Archive for January, 2010

1 Heaping Cup Dry Old Fashioned Oats: 15¢

2¼ Cups Tap Water : .0001¢

1 Heaping Cup Frozen Mango Chunks: 80¢

1 Heaping Cup Blueberries: 60¢

1/4 Cup Ground Flaxseed: 10¢

No added sugar, splenda, salt, or any of that garbage: $0.00

Waking up with a smile, because I’m about to eat the best oatmeal ever….

…PRICELESS! (man, what a dork I am)

Grip strength is critically important, and I have been harping on it for some time. EVERYONE can use increased grip strength, and the implications it has on throwing harder, swinging harder and preventing injury are huge.   Grip, or hand strength can be classified in many different ways, but today we are going to focus on just open and closed hand strength, the differences between them and their implications for pitchers and hitters.

Closed Hand Strength

This is just what it sounds like, holding things with a closed fist.  This is the most important type of strength for a hitter to have, as gripping the bat is done with closed fists.  This isn’t meant to be groundbreaking info, but I want you to see the carryover from the weight room to the field for both pitchers and hitters.

Read the rest of this entry »

If you haven’t already realized, I love grip training and my favorite piece of equipment is my rock rings.  These versatile rock climbing holds feature four different grips to challenge one’s open hand strength.  They make for some super hard chin and pull ups, but can be tied to basically anything…like dumbbells!

Pictured here is Adam Baxley, a freshman catcher at Frostburg U.  What we did with him was a 4 hold drop set – he started with the most difficult grip (3 finger shallow pocket) then when he couldn’t hold anymore, picked the weights back up with the next easiest grip, ending with the big sloper hold.  This way we were able to get his hands under tension longer, which resulted in a really tough grip exercise (he’ll attest to that).

Hand and finger strength is really under-appreciated and under-trained in the baseball community.  This blows my mind, as the last thing a thrown ball is in contact with is the (drumroll please) fingertips!  Sure, doing wrist curls, holding heavy things, etc. etc. develops grip and forearm strength, but it’s just not the exact type of strength I see as most important- fingertip strength.  If you haven’t been to your local rock climbing wall recently, you’ll realize how lacking your finger strength is – even if you have monster forearms and a great closed hand grip.

I’m hitting the rock climbing gym 2-3 times a week right now.  Do I expect it to help me throw harder?  Yes.  I do.  Can’t imagine how it wouldn’t.

Author’s note: Let me just say that this was intended to be broken up into three parts, but it was decided that readers would get more out of it, despite the length, if kept in one piece. Enjoy.

After hearing rave reviews about Geoff Colvin’s book “Talent is Overrated,” I decided to give it a read. For me, it absolutely lived up to the hype. Colvin lays out a solid, clearly organized argument for why the widely accepted concept of “talent” is flawed, and proceeds to illuminate the topic of what really distinguishes the greats from everybody else. By detailing the path to greatness, Colvin forces the reader to come to terms with his or her own performance. It’s an eye-opening read, but I’ll do my best to summarize the author’s argument here and, where possible, tie it back into baseball and training (this will likely be a separate article).

“Talent” here refers to the “natural ability to do something [specific] better than most people can do it…it is innate; you’re born with it, and if you’re not born with it, you can’t acquire it.”

Without further ado, here is the basic outline of Colvin’s book, as I interpreted it.

People are mediocre

Most people are just ok at what they do for a living, despite devoting huge amounts of time and energy in preparation for their career. Furthermore, research shows that most people aren’t even getting better/more efficient at their jobs with experience. Writes Colvin, “we tell our kids that with hard work, they’ll be fine. And it’s true. They will be fine.”

People assume that great performers have:

1. A “natural gift”

While this could be argued for some physical characteristics (Phelps wouldn’t be as fast if he didn’t have a 6’8” wingspan and massive hands + feet) the book does not consider physical attributes to be the same thing as a “natural gift.” This is likely because Colvin does not consider physical attributes to be domain specific. That is, Phelps was not born a talented swimmer; he just had physical attributes that happened to lend themselves to the sport.

