Shoulder Workouts
May 10, 2012 | 
Author More questions….”What should I do after I pitch?” Here are my suggestions, in order: Read the rest of this entry »
This is a snapshot from a research packet showing the muscular activity of throwing a baseball as a percent of MVC, or Max Voluntary Contraction. MVC is a lab measure of conscious force exertion, and these numbers give us an idea of how active our muscles are relative to our conscious maximal force production. As you can see, the subscapularis fires at 115%…a tremendous amount of force for a single muscle.
Cal Dietz and Kevin Kocos recently ran an article on Elitefts.com describing a type of plyometric training that they called antagonistically facilitated shock training. The concept, while not entirely new, is a neat one. By contracting the opposing musculature (antagonist) to begin the movement, the targeted muscles (agonist) are relaxed and space is created between the floor/bar, depending on what exercise is being performed. Upon contact with the floor/bar, there is a strong eccentric contraction in the agonists (e.g. the pecs, delts and triceps) followed by an explosive reversal of the direction of the movement, as the strong concentric contraction kicks in. The article gives variations for the squat and the bench press
Don’t get me wrong, I love both of these variations, especially for athletes like pitchers where being able to relax and explosively contract the right muscles with good timing is crucial. The squat variation is one that can be used anywhere and even loaded up some
The issues I have with the bench press variation are twofold:
1) this is a movement that requires a spotter who actually knows what they’re doing, which would make it very difficult or impossible to do on your own or at most commercial gyms and
2) even if you did have a spotter, throwing barbells typically doesn’t go over too well at many facilities.
Aside from the access issues, I like the pushup pattern a lot more than the bench press for a number of reasons. It is a closed-chain exercise (hands/feet fixed) that offers more functional carryover for most sports than a bench press (aside from powerlifting). When properly performed, it has greater benefits when it comes to training core and shoulder stability, and it is all around more of a total body exercise.
Enter the AFS pushup:
I’ve already explained why I like this exercise over the bench press, but here are a couple reasons I like it better than a standard clapping pushup.
1) This version of the plyometric pushup is always caught in the proper position at the top. Clapping pushups have added, unnecessary hand and arm motion, increasing the risk of landing in a poor position that may put unneeded stress on the wrist and elbows
2) Clapping pushups are typically performed continuously for medium to high reps or until after fatigue has set in. By pausing between pushups and keeping sets short, power output is maximized with each rep.
As with any plyometric variation, these should ideally be done fresh near the beginning of a workout and broken up into a moderate to high number of sets for low reps. Experiment with 8×3, 6×4 and 5×5 to see what set/rep scheme works best for you. Additionally, you may feel like the load of the pushup is too great to achieve proper explosion. Try elevating your hands on a bench or adjust a barbell on the squat rack to the preferred height – everything else stays the same. Good luck and make sure to check out Dietz and Kocos’ original article over at Elitefts.com
I’m flying out to Southern California tomorrow for a small mental training camp held by Alan Jaeger. I’m pretty excited about it, and should have lots of good information to pass on.
But, until then, I’m going to share an amazing little youtube gem. It’s a satire of Doc Ellis’ LSD No-Hitter.
You gotta go piyutch!
Interested in getting your arm in shape and throwing harder this offseason? Sign up now at Extra Innings/DBSP. Second session starts Nov.29th.
I recently had a pitcher drive up to see me from a few hours away to see me. I asked them how the found me, and they said they just searched on Google. Thanks, Google.
I get a lot of traffic to my site from the search engines, specifically Google. It’s pretty interesting how you can see patterns and I can predict what articles will be popular based on their public familiarity. Here’s a snapshot of my top search engine terms and values assigned to them. I think these were quarterly figures, but I really don’t remember – I took this a picture a little while back.
Go to the search engine and try some of these out – you’ll find I’m on the first page of Google for a lot of them, and am one of the top 3 articles in the highest ones.
Also, look at the pattern – big names, like Gatorade G, Craisins, Asea Water (a supplement that people are now starting to hear and become curious about), Muscle Milk, Blackburns, “Talent is Overrated” (a book that Ben Brewster posted a review about) are what drive the most traffic to my site. People search my name a lot, and funny enough, you can butcher it and spell it a thousand ways of wrong and my site still pops up. THEY KNOW…
Fortunately, Google views my writing as relevant for such topics that are oft written about. The Gatorade G Series is Gatorade’s biggest development in the last few decades, and I’m one of the most relevant articles reviewing it, according to Google; I’m thankful for that.
