed that greater gains in body mass occur over four weeks of heavy weight training when young men consumed 3.3 versus 1.3 grams if protein per kilogram of body mass. In addition a study done by Meredith et al. (1992) found that a daily dietary supplement containing 23 grams of protein combined with weight training can enhance muscle mass gains relative to similar subjects who trained with out the supplement. Both of the studies show support for the belief that increased protein in the diet can help increase muscle mass, but it should be noted that these effects were found with a combination of intake and training. These two studies further indicated that a protein intake of about 1.7 – 1.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day, when combined with weight training will enhance muscle development compared with similar training with an intake of 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day (5.) However, it is important to note that there is little good evidence that the very high protein intakes (more than 2 grams per kilogram of body weight per day) typically consumed by strength athletes are beneficial. Moreover, it is possible to obtain this quantity of protein without special supplementation assuming a mixed diet containing sufficient energy is consumed.
http://www.vanderbilt.edu/AnS/psychology/health_psychology/Protein.htm

How to Promote Post Pitching Recovery with Protein?

You should follow this daily cycle of protein for 2 months on and then 2 weeks off. I also recommend stacking this protein with a balanced diet, extra carbs and a lot of water. Complex carbs and water are just as important to promoting post pitching recovery.

1. Take a Whey protein or the Natural Pro Complex above first thing in the morning.
2. Take a Whey protein or the Natural Pro Complex above within 30 minutes to an hour post workout, training or pitching.
3. Take a Caseine Protein (in the pic here) just before going to bed at night.

The Difference Between the Proteins

Whey Protein – Is a fast absorbing protein that quickly soaks into the body. This is is perfect for the day when you are continually taking in protein sources.

Caseine Protein – This is a slow absorbing protein that takes time to break down and provides small amounts of protein over a long period of time. This is perfect for the night when you are a sleep and not eating.

Complex Protein -  This is a combination of proteins from sources like; whey, egg and predigested amino acids. This is a more effective way to feed the body what it needs.

Don’t screw around with your career. A good daily nutrition will make or break your pitching career!

Evidence that the MLB folded this hand is in articles like this here on MLB.com. The title says it all, Coach wants methods to catch on in bigs – Jaeger’s old-school, unorthodox regimen preserves arms. What will they do next, MLB forcing their pitchers to run longer distances for conditioning! This is just mind blowing. Alan Jaeger’s reason for his old school approach, over the new school approaches of the MLB which are still old school in my book, is in his quote here from the article.

“Among nature’s mightiest, most majestic creations are the Great Redwoods, which stretch skyward to heights of 350 feet and beyond…..But what might happen if you planted a baby Redwood tree in a greenhouse with a 10-foot ceiling reinforced with steel? The tree, much like a young Geisha girl’s feet shoved into unusually small shoes, would never reach its intended growth capacity. Both are examples of natural development being stunted, unnaturally. This, says Alan Jaeger, is the plight of pitching arms in America — and, by extension, many arms in Major League Baseball.”

The fact that this is the language that Jaeger uses to coach pitchers through his program is child’s play. If I was forced into a debate over this rhetoric I would have to counter his analogy with an analogy that is similar and defines the new school approach of Bigger, Stronger, Faster. My analogy would go something like this.

“Among nature’s mightiest, most ferocious creations is the Awesome Lion, the King of the jungle, who has the strength and speed to caught a Gazelle and rip his flesh to pieces…….But what might happen if you caged this Lion in a 30 foot cage reinforced with steel and barbed wire and force him to attack and kill large elephants and hippos? Much like the way Michael Vick raised his pit bulls for cage fighting. The day the lion was freed from his cage he would more than likely devour everything in his path. This, says Brent Pourciau is how I train my pitchers to grow Bigger, Stronger, Faster so they can reach their potential velocity or maybe even exceed my expectations.”

