5 Exercises Every Baseball Player NEEDS To Know
Overhead throwing creates a high demand from the shoulder complex. With social media it can be hard to know what you need to focus on to stay in throwing shape. Should you work on mobility? What about strength? The easy answer is yes. Both mobility of the shoulder and stability and strength of the scapula and rotator cuff are paramount when considering maintenance of the shoulder complex for throwing sports. With so many resources at your disposal how do you know where to start? These five exercises are the basics, the starter pack, the building blocks for all throwing sport athletes to create a shoulder mobility and strength maintenance program.
Prone External Rotation Lift Off
Laying flat on your belly, support your elbow with a yoga block or similar object. Lift your palm as high as you can and hold that position for thirty to forty five seconds. Relax your scapula and allow it to move with the shoulder without lifting your chest or head. This is one of the foundational layback control exercises we use at Ignite. If you can’t control your arm in layback this is a great place for you to start. You can place a block underneath your hand and progressively make it higher as your range of motion improves.
90/90 Internal Rotation w/ Band or Cable
Allow the scapula to float without letting it round or lock in tight to the spine. Move the shoulder into internal rotation against resistance from a band or cable while maintaining an elbow at a ninety degree angle. Control the shoulder into a layback position to improve layback range of motion and control. At this elbow angle the pectoral and latissimus muscles are biased into lengthened positions. Placing these muscles in a lengthened position while loading them improves mobility and strength in layback positions.
Neutral IR w/ band or cable
Keeping your elbow snug to your body without locking down your scapula, allow the band to pull your arm into end range of motion external rotation. Pull the band towards your body without letting your shoulder blade round forward. Oftentimes we will see a lack of mobility into external rotation in a neutral position of the shoulder. This can sometimes indicate a limitation of the subscapularis. Using a cable or band to lengthen the internal rotators of the shoulder under tension improves mobility while strengthening the muscle.
Half Plank Yoga Pushup
In a plank position on your elbow push your hips into the air and drive your elbows into the ground. Allow the scapula to move with the shoulder into an overhead position. This stability exercise for the scapula improves upward rotation and control of the shoulder blade while the arms are overhead. By ensuring that the elbows are parallel we can also work on rotator cuff stability in overhead positions. No shoulder maintenance program is complete without a scapular stabilization drill and this is a great tool to start with.
Soldier ER
Seated with your back against the wall, place your elbow on your knee with your arm at approximately a forty five degree angle. Holding a light weight in hand, allow your shoulder to move into internal rotation without dumping your shoulder blade forward. Control the descent and ascent of the shoulder while maintaining a neutral “floating” scapula. Allowing the scapula to “float” prevents compensatory patterns. However, it is key to prevent the shoulder blade from dumping into a rounded position as the shoulder moves into and out of internal rotation. Mastery of this exercise helps improve deceleration after release of the ball when throwing.