This is my first season pitching within a true 5-man rotation. In college and summer ball, there often are too many off-days to make the rotation stable. Weekend series in college mean that starters generally pitch once a week, giving ample time for physical and skill work in between outings.

But in the professional season, off-days are few and far between, and the rotation gives each starter 4 days to prepare for his next outing. Everyone is different in what he needs to prepare, but I’ll share my own preparation schedule that I feel gives me the best chance to succeed and stay strong throughout the season.

Day 0: Pitch (hopefully well)

I do very little on this day.  I stretch everything out, warm up really well, and go out and give em my best on the mound. Afterward I ice my elbow If I think I need it, but I generally am not a big icer.

Day 1: Repair Thyself

I do not lift weights on this day, nor do I do any shoulder or elbow prehab. I usually do not throw, either. My rationale for this is that throwing 100+ pitches is very destructive on the body, and a full day of rest is necessary to keep me healthy. If I do prehab, even without throwing, I’m still not allowing those tired and inflamed tissues in my arm to fully rest. So, I leave my arm alone – completely. I once asked my surgeon what he thought a pitcher should do after a start. His reply? “sit on the couch and eat potato chips.”

I keep off my arm as completely as I can, but my legs are a different story. Day 1 is my big run day, and I like an interval type workout with slightly longer distances. 10-12 “Bows” is one of my favorite workouts on Day 1. A “bow” consists of a very light jog on the warning track, and then an all-out sprint from foul-poul to foul-pole. A short rest is OK in between each bow, as keeping the sprint a sprint is a goal, and too little rest will reduce it to a fast run.

A crude drawing of a Bow

After getting my running done, I do hip work with a mini-band around my ankles, and I get a whole-body stretch in. After that, it’s bucket duty during BP and sitting through the ballgame.

Day 2: The Busy Day

Day 2 is hectic. No rest on this day.

First priority is a full-body lift, which will consist usually just of big, compound lifts like deadlifts, squats, chin-ups, floor pull-ups, and one pushing exercise like DB bench press. In-season I use heavier weights for low reps, with usually one higher-rep set thrown in to maintain my muscle mass. The low rep stuff keeps my max strength up without depleting all my energy, and I’ll typically use sets and reps such as 4×2, 4×3, 2×2 and 3×1, etc., done at 80-85% of my 1rm. Keeping max strength up is crucial, or else you end up a weakling by the all-star break, and all your offseason work becomes for nothing.

After lifting it is time to take care of my arm, which means my complete shoulder circuit of 2-3 sets, and all my elbow prehab. I also like to do some grip work holding heavy weights, (in addition to the deadlifts) like farmers walks or blob holds, if I can, because they make my elbow feel really good. I’m not sure why holding heavy things makes my elbow feel great, but it does.

Holding heavy things is fun!

After all the strength and prehab stuff, hopefully I have few hours break before going to the field. I’ll throw at the park, stretching it out a bit if my arm feels up to it, but basically the goal on this day is to get the arm moving again and prepare for my bullpen the next day.

After throwing, it’s time for al little more running. Short sprints, maybe 12x40yd is about par for this day, but I play it by ear depending on how I feel.

Day 3: Back to Work

Day 3 is highlighted by my heavier bullpen of the week, usually in the 5-10 minute range depending on what I need to work on and how I feel. This pen is thrown at maybe 70-80%, but I might pump it up higher if I feel I need a little higher intensity work, as your pitches and they way they feel change the harder you throw.

I do another set or two of shoulder and elbow prehab, this time with lighter weights. Usually 2lb is all I touch after Day 2 for my shoulders, and I like doing some table scapula stability exercises on Day 3 as well. Elbow work is very light. The workload starts to taper down on Day 3, as I have to be fully recovered by Day 5.

This is the last day I run hard. The other day I did 20x40yd sprints, but I mix it up depending on how I feel. Pick-ups, maybe 3 sets of 20 is something else that I might do on this day, to get some lateral leg work.

Day 4: Tapering Down

On Day 4 I play catch, usually ending with a flat ground or maybe a short, light mound bullpen of just a few minutes. The goal is to keep the arm moving while still working on the feel of my pitches. I feel better on game day when I have played catch the day before, rather than taking day 4 off.

I jog a little bit, just to get the blood flowing. I stretch really well and don’t do any other physical stuff with my arm.

Day 5: Pitch (hopefully well)

Hopefully I maintain my place in the rotation and give the fans something to cheer about. Then the preparation starts back up again!

Again, everyone is different, and this is so far what I have found works for me. Making sure you’re recovered for the next start is key, and if fatigue sets in you have to adjust your workload to compensate, ensuring that you’re at your best every time you take the mound. I enjoy training hard, but being a hero in the weightroom or on the track isn’t worth a damn if it leaves you tired for that next outing.