Workout to add MPH on fastball?

[willy_p19]

Hey y'all. I'm considering playing ball again for an adult league next year. I'm throwing (according to the jugs machine at the pro ball field) about 73 consistently. Back in the day w/o juice I was throwing about 80. I want to be able to back in shape to throw about 85-90. I'll work on proper mechanics, but can anyone help me with a good workout regimine to gain MPH on a fastball? If so, thanks! So much appreciated!

[shadyniner]

You might want to start with a basic type program, maybe just focus on the big lifts, like squat, bench, deads, really get strong, then maybe focus on baseball specific stuff. Work the rotators nice and good 3 times a week to prevent an injury. Dave Tate wrote a good article about training for baseball, check that out, and implement some of that stuff after about a good two months of focusing on the basics (if you need to).

[hardwork08]

how old were u when u threw 80? if you were like 17-18 and developed pretty well i doubt you will pass 80 again..and whats up with the 'w/o juice'? i'm 16 and hit 80..i believe ya.haha

[ripka]

lots of long toss. that will strengthen the muscles in your shoulder. Also work on your legs as well. squats, straight leg dead lifts and leg presses. Alot of a pitchers power comes from his push off the mound. strong legs are important for this. Also pitching mechanics are very important. you can have a very strong arm and very strong legs, but unless you can make the entire machine work together your velocity wont be there. see if there is a pitching coach in your area that can go over a few basics and google every thing you can on pitching mechanics. hope this helps.

[Finton]

Work out your legs and your butt alot alot alot. Bigger the better. The guys you see in the major leagues with small frames (like 170 lbs or 180) have monster legs. Roy Oswalt for example has a small upper body but his legs are huge. Get with a pitching coach to work out your mechanics, that in itself can help you add 3-5 MPH on your fastball and add movement. I went to a pitching coach and it did that for me. They will also help you learn how to throw the ball so that when it comes out of your hand it looks slow but when it gets to the hitter it just explodes. If you used to be able to throw 80, you still can. At age 24 you still have plenty of time. DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCE USE A WEIGHTED BASEBALL! Get comfortable on the mound. Work from the stretch alot, that whens alot of pitchers lose their velocity because they dont know how to pitch from the stretch. When your on the mound do not try to "push off the rubber." You actually lose velocity trying to push off. Keep your back leg straight. DO NOT BEND IT! The more you bend your back leg the more velocity you lose and your fastball will flatten out and you will get smoked.Keep that back leg as straight as possible, I know that can be difficult because I had to work on that ALOT.

[bxbombers]

i agree with not pushing off the rubber. the only thing that will do is cause you to drift foward, while your arm will be behind you. there shouldnt be any foward movement untill your elbow is up in the loaded position. i disagree with the weighted balls. i use a heavy ball to work on strength and a lighter ball to work on armspeed. overload/underload has been used in the mlb for years for a reason. all the power comes from the waist down. so make sure you have strong legs and core. im not sure about the keeping the leg straight thing. its very hard to rotate the hips without some flextion. but you do whant to be as high as you can to create a downward angle, "tall and fall", not "dip and drive". the main exersizes you should be doing are squats,abs, and a lunge variation. hold a pair of dumbbels and pretend like your in the stretch position. go threw your motion and land like you would if you were throwing a pitch. if you do these in the gym,you'll look like an ass, but who cares

[Finton]

i disagree with the weighted balls. i use a heavy ball to work on strength and a lighter ball to work on armspeed. overload/underload has been used in the mlb for years for a reason. all the power comes from the waist down. so make sure you have strong legs and core. im not sure about the keeping the leg straight thing. its very hard to rotate the hips without some flextion. but you do whant to be as high as you can to create a downward angle, "tall and fall", not "dip and drive".

Exactly what im talking about with the not bending the leg thing. I mean, your going to bend your leg a little but you dont want to bend it much. Your going to lose the life on your fastball. Keeping that leg straight and being "tall" is what makes your fastball explode when it gets to the hitter.
Weighted baseballs are exactly what keep many pitchers from lengthing their careers,wheather it be high school or college. They are responsible for rotator cuff injuries,wrist injuries, elbow injuries, and are hell are your shoulder. They can essentially end your baseball career. Weighted baseballs have helped some but i would not reccomend it to anybody.