A common assumption while on the topic of “natural gifts” is that, in many fields, elite performers must be “smarter” or have superior memories than their average counterparts. Colvin demonstrates that IQ tests are poor indicators of high achievement, and, furthermore, that remarkable memory is almost always created (and domain specific), not inherent. Furthermore, the “natural gift” explanation is convenient because it helps us come to terms with our own performance.

2. Worked hard to get to the top

This is (mostly) true. All great performers have worked substantially harder than almost anyone in their given field. There is a strong correlation, through research, between amount of practice and proficiency/expertise. Colvin gives an example of a study:

There were two groups of music students. One was considered elite, the other simply good. What separated them was how much they had practiced. But it still took them the same amount of practice to reach certain checkpoints (grade 5 for example). They weren’t more “talented” as we might think, they had just practiced more. Writes Colvin, “Ambitious parents who are currently playing the ‘baby Mozart’ video for their toddlers may be disappointed to learn that Mozart became Mozart by working furiously hard.” But this does not tell the whole story. While those at the top certainly worked hard, it doesn’t always work in reverse. Hard work alone doesn’t guarantee success. So then, what does, if anything? Read the rest of this entry »

I still get a lot of emails, comments, and have had a few phone conversations regarding Tommy John Surgery from players and parents wanting to know what to expect.  There is a real need in cyberspace for more firsthand accounts of injuries and how the recovery process went.

At the menu bar at the top of the site is a tab for “Injury Stories,” which will take you to a submission form.  You can write whatever you want there, and it will submit directly to me for approval.  I would love to post anything you want to write, because it really will mean something to someone out there, even if you never meet them.

I have a lot of former teammates who have a lot to share, but I’m not gonna be pushy with this and keep pestering people.  All I’ll say is, if you have a story, you should share it, help someone else out, and spread the knowledge around.  And if I don’t know you but maybe you’ve gotten some info from me, return the favor.  You can submit directly, or email me if you’re unsure of how you want to go about it.  I’ll look forward to hearing from you…

Healthy eating requires healthy shopping, as you will eventually eat every food that is in your pantry.  Yes, some of us have excellent will power to resist the unhealthy food around us, but rest assured, if you own it, you will one day eat it.

So, one of the biggest factors in sticking to healthy diet is stocking your cupboards with only the foods you should eat.  If you don’t have any sticky buns available, then you won’t eat them at 11pm when you suddenly have a craving.  Sensible, right?

The thing with healthy foods is that they are sort of a double edged sword.  Per calorie, healthy food like veggies, fruits, fish, nuts, etc. are far and away more expensive than processed junk foods.  For example, a 10 oz box of macaroni and cheese costs about 79 cents, and provides around 1000 calories when prepared.  A whole pound of fresh broccoli costs 1.59 and provides maybe 200 calories.  Get the picture? Though the broccoli is the hands-down winner in health, it won’t keep your body going if your budget is tight.  This is, sadly, why poor families just simply can’t afford to be healthy.

Yet, per dollar, you can get A LOT of food when you choose healthy rather than processed and unhealthy, and healthy food keeps you full longer (bonus!).  You can buy a huge drum of “Old-fashioned” Oats for 3 dollars, whereas a box of 12 small flavored oatmeal packets costs 4 dollars.  Eat it plain, add fruit, or flavor it yourself, and you have a significant savings by buying bulk commodity oatmeal versus the prepackaged, less healthy version.  Though healthy food is almost always more pricey per calorie, in many instances the bulk version of it is vastly cheaper than the processed versions that are ready-made for us.  Plus, by buying commodities you avoid the sugar and salt that are added to prepackaged foods, such as that flavored oatmeal, which wreck otherwise healthy foods and diets.

