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Volume 4, Number 1
www.nsca-lift.org/perform
Contents
Baseball / Softball
10
17
23
Contents
Departments
Training Table
Sport Nutrition Primer
21
What should you eat before, during, and after exercise? This
column teaches you what foods you should fuel up on to
optimize your performance, and when to take them.
Ounce of Prevention
Preventing Rotator Cuff Injuries
26
One at a Time
While score is important, a focus on score or some other
outcome measure during competition (e.g. total weight lifted,
time in the half-marathon, place at regionals) often detracts
from the task at hand. The alternative is to focus on what is
controllable; that is, what needs to be done right now to be
successful. This column will discuss how to keep your focus on
what is controllable, and what is happening now.
Mind Games
Suzie Tuffey Riewald, PhD, NSCA-CPT,*D
Action-Reaction
Mark Roozen, MEd, CSCS,*D
14
12
In the Gym
28
Fitness Frontlines
G. Gregory Haff, PhD, CSCS
The latest news from the field on: varying bat weight, half time
muscle temperature and performance, physiological adaptations
with cardiovascular machines, and nutritional supplementation
usage.
NSCA Mission
As the worldwide authority on strength and conditioning, we support and disseminate research-based knowledge and its practical application, to improve athletic
performance and fitness.
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email: kcinea@nsca-lift.org
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TrainingTable
Sport Nutrition
Primer
Pre-Exercise Nutrition
Properly nourishing yourself before
exercise should:
Prevent low blood sugar during
exercise.
Provide fuel by topping off your
muscle glycogen stores.
Settle your stomach, absorb gastric
juices, and prevent hunger.
Instill confidence in your abilities.
Remember, fasting is detrimental to
performance, and is strongly discouraged
before exercise or performance.
The pre-exercise meal should consist
primarily of high carbohydrate, low fat
foods for easy and fast digestion. Since
everyones preferences for, and responses
to, different foods are unique, it is
recommended that you learn through
trial and error what does and does not
work for you. For example, some people
respond negatively to sugar intake within
an hour before exercise. The temporary
During Exercise
When an individual has been consuming
a diet sufficient in carbohydrates, 60% or
greater, there is enough energy present in
the muscles to fuel workouts and other
activities completed within 60 90
minutes. On the other hand, during
prolonged, strenuous exercise lasting over
90 minutes, carbohydrate ingestion at
regular intervals during the exercise is
beneficial 2, 3. For example, consuming
8 ounces (1 cup) of a sports drink
containing a 6 10 % carbohydrate
Post-Exercise Nutrition
When and what you eat after a work-out
can have a serious effect on your recovery.
Adequate recovery means that your
muscles are rested, re-fueled, and ready
to perform again, which is extremely
important for people who exercise every
day. Inadequate recovery can lead to
chronic fatigue and a gradual decline in
your performance. Be selective in what
you eat after exercise; wise choices will
help you recover quickly and enable
your muscles to work better the next
time around. For the fitness enthusiast
whose workouts generally last less than
90 minutes, your main concern is to
re-fuel with a well-balanced, high carbohydrate diet. However, if your workouts
typically last longer than 90 minutes and
are exhaustive, the timing of your
meals is additionally important. Your
body needs about 20 hours to replenish
its fuel stores. Furthermore, this will
only occur if adequate carbohydrate
(approx. 500 600 grams depending on
your body size) is consumed during this
time 2, 3. The first 2 3 hours after exercise
are critical for youdont wait to eat.
TrainingTable
For optimal glycogen re-synthesis, follow
these target intakes during the 20 hours
following a workout:
Immediately after exercise
(15 30 minutes): 75 100 grams
carbohydrate.
Within the next 2 3 hours after
exercise: 100 grams carbohydrate.
Every 4 hours thereafter: 100 grams
carbohydrate.
For example, since 1 gram carbohydrate
= 4 calories, 75 100 grams = 300 400
calories. In practical terms, you could
take in 75 100 grams of carbohydrate
by eating:
A banana and a bagel.
References
Debra Wein, MS, RD, LDN, NSCACPT is on the faculty at The University
of Massachusetts Boston and Simmons
College. She chairs the Womens
Subcommittee of the Massachusetts
Governors Committee on Physical Fitness
and Sports and is the President of
The Sensible Nutrition Connection, Inc.
(www.sensiblenutrition.com).
