Physical training for advanced athletes

[dominik]

Hey guys now I'm asking you what kind of physical training you do with your athletes. obviously I'm not talking about 10U players but 13yo+ guys when things like strength training starts to work.

what do you recommend?

Plain old push-ups, situps, squats...?
weight training?
fancy gadgets like speed chains and other specific stuff?

I know this will probably not get a lot of answers but baseball is a sport so physical power is important.

[Standballdad]

My sons workouts focused on speed and agility (legs) as well as forearm wrist and core. For speed and agility we did a lot of ladder work and other quick feet footwork drills. Ran sprints on the field as well as pulling a sled with 15% of his weight added. For forearms and wrist we did light dumb bell twist and wrist rolls where you tie a rope to a weight and the other end to a stick and roll the weight up and back down. For core we did quite a bit of medicine ball drills and ab work. He would also do pull ups and push ups every night (body weight) stuff. Hope this helps.

[songtitle]

My son is not much on working out on his own, so he has someone yell at him. Weight training at school, plus a trainer for agility and weights in the offseason.

We have weights and such in the basement gathering dust.

My daughters worked at home. One of them reached 800 situps.

So, every kid is different. If they enjoy it, they will keep doing it.

[Standballdad]

My son is not much on working out on his own, so he has someone yell at him. Weight training at school, plus a trainer for agility and weights in the offseason.

We have weights and such in the basement gathering dust.

My daughters worked at home. One of them reached 800 situps.

So, every kid is different. If they enjoy it, they will keep doing it.

My son DRAGS me too the gym with him and will not leave until he has done everything he had planned to do.

[songtitle]

One of the toughest things for kids is to realize that you can't start out squatting 500 pounds, or doing 200 situps.

In middle school, my daughter would try to do 100 situps and she would get discouraged, and give up.

I told her to start at 50, then add 5 situps each day, and see what happened. The kids laughed. Several months later, she hit over 800.

[real green]

I did a lot of research on strength training. My 11yr old son was very interested in starting to lift. We have sarted very light and working on major muscle groups using a program modified from "Starting Strength."

He added 6 lbs of body weight in 4 weeks. Working out 3 days a week. Already eats a pretty healthy diet but starting to really think about getting enough protiens. He had been at 85lbs for about a year and jumped to 91lbs in 4 weeks (just happened to be at the DR office twice in one month).

So far he is loving it and seeing gains very quickly. In the beginning the movements were akward and weak. He looked like a noodle under a pvc pipe learning to back squat, bench press, dead lift, etc.... Now after 4 weeks he is stable moving 30lbs with good form.

The carry over has been dramatic much quicker than expected. It's obvious on the field he has gained strength.

He has the bug and drive.

[pcarnette]

Obviously I'm not talking about 10U players but 13yo+ guys when things like strength training starts to work.

Interesting. I'm wondering what is the preceived difference between the two age groups?

My son is 10U, and, frankly, he does a lot of what Standballdad's son does minus the forearm excercises, sprints, and pull ups. He just doesn't do them as frequently. He does push ups/situps Tuesdays and Thursdays and then on Saturdays the high school has a program where they do strength and agility training with kettle bells, medicine balls, core work, ladders, etc. The program covers kids ranging from 8-13.

He isn't lifting free weights and pounding weight gain shakes, so I fail to see why a bit of condition at 10 years old (he actually started at nine) should be a problem? He doesn't seem to mind it and realizes it's helped him a ton already.

[AdamInNY]

I did a lot of research on strength training. My 11yr old son was very interested in starting to lift. We have sarted very light and working on major muscle groups using a program modified from "Starting Strength."

He added 6 lbs of body weight in 4 weeks. Working out 3 days a week. Already eats a pretty healthy diet but starting to really think about getting enough protiens. He had been at 85lbs for about a year and jumped to 91lbs in 4 weeks (just happened to be at the DR office twice in one month).

So far he is loving it and seeing gains very quickly. In the beginning the movements were akward and weak. He looked like a noodle under a pvc pipe learning to back squat, bench press, dead lift, etc.... Now after 4 weeks he is stable moving 30lbs with good form.

The carry over has been dramatic much quicker than expected. It's obvious on the field he has gained strength.

He has the bug and drive.

Starting Strength is great, Mark Rippetoe's the man (his forum is a great read). When I haven't gone to the gym in a while, I always start with his program to get back in shape..

