Baseball season can be grueling for pitchers, catchers, and the rest of the field players. Every player is looking to gain an advantage on the field. Trainers and coaches all have different methods for players to keep up during and after the season. You might want to think about hitting the pool. Swimming pools are an excellent way to get in shape for your baseball season.
Throwing a baseball is not a natural movement for the body. That movement can cause players to run into complications and put added stress on the shoulders and arms. To avoid severe injuries, you should target those high-risk areas. You need to build your shoulder strength, but tough workouts can put a strain on the joints. Many players are turning to the swimming pool. With a pool workout, you can build your shoulders and arms’ endurance, strength, and stability. In addition to that, the water provides a lower stress environment on your shoulders.
Benefits of Pool Training
On dry land, many players perform their exercises at a slow speed and restrict their range of motion. These limited exercise routines are used to prevent injuries. When players train in a pool, they can keep their shoulders submerged in water and workout in a full range of motion. This aquatic environment allows players to strengthen up the arms and shoulders.
The benefits of pool training extend beyond the reduction in joint stress. You can avoid training plateaus and recover faster in the water. You don’t have to limit yourself to just swimming back and forth in a pool either. Water is the perfect environment to jump, pull, or run. Many players are finding out that pool workouts are an ideal way to great in shape for the upcoming season. The swimming pool is a great place to improve your on-field fitness, stay in shape, and enhance your recovery.
Increase Your Aerobic Fitness
High-intensity interval training can be performed in the water. You can swim or run as you improve your aerobic capacity. The water is another excellent place to complete some underwater resistance training too. You don’t even need any additional equipment since the water will provide resistance against your body. If you have done a lap in a pool, you know that it can leave you feeling winded. As you work out in the water, you are pushing more than the air out of your path. With a few workouts in the water, your aerobic and cardio levels will start to increase.
Lower Your Risk of Injury
Speaking of injury hazards, you can prevent those risks with a pool workout. Water provides an environment with less impact. This allows you to change the angle of resistance to increase your coordination and muscle balance. By reducing the impact on your muscles, water workouts can limit the wear and tear on your body. You can use the swimming pool as a part of your daily exercise routine without worrying about a high risk of injury.
Add New Challenges to Your Training
The same style of workout can be repetitive and boring. Pool training helps you to get a break from those same movements during the baseball season. Your movements in the water are resisted in all directions in the pool. When you work harder, you experience more resistance in the water. You can engage muscles that you wouldn’t typically use in the gym. These aquatic workouts can improve your quickness, speed, and strength.
Avoid Those Workout Plateaus
Nothing can be more frustrating than hitting those plateaus in your training. If you have been doing the same workout routine at the same intensity, you are setting yourself up for failure. The same movements allow your body to become more proficient at performing those actions. In turn, this type of training will only limit your conditioning. Pool workouts are perfect for challenging your body and avoiding hitting the dreaded fitness plateau.
Incorporating the Pool Into Your Workouts
Now that you know about the benefits of pool exercises, you should learn how to incorporate them into your training routine. You shouldn’t think that pool exercises are easier than on-land activities. You can make them a challenging part of your workout. Working out in a pool provides more resistance than weight-based exercises. You never have to worry about adding weights since you can increase the force in the water as you boost the intensity of your movements.
If you are looking for a sample workout, you want to perform your exercises in a 3 to 5-foot depth pool that also measures 25 meters in length. As with any activity, you need to warm-up before beginning the most intense parts of your workout. Swimming the length of the pool is great, but remember that you can add other traditional exercises too.
For the most beneficial workout, complete each exercise for about 2 minutes with a rest period of one minute. Make sure to kick off your workout with a freestyle swim. Once that is completed, you can add high-knee kicks or flutter kicks for another 2 minutes. A breaststroke will allow you to loosen up the shoulder muscles without any added stress. You want to work out in chest-deep water to provide the maximum resistance for your joints and muscles. With an aquatic workout, you are only limited by your imagination. Make sure to use all those land-based workouts in the water for increased strength and less stress on your body.
Pool conditioning workouts can be used to work out your entire body or just a specific area. You can use the water to improve your aerobic fitness, improve muscle endurance, increase strength, and reduce injuries. All these benefits can increase your fitness on the baseball field. Don’t think you just have to swim back and forth in the pool. You can get creative with your workout. Those movements in the pool will help your moves in a game situation.
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