So, I’m not really sure the algorithm they use, but when I post new things they tend to have the ability to gain a high pagerank with search engines, which in turn boosts my views and I think even furthers my pagerank. It’s a sort of circular system, I guess.
Anyway, if you’re a regular reader you might find this interesting. If not, well, go read some other dude’s lame training blog.
We do wayyyyy too many blackburns in my gym. But you know what? I think they have as much bang for the buck as any set of exercises out there. For an overhead athlete like baseball, softball, volleyball and tennis players, it’s really hard to beat them.
Here is a real-life example of a baseball player who has the signs of S.I.C.K scapula, which can leave the shoulder and elbow in ruins if not treated.
Morgan before: (Look at right shoulder – DRASTICALLY lower than his left)
And here is Morgan again, after I showed him this picture and told him that he needed to d0 the full Blackburn circuit 2x per day, every single day. He’s a hard worker, so he did…
Pretty big difference. He isn’t perfectly symmetrical yet, but has gotten pretty close with just an additional 12 minutes of rehab/prehab per day. Blackburns are the one thing I wouldn’t live without as a baseball player. They perform miracles…
The following is an exercise that I learned from my client Gerry, who was rehabbing his shoulder following some pain. I tweaked it and added to it, making it into it’s own circuit rather than just a single exercise. Watch the video and add it to your regimen – your shoulder will thank you as mine has!
I apologize for only revealing half of my beautiful face – I wanted to get this video up immediately to instruct a few of my clients, and didn’t realize what had happened to after the upload. Blame my camera – it’s not so intuitive for a first-time user.
The rep scheme is as follows… Read the rest of this entry »
This is a pretty neat drill that my friend Joe Cusimano showed me today. By grabbing the weighted ball (2lb) as your arm comes through in a pitching motion, you increase demand on your rotator cuff, thus strengthening the muscles that decelerate the arm through the zone. If you aren’t familiar with said decelerators, read my two posts on Throwing Anatomy (Part 1 and Part 2)
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 »
Novelty in the weightroom isn’t always a good thing, but sometimes can provide a fun pick-me-up when routines get stale.
The following are two of my favorite exercises that aren’t very well known, both of which, ironically, start with a Z. These were introduced to me by my strength and conditioning coach at UMBC, Fred Cantor.
The Zercher Squat
The Zercher Squat is a front squat in which you carry the bar in the crux of your elbows. Yeah, you could put a pad or towel there, but that takes the fun out of it.
It’s a great exercise because it easily allows proper and deep squatting form, and it requires more core recruitment to prevent forward lean.
And, it is fun to do with a partner because you can laugh as you both grimace in pain. You can also compare pain tolerances and find out which one of you is the soft one.
The Dreaded Zercher Squat
The Zottman Curl
This is a cool exercise because it combines a concentric bicep curl with an eccentric reverse curl. Gives a nice blast to the brachioradialis and the forearm extensors.
A special thanks goes out to Andrew Sacks, the bad mofo demonstrating in the video. Without an intact ACL or a working pancreas, he still had the courage to do the video . Commitment.
Having a strong shoulder is of the utmost importance for pitchers. Throwing velocity, injury resistance, durability and stamina are all improved by developing strong, stable shoulders. Why strength and stability? Because strength is what is going to allow you to throw as hard as you can, and stability keeps your upper arm properly aligned and firmly in the shoulder socket, preventing wear and tear on connective tissue.
Shoulder pops and clicks when you move it? Those are a result of weak stabilizers. Good thing is, the following shoulder circuit is going to make those a thing of the past, and add a few MPHs in the process.
This shoulder circuit is done for 2-3 complete cycles of 12-15 reps per exercise. For beginners, this is going to probably require only 2lb dumbells, and the goal is to build up to using 3, and then 4lb dumbbells with perfect form for 3 sets of 12-15. The circuit is performed straight through, but I have grouped the exercises according to the body position (prone or standing).
Prone Segment
This segment is performed on a tall bench, training table, or bent over with a flat back. Notice it consists of the LYT circuit plus prone skiers and scapula pushups.
L-Raise
Start with back flat. Pinch shoulder blades and raise arms. Finish by externally rotating
Y-Raise
Keep shoulder blades tight and reach out with hands