In this baseball training video, 2009 American League Rookie of the Year Gordon Beckham goes through an intense workout that prepares his body for the long MLB season, with coaching by Mike Berenger, founder and owner of Rapid Sports Performance.
About the Video
In this video, Gordon Beckham lets STACK in on his
off-season training routine where he focuses on his legs, core and back to become an explosive and powerful baseball player.
Beckham begins his
baseball workout with three warm-up exercises: jump roping, Over-Unders and ladder work. First, jump roping gets the heart pumping, and blood flowing. He moves to Over-Unders, which warm up his hip mobility. Finally, he moves to some latter work, which increases the speed of his neuromuscular system. These three exercises prepare his body for the workout to come.
Having a strong foundation is critical to baseball players over the course of a 162-game season. Ball players rely on their legs to not just carry them, but also powerfully drive them through each inning of the season. For this reason, it is critical to strengthen the lower body during the off-season.
Beckham strengthens his legs with Step-Ups and the Leg Press. In addition to these more traditional exercises, Beckham uses the Vertimax machine.
Gordon Beckham Vertimax Jump is a great exercise for baseball players working to improve their lower body power and vertical abilities with an explosive triple extension jump (hips, knees and ankles). For more information on the Step-Up, check out:
Strengthen Core and Improve Balance With Gordon Beckham.
This is a great tool for baseball players looking to improve their all-around game. By increasing leg power, you increase your first-step quickness. This is critical for baseball players, since the first step determines whether you get to the ball or not, whether you are safe at first or not, and ultimately whether you win the game or not.
Beckham also trains his core with an explosive abs workout. In addition, he adds RDL's to his core workout to strengthen his back. This is great for baseball players trying to improve their fielding game. Having a strong, tight core will keep you in control during a long double-header while other players are committing errors due to fatigue. For more information, check out:
Strengthen Core and Abs With Gordon Beckham.
Baseball workouts should focus on power and strength as a tool to improve their game time performance, not as an end in and of them selves. Baseball players need to strength train to become better baseball players, which mean tailoring their workouts to enhance their agility and balance on the field.
