Athletic Strength Plan: Programming
Raekwon J. Parker
Liberty University
EXSC 540
Dr. Cash
June 22th, 2024
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Introduction
The importance of the periodisation technique in the history of baseball is shown. How
the history of baseball has shifted our understanding of training is important. Importantly, we
will discuss the necessary strength areas for baseball players and concentrate on the relevant
muscle groups and movements. We will talk about the transferability of particular exercises into
the baseball performance.
History of Baseball
Baseball is a game that has its roots in early bat-and-ball games in England. Although the
game of baseball existed long before the mid-19th century, it is generally believed that
Alexander Cartwright was the one to establish the specific rules for the game that are most
similar to those of present-day baseball. By formalizing the rules, Cartwright's contribution
helped distinguish baseball from other games such as rounders and town ball. The game was then
embraced by the US culture rapidly during the second half of the 19th century.,After it was
established, baseball quickly became a favorite sport in the US. It was not long before the first
professional teams were formed and leagues were established, including Major League Baseball
(MLB), which is today considered the symbol of professional baseball in the US. Baseball has
grown and developed significantly over the past two centuries, including advanced strategy,
better equipment and even different training techniques to optimize the performance of players
(Baseball History: Timeline. How did baseball start?).
Linear Periodization
Periodization is a systemised process whereby specificity, intensity and volume are
varied over longer periods of time or cycles. Developed by Leo Matveyv in the 1960s, it aimed
to balance intensity (how hard the work) and volume (how much work) to achieve optimal
workloads and allow for longer term changes in performance. By breaking down the annual
training program into smaller periods, known as macrocycles and mesocycles, athletes can shift
between different phases of training most effectively. Typically, athletes will pursue a
preparatory (off-season), competitive (in-season) and transition phases (pre-season & post-
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season) at some time or other, and this is often where the training schedule becomes most
pertinent, although the combination of training phases can vary. The so-called off-season or
preparatory phase suggests higher volume and lower intensity work. In contrast to that, the
competitive phase often involves more sport-specific skills and performance. By systemising and
periodising what is being done, it is unlikely that athletes will fall into training plateaus or from
which they cannot climb out or be coaxed back (Phillips, Lockert, Rosemond, 2016).
As an example of how periodization can be applied to baseball players, training variables
such as load, sets and repetitions can be strategically manipulated to enhance strength gains,
maximize performance and reduce the risk of injury. By manipulating these variables, the
volume of training is effectively distributed throughout the year to produce optimal results.
Through periodization, an athlete’s strength and conditioning program is structured in a
progressive, cyclical manner so that repeated stimuli are provided at more frequent and
challenging intervals, eventually leading to athletic development. For baseball players, overuse
injuries occur frequently because players are required to participate in training all year round. To
mitigate the risk of such injuries, the routine for baseball players may include different
progressions ranging from preparatory to competitive phase during the off-season or other
training blocks. The use of periodisation enables players to adopt a progressive approach to
training, building up the workload to a peak and then reducing towards a base of lower training
loads. By incorporating periodisation models, players can effectively manage training load to
ensure that any adaptations to training occur gradually. Furthermore, the balance between
training intensity and recovery periods is dialed in to provide players with the maximum amount
of recovery time between training bouts. Research demonstrates the significant improvements in
strength and power scores that can be achieved through periodised training programmes, and
these components are key components of athletic development in baseball. Take a baseball hitter
at the plate. He benefits equally from upper body, core and lower body strength. Pounds of force
should come from shoulders, chest and arm muscles to throw or hit a ball fast and accurately. A
rotational twist can come from the abs and lower back muscles, critical in every baseball
movement. Explosive movements and speed are driven from the quads, hamstrings and the
glutes. The right baseball exercises like shoulder presses, planks, squats and lunges promoted in
sports can help players build the right muscle groups to play better and stay away from injuries.
(Top Muscles for Baseball, 2024)
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Initial Assessment
The following strength and conditioning program is for a baseball pitcher athlete who is
23 years old, is 6 ft 2 in (189 cm) and 195 lbs (88.6 kg) with a body fat level of 13%.
Baseball is a sport that requires a variety of physical attributes and metabolic demands to
perform well. Baseball is a ‘ballistic’ sport, where actions are done very quickly, strength
training is beneficial to increase speed, agility, flexibility, mobility, power, and explosiveness.
