Training Regimen
Dave · February 25, 2010 at 11:39 am · Filed Under Mariners
Geoff Baker did a nice profile of the team’s change in the way they are handling the conditioning of their players today. It’s worth a read, but the bottom line is that the M’s have essentially abandoned the normal strength training, and are now using resistance based exercises to attempt to develop the muscles the players use while playing baseball.
There is apparently no area where the M’s will not look for a competitive edge. I love rooting for this team now.
Doubt it has anything to do with the new regimen, but apparently Griff is actually running this spring.
I do crossfit and some of the stuff they’re talking about doing, such as box jumps and lateral skater jumps, make perfect sense to me. On the other hand, weights are a good thing. If guys were doing the wrong things with those weights, wasting their time on bench press and curls, then yeah, find a way to get them away from that. But I agree with Bender that exercises like squats and power cleans should still be in the rotation.
But, I am really encouraged by this nonetheless.
I hate to appeal to authority, but for those of you in the personal training business and questioning what the Mariners are doing, I think it is wise you defer to both the Mariners and the trainers who have been hired that they know what they are doing.
There are many theories on what is the perfect workout. Truth is, every program has a purpose and may only work for certain people. I know Bender says he works with a professional baseball player, but I doubt he has all the answers for what makes an elite athlete (hint: there is no one answer).
I think what also needs to be realized is that the players are not abandoning their core workouts. This is the Mariners’ training program. If the players feel they need to do bench press or squats, they are allowed to on their own time. The Mariners are implementing this program during mandatory workouts. Might as well do things the players wouldn’t otherwise do or have access to at home.
I love that the Mariners are experimenting with a new training method. The team is looking to find new advantages every day. Many times, the complaint with baseball players is that they are not muscular enough. This seems like a regimen that could strengthen the muscles that are used for baseball activities. Even if the team abandons this method, kudos to them for trying it out.