The fact that the likes of Nolan Ryan would actually entertain this old school approach on arm health for his Ranger pitchers makes me believe that major league baseball is going backwards again. Just when I thought the likes of Tim Lincecum had pushed the MLB into a new school revolution I was wrong. I believe the only hope that the MLB has is Dr. Andrew’s. If he finds the time to convince the MLB with his scientific studies of why arm injuries occur when unorthodox methods like Jaeger’s “air it out” throwing program are used then maybe the MLB will step into the future of strength and conditioning. Until then I am going to remain an MLB outcast and preach against this nonsense!

I am not talking about hormone levels like body builders talk about hormone levels. I am speaking for athletes who are always looking to grow more athletic. Your hormone levels are a major component to your athletic ability, so it is essential that you learn about your Endocrine System. The chart below comes from the National Strength and Conditioning Association. This chart describes how to manipulate your hormone levels naturally to gain athletic benefits.

What this chart teaches us athletes is that performing lifts that recruit major muscle groups and as many muscle fibers as possible, will cause more muscle fiber damage overall. In return the body is forced to heal this massive  event of controlled muscle damage as quickly as possible, to prevent damage from continuing. The body then sends out and army of natural occurring anabolic hormones to heal up the damaged muscle fibers.To make sure this event doesn’t continue, the body builds more muscle fibers for future events.

The difference in training muscles without recruiting as many groups of muscle fibers per repetition, like with aerobic conditioning or light weight training, is the body dumps only a small about of testosterone and GH to heal the small amount of damage. This is why body builders are bigger and more powerful than long distance runners.

To take advantage of this new information, it is important that you train smart. Training smart is not going one extreme to the other. So DO NOT take off with this new information and start throwing on weight that you can’t handle and perform 1-2 reps a set. That is unsafe. Just like pitching everything must be controlled and you must make small adjustments for a healthy career. This information should motivate you to start working for quality lifts instead of quantity. Another important piece of advice is not to take this mentality of bigger, stronger, faster into the weight room while in season. This is an off season mentality only.

Nutrition and supplementation for athletes should be based on whole foods.

“If you put into your body what you where made to eat, then you will get out of your body what you where made to do.”

If you are someone who has no clue about nutrition, you eat fast food all day long and you are considering an illegal supplement, this is crazy. You are playing Russian roulette with your life. If you have the desire to be a high performance Athlete/Pitcher, you need to learn as much as you can about nutrition and your body. This article should help get you started.

After I tore my rotator cuff and Doctors told me I didn’t have enough eligibility in college to recover from this injury, I read something that lifted my spirits. Ever six months your body replenishes itself, just like the rings on a tree your muscles are replenishing themselves from the inside out. The same with your skin. This doesn’t mean that your body will reconnect a tear from bone to muscle but a Doctor can. Basically what this means is you always have the opportunity to get on the path to good health. The edge you are looking for is between your ears. Educate yourself on your body and nutrition and you will put yourself in an elite group of athletes.

Good nutrition starts with an alkaline based diet. It is simple; your body’s health rides on its PH levels. If your PH levels are balanced, your blood is feeding oxygen to its cells. If your body’s PH levels are too acidic, then your body isn’t feeding its cells. We must nurture our body’s on the cellular level. This is the building blocks of our health and career. Most pitchers have no idea how to nurture the body on the cellular level. This is where you can get an edge.

To prevent your body from becoming too acidic you must understand what causes this acidity. It is mainly food and stress. Here is a chart that lists the alkaline and acidic foods. Learn this chart and start eating more foods on the alkaline side. This diet doesn’t mean you should avoid foods on the acid side, it only means you should eat more alkaline foods to prevent your body from becoming acidic. So for every acid food you eat, add 3 alkaline foods. Keep your meals simple and raw if possible. Raw green vegetables are a good foundation to building an alkaline dominate diet.