Ounceof Prevention
Preventing
Rotator
Cuff Injuries
for Pitchers
Supraspinatus
Introduction
Injuries to the shoulder are
common in baseball. The overhead
throwing motion places significant
stresses upon the shoulder1.
The strength training program
performed by many baseball
players is often inadequate to
maintain shoulder health and
maximize performance. Training
the shoulders rotator cuff muscles
should be performed as part of
a complete strength and conditioning program.
Teres
Minor
Infraspinatus
Ounceof Prevention
Exercise Program
Table 1 provides an exercise program for
rotator cuff strengthening. The goal is
to train the endurance capacity of these
muscles versus training for power and
size. Training should begin using minimal
or no weight while performing high
repetitions (25 30 repetitions per set).
When you are able to perform the
exercises without the burn (fatigue),
increase each exercise by one to two
pounds, or use a heavier elastic band.
Table 1. Rotator Cuff Exercise
Program
Perform each exercise 1 3 sets,
25 30 repetitions each.
Sidelying External Rotation
Prone External Rotation
Prone Horizontal Abduction
Standing External Rotation (concentric)
Standing External Rotation (eccentric)
Scaptions
Scaption
Stand, holding weights, with arms at side.
Raise your arms (thumbs up) angled 35 to
45 degrees from the center of your body
toward shoulder height (see Figure 5).
Figure 5. Scaption
Ounceof Prevention
Reference
1. Meister K. (2000). Injuries to the
Shoulder in the Throwing Athlete, Part 1.
American Journal of Sports Medicine.
28(2):265 275.
Baseball / Softball
Step 5: Determine your waist factor.
Waist Factor = Waist measurement x
4.150. Example: if your waist is 34,
34 x 4.15 = 141.10
Body Composition
and Baseball Performance
Step 8: Determine your body fat percentage. Body fat percentage = body
fat / body weight x 100. Example:
30.28 / 200 x 100 = 15.14% (your
percent body fat would be 15.14%).
Position
High
School (4)
College
NAIA (5)
Pitchers
15.8%
14.7%
12.0%
12.3%
Catchers
17.5%
17.1%
17.0%
11.5%
Infielders
13.1%
14.9%
13.4%
9.4%
Outfielders
12.9%
10.8%
11.0%
8.4%
College
Major League
NCAA DI (6) Baseball (2)
Baseball / Softball
Body Composition and
Baseball Performance
Excess body fat provides few, if any,
performance advantages for baseball
players. In fact, tests of hundreds of
baseball players indicate that the best
performers consistently possess low
percent body fat and high lean body
mass 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. In addition, baseball players
should also work to increase lean body
mass (muscle mass) since research suggests
that increased lean body mass enhances
strength, power, agility, throwing velocity,
and bat speed 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. Also, it should
be noted that too little body fat can
negatively influence athletic performance;
a percent body fat of less than 5% is
considered unsafe for male athletes 2, 9.
References
Summary
As discussed, research suggests that
appropriate percent body fat can enhance
speed, power, and agility 4, 5, 6. In addition,
increased lean body mass can significantly
enhance strength, power, throwing
velocity, and bat speed. Therefore, it is
suggested that aspiring baseball players
do the following: 1) learn to monitor
percent body fat, 2) implement a sound
sports nutrition program designed to
control percent body fat and maximize
lean body mass, and 3) employ an effective strength and conditioning program
designed to improve strength, power,
and baseball skill. While success in these
areas will require education, discipline,
and hard work, the effort can be rewarded
with significantly improved baseball
performance.
Action-Reaction
Other Drills
Listed below are just a few patterns or
drills that can be used:
Backward and Forward Runs
(see Figure 2)Have your partner
give verbal cues as you go back and
forth between different color noodles.
Star Drill (see Figure 3)Place 5
noodles in a star pattern. Beginning
in the center, go to the color noodle
that is called out, returning to the
center after each run.
Z-Pattern Runs (see Figure 4)Set
the noodles up in a Z-pattern, but
at a variety of distances or levels.
As you approach, a color is called,
and you run to that color. With the
placement of the noodles, you will
either go short or go long.
Figure 1.
Swim Noodles
Swim noodles can be bought at any
shopping center or pool supply business
for just a few dollars. The noodles come
in a variety of colors (visual stimulus), and
with a small wood dowel that you can
pick up at any hardware store in your
area, they can be placed in the ground in
different patterns for a variety of agility
runs.