My kids are currently too young (8 & 10) to do anything like that. My older son does a pitching clinic from October -> March and it's very focused on fitness. Ladder drills, pushups, situps, running, and plyometrics.

[real green]

Starting Strength is great, Mark Rippetoe's the man (his forum is a great read). When I haven't gone to the gym in a while, I always start with his program to get back in shape..

My kids are currently too young (8 & 10) to do anything like that. My older son does a pitching clinic from October -> March and it's very focused on fitness. Ladder drills, pushups, situps, running, and plyometrics.

If you do the research, you might find they are not too young. It's funny to watch my kids. They can't seem to get enough of it. At 11, 8, and 3 they all want to do some sort of work out. My 8 yr old daughter is very strong and I have to slow her down. My 3 yr old son wants to be a part of it he copies us doing air squats warming up. Constantly laying on the bench pushing things up. Everything I have read basically says it's very healthy and safe. Just take it slow.

I wish I would have learned that lifting and kids being a no no is a myth.

[raptor]

We work with a guy who does a lot of exercises and movements designed to open up their hips and stabilize their core. He talks about how athletes are tight in general and baseball players are among the tightest...he wants open hips. During this time of year my son plays football..that sport really helps with baseball footwork and conditioning. When I saw a client of his, a fifty year old, standing and balancing on top of a Swiss ball I was sold.

[d-mac]

I did a lot of research on strength training. My 11yr old son was very interested in starting to lift. We have sarted very light and working on major muscle groups using a program modified from "Starting Strength."

He added 6 lbs of body weight in 4 weeks. Working out 3 days a week. Already eats a pretty healthy diet but starting to really think about getting enough protiens. He had been at 85lbs for about a year and jumped to 91lbs in 4 weeks (just happened to be at the DR office twice in one month).

So far he is loving it and seeing gains very quickly. In the beginning the movements were akward and weak. He looked like a noodle under a pvc pipe learning to back squat, bench press, dead lift, etc.... Now after 4 weeks he is stable moving 30lbs with good form.

The carry over has been dramatic much quicker than expected. It's obvious on the field he has gained strength.

He has the bug and drive.

Starting strength was going to be my recommendation as well. We have a home gym and my 10 year old son has been begging me to let him workout, after much research I put him on a modified program. He does high reps/low weight. Bench, Squats, Deadlift, Military press, and some core work. He loves it. He would work out every day if I let him.

[d-mac]

If you do the research, you might find they are not too young. It's funny to watch my kids. They can't seem to get enough of it. At 11, 8, and 3 they all want to do some sort of work out. My 8 yr old daughter is very strong and I have to slow her down. My 3 yr old son wants to be a part of it he copies us doing air squats warming up. Constantly laying on the bench pushing things up. Everything I have read basically says it's very healthy and safe. Just take it slow.

I wish I would have learned that lifting and kids being a no no is a myth.

I searched all over the internet and talked to our pediatrician. From everything I have been told and read, it is very beneficial for kids to train.

[d-mac]

One common myth with kids is that they can't get stronger until they hit puberty. There was a 60 year study that showed that strength gains were linear from age 6 to 18, and the spike in testosterone from puberty did not equate to a spike in strength.

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/1...ning-for-kids/

[songtitle]

A word of caution. Kids not only have growth plates in their elbow, but they also have them in their lower back. They are easily pulled away from the 'bone', or fractured, and can be a problem for life. These growth plates are not fully developed until age 17 or so.

The pars interarticularis defect is believed by most authors to represent a fatigue fracture caused by repetitive loading and unloading of this region of the vertebrae from physical activity.

[dominik]

If you do the research, you might find they are not too young. It's funny to watch my kids. They can't seem to get enough of it. At 11, 8, and 3 they all want to do some sort of work out. My 8 yr old daughter is very strong and I have to slow her down. My 3 yr old son wants to be a part of it he copies us doing air squats warming up. Constantly laying on the bench pushing things up. Everything I have read basically says it's very healthy and safe. Just take it slow.

I wish I would have learned that lifting and kids being a no no is a myth.

the standard opinion is to to only BW exercises (and other stuff like med balls) till about 14-15 and then start with weights. however I think it depends on intensity. I think there is no harm for a 13 yo using light weights. for pre puberty kids however it is a waste of time since the growth hormones have yet to kick in. BW exercises are better here.

maximum strength training (greater than 80% of the max weight) is another thing, this should not be started before 16-17. things like pushups can be started very young, maybe at 7 or 8.