Baseball is also considered an anaerobic sport because of its many start-stop movements that rely
on the body's anaerobic energy system. In Miyaguchi & Demura (2012) study discusses the
relationship between upper-body strength and bat swing speed which states that traditional heavy
strength training, including the BP, has frequently been performed with heavy loads (80–90% of
the maximum) and few repetitions (4–8RM). It has been reported that this produces an optimal
strength increase and enhances power and movement speed more than strength training with
light loads does.
Biomechanical Properties
Given the complexity of the multi-joint pitching and hitting biomechanics involved in
baseball, there are a myriad of aspects for evaluation that are relevant to the delivery of the ball
in space and swiftly reaching a target. Shoulder and elbow kinetics are largely responsible for
ball velocity and accuracy including the effects of rotation that occurs at the shoulder, elbow and
wrist during pitching tasks (Baseball Pitching Biomechanics, 2024). Rotational mechanics of the
trunk also requires intense activation of the core muscles, hence is equally important in pitching
and hitting tasks. Given that the shoulder and elbow injuries are commonly encountered during
sports of throwing type of movements, gaining a scientific understanding of the biomechanics is
crucial to design a training program that simultaneously optimizes performance and reduces the
risk of injuries. Furthermore, one of the goals of the biomechanical analysis of the throwing
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shoulder is to prevent overuse that threatens the integrity of the pitching shoulder, and provide
restorative therapy when called upon (Shoulder and Elbow Injuries, 2019).
Exercise Selection
This is reflected in the movements and demands of throwing and hitting. When selecting
movements for a strength training program, properly chosen exercises can transfer to the
demands on the baseball field, ultimately improving players’ performance. Upper-body, lower
body and full-body functional movements such as unilateral horizontal and vertical presses,
front squats, high pulls, cleans, deadlifts, lunges and others develop the muscle groups needed
for baseball while also improving joint stability and functionality. Importantly, strength training
targets specific muscle groups that would lead to improvements in key performance metrics
including bat swing velocity and batted-ball velocity. For example, bat swing velocity was
improved by eight to 10 per cent at the post-test after eight weeks of small muscle exercises for
baseball pitching performance – illustrating the direct translation of these exercises to the field
(Hyungsoo Lim, 2024).
Conclusion
Overall, we can conclude that the history of baseball reflects the transformation from bat-
and-ball games into a more organized sport. Applying periodization principles to athletic training
has helped baseball players improve their performance in games and reduce the likelihood of
injuries during a season. Athletes can optimize their training by periodisation and focus on the
desired physical capabilities, which is suggested for baseball players. Moreover, strength training
exercises should mimic sport-specific movements and repeatedly load the muscle involved in
that kind of action. This is important to ensure improvement of the desired capability. In
conclusion, these baseball-specific movements and musculature systems should be incorporated
into strength training so a transition back into the sport can occur. The exercises designed to
replicate the actual sport movements will help in performance transferability to the baseball field.
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Works Cited
Baseball History: Timeline & How it started. (2024, February 14). Retrieved from
https://sportsfoundation.org/baseball-history/
Current Concepts in Periodization of Strength and Conditioning for the .... (2024, June 9).
Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4637911/
Phillips, M. B., Lockert, J. A., & Rosemond, L. D. (2016, August 5). Tools and Benefits of
Periodization: Developing an Annual Training Plan and Promoting Performance Improvements
in Athletes. Retrieved from https://thesportjournal.org/article/tools-and-benefits-of-periodization-
developing-an-annual-training-plan-and-promoting-performance-improvements-in-athletes/
Top Muscles for Baseball: Enhance Performance with Upper, Core, and .... (2024, June 12).
Retrieved from https://baseballwow.com/what-muscles-are-important-for-baseball
Baseball Pitching Biomechanics in Relation to Injury Risk and .... (2024, June 12). Retrieved
from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3445126/
The Effects of Small Muscle Training on Baseball Hitting.... (2024, February 18). Retrieved
from https://journals.lww.com/nsca-
scj/Fulltext/2010/12000/The_Effects_of_Small_Muscle_Training_on_Baseball.14.aspx
https://journals.lww.com/nsca-
scj/Fulltext/2010/12000/The_Effects_of_Small_Muscle_Training_on_Baseball.14.aspx