The example below is a Zigzag Cutting
Drill (see Figure 1). Take the noodles
and place them at different locations in
a zigzag pattern, varying the horizontal
and vertical distance.
Figure 2.
Action-Reaction
X-Pattern Runs (see Figure 5)This
drill is similar to the Star Drill and
Z-Pattern Run. Have a center start
point, with the noodles set up at
various distances in an X-pattern.
A color is called and you run to that
colored noodle. You can learn the
drill in a progression by first starting
the drill in a specific pattern (e.g.
counter-clock wise). Then progress
to movements by verbal color calls
only, providing a variety of directions
and movements.
Sprint and Cut or Backpedal and
Cut DrillsTakes off at a sprint,
when a color is called out, break
towards that color noodle. You can
also begin the drill by backpedaling,
and follow same procedure.
References
Figure 4.
Figure 3.
Figure 5.
A Medicine Ball
Progression
for Developing Core Strength and Power
Training Progression
Lateral Throw
Kneeling Throw
This exercise requires more involvement
of the core musculature as the legs become
uninvolved. Kneel on the left leg and
keep the right foot on the ground so that
the right knee is at a 90-degree angle.
Holding the med ball with two hands,
wind up, and swing from the right
hand side as described in the previous
References
1. McGill S. (2002). Low back disorders:
Evidence-based prevention and rehabilitation. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.
Baseball / Softball
he level of competition in
the sport of fastpitch softball
has risen sharply over the
past decade. This can be
attributed in part to the international
attention brought to the sport with its
addition as an Olympic sport in 1996.
To be competitive at such elite levels,
softball athletes must place greater
emphasis on strength and conditioning
to increase overall level of play and performance. Although similar to baseball in
many respects, softball is played on a field
with smaller dimensions. The distances
between the bases are only 60 feet
compared to 90 feet and the pitching
distance is also shorter, between 40 and
43 feet depending on the league of play.
Figure 1. Example of 1-arm lat pull-down at starting (left) and ending (right)
positions.
Figure 2. Example of split stance squat at starting (left) and mid-point (right)
positions.
Baseball / Softball
for increased
performance it is
extremely important
for a pitcher to
develop lower body
power.
injuries3. Therefore, it is important to
separate softball players into similar
categories for a position specific needs
analysis. For example, players would most
commonly be separated into infielders,
outfielders, catchers, and pitchers.
Following this separation by positions
one can recognize the slightly different
exercise selections that may help athletes
increase strength in their position specific
movements. An example of exercise
selections that could be added to a
general strength program for position
specificity is shown in Table 1.
Infielders rely predominantly on speed
and agility in a lateral motion. Therefore,
adding a lunge directed laterally instead of
the traditional forward lunge could help
strengthen the muscles more associated
with the movement of an infielder.
The main concern for outfielders would
be the ability to sprint to a spot and
make long, strong throws. Therefore,
emphasis on power development with
jump squats and bench press throws is
critical, but all softball players could
benefit from training with ballistic style
movements such as jump squats and
bench press. This type of training has
been shown to increase both sprint speed
and throwing velocity4.
Pitcher Specific
Considerations
Developing a Driving Force
in Pitching
Possibly the most overlooked player on
the field in terms of strength and conditioning may be the pitcher. In a survey
of female collegiate windmill pitchers,
69.8% of the pitchers reported doing the
same resistance training and conditioning
program as the rest of their softball team.
In addition, these surveys revealed some
interesting information on key areas of
weakness and/or overuse that lead to
injury. As level of competition increased
from Division III to Division I, so did
percentage of pitchers experiencing
injury2.
Position
Affiliated
Movement
Position Specific
Exercises
Infielders
Lateral Lunges
Jump Squats
Outfielders
Jump Squats
Bench Press Throws
Catchers
Full Squats
Power Clean
Pitchers
Hang Clean
Jump Squats
Baseball / Softball
to rest time ratio between 2:1 and 3:1
allows for increases in both anaerobic and
aerobic capacity1, which is a crucial part
of pitching success. A sample program
for a pitcher looking to increase power
endurance can be found in Table 2.
This program is designed to use a slightly
different set and repetition range during
the ballistic squat jumps and bench press
throws in an effort to emphasize multiple
bouts of peak power production as a
pitcher would need. The rest of the
program is set up to increase strength
Table 2. Example of basic pre-season strength and conditioning program for a pitcher seeking power endurance.
