Strength Training for Baseball

The National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) is the world’s leading organization in the field of sport conditioning. Drawing on the resources and expertise of the most recognized professionals in strength training and conditioning, sport science, performance research, education, and sports medicine, the NSCA is the world’s trusted source of knowledge and training guidelines for coaches and athletes. The NSCA provides the crucial link between the lab and the field.A. Eugene (“Gene”) Coleman, EdD, RSCC*E, is a professor emeritus in the exercise and health science program at University of Houston–Clear Lake. He serves as a strength consultant for the Texas Rangers and as a content editor for the Professional Baseball Strength and Conditioning Coaches Society website. Coleman was the first strength and conditioning professional in Major League Baseball (MLB) and worked with the Houston Astros from 1978 to 2012. He was also the first strength and conditioning professional invited to the MLB All-Star game in 2012, the same year in which he earned the NSCA Lifetime Achievement Award.David J. Szymanski, PhD, CSCS,*D, RSCC*E, FNSCA, is the department chair and a professor of kinesiology at Louisiana Tech University in Ruston, Louisiana. He is the director of baseball performance for the Louisiana Tech baseball team and formerly served as the head strength and conditioning coach and as an assistant baseball coach for that team as well as at Auburn University and Texas Lutheran University.

• Foreword by Nolan RyanIntroduction by David J. SzymanskiPart I. Principles of Sport-Specific Resistance TrainingChapter 1. Importance of Resistance TrainingDavid J. Szymanski and Brad LawsonChapter 2. Analysis of the Sport and Sport PositionsA. Eugene Coleman and William E. AmonetteChapter 3. Testing Protocols and Athlete AssessmentDavid J. Szymanski and Jose VazquezChapter 4. Sport-Specific Program Design GuidelinesSean Marohn and Zach GjestvangPart II. Exercise TechniqueChapter 5. Total Body Exercise TechniqueJay DawesChapter 6. Lower Body Exercise TechniqueMatthew Krause and Rigo FeblesChapter 7. Upper Body Exercise TechniquePaul FournierChapter 8. Anatomical Core Exercise TechniqueNate Shaw and Derek SomervillePart III. Program Design Guidelines and Sample ProgramsChapter 9. Off-Season ProgrammingPatrick McHenry, Chris Joyner, and Joe KesslerChapter 10. Preseason ProgrammingPatrick McHenry, Chris Joyner, and Joe KesslerChapter 11. In-Season ProgrammingPatrick McHenry, Chris Joyner, and Joe KesslerChapter 12. Postseason ProgrammingPatrick McHenry, Chris Joyner, and Joe Kessler

“Strength Training for Baseball provides a road map-compiled by experts in the field and game-that utilizes research and practical experience to enhance a player’s performance on the field.”-Butch Thompson, Auburn University Head Baseball Coach“The intelligence, research, and practical information provided in Strength Training for Baseball make this an absolute game changer. If you are serious about playing and taking your game to the highest level, this book is a must.”-Lane Burroughs, Louisiana Tech University Head Baseball Coach“Creating and maintaining strength and explosiveness through a sport-specific resistance training routine are a must for all baseball players. Strength enhances power, which is essential for pitching performance, bat speed, and explosive first-step movement, whether on defense or offense.”-Wade Simoneaux, West Monroe High School Head Baseball Coach“Strength Training for Baseball has been written and designed by experts in the field for each level of play without compromising the need for sustainable production in the future. Everyone wins: the player and the team.”-Steve Renfroe, Briarwood Christian High School Head Baseball Coach“We stress playing the game the right way to our guys all the time. That includes preparing themselves fundamentally and physically to play every day. It starts in the weight room, with the right routines to draw from and help reach any player’s full potential.”-Terry Francona, Cleveland Indians Manager