How to Avoid Injury Playing Old Man Baseball: Part Two - In-Season Training

This is part two of a three-part series on how not to get hurt playing baseball – especially when you have to work the next morning (Part One here). This installment is about in-season training. (FYI - this is not meant to be an article about a specific training plan, I'm speaking in generalities - again.)

In the last couple of years I've tried to be more consistent with my in-season training. I was used to my old college routine of more or less avoiding lifting too close to game day for the fear of being too sore for the game (basically 15 years ago at a then D-II school). I really wasn't much of a fan of weight lifting until a few years ago if I'm being honest with myself. Last year, I told myself I was going to lift 2 days per week and do some running once per week, on top of our regular game schedule. We play fairly consistently 2-3 times per week so I tried to keep the days I was working out fairly consistent too. It worked well – I had more plate appearances than I have since 2008 (yes I’m a stats nerd) and felt the strongest I have at the end of the season in a long time. There were some games I was sore, but with an extended warm up it wasn’t a big deal.

What are the main benefits of continued in season training?

Maintain Your Previous Gains

You already worked hard through the offseason to make some nice strength gains. The least you can do is try to not lose that strength. You probably aren’t going to train hard enough to continue to gain strength through the season but at least you won’t lose as much if you continue to train. You just need to find a good balance of exercise that allows you to also play how you want to play.

Reduce Injury Risk

Being strong and staying strong through a season of any sport is much more helpful than being a weakling. We already know cuff strength goes down throughout the year the more you throw, especially if you're pitching. This is likely to be true for other parts of the body too. Your core muscles get overworked in one direction and you get generally fatigued throughout by the end of the season.

Built In Soft Tissue Work

There are usually foam rollers or mobility balls lying around and you can use those to work through any aches and pains. You can also easily pick either up on amazon, too. Soft tissue work is an underrated part of any training plan. Don't overthink it, you're mostly just smashing the soft tissue between your bones and the foam roller, but it can feel really nice when you're done. Try to go slowly over the sore areas, but keep in mind, you need to take some time to work into it.

Time Management and Efficiency

On the off handed chance you have a random injury occur during the year, you'll have some built in time to be able to work on it. You'll be able to modify your current program to address whatever it is you have for an injury. Maybe you have a hamstring strain and need to spend a little more time working on some eccentrics, maybe your elbow hurts and you actually need to do MORE bicep curls than usual. Whatever it is, it’s nice to be able to make a small adjustment to your program to address a current issue.

For us "old men" still playing, It's important to focus on a few things during in-season training. Being strong through a large range of motion and combining some plyometrics and running can be a good mix for success during the season. Doing something is generally better than doing nothing at all! What have you tried in the past, and what do you plan to do for the upcoming season?

Brett