The strategy that I take into the grocery store with me is one of getting the most healthy food for my dollar.  I don’t compromise on the food itself, but I make compromises on taste and how much prep time I have to put in.  When I say I compromise on taste I mean that I don’t worry about what it tastes like in the state I buy it, because I will prepare it so that it’s palatable to me back home.  I’ve got a pretty good system going, and I’ll share what works for me…

Tips for becoming a better shopper:

• Buy commodity Foods in bulk (oatmeal, rice, quinoa, etc.) instead of prepackaged versions
• Buy fresh fruits and veggies that are in-season, as they will be cheapest
• Buy all other fruits and veggies frozen, as they will be cheap anyway
• Go with generic brand whenever possible, unless you KNOW there is a difference
• Don’t pay for drinks, ever!  Imagine how much food you could buy for the 30+ dollars you probably spend on drinks each month.  They contribute calories without making you full, which is a dietary nightmare. Sugary drinks suck, tap water is free, and bottled water is overrated.
• Trade in the dressings, sauces and marinades for spices, which are tasty, cheaper and don’t contribute empty calories
• Try the 4 dollar rule: Buy only meat that costs 4 dollars or less per pound.  There is always some kind of lean meat that adheres to this on any given day at the grocery.  Unless it’s grass-fed, more expensive meat isn’t worth it on a day-day basis.
• Don’t buy things you LOVE.  You’ll just eat them all within two days.
• Don’t buy things you hope you’ll eat, but probably won’t.  I do this a lot, mostly with fresh green veggies, and I waste them about half the time.  If you really want to include something in your diet, buy in small quantities to start.

Try some of these tips out, and I know you’ll get more bang for your buck.  I see people buying huge bags of Tostitos for 4 bucks a pop, and I can’t help think what a waste it is.  I’d kill that whole bag in 15 minutes, still not be full, and be on the fast track to obesity and vitamin deficiency.  I’d trade that for some frozen cherries mixed with plain oatmeal any day!

I jotted down notes about my bullpen or general throwing sessions from months 7-9.5 of my recovery.  I discovered it while cleaning my place.  I’m just rewriting what I had down, so I may or may not be able to clarify if you have any questions.

March 22 – Good, not sore

March 24 – Good, not sore

March 26 – 7 months – Good, not sore

March 28 – 15 Changeups; good, but not perfect

March 30 – 10 changeups, discomfort on 1/3 of them

April 1 – 3/4 speed; no changes, no pain, 66-71 mph. felt ok, not perfect next day

April 3 – felt good, not perfect; 45 pitches @ 3/4 (speed)

April 6 – 1st two digits had pain when pressure applied

April 9 – mid to upper 70s, little pain; felt good after 4 days off prior

April 17 – no pain! 65 pitches at 3/4

April 19 – long tossed to 240 no pain

April 21 – felt good. into low 80s maybe

April 23 – gun read 75-77. TIRED! but no pain

April 25 – 8 months – Hit 81, consistent 76-79 50/30 pitches

April 28 – long toss to 270, 45 pitches at 85%

April 30 – 30 + 45 vs hitters. 82-84. Felt good

May 2 – VERY tired from April 30.  Arm achy and slight pain, very dead. threw 70 at 2/3 speed

May 4 – flat ground, 15 curves at 50 ft. pain still, arm not recovered from previous.

May 7 – Hard pen, felt good. 80 pitches at 90%

May 9 – good long toss, felt great.

May 11 – 100% from mound, 100% changes, 50% curves (15). felt good, no pain, but knotted up on forearm after.

May 14 – 100% fast + cu, no curves. Still knot in forearm but no pain

May 16 – 45 fast-curve-change, 75-75-50% respectively. less tightness, no knot next day.

May 18 – Light pen, 30 curves

May 20 – In game, 28 pitches. 30 curves beforehand. Bicep Dead, big knot afterward.  No throw 21-24.

May 25 – In game 35 pitches, no knot after, felt good

May 27 – 70 pitch pen, 30 90% curves, felt good, bicep better

May 29 – 50 pitch, 70%, curves getting sharper!

