The Athlete
Exercising your Baseball arm
Rotator Cuff and "Baseball Arm" Exercises
These exercises are designed to improve strength, muscle endurance or to be used as a pre-game warm up. All it takes is a couple of yards of Thera-tubing (the black color is the recommended strength), three eye bolts and a snap hook.
The eye bolts can be attached to a wall stud at the following heights:
• Arms length above the head
• Waist height
• Arms length with arm hanging down
Attach the snap hook to the end of the tubing. At the other end, tie a loop for your hand, or if you are using a snap look on a fence, just attached it at the same heights as you progress through the exercises.
EXERCISES
It is always recommended that you exercise using fatigue as the guide. This to say that you perform exercise #1 until you have tired that muscle group. Then move to exercise #2 etc. Once you have gone through the four exercises, return to exercise #1 and complete to #4 again. Try to perform three cycles to fatigue.
As a warm-up before a game or practice, only perform each exercise enough repetitions to feel your shoulder loosen up - usually 10-15 reps is sufficient.
Exercise #1:
Stand sideways to the fence with the hook attached approximately at waist height. Move away from fence until there is tension on the cord. Keep your elbow at your side and bent at 90 degrees. Rotate your arm into your chest, pulling against the tubing.
Exercise #2
Stand as above with the hook at waist height with your opposite shoulder toward the fence elbow at 90 degrees and tension on the cord. Rotate your arm out as far as possible.
Exercise #3:
Attach hook approximately two feet above your head. Grasp baseball and move forward until your arm is above your head and your elbow is extended. Turn your body slightly toward your throwing arm. Perform the exercise using your natural throwing motion. Come down and across and rotate your trunk.
Exercise #4:
Attach hook at ankle level. Grasp ball and face the fence with your non-dominant foot in line with the hook. Step backward until there is tension on the cord and your elbow is extended. Pull up and out (just the opposite of your throwing motion) until your arm and hand are up and extended.