Well if you are looking for the The Ultimate Weight Training Program for Pitchers then you have come to the right place. We specialize in strength and conditioning programs for developing the healthy high velocity pitcher.
Just recently I had a young pitcher come to my training facility here in Louisiana who was 16 years old and having arm problems. His name was Mitchell. He and his Dad where interested in training through my 3X Pitching Velocity Program, which has helped hundreds play at the next level. He was excited to get started but his Dad was concerned about the weight training program. I told him I would not advise him to remove the weight training program because it will support his development through his teen years and also help with his current arm problems. His Dad decided against weight training for now. I told him that I would only run him through the 3X Velocity System, which is the throwing program but he would not see the improvements that others had made because he was not doing the weight training portion.
I trained Mitchell for a few months through the throwing program only and we did see a 2-3 mph jump in velocity. He left me for his Junior season in High School and half way through the year his Dad and him came back to my office to have another talk with me. He had only pitched 10 innings and his arm was starting to bother him again. They both seemed desperate for help at this point. They wanted to know what Mitchell needed to do to get his pitching velocity over 90mph. I told him that he needed to do the entire 3X Pitching Velocity Program, weight training included, if he wanted to reach these goals. They were convinced or just desperate and I found Mitchell the next day at my front door waiting for me to open it so he could start training. He worked hard and was able to keep up with the older pitchers who he was training with. Three months later something insane happened. We were doing our shuttle runs on the field, normally Mitchell hangs with the group into the finish, but not on this day. He broke away like a bat out of hell. It was like he had jumped into another body. Not only that but after this moment everything started going up. His power clean, his vertical jump, his pitching velocity. He was planning to go to a showcase at LSU in a few weeks to end summer ball and he was determined to grab LSU's attention. The next day following the showcase I walked into my facility and Mitchell gave me the great news that he was topping out at 94mph and LSU offered him a scholarship on the spot. He went from low 80's to low 90's in one summer at the age of 17.
The purpose of this story was to show that the weight training was the determining factor here. He would have never seen that kind of performance enhancement in that short of amount of time without a weight training program that was developed for the pitcher.
Weight Training for the High Velocity Pitcher
Let's get serious here! I mean who is looking for a weight training program for pitchers because they want to look pretty on the mound. You want a weight training program because you are sick of throwing an average fastball. You want to bring the noise and you know weight training may just be your ticket. Well, this is the best decision you have made in your career. Not only that, but it is proven that weight training will protect your arm. Here is an article about a study proving that weight training, even heavy weight training reduces pitching injury.
Here is another ground breaking study that proves if we don't, as pitchers, improve our leg strength and learn to pitch with the lower half, then not only will it wear down our arms, but it works against our pitching velocity. This excerpt was taken from the publication linked below and referenced from the source listed just above the link.
In previous work, Kibler and Chandler calculated that a 20% decrease in kinetic energy delivered from the hip and trunk to the arm requires a 34% increase in the rotational velocity of the shoulder to impart the same amount of force to the hand.
Source of reference: Kibler WB, Chandler J. Baseball and tennis. In: Griffin LY, editor. , ed. Rehabilitation of the Injured Knee. St. Louis, MO: Mosby; 1995:219-226.
Read the entire publication here: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3445080/
Yes, read that again! A 20% decrease in leg drive into hip rotation will force you to increase your shoulder rotation speeds by 34% to make up for the lose of power in the lower half. That should open your eyes. I talk more about this in my article on how research is proving that conventional wisdom is ruining pitchers.
So, if your mind wasn't already fired up about a weight training program for pitchers you should be unable to contain yourself sitting in front of this computer.
What Power/Strength Weight Ratio Means to the Pitcher
Your power/strength to weight ratio should be something that comes after your name on the back of your jersey. It is that important and is what separates you from your the rest. This means how much power or strength can you push out over your body weight. If you weigh 200lbs, but you can only power clean 150lbs, this means your body weight is working against you. Now if you are 150lbs and you can power clean 200lbs then this is a different story. You are definitely a better athlete than the previous numbers.
Size doesn't always matter. Haven't you ever seen a pitcher who was 6'5 and weighs 250lbs but throws low 70's and then on the other hand you have seen a pitcher 5'6 and weights 125lbs but throws mid 80's. This is because the smaller pitcher has a more impressive power/strength to weight ratio.
The reason a power/strength to weight ratio is so important for the pitcher is because of the power requirements to throw with high velocity. A recent study called, Lower-extremity ground reaction forces in collegiate baseball pitchers, performed at the 1Out-Patient Rehabilitation, Sports Medicine Division, Ochsner Health System, New Orleans, Louisiana, which is just in my back yard, has shown that a pitcher throwing around low to mid 80's must stop, at front foot strike, about 202 ± 43% of his body weight approximately 45 milliseconds after front foot strike. That means the strength to weight ratio on the front leg at front foot strike is well over 2X your body weight. This is not squatting 2X your body weight but braking 2X your body weight. This would be like catching 2X your body weight in a power clean. This is why in the 3X Pitching Velocity Program we require at least a power to weight ratio of 1.5X your body weight before you should expect a significant jump in pitching velocity. You can read the entire study here: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22344047
Now that you know exactly what you need from a weight training program not just for the pitcher, but the high velocity pitcher, I highly recommend that you learn more about the 3X Pitching Velocity Program and the Fusion System. This is the power/strength to weight ratio focused weight training program that comes with the entire program.