May 31 – 60 in game; arm felt slow, but great after. 55 fb/ 5 curves. No tightness at all.

June 2 – Long toss, hard but not too many throws. Need to get intensity up and let go. Felt good next morning.

June 4 – Bullpen 20 max effort, 85-90.  Arm felt achy, some occasional pain twinges, and very dead.  Decent next day. Fatigue in bicep/tricep still, but not terrible.

Thats the whole log.  Wish I had done more of that during it all, but I was more interested in getting after it than writing it all down.  Hindsight…

The human body adapts to common stimuli over time.  In psychology, we call this habituation. In training, we combat this with periodization.  What is periodization?  It’s breaking a long period of training into different phases so that one’s muscles don’t habituate, which would stall progress.

The Phases

As an athlete, the period after completing a competitive season is known as the active recovery period.  This is the time when one doesn’t perform specified training, but rather keeps his or her body in motion by recreational activities, done at a low intensity.  Playing pick up basketball twice a week would be an appropriate activity for this phase.

Once active recovery is complete (generally just a couple of weeks, depending on season length), one moves into the hypertrophy phase.  In this phase the goal to replace the muscle size that was lost during the season.  The athlete needs to restore his body mass by resistance training at a high volume.

One ideal body mass is achieved, the strength phase is next.  This is typified by lower volume but higher intensity resistance training, designed to develop increased muscle strength, but not to pack on any more size.  Lifting for size and lifting for strength differ in the rep schemes and loads used.  Naturally, the strength phase will use lower rep sets with near-maximal loads.

The final phase of the off-season is the competition phase, which takes all the size and strength the athlete has built and peaks it for maximum performance right as the season starts.  In powerlifting, this would mean training at 95-100% of one’s max lifting ability, yet for other sports this would vary.  The competition phase for high-velocity, low-load sports like tennis, baseball, softball, lacrosse, etc. would consist of high-velocity, low-load activities like plyometrics and other dynamic, ballistic exercises.

Once your body peaks and the season starts, you enter a maintenance phase, in which you lift only to keep your off-season gains, which means not trying to build more strength.  Attempting to make gains in the weight room during the season would detract from in-game performance.  Game performance is the ultimate goal, after all, so nothing should be done during the season to negatively impact it.

——————-

This model discussed above is the linear model of periodization, meaning that phase progression follows uniformly.  There are other methods as well, such as the undulating model, in which one might perform one day of each phase each week. The type of periodization used is subject to the athlete’s physical makeup, time constraints, abilities, etc.

The simplest way of thinking about periodization is this: Rest after your season, then get back to work.  Build muscle, make that muscle strong, then make that muscle move fast.  Once the season starts, maintain what you worked hard for, then repeat. Sensible, right?

Cutting fat is a common goal no matter what time of year it is, but as a new years resolution, it probably can’t be topped.  Many people would just assume hit the treadmill a little harder, but that isn’t the best way to go about it.

Sure, burning more calories will help, especially if you’re inactive, but modern training techniques are way beyond that, and I wouldn’t waste your time with sustained cardio and a recommendation of more salads (though salads have their place).

What You Really Should Be Doing

Metabolic circuit/complex training.  Ever heard of it?  Unless you’re a pretty advanced and knowledgeable trainee, then probably not.  Yet, it’s far and away the best method to burn fat, add muscle definition, and increase conditioning all at once.  Sounds great, right?  Well, there’s a catch…

It can and will bring you to your knees.  Sorry, but all good things in this world take sacrifice.  If you’re willing to really work hard and actually want to meet your goals, training this way will be the best decision you’ve ever made.  Stay tuned because I’ll be posting more about this type of training complete with sample videos.

What You Really Should Be Eating

More veggies, more protein, less processed foods, and fish oil!  If that sounds simple, it’s because it kinda is.  When you eat lean protein and  veggies at each meal, your body will start reshaping itself almost immediately.  There are lots of complex reasons to eat veggies, omega-3s, and lean protein in each meal, all the while omitting the processed crap, but don’t worry about it – just do it.