Ok, so you would like to know why you should eat these green vegetables! This is the deal. Keeping your body more alkaline allows for quicker recovery. Pitching is very stressful to the body. It uses a lot of energy and develops a lot of waste from that energy. The waste is mainly acid. It begins to eat at your muscles, tendons and the rest of your body. If the acid is not flushed out, it is stored in your tissue to continue causing problems. This is why pitchers experience serious soreness after a long game of pitching. The only way of flushing the acidity is by restoring your body’s PH levels to a more neutral balance. This means eating alkaline foods. The quicker you can restore your PH levels after a performance, the quicker you recover. This will increase pitching velocity, because the faster your body rebuilds, the faster your body grows. This is why steroids are so effective. The hormone testosterone heals the body. More of it heals the body faster. When the body heals faster, it has the potential to grow quicker. The problem with testosterone coming from outside of your body is your body will become dependent on the source. This means when you stop giving it steroids, your body could also stop producing testosterone. So let’s do this the natural way with an alkaline diet.

Supplements

There are only four supplements that I recommend for Athletes/Pitchers. This is mainly because all the others are a waste of money. Believe me I have tried most of them. The most important supplement that Athletes/Pitchers cannot do without is a multivitamin. I recommend a whole foods multivitamin. Synthetic vitamins are weak. Whole food vitamins found at health food stores are what you need.

Juice Plus

My next recommendation is Alkaline Water. There is no better way to restore your PH levels post workout or game than with water. Not only this but most good alkaline water machines can produce water that transforms the water into a higher concentration of oxygen micro-clusters. This not only hydrates you many times more but when taken with your supplements you assimilate more of the supplement into your system. If you really want an edge in this game and on life then contact me for more info on the Alkaline water machines.

The next supplement I would recommend is protein based. You can get protein from many sources. The best is white meat. If you feel you are not getting enough protein from your diet then I would recommend an amino acid supplement as well. You need at least 1 gram of protein for every pound of body weight. All you need to do is buy an amino acid supplement and take the recommended dosage. Make sure you cycle it on and off. This means, take the recommended dosage for a month or two then take a few weeks off from it. Brewers yeast is also a good amino acid supplement. This is a whole foods product full of vitamins, minerals and all the essential amino acids.

The last supplement I recommend is Omega-3. Our body’s can not produce Omega in our system. A balance of Omega-3 and Omega-6 is critical for brain function and reducing inflammation. Inflammation is a problem for most athletes. To prevent anti-inflammatory abuse with drugs like advil, aleve and others, you must have a balanced diet of Omega-3 to Omega-6 fatty acids. The average diet has a lot more Omega-6 than Omega-3. Omega-6 comes from animal fats and it promotes inflammation in the body. Omega-3 is found in fish oils, some nuts and vegatables. The easiest way to get this into your system is with a Omega-3 supplement. You can find this in most grocery stores or drug stores. Make sure it is cholesterol free and mercury free.  Take it everyday.

In conclusion, it is important that you learn about what you are putting in your mouth and feeding your body with. Read labels on products and stay away from processed foods. Eat everything that comes from the ground and your body will stay on the path to good health and recovery. If you just learn a basic understand of a good diet and follow it, you will be shock how your athletic performance improves.

When someone tells me that working out is bad for pitching I then ask them then why is about 70% of Major League Ball Players on Steroids or Human Growth Hormone? It isn’t because they just want to look good on TV. I then ask them why was the majority of the ball players listed on the Michell Report pitchers? I always get a few stutters followed by silence.

This does make a good point so I wanted to back up this claims with the list of pitchers who are on the Mitchell Report. It definitly does make a big statement. These pitchers where suspended for using steroids or HGH.

Agusten Montero
Juan Rincen
Rafael Betancourt
Ryan Franklin
Carlos Almanzar
Felix Heredia
Yusaku Iriki
Jason Grimsley
Guillermo Mota
Juan Salas
Clay Hensley
Grant Roberts
Matt Whiteside
Nerio Rodreguez
Henry Owens
Roger Clemens
Andy Pettitte
Kevin Brown
Jason Christiansen
Brendan Donnelly
Ryan Franklin
Eric Gagne
Matt Herges
Josias Manzanillo
Kent Mercker
Bart Miadich
Denny Neagle
Jim Parque
Stephen Randolph
Mike Stanton
Ron Villone
Jeff Williams
Todd Williams
Paul Byrd
Darren Holmes
John Rocker
Scott Schoeneweis
Ismael Valdez
Steve Woodard
Daniel Naulty
Ricky Bones
Paxton Crawford
Mike Judd
Ricky Stone

