As the baseball season is arriving, you will need to get back in shape both mentally and physically. This preseason baseball workout program has been created for baseball training beginning 4-6 weeks prior to tryouts, and the workouts have been made to improve footwork, hand-eye coordination, flexibility, speed, strength, and endurance. Split up into 4 sections, the program will require the same hand-eye coordination drills and stretching each day, while the lifts, agility, and conditioning will change from day to day. In conjunction with this program, be sure to throw long-toss 3-5 times a week and hit in the cages every day if possible. Below are the 4 sections of the program, and you can download the baseball workout program booklet here.
Staying flexible is a vital part of your success in baseball. No matter what position you play, you must have quick and loose legs, hips, and shoulders; therefore, the warm-ups will include stretching routines that are to be done each day. The footwork drills should be done 3-5 times per week following the stretching, and both stretching and footwork drills together should take roughly 35 minutes.
Hand-eye should be done every day for 30-45 minutes. Although it may seem tedious and boring at times, every rep that you put in will help to improve your reaction time and coordination. Whether fielding ground balls, catching pop-ups, or transferring the ball from glove to hand, you need to ensure the out and be ready to throw the ball immediately. The following program should be done every day after the warm-up and before the lift:
The lifts will vary each day, and should be done 4-5 times per week. Prior to beginning the training program, look through all of the lifts and make sure that you know what they are and how to do them. If you don't understand the technique, consult with a trainer about that lift. Only do the lifts if you understand the form, and, more importantly, never keep lifting if you feel any pain whatsoever.
Like lifting, conditioning will vary from day to day as well. The easiest way to follow through with conditioning will be to set goals by timing yourself, or by running with a teammate. The conditioning includes sprints, suicides, and long-distance runs. Always remember to cool-down and stretch following the conditioning, as you want to prevent lactic acid from building up in your body, thus making you quite sore. The stretching could be completed with a simple stretch strap routine.