Wake Forest University Pitcher, Jared Shuster (athlete showcased in this article) has been dominant for us (Orleans Firebirds) all season. He’s been named a Cape Cod Baseball League All-Star and currently leads all pitchers in most statistics (ERA, Lowest Batting Average against etc.). Needless to say he is a very talented baseball player that will be a high draft pick in the near future.
It should come as no surprise that Jared has also worked extremely hard between his starts to prepare his body for when he steps on the mound. Below you’ll see each workout from his training week leading up to his next start.
Training Specifics
For this particular week Shu was on a six-day rotation and the training template I put together for him resembles this. If you’re a starting pitcher on five or seven day rotation there are simple adjustments you can make to this routine that I discuss in this article.
Day 1 Post-Outing – Full-Body Lift Emphasizing Strength Development
Day 1 following Jared’s outing is full-body strength workout. I like starting pitchers to train hard the day following an outing to consolidate the stress from the start and intensive training session into a 24 hour block. This has done a great job of maximizing their recovery window leading up to your next start.
Full-Body Strength Development Workout
A1. Hand-Supported SSB Split Squat 3x1 at 95%
A2. Serratus Wall Slide W/Foam Roller 3x12
B1. Standing 1-Arm Landmine Press 4x8/side
B2. Prone Seal Row W/Swiss Bar 4x6
B3. Yoga Plex 4x5/side
C1. Landmine RDL 4x8
C2. Prone RRP 4x8
C3. Swiss Ball Stir The Pot 4x10/side
Day 2 Post-Outing – Full-Body Movement Training and Battling Ropes
The focus for today’s training session is to restore full body range of motion, enhance recovery following yesterday’s stressors (intensive training session and outing), improve full-body mobility/stability, core stability, scapular upward rotation, thoracic rotation, hip internal/external rotation etc.
I love using ropes with my pitchers post-start to promote tons of blood flow which is very helpful recovery wise. I also love how the ropes add more volume to the upper back/shoulders which I feel goes a long way in improving overall shoulder health. In addition to this, the ropes also take your shoulders through large, varied ranges of motion which is something that you cannot achieve with other exercises.
A1. Movement Workout
Jared performed exercises 1-8 for 4 continuous without any rest
1. Skip with Arm Circles FWD/BWD x 60 total yards
2. Side-Shuffle W/Arm Swing x 30 yards/side
3. Walking Inchworm x 8 reps
4. Supine Single-Leg Glute Bridge x 10/side
5. Yoga Push-up to Diagonal Toe Tap x 8 reps
6. Crossover Knee-Hug to Spider-Man Lunge W/2-Way Reach x 5/side
7. Wrist-Banded Lateral Hand Walk x 10/side
8. Rollover V-Sit W/Reach x 12 reps
B1. Rope Series
5 total rounds with 90 sec rest after completing each round
1. Bent-Over Y Slams x 20 reps
2. Bent-Over T Slams x 20 reps
3. Jumping Jacks x 20 reps
4. Bent-Over W Slams x 20 reps
5. No-Money x 20 reps
Day 3 Post-Outing – Full-Body Lift Emphasizing Power Development
Full-Body Power Development Workout
A1. Front Squat to Box for Speed 6x3 @50%
30 sec rest
A2. Box Jump 6x3
1 min rest
B1. 1-Arm Banded Landmine Hand-Switch to Press 4x5/side
B2. 1-Arm KB Row from a Deadstop 4x8/side
B3. Hand-Assisted 90/90 Hip Switch 4x5 transitions/side
C1. Dynamic KB Alt. Lateral Lunge 3x6/side
C2. Cross-Banded Y, T, A 3x10 reps per letter
C3. KB Pull Through 3x8/side
Day 4 Post-Outing – Sprints and Accessory Core Stability
In my opinion, if you’re a pitcher and you’re not sprinting multiple times a week you’re missing many opportunities to enhance your game. Sprinting improves strength, lower body power, speed, body composition, work capacity, endurance, and athleticism. In addition, sprinting is also great for building muscle as well as a more efficient neuromuscular system. Moral of the story, if you’re not sprinting you’re missing out on considerable improvements to your game!
Sprint & Accessory Core Workout
A1. Push-Up Sprint 8 sprints x 10 yards
Rest: EMOM (Every Minute on The Minute)
B1. Lateral Push-Up Sprint 8 sprints x 10 yards (4/side)
B2. Alternating Deadbug 8x10/side
Rest: None
Day 5 Post-Outing – Full-Body Movement Training and Static Stretching
Everyone has their own routine the day prior to starts. EX: Yoga, Sprinting, Jogging, Lifting etc. I personally think you need to do whatever gets your body to feel best for your start. I prefer my pitchers to do light full body movement circuits but at the end of the day you need to put together a routine that works best for you. If you have a great routine currently in place stick to it.
A1. Movement Workout - 2 continuous rounds without any rest
1. Arms Overhead Skip x 60 total yards
2. Side Shuffle x 30 yards/side
3. Alt. Lateral Lunge to Overhead Reach x 20 yards
4. Supine Single-Leg Glute Bridge x 10/side
5. Down Dog x 12 reps
6. Caterpillar Walk to Lunge with Reach x 5 reps
7. Plank Bodysaw x 20 sec
8. Rollover V-Sit x 10 reps
B1. Static Stretching
1. Seated Piriformis Stretch x 2 min/side
2. Hip Flexor Stretch W/Reach x 2 min/side
3. Rocking Frog x 2 min
Training Adjustments for Starting Pitchers on a Five and Seven Day Rotation
Seven Day Rotation – If you’re someone that is currently on a 7-day rotation and have an extra day to train you can get an additional power training session in on Day 5 and use the movement workout/static stretching routine on the following day (day 6) – the day before your start.
Here’s an example of an additional full-body power workout you could use on day 5 if you’re on a 7-day rotation:
Full-Body Power Development Workout 2
A1. Overhead Medicine Ball Stomp 4 sets x 3 reps
A2. Trap Bar Deadlift for Speed 4 sets x 2 reps at 50%
A3. Wall Slide with Upward Rotation and Liftoff 4 sets x 8 reps
B1. Standing 1-Arm Landmine Push Press 3 sets x 5 reps/side
B2. Split-Stance 1-Arm Low Cable Row 3 sets x 8 reps/side
B3. Spider-Man Lunge with Hip Lift and Overhead Reach 3x5/side
C1. Single-Leg Glute Bridge with Upper Back on Bench 2 sets x 8 reps/side (Unloaded)
C2. Underhand Band Pull Aparts 2 sets x 20 reps
C3. AB Wheel Rollout with Exhale 2 sets x 10 reps
Five Day Rotation – If you’re on a five day rotation follow the template I used with Jared for days 1-3 and on day 4 (day before you make your start) use the light movement workout/static stretching routine (Day 5 above).
In conclusion, the template discussed above isn’t the only way to approach training between starts, but I’ve found it to be the most effective of what my guys have tried. If you have any follow up questions for anything I discussed in this article please feel free to send me an email: Simonesbaseballtraining@gmail.com