Believe me this is a short list. Think of all the Pitchers who didn’t make the list who are on these performance enhancers. If you need a reference to this information here are the links to the Mitchell report and all Pitchers suspended after the report came out.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Major_League_Baseball_players_named_in_the_Mitchell_Report

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Major_League_Baseball_players_suspended_for_performance-enhancing_drugs

I mean honestly, how could someone truly believe that strength and conditioning will not improve your velocity or speed? This is the only reason athletes take performance enhancers like steroids and HGH. Those of us in pro sports who didn’t take them where definitely tempted. We all knew that if you took human growth hormone, Deca-Durabolin, Winstrol, Sustanon, and Anadrol separately or all together before a workout, without dying, after a few months you would be throwing a lot harder. Notice I said dying. Yes, we knew it was dangerous and that is why some of us didn’t take it. Also because the league wasn’t offering us “No Namers” millions of dollars to play better.

It is just absurd to say that strength and conditioning does not increase velocity. It is even more absurd to follow that with “Only pitching mechanics improvement can do that while using mental rehearsal prior to each pitch with the intention of moving the body faster.” If your body is growing stronger, will it not have more ability to move faster? If strength and conditioning didn’t increase pitching velocity, personally I would have never played ball again after my rotator cuff surgery.

I am in NO way promoting steroid or HGH use to increase velocity. I believe this to be more destructive than helpful in the long term. This is why I recommend the 3X Pitching Velocity Program. This is the same program I used to not only make it back to baseball after a career ending rotator cuff tear but also play pro ball and top out at 94mph.

Read my article on “Olympic Lifting Increases Pitching Velocity,” to learn more about this topic.

To understand the effects of Olympic weight lifting and velocity on pitchers, you must first understand how velocity is measured. I will use Newton’s second law of motion, along with the Catapult Theory, to explain pitching velocity.

Newton’s Second Law:

States that the acceleration (velocity) of an object in motion is dependent upon two variables – the net force acting upon the object and the mass of the object. As the force of propulsion acting upon the object increases, the acceleration of the object increases. As the mass of the object increases, the acceleration of the object decreases.

Newton’s 2nd Law of Motion

a = f/m (f = force, m = mass, a = acceleration)

Let’s put this into baseball terms. Newton’s second law of motion would state that to throw a baseball 90 mph would require 6.5 pounds of pressure applied to a baseball, with a mass of 5 ounces, for two tenths of one second (.20).

6.5 pp applied to a 5 ounce baseball for .20 seconds = 90 mph fastball

Therefore to increase an 80 mph fastball to 90 mph you must either increase the force applied or the application time. The application time is how long you hold on to the ball once the force is applied. Subtracting 25% of application time forces a pitcher to increase the applied force by 33%. Increasing the application time by 10%, increased to .22 seconds, would add 10 mph to an 80 mph fastball.

80 mph fastball + 10% more application time = 90 mph fastball

* If you desire to see the formula in more detail that explains Newton’s Second Law defining the velocity of a baseball in motion then refer to Dr. Mike Marshalls article at: www.drmikemarshall.com/ChapterTwenty-Nine.html To find info scroll down to “1. The Release Velocity Formula for Baseball Pitchers.”

Catapult Theory:

The Catapult is made up of three components: the pivot, the coil and the arm. Let’s add a ball to the end of the arm to represent a baseball. To measure the velocity of the baseball, after the arm is released and the ball is in motion, we use Newton’s second law as described above. The importance of the Catapult is its relation to a pitcher at his full range of motion before launch of ball (See picture of Nolan Ryan below). If the Catapult pivot is not stable and is moving forward during release of the arm, then this will decrease the force applied to the ball at launch. In return, poor velocity. Now, if we stabilize the pivot, meaning no movement, and continue to apply the same force to the ball. When the arm is released and the ball is launched, it will reach its potential velocity. To keep force applied to the ball consistent the coil must maintain pressure on the arm during the entire delivery process.

How does Olympic lifting come into this equation?

First reason, it is the only type of lifting in the weight room that trains triple extension.

