D3baseball.com Daily Dose

Winter baseball strength and conditioning: The Polar Bears objectives

by Dave Kisor, D3baseball.com

The fall baseball season ended on October 31st and players have now started their voluntary winter strength and conditioning programs in preparation for the spring competitive season. The NCAA regulations state that these programs cannot be mandatory, but this does not hinder the student-athlete as they typically have the drive and dedication needed to improve their personal attributes during the winter months. Schools support these voluntary programs in order to help the individual succeed and to prevent injuries due to incorrect strength training.

One such program exists at Ohio Northern University (ONU). “At ONU we have a voluntary program that we recommend to our guys.” states Justin Bergman, Head Baseball Coach of the ONU Polar Bears. This program is based on five goals/objectives: Improving explosive strength, overall strength, balancing body strength, learning your own body, and increasing confidence.

Bergman describes the objectives that define the voluntary program: 1) Improving explosive strength – “develop the quick twitch muscles needed to make explosive, athletic movements required to be successful at the highest level of athletics.” He states that “this is accomplished through lifts that encourage full range of motion and controlled bursts of exercise.” 2) Improving overall strength of the athlete. “The addition of bulk to the point of loss of flexibility is not the goal. But, strength is the deciding factor between many wins and losses in college athletics.” 3) Balance body strength – balance the relationship between upper and lower body, chest and back etc… Here Bergman explains “A top heavy frame is not a powerful frame, it is a body destined for injury. A body type with a powerful lower half and core is an athlete with true power and explosive potential.” “This is accomplished through lifting with balance and proportion in mind. Designing a full body workout and not just focusing on the major muscle groups.” 4) Learn your own body – every athlete is built differently, with different strengths and weaknesses. Bergman emphasizes that “No matter how individualized a workout is intended to be, it is the athlete who knows their body best. He encourages the players to “Take responsibility for knowing what [they] need to improve upon to help [their] personal gains. This he states is “Accomplished through assessing weaknesses and focusing lifts around certain body parts.” Finally 5) Increasing confidence – “This is perhaps the most important objective/goal. If the player sees an increase in their fitness level, they will obviously feel better about their ability and instincts as a baseball player. If they feel confident of their physical skills, greater success will be enjoyed between the white lines.”

Bergman adds “Our program at ONU is very position specific: Our pitchers and positional guys are not on the same program, however there is some crossover between the lifts. For example, our pitchers will complete pull ups and our positional players will complete the incline dumbbell bench. We really focus on functional training with our players. A lot of our lifts and exercises are focused on certain movements used during the game of baseball. Also a lot of our focus is on the core, back and butt. This is where the main source of power comes from with the swing, pitching mechanics and throwing a baseball from the outfield.”

Most programs recognize the importance of a proper nutrition component for winter voluntary training and realize that year-round proper nutrition can be beneficial. “At ONU we do not necessarily have our young men on diets. However there are a few guys in our program that we would like for them to transform their bodies. So we have a plan in place for them to eat/consume the proper diet. The value of a proper diet and good nutrition has become increasingly important in athletic performance. Good nutrition is essential for maximizing performance in athletics.”

“The primary goal for our baseball strength program is balance. This refers to the balanced development of the muscles that are used in baseball. The objective is not to develop weightlifters, but to understand how important a well conditioned human body is for successful performance.”

While voluntary, the ONU program, like others, is provided to support the student-athlete in their quest to maximize their efforts and translate personal improvement into team success.