[bxbombers]

it depends on what kind of weighted ball your using. what i use is a ball 2onces heavier, and a ball 2 ounces lighter then a regular ball. its a great way to warm up. its just like using a donut on the on deck circle. if youve ever been able to see a mlb game while their warming up, youll see most guys doing this. mariano rivera is one that has made overload/underload very popular.

[DaveInTX]

I have to agree on lots of long toss and working your core (abs, quads, etc.)

[Finton]

Do not overdo it on the long toss, Many people will tell you to do as much long as possible but just watch it. Not too much.

[throwinsmoke]

im 18 years old and im throwing top speed 88 and consistent at about 79 ive tryed squats, legpress, and other leg exercises but cant seem to gain mass on my legs. i drink protein shakes but they dont seem to help either everyone tells me if i put some meat on my bones id throw harder any advice on how to strengthen legs to throw harder

[HomeRunKingAK]

it depends on what kind of weighted ball your using. what i use is a ball 2onces heavier, and a ball 2 ounces lighter then a regular ball. its a great way to warm up. its just like using a donut on the on deck circle. if youve ever been able to see a mlb game while their warming up, youll see most guys doing this. mariano rivera is one that has made overload/underload very popular.

Ah but what you dont see is that prior to the overload they throw regularly and stretch.... The weighted balls are used mainly to gain range of motion and stretch more. Now I am not saying that weighted ball are bad, but the common mistake is that they are thrown at a distance greater than about 45ft at the max..... Anthing beyond 45ft and the stress on your infratspinatus (one of the main muscles used in the de-celeration of the arm) really leaves big ground to tear or strain. The weighted ball acts to trick the muscle into over tensioning and this leads to bad news. 1-2 Ounces is about as heavy as you want to go, if not less. Most guys use resistence bands instead of "penny" balls all to stretch, because you add more velocity on your FB when (in relation with the wind up, the hip fire) the flexibility in your arm is pretty good.


To answer the thread question:

Now I play 1B/DH but I have been working with pitching coaches to add range of motion and strength to my corner toss. This is what they have told me leads to more MPH for pitchers and INF/OF alike. But there is more to the pitchers.

1. You need a weightlifting program as said before with core lifts. Thats easy to find.

BIG NOTICE HERE:::: If you are doing anything isolation with your shoulders, cut it out now, because there are issues of over-bulking the shoulder which causes issues in rang of motion.

Common mistake made: in-season to not over lift, stick to explove movements and stamina lifting, you dont want to over do it because your playing, thats what the off-season is for.

2. This is where the INF and the Pitchers separate, pitchers work on their mechanics. This is a huge contributor to MPH. 45 ft work is what most colleges do, its just to emphasize mechanics....

And finally.....

Long toss and proper rest with gain miles per hour. Keep the recovery sensible so you dont injure yourself because if you do it one time, you are prone easily to the same injury again especially in the arm/elbow.




Now I am only a player, and not a coach, not a professional, just a player who has played for his whole life. I have had coaches and have worked out with players that range from top nation high schools to MLB Hall of Famers. They all have different ways, and the game is different all around. So find what works for you and go with it!

[shadyniner]

im 18 years old and im throwing top speed 88 and consistent at about 79 ive tryed squats, legpress, and other leg exercises but cant seem to gain mass on my legs. i drink protein shakes but they dont seem to help either everyone tells me if i put some meat on my bones id throw harder any advice on how to strengthen legs to throw harder

Keep going with the basics, as far as legs are concerned. Get strong in squats and maybe deadlifts, get some strength in your hips, which is where most of your power is going to come from. Weight training for baseball (and any sport for that matter) is going to be very general in nature. What that means is that the weight training is meant to strengthen you, and you then work with that new strength during specific work. So get strong, keep your shoulder healthy and play some long toss and thats probably about the best you can do to add velocity to your ball...