What is triple extension? This isn’t something new to the sports world. Olympic lifters have been using the term “Triple extension” for a long time. Triple extension occurs when the ankle joint extends, the knee joint extends along with the extension of the hip flexor. Visualize a long jumper in mid air like above (Notice left leg in triple extension). Also notice, in the picture to the right of Nolan Ryan, his right leg has triple extension. You can see his ankle, knee, and hip flexors in full extension. There is no weight lifting that trains the body pushing off of the ground as a single unit better than the Olympic Lifts. Triple extension plays in every sport that involves pushing off of ground.

Second reason, notice the lifter doing a split jerk at the top of the article. This is a very similar movement to pitching. More similar than any other weight training exercise. Studies have shown that athletes get better when training within their sport. This is called sport specific training.

This lifter is using triple extension to drive the weight up. Just like the pitcher driving the ball to the plate. The only difference here is the consequence of error. If the lifter losses momentum in the hips, he will drop the weight. If the pitcher losses momentum in the hips, he will throw a home run to some lucky batter.

If you want to learn about the Olympic Lifts and what they are, follow this link and watch the instructional video.

Coach Gayle Hatch Instructional Videos.

Now, how does triple extension increase velocity?

In all ways described in the Catapult theory above and Newton’s Second law, it adds both application time and force applied to ball.

First let’s explain how it increases application time, which is the most efficient way to increase velocity. Maximum application time comes from full range of motion. Example, Nolan Ryan has 180 degrees range of motion in picture above. This is the maximum possible. This means the Catapult is set to its potential, arm all the way back. For this to occur with a pitcher the hips must be pushed under the shoulders. The only way to push the hips under the shoulders is extending the back leg ankle, knee and hip flexor, also called Triple Extension, at the perfect time. With hips all the way under the shoulders, the pitcher now has reached his full range of motion, therefore increasing the application time to build or maintain force to the ball.

If the hips are lagging, the chest is leaning forward and the arm is leading the body, then minimal application time has occurred. Less range of motion therefore less potential to create more velocity.

Triple extension adds force to the ball because it aids in the momentum originally generated from the lift leg along with gravity. This only aids the momentum, if triple extension occurs, just before front foot strike. If it happens to early and the hips have not moved down the mound, then the hips open too soon. This kills the purpose of good momentum and it also kills full range of motion.

With chest out and hips under shoulders, chest and chin must remain up until launch of ball to keep pivot stable through entire delivery.

More benefits of Olympic lifting!

Not only do these lifts train Triple Extension better than any other style of lifting but it specifically trains fast twitch muscle fiber. This is what makes an athlete explosive. For pitchers and baseball players, getting stronger in the weight room has been forbidden, until the steroid area came into fruition. Now everyone is lifting. This isn’t a trend. This is because it works!

The last benefit of Olympic lifting for the pitching delivery occurs during stabilization of the front leg. Like described in the Catapult Theory, stabilization must occur to prevent decreasing force applied to ball. Therefore if the pitchers landing leg moves forward or gives away, then force is decreased to the ball. In return poor velocity. Notice Nolan Ryan in the picture here. His front leg almost triple extends. This means he is preventing instability in his front leg by holding and even extending it back into his hips. This is why he reached his top velocity.

So how do I get started?

In the weight room but first find a professionally certified Olympic Lifting Coach. These lifts take a lot of training to perform correctly, so to prevent injury. I do not recommend performing these lifts with out a proper coach supporting you. Please check with your physician before performing these lifts and remember weight is not important. Your form in the weight room and on the field is all that matters. Always sacrifice weight for good mechanics.

If you have any questions about this information please post your questions on the discussion board.

View footage of Nolan Ryans delivery in slow motion.

Weight Training and Velocity

Olympic lifting isn’t the only lifts in the weight room that will enhance performance and increase pitching velocity. They are the best lifts in the weight room for velocity but not the only ones. The Fusion system, which is the strength and conditioning program in the 3X Pitching Velocity program, includes the Olympic Lifts but also other effective lifts and exercises in the weight room for increasing velocity.