Part 2 - Baseball Off-Season Training (Fixing asymmetries)

In Part 1 or our two part series we discussed some of the top 5 components you need to be a successful player. In Part 2 we will focus in on some of the solutions to get your body game ready.

Part 2:

The Benefits of Off-season Baseball Training - Fixing your Asymmetries and Stiffness

Once the season comes to an end, players will notice certain areas of their body feeling stiff, sore, loose and even painful. Recognizing and screening these specific areas will be the first step is finding movement patterns that have become asymmetrical and or stiff. Addressing these areas should be a priority before they lead to injury.

Thoracic extension and rotation

Without these two areas of mobility, the velocity of the ball with not only be less then it was in the beginning of the season, but a greater risk of (stress) injury is placed on the cuff and elbow. Having enough extension and rotation through the upper back not only results in a healthier shoulder, but will also increase performance. The thoracic spine keeps the shoulder from over reaching and allows a longer and greater cocking phase when throwing the ball, resulting in higher arm velocity speeds and a more efficient throwing motion. If these forms of mobility become limited, the stress on the shoulder and elbow increases.

Below are some clips on how to gain thoracic extension and rotational mobility.

Gaining thoracic extension can be done just as easily. Using a foam roller, begin laying it across the middle of your back. Clasp you hands behind your neck in a neutral position, arch your upper back over the roll trying to touch the top of your shoulder blades to the ground, then return to a neutral spine. Be sure to maintain a flat lumbar spine. The upper back extends, while the low back remains flat the entire times. Repeat for five repetitions, move the foam roller up one inch on the back towards the shoulders and repeat the exercise. Continue rolling the foam roller towards the top of your shoulders to ensure mobilization of the entire thoracic spine. Remember to deeply exhale as you extend your back over the roll.

Ankle Mobility

Many of the athletes we see come to us with poor mobility in the foot and ankle, baseball players are not the exception. A quick way of checking an athlete’s ankle range of motion is to simply look at how he/she stands. If the athlete’s toes are pointing outward, and the arch of the foot is relatively flat can be an indicator of a lack of ankle dorsiflexion (how far the foot can pull up). Deep body weight squatting is another way to assessment how a lack of ankle mobility can effect gross movement patterns as seen here. Poor mobility around the ankle joint can contribute to poor running mechanics, poor body positioning and overall mobility in the field and can even effect throwing mechanics.

All movement and ground reaction forces begin with your feet, so paying close attention to taking care of your feet (ankles) will give you a big advantage on the field and in the Gym.

One of the ways to keep the ankle mobile is starting in a half kneeling position and performing the following movements: Keeping the front heel completely flat and toes remaining forward, drive the knee as far as possible straight ahead before the heel lifts off the ground, then return to starting position. Repeat this move five times, and then drive your knee to the right and left of the dowel to turn this exercise multi-planar.

Glenohumeral Internal Rotation Deficit

This can be one of the biggest issues players, especially pitchers, run into during the season. Glenohumeral internal rotation deficit (GIRD) is known as having a measurement of 19 degrees or more of internal rotation deficit between the dominant throwing arm and non dominant arm. When being assessed, coaches and trainers must find the total range of motion (ROM) of each shoulder. The total range of motion is found by measuring the external and internal rotation of the shoulder, then adding the two numbers together. A calculation of a total range of motion of approximately 170 degrees on both shoulders is ideal.

When comparing shoulder ROM, we are looking at the differences between internal and external rotation of the two shoulders. In the throwing arm, there will be a greater degree of external rotation and a lesser degree of internal rotation of the non-dominant shoulder. Since we can predict the asymmetries that are going to occur, look at the difference between internal rotation between the two shoulders. Ideally we would like it to be between 12-17 degrees as this has shown many players to have no symptomatic issues. However, when numbers reach around 19 degrees and above, these have turned into symptomatic and injured shoulders. Soft tissue work across the posterior capsule along with mobility exercises and light cross body stretches will be the prescription for decreasing GIRD. Remember a proper evaluation must preceded any corrective exercises. Here is a sample of a cross body stretch to gain some internal rotation (if needed).