I celebrated 2009′s departure with more fervor than any other year in my 24 years of existence.  While I had a lot of productive things happen in ’09, leading me into 2010 with a codpiece full of optimism, I got kicked in the nuts by life way too many times.  As soon as I stopped dry heaving, whimpering  and coughing enough to arise from my knees, along came another swift inguinal blow.

Now we could get into a debate about how my overprivileged-middle-class problems aren’t as real those of most of the world, but screw that.  Things were hard, it was a bad year, and it’s all looking up for 2010.

So now is the time when everyone makes their resolutions, which last probably an average of 45 days, if that. I have never been one for resolutions, mostly because Jan.1 is ultimately just one arbitrary deadline. If you really want to change, Christ, just do it today.

But anyway, in the spirit of the holiday, I would like to suggest some resolutions for others that may be useful, based on my observations of my own and other people’s lifestyles.

1. Stop Being Such a Pansy With The Opposite Sex

I know far too many guys who are downright terrified of being rejected by women without 10 shots in them.  Now I could, and probably will, write pages and pages about this subject, but today I’ll leave you with one reason to sac up and go for it: People are attracted most to others close to their own attractiveness.

So, if you think a girl is really pretty, and others would agree that she is at least somewhat “in your league,” then there is a great chance she would hear you out. After all, you’re attracted to and would be receptive to her if she approached, so why wouldn’t the same be true if you broke the ice?  Anytime a girl comes up to me or my friends I am always impressed, and whether or not it’s a connection, she earns points and I give her my attention.  I yell at my sister every time she tells me she saw a cute guy, and didn’t talk to him.  Lame.  Life is just too boring and short to not take what you want.

2. Stop Being Needlessly Reckless

Use protection.  I can’t believe that even needs to be said, but it shocks me how many people are so cavalier about it with people they barely know.  Unless you’re married and stable, children, god bless them, aren’t what you need.

3.  Stop Being So Fat

Nutrition isn’t as complicated as one might think.  Trade in the cookies, chips and processed foods for veggies and fruits, and eat some healthy fats and lean protein in each meal.  Exercise.  THATS IT.  (You knew this deep down, didn’t you?)

4. Stop Being Guarded

Be more honest, and tell people what’s really going on.  All those acquaintances that you have, in which you always talk about superficial things, aren’t really adding meaning to your life.  Make your interactions meaningful by saying meaningful things.

5. Stop Being Cheap (Especially in the recession)

I’m fortunate in that I enjoy my job, and am very good at it, and am well paid.  Do I deserve this?  Sure, I put in the work and have specialized knowledge, but I don’t really work harder or deserve more money than anyone else.  I had an epiphany when I was in Giant and saw a 45 year old man stocking shelves: I need to spread my wealth around even more to those who deserve and need it. This guy looked just like, and was conceivably just as educated as any other 45 year old with a career paying 80 grand a year.

This stocker probably has the same mortgage, wife and kids, too.  So why is he stocking shelves?  Maybe some bad choices, but maybe not, and there are enough people out there like him who do those custodial jobs through no fault of their own.  Maybe he was laid off, or had some major shake-up, who knows.

Point is, you see the restaurant workers, barbers, custodians, and all these people who work way harder and way longer for way less money than the rest of us, through no real fault of their own.  Who we all are today is largely a product of genetics and ancestry.  If my family was poor, I wouldn’t be doing what I do, and I wouldn’t be able to still pursue baseball.  Rather, I’d be out working to make ends meet and scrape by.

So if you have the money to go to a restaurant, or get a nice haircut, or whatever, you BETTER tip those people well.  Even if you always tipped well, tip a little better. They work harder than you and deserve a break, and you never know what a few extra dollars could mean to someone.

———–

So there ya go.  5 resolutions that get the Dan Blewett stamp of approval (prestigious, I know!)

My resolution for my site is to get more comments out of you, my valued readers. So I would love to hear your comments, starting with any resolutions you would like to add to this list!