The Core 4

When people ask me about my top core exercise I always have this little debate in my head. As I have stated in previous posts, there really needs to be a progression of exercises. So what I am going to do is give the top exercise in each of the 4 progressions: (1) postural control, (2) stabilization, (3) strength, 4 (power/reactive).

Pelvic Tilting

1. The first exercise that should be done is simply Pelvic Tilts. The reason for this is that many people, in particular youth athletes have are not able to change the position of their hips on command. This is a fundamental skill that ALL athletes should possess. If an athlete is unable to do this, generally every other functional exercise is going to suffer.

To do a pelvic tilt exercise, have the athlete lie on their back with their knees bent. Have them place one hand under their back and simply alternate between lifting their back off their hand and putting pressure down on their hand. Hold each position for 2-5 seconds.

Full Side Plank

2. The second stage of core training is stabilization/endurance. Athletes need to be able to maintain a stable spine for a prolonged period of time. The side plank does just this. It activates obliques, transverse abdominus, multifidus, low back extensors and the rectus abdominus. Its a grand slam of a core exercise.

To do the side plank support yourself on one arm with your feet stacked and hold that posture for between 20-45 seconds

Hand Walkout

3. The best strength exercise is the Hand Walkout. Why? Well it trains the body in the sagittal plan, so it uses the rectus abdominus "six pack" muscle. But it also engages the obliques and transverse abdominus. The hand walkout is an "anti-extension" exercise that uses the postural control and strength of the prior to phases. 

To do the hand walkout, simply start from a push-up position and take small steps forward with your hands, keeping your feet where they are. Walkout until you feel tension in your abdominals and then walk your hands back in.

4. The best plyometric/reactive exercise is Medicine Ball Shakers. This exercise requires the spinal stabilization muscles and the hip rotators to contract and relax rapidly. The ability to turn a muscle on and off quickly is crucial for sports performance and everyday living. And because most motion takes place in the rotational/transverse plane, this exercise is our champion. 

Simply hold a medicine ball in front of you and quickly shake it side to side. Don't attempt to use a "full range of motion" because most people will end up over torquing the muscles of the lower back. Instead focus on short rotations that allow the ball to travel a maximum of 12" before you bring the ball back the other way. Perform 10 repetitions as fast as possible - shoot for under 6 seconds.

And there you have it. Our Core Top 4!.

Warm Up to run faster!!

The pre-event warm-up is often the most overlooked aspect of training for improved performance. Take a look at what a "warm-up" is to most coaches and it looks a lot like effortless stretching from players while they joke around and laugh.

But realize that warm-up is not just A time to get faster, it is THE time to get faster on field. And their are many exercises and skill development techniques that can be used as part of a warm-up to make you or your athletes FASTER.

The truth is that great returns can be made on small time investments as long as the effort of exercise is VERY high

Now to avoid the longest blog post yet, I have put together a FREE manual for you titled:

Peak Preparation: A guide to movement preparation

This spring it will be available for purchase. But I want to give it to you for free! All you have to do is send me an email at aaron@pairmarotta.com titled warm-up and I will send you back a copy of the manual in PDF format.

All you have to do is print it off, put it in a binder and BANG...it's ready to take to the field and get put to use THAT DAY. This free manual offer is up Sunday January 25th.

Pair & Marotta Peak Performance is dedicated to improving the fitness of baseball and softball players all over Bakersfield! That is why we are GIVING this away. I'm not trying to make money off of this (yet).

You have only yours and your player's health at risk here. How much is that worth? Hopefully it's worth the time it takes to send me an email and read a 25 page training manual!!

Again, send email aaron@pairmarotta.com and I will email it back to you THAT day!!

Arm Care is Career Care

For a baseball or softball pithcer, their arm is often their career. Any quality sports training program bakersfield should consist of an arm care program. If an athlete does not know how to take care of their arm, then their career won't stand a chance.

But what does arm care really consist of? Arm care consists of many things. Not the least is proper preventative care and proper recovery.

Many baseball and softball players go wrong with arm care. They often abuse their arms without ever knowing it. But I have a very knowledgeable person who is very excited to help you with any problem you might have. Click here to visit their website.

So lets talk proper warm-up. Personally, I am sold on Jeager Bands. These things are awesome and can be taken anywhere. No matter what position you play, you gotta have these bands. Pitchers throw every couple of days. Position players throw every day. So don't think they are only for pitchers. They will strengthen your arm to create a cannon and keep you fresh and able to play day after day. The entire Jeager Sports program (long toss, arm circles, bands) is terrific. Their program is highly recommended.

The second thing is knowing when you've thrown enough. And that can be a bit more tricky. Follow this link to get some guidelines on throwing volume. Odds are most coaches are throwing their kids way to much and not giving them enough rest. Coaches, if you don't know how many pitches your athletes are throwing, you are doing them a disservice. Don't be that coach.

The last but possibly most important is proper recovery. Recovery is what we do to our body to help get fresh blood, oxygen and nutrients to the area that follows the stress of pitching at a very high velocity. We should take this very important. The first thing to do is ice it. Almost as soon as you come off the mound. The second thing is to exercise it the day after. Perform very low resistance exercises such as arm circles, fly's, and arm pendulum exercises to help loosen up the tight muscles of the shoulder.

These three things will take some extra effort, but rest assured, they will keep you throwing for years to come. Being consistent is the key. If you want to throw consistently, you need to

1. Prehab your shoulder for what you are about to ask of it.
2. Count your pitches. Have a coach keep your pitch count so you can track performance
3. Take care of yourself after the game. Ice, compression, and elevation. The next day, start your exercises.

If you have any questions, feel free to email me at aaron@pairmarotta.com




Sports training Bakersfield, Baseball training, Pair Marotta Physical Therapy