DO NOT overlook the low intensity exercises during training. A strong cuff is needed to decelerate the arm when going into internal rotation. The cuff is made up of four muscles, infraspinatus, supraspinatus, subscapularis and teres minor.

The main function of these four muscles is not only to externally and internally rotate the shoulder, but more importantly to stabilize the glenohumeral joint. Strengthening the subscapularis may be one of the most important as it depresses the humeral head during overhead movement and will prevent the head from superior migration (head of the humerus sliding upward into the acromion). When the head rises, the athlete would typically feel discomfort or pain as the head crunches tissue into the acromion (another reason why overhead mobility work is a must!!). Below are a few exercises that should be a part of every players program. Not only should these exercises be done during the offseason, but during in-season training as well.

DO THIS:

Dynamic stabilizations – These exercises can be done either with a partner or by yourself. Perturbation can be one of the lowest technical exercises with the biggest outcome. Since the main function of the cuff is to stabilize that joint why train it in any other way? Having the trainee stabilize their shoulder in the packed position (down and back) while partners or coaches perform perturbations at different ranges of motion gives the shoulder the functional training it needs to stabilize the glenohumeral joint.

NOT THAT:
Don’t be that guy -

Do not go find some tubing and have your players crank out a bunch of repetitions and think that will be fine. There are exercises that may work, but there are also ones that give much better results.

Below is the T exercise which mainly hits the posterior deltoid, supraspinatus and lower traps. Begin with the arm at shoulder height and slowly drop the arm back down towards the floor and repeat.

Next is the Y which is used for the mid and low traps while also hitting some of the upper trap. The body position will remain exactly the same as the T, except the arm will now be raised in the position of a Y.

DO NOT OVERWORK THE CUFF!!!

The rotator cuff is not meant to become fatigued! When it does, the muscles cannot function properly and the risk of injury is increased. Think about running long distance. When you reach that maximum threshold you feel like your legs are about to give out and your body will collapse. The same will happen with your shoulder if these small muscles are worked to failure. Programming rotator cuff exercises can be done at any point during the workout. If they are done in the beginning, those muscles are now prepared for the pushing and pulling that is done in a workout. On the other hand, if the exercises are done during the workout, the athlete and coach much look at the number of repetitions between cuff exercises as well as the intensity of the pushing and pulling done on that day. Also, whether you’re an athlete or a coach, remain in contact with one another and always ensure the safety of how the athlete feels to determine if his shoulder may be overtraining.

Recovery

Going to the gym is only 1/3 of the battle during the offseason. Working your butt off 3-4x a week at the gym is an excellent start, but what are you doing during the other 165 hours out of your week? This is where adequate sleep and proper nutrition come into action. Sleep as much as you can! This is where your body allows itself to shutdown and focuses on increasing recovery more than any other part of your day. Stalking on facebook late night or attempting to win the Super Bowl on your Xbox is not going to aid in reaching your goals. There have been multiple studies shown that the hours you get before midnight are more important than the hours you have afterward. Set a schedule for yourself to finish everything you planned for the day, and aim for a time where you can get the 8+ hours of sleep you need.

Nutrition is the final piece to the puzzle. Beginning with a diet log 3-4x a week can help you assess how well you are nourishing your body. Once you see that cereal, bagels and pizza aren’t going to cut it, begin with going back to what your parents told you when you were a kid...

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day (and no it's not PopTarts or Cereals!)

We'll save the more detailed nutrition information for a separate post, so for now remember these quick tips for every time you eat.

Eat protein at every meal
Eat fruits and vegetables at every meal
Eat fiber at every meal
Make sure you have enough omega-6 and omega-3 everyday (Krill Oil)

There are no secrets in the recovery process or becoming a better athlete. Work hard, eat right, get enough sleep and you will become a much improved player from last season.