Should softball players lift weights?

Yes. We are done here.

Alright, we can dive in. Most of the time when I talk with females about weight lifting their biggest fear is they don’t want to get “bulky”. Well, if you’re not lifting massive weight time and time again…you won’t get bulky. If you don’t train to be bulky, you won’t be. It’s all in the design of the program.

Let’s talk age first. Elementary school players should be focusing on body weight exercises and learning how to move properly. Middle school is a great time to introduce some light weight training to athletes to start to refine movement patterns. In high school we should be getting into some more advanced lifts. It is important to get the introductory stuff done first so players can focus on proper technique to avoid injury as they train.

Our goal as softball players is be explosive. We have to train our muscles to move quickly, just like in our sport. We have standing around time and then our bodies are expected to move explosively. This isn’t necessarily a sport we want to train super heavy weight to build a ton of muscle. In my opinion keeping our weight to 70-80% of our 1 rep max is ideal and then we challenge the body from there with increased volume and variation of the exercises we do.

To be able to throw and hit harder we have to choose exercises that train the muscle groups that are being used. Examples of muscle groups used when swinging: hip rotators, lats, pecs, abdominals, shoulders, forearms and wrists (and more). Examples of muscle groups used when throwing: shoulder rotators, pecs, deltoids and lats (and more). Examples of muscle groups used when pitching: quadriceps, hamstrings, hip flexors, calfs, lats, deltoids, triceps and forearms (and more).

Plyometrics exercises are a great way to train explosiveness for our athletes. Box jumps, 1 foot hops, starting a stopping quickly, burpees, tuck jumps and clap pushups are just a few examples of plyometric body weight exercises. We can also weight train with explosive movements as well: landmine press, renegade rows, trap bar jumps, kettle bell swings, dumbbell push press, etc.

Eccentric training also has huge benefits for softball players. That is basically lowering the weight slowly. Your body is forced to recruit stabilizer muscles when you slow the movement down. This forces smaller muscle groups to work harder and lengthens that muscle for a longer period of time. This also helps us train how to control our movements better.

We also can’t forget about mobility and flexibility exercises. These must be added to any training program to ensure the body is moving the way it’s suppose to. This will ensure the greatest benefit from your training program.

If you’re not on a training program currently or are interest in one, let’s talk. We have a full weight room at the facility and 3 certified personal trainers ready to help anyone who is willing to put the work in. We offer very affordable gym memberships and can help train you. Come see us!