Exercises Every Softball Athlete Should Avoid

Hey, softballers!

I hope you're having a great week! This week in chalk talk, we talked about exercises that you should avoid to prevent harm and improve your performance, best ways to stay active in the off-season, and dynamic vs static stretching.

Don't do these

• Barbell overhead lifting can cause mobility issues in your shoulders due to changes in your scapula. Instead, try using dumbbells for a safer and more effective workout.
• Barbell bench press can increase shoulder instability and affect the integrity of your labrum. Swap it out for dumbbells to decrease your chances of getting hurt.

If you want to learn more, check out this video for an in-depth explanation

Stay active in the off-season

Here are my top recommendations for you:

• Playing another sport is a great way to complement your softball skills and work on different patterns. Remember: softball is a single-arm rotational sport that is training your body to be crooked and asymmetrical (this leads to pain and injury). Balance this out with sports that force you to move in multiple directions like basketball or soccer. Avoid volleyball as it re-enforces the same pattern as softball.
• Staying in a healthy workout routine like this program is also essential. Remember to address in-season changes and work on mechanics specific to softball. Sports like softball create changes in your body that compound season-over-season unless you work to reverse them in the off-season.
• Take a rest from throwing in the off-season but follow a program that helps you build back up to throwing as you approach the season. If you are a member of Baseline MX training this is built into your workouts.

Stretching before games

Here's what you need to know:

Everyone needs dynamic stretching, which involves moving and stretching without prolonged holds.
Not everyone needs static stretching, which elongates muscle length. Most of us girls are pretty mobile, so we don't need to add length to our already long tissues.
Stretching isn't always the answer for stiffness. Other factors like pain, weakness, joint restrictions, joint mechanics, soft tissue restrictions, and positional stiffness can limit mobility.

For example, if your hamstrings feel tight, it may be due to positional stiffness rather than actual tightness. Adjusting your hip position can create more range of motion through your hamstrings.

Take a look at the two photos below. My hamstring (red line) attaches to my butt bone. In the left picture my hips are rocked forward, creating an arch in my low back and making it seem like I have tight hamstrings. The reality is, if I can fix the position of my hips back to neutral as in the right picture, now I have all of my available hamstring range to work with.

What Should I Do For My Workouts?

We pack as much valuable, actionable softball training information as we can into the content we share so you can build your own program and get stellar results. But it can be tough to piece it all together into a softball training program that's right for you.

That's why we created the Baseline MX training program– a year round, season-oriented, softball-specific program that maximizes results and minimizes injury. You just show up every day, follow the program, and get results like:

• Throw farther
• Pitch faster
• Faster base running
• Faster pop time (we got you catchers!)
• Reverse in-season changes that lead to pain and injury
• Maximize your pre-season and be 110% at first practice

We take out the guesswork. If you show up, and put in the work, you'll get results. You'll also get access to chat with me, Emily, at our weekly chalk-talk where I field your questions and share training advice.

Ready to get started?

Join Baseline MX Training Now