Muscle Up For Softball

Get Stronger To Be A Better Softball Player

Today Is

I have played softball for well over 25 seasons. During my career I was considered one of the strongest hitters to ever play the game. When I was 17 years old I was able to hit a softball 350 ft. So you know I was gifted with a great swing. I had great success without lifting weights in the earlier part of my career. What was so surprising was how much more consistent I became at hitting home runs once I put weight lifting and the proper nutrition in my daily diet.

I have been very fortunate not to have too many injuries because of this. There are a number of reasons why I have had so much success in playing softball and staying healthy and injury free over those years. One of them is the use of vitamins and proper nutrition and another one has been the use of weights to strengthen my over-all body strength

Both weight lifting along with the right nutrition have helped me increase not only my endurance but my overall power supply. To me the key to incorporating weight training in softball is putting the emphasis on technique instead of trying to lift a ton of weight. When I was growing up in the suburbs of Cleveland, Ohio the last thing I would think to help me be a better baseball player was to lift weights. It was always taboo to lift if you were a baseball player. The old saying that lifting weights would limit you range of motion and interfere with your swing has no validity to it today. Once again it's the technique of your weight lifting not how much you lift. I really don't think that Mickey Mantle was going to the gym every day.

He was so gifted that it still amazes me how far he could hit a ball. So as the world changes every day so do the people who live on planet earth. I really think that if I did not lift the weights, that I still do today, I probably would have quit a long time ago. It was the winter of 1984 at the age of almost 30 that I decided to start working out and try to really get myself into better shape. Thank the Lord I had somebody to show me. So Ken Loeri, who was a teammate of mine along with Mike Baab of the Cleveland Browns football team, started putting me through some pretty good workouts everyday. With the proper attitude you really can achieve your goals if they are realistic. My goal was to get my legs stronger than what they were. I knew that once your legs go on you, you are in trouble.

So with the proper nutrition and the right technique I definitely gained endurance along with strength. So I have put together a workout that I think will help improve your "overall strength" to not only become a better softball player, but help you feel better in your every day life. I have some photo's of myself working out at 2 of my favorite gyms, The Omni in Middleburg Heights, Ohio and the Bo Jackson Fieldhouse at Nike Headquarters. The Omni is owned by a friend of mine named Joe Mackey. Great Place! My workout schedule can change from time to time depending on what else is going on. But if I had my favorite time it would have to be in the morning. I love getting up at 5:00 in the morning and go to the gym and play some basketball before I lift some weights. This way by going early you get the blood flowing early and feel better the rest of the day.

I have put together a "3 days on one day off cycle" for the winter workout program. This is definitely a nice little program to help you gain strength and endurance. It should help you be ready for the next season. If you can do this workout for 9 to 12 weeks you won't go wrong. The workout out is not written in stone either. You can change certain exercises for ones that you might like more or feel more comfortable with. These are some of the ones that work for me.
Good Luck & Have Fun!

Monday

Muscle Group	Exercise	Sets/Reps
Chest	Flat Bench Press Incline Dumbell Press Cable Crossover	3/5 - 10 3/5 - 10 3/6 - 10
Shoulders	Overhead Dumbell Press Seated Shoulder Press Upright Rows Bent-Over Lateral Raises	3/5 - 10 3/5 - 10 3/5 - 10 3/6 - 10
Traps	Dumbell Shrug	5/10
Triceps	Lying Triceps Extension Triceps Pressdown	3/6 - 10 3/6 - 10
Cardio	Ride Treadmill	30 Minutes
Stretching	Legs & Trunk	30 Minutes

Tuesday

Muscle Group	Exercise	Sets/Reps
Quads	Barbell Squat Leg Press Leg Extension Single Leg Presses	3/5 - 10 3/5 - 10 3/6 - 10 3/6 - 10
Hamstrings	Lying Leg Curl	3/5 - 10
Calves	Standing Calf Raises	5/10
Abdominals	Lying Down Crunches Leg Lifts	3/6 - 10 3/6 - 10
Cardio	Ride Treadmill	30 Minutes

Wednesday

Muscle Group	Exercise	Sets/Reps
Back	Wide-Grip Pulldowns One Arm Dumbell Row Reverse Grip Pulldowns Seated Cable Row	3/5 - 10 3/5 - 10 3/6 - 10 3/6 - 10
Biceps	Standing Barbell Curl Preacher Curl High Pulley Cable Curl	3/5 - 10 3/5 - 10 3/5 - 10
Forearms	Wrists Curls	5/10
Cardio	Ride Treadmill	3o Minutes
Stretching	Legs & Trunk	30 Minutes

Thursday
day off

Friday

Muscle Group	Exercise	Sets/Reps
Chest	Incline Barbell Press Flat Bench Dumbell Press Incline Dumbell Flye Peck Deck	3/5 - 10 3/5 - 10 3/6 - 10 3/5 - 10
Shoulders	Overhead Barbell Press Dumbell Lateral Raise Barbell Front Raise	3/5 - 10 3/5 - 10 3/5 - 10
Traps	Dumbell Shrug	4/6 - 10
Triceps	Close-Grip Bench Press Overhead Tricep Extension	3/6 - 10 3/6 - 10
Cardio	Ride Treadmill	30 Minutes

Saturday

Muscle Group	Exercise	Sets/Reps
Quads	Smith Machine Front Squat Leg Press Machine Leg Extension	3/5 - 10 3/5 - 10 3/6 - 10
Hamstrings	Romanian Deadlift	3/5 - 10
Calves	Seated Calf Raise	5/10
Abdominals	Reverse Crunch Crunch	3/6 - 10 5-6 - 20
Cardio	Ride Treadmill	30 Minutes

Sunday

Muscle Group	Exercise	Sets/Reps
Back	Bent Over Barbell Row Wide Grip Pulldowns Straight Arm Pulldown	3/5 - 10 3/5 - 10 3/6 - 10
Biceps	Incline Dumbell Curl Cable Curl	3/5 - 10 3/5 - 10
Forearms	Reverse Wrist Curls	5/10
Cardio	Ride Treadmill	30 Minutes

Get Ready For Monday Again

Click here forCombat Baseball.com