Pitching Exercises

By Jeff Moree for PitchingTips.com

Pitching, just like any physical activity, requires you to be in proper shape. There are certain baseball pitching exercises you can do to improve your pitching ability. However certain exercises should be avoided, as these can cause injury to a pitcher's shoulder.

A pitcher's shoulder is the most important part of their body. When the shoulder becomes injured, the pitcher is unable to perform at their best level. Certain types of exercises can be harmful to the shoulder. Overhead shoulder presses and flat bar bench press can both put a lot of strain on the shoulder. These should be avoided and alternate exercises should be used.

By doing the right pitching exercises, a pitcher can benefit from proper training. Strengthening the shoulder with stability exercises is a great way to maintain a healthy shoulder. Developing strong legs and a stable core are also an effective way to achieve peak pitching performance.

When lifting weights, a pitcher should be careful when using heavy weights. Heavy weight with low repetitions can lead to bulkiness which can cause the pitcher to lose his range of motion. By becoming bulky, a pitcher will lose velocity and can potentially injure himself. By lifting low weight and high repetitions, a pitcher will be able to maintain his range of motion and still get stronger.

When exercising, it is crucial to not forget about the back muscles. Working the chest muscles is fine, but these are not the ones that are most important to a pitcher. A pitcher's back is where he will find stability when throwing. Having a weak back is a recipe for injury. The rule of thumb is to perform three sets of back exercises for every set of chest exercises.

There are tons of training manuals and books available on the market that all claim to improve a pitcher's velocity or overall ability. The one that I have found the most success with is the TUFFCUFF Pitching Manual written by Steven Ellis, a former professional pitcher. This training manual provides a year long strength, agility, throwing, and even a diet program for pitchers. Since it was written by a pitcher, I know that the exercises found inside are going to be healthy and beneficial for me.

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