Day
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Plyometric or
Conditioning
Resistance Training
Exercise
Sets
Repetitions
Back Squat
Hamstring Curl
Upright Row
Hang Clean
Push Press
Seated Row
Back Squat
Hamstring Curl
Upright Row
Baseball / Softball
The plyometric session on Wednesday
should be completed before the strength
training session. A variety of exercises
could be used, however bounds (both
single leg or two leg), and drop jumps
(stepping off a box between 20 to 60 cm
and performing a vertical jump immediately) have been suggested. In addition,
upper body plyometrics can be performed
using a medicine ball. Medicine ball
drills can include two-handed over-head
throws, chest passes, twists, as well as
many other variations. Monday and
Friday are set-aside as days for the pitcher
to work on specific drills such as spins,
which emphasize correct directional spin
of the ball for pitches to break effectively.
It is very important when balancing the
training for the sport and supplemental
training (resistance training, intervals,
plyometrics) to allow for rest and recovery.
Typically, softball practice is performed
in the afternoon, therefore it would be
most beneficial to perform any supplemental training in the morning in order
to spread out training and allow maximal
efforts at both sessions.
Strength and conditioning is an area that
an athlete can always work and further
improve upon. Training to further develop
your strength and power can increase
your ability and confidence to perform
at a higher level both up to bat, and in
the field. Implementing this type of
preparation into you training can truly
provide you with the driving force
behind success in fastpitch softball.
References
IntheGym
What is Motor
Unit Recruitment?
Increases in muscle
size seem to be
relatively limited
when compared to
the ability of the
neuromuscular
system to increase
efficiency
IntheGym
References
1. Baechle TR, Earle RW. (2000).
Essentials of Strength Training and
Conditioning (2nd Ed.). Champaign, IL:
Human Kinetics.
Baseball / Softball
Hitters Checklist
Consistent Hitting Through Preparation
Adam H. Naylor, EdD
Baseball / Softball
Hitters Checklist
Hitters Checklist
In The Hole
Key Thoughts
_________________________________________
_________________________________________
Key Actions
_________________________________________
_________________________________________
On Deck
Key Thoughts
_________________________________________
_________________________________________
Key Actions
_________________________________________
_________________________________________
Digging In
Key Thoughts
_________________________________________
_________________________________________
Key Actions
_________________________________________
_________________________________________
Play Ball!
Key Thought
_________________________________________
Baseball / Softball
for the elements of the hitters checklist.
For example, it is too late to time the
pitcher when standing in the batters box
and likewise, few would appreciate it if a
player were swinging bats to warm-up in
the dugout.
After leaving the on deck circle, it is time
for the player to get comfortable in the
batters box and settle in for a good at
bat. This requires a relaxing action, such
as taking a good slow breath to manage
the excitement of digging in, and perhaps making sure to stand tall to project
an image of confidence. Key thoughts at
this time are simple and straightforward.
Rarely should they extend beyond 2 3
words. They ought to either be a key
swing thought, quick bat, and/or a
batter reminding him/herself of the
pitch for which they are looking.
The body is now ready, the body is
focused, and it is time for the final
thought. The final piece of the hitters
checklist is the player visually picking up
the pitchers release point.
See figure 1 for a card that can help
develop a purposeful hitters checklist.
At each stage one or two key thoughts
ought to be identified. Key thoughts can
be focus points (timing the pitcher), a
few words to ones self (stay back), or
reminders of goals. Also at each stage it
is important to identify key actions.
Hitters Checklist
MindGames
One at a Time
MindGames
in golf, one ball at a time in tennis, or
one repetition at a time in weight lifting
effectively places mental energy onto the
controllable aspects of performance.
One at a Time
4. Make a CommitmentCommit to
the mental approach of one at a
time. Recognize that while initially
it might be difficult to implement,
with practice and persistent, it will
become a more nature way for you
to approach your performance.
To enhance your performance, you need
to focus on your performanceright
now. It is wasted mental energy to focus
on what did happen or what might
happen. Instead, direct your focus to
what is happening right now. One at a
timeone pitch at a time, one ball at a
time, one play at a time.
FitnessFrontlines
FitnessFrontlines
Is Nutritional
Supplementation
on the Rise?