This is a guest post by Jedd Johnson, from UltimateForearmTraining.com.  When his baseball career was cut short by injury, he searched for another means to satiate his competitive hunger, and he found Grip Competition.  Now, he has competed in more grip strength contests than anyone in the US, and produced multiple resources on building world class hand strength.  Soon, he will release the new secret weapon that will change the game of baseball as much as steroids did – only this time, it’s legal!

Everyone knows how important Core Strength is in Baseball.  The core fires anytime another part of the body fires, so the sore is highly involved in creating a powerful swing, bracing the torso throughout the swing, and stabilizing the body after contact.

Leg strength is also something that we are fully aware of for taking the ball deep into the outfield stands.  That power is generated from the ground up.  It’s no wonder some of the best homerun hitters have had thick quads, solid hammies, and a big powerful ass.

But one thing that people forget about when they think about developing the strength for homerun power is Grip Strength.

Grip involves everything from the elbow joint down to the finger tips.  Many of the muscles that cross and influence the elbow travel all the way down into the hands and fingers.  These muscles are the ones that put the finishing touch on all the power that comes from the legs and core when we attack that hanging curveball at the plate.

Neglecting grip training is an error we can not afford to make if we seek to set ourselves apart from other prospects in the sea of Major League hopefuls.  Following are some simple exercises you can do before, during, or after practice, as well as in your garage or dorm room that will pack muscle onto the lower arms and help you put the finishing touches on your power stores that you can use the next time you stand in the batter’s box.

Sledge Hammers are great for building grip strength as well as full body strength and conditioning.  You can get these essential strength tools at most hardware stores and even Walmart and Kmart carry them for around $20 to $30.

This workout should take no longer than 20 to 30 minutes.

Warm-up:  Sledge Hammer Curls

This exercise involves gripping the sledge near the middle of the handle and performing curls.  The objective here is to resist forearm rotation during the course of the movement.  Do this for two sets of 10 to 15 reps with each hand to get the entire lower arm and bicep warmed up for other more violent work coming your way.

Primary 1:  Sledge Taps

Hold the sledge near the center of the handle and violently and rapidly tap it on a tire, tree stump, rock, or other solid object.  The objective of this movement is to generate fast, powerful bursts of energy when hitting the tire, while also controlling the eccentric portion of the movement when the hammer recoils upward after striking the object.  Do this for two or three sets of 20 strikes with each hand.

Primary 2:  Rubber Band Extension Swings

It is just as important to work the Extensor muscles as it is to work the flexors, rotators and deviators of the wrist, so that is what we are doing to finish up this quick workout.  Get your hands on some decent sized rubber bands.  Not those things that chicks put in their hair – go and steal some off of some heads of broccoli in the produce section at the market or go buy some from an office supply store.

Wrap a rubber band around your fingers and perform a rubber band extension.  Now, move your hands and body through the swinging motion.  This movement should be done in super slow motion, exaggerating each point of the swing.  This will burn in the extensor muscles all the way up through your forearm where the muscles originate.

I want you to visualize Josh Beckett’s weak ass throwing you his fastball.  Go through your entire swinging motion in Slow Motion, imagining the contact with barrel of the bat as you take that lame duck deep.  Exaggerate each step of the swing as you watch Tim Wakefield’s tired knuckleball fluttering helplessly to the plate and then like a laser over the Green Monster.  Does Boston even have a team anymore?

Do this exercise 6 times and make sure you go slow.  By the end of the third one, if your extensors aren’t burning through your skin then you aren’t working hard enough or slow enough.

In closing, baseball is a very grip dependent sport.  The hands are involved in everything.  I am going to show the world the best way to train the lower arms for high performance on the field very soon.  Keep your eyes peeled for more announcements from Coach Dan and me..

The days of squeezing Tennis Balls to build grip and wrist strength are over.  It’s time to come to the Big Leagues and unleashing the power of the hands and forearms.

All the best in your training,

-Jedd-

P.S.  For a free video with more information on this new SECRET WEAPON, check this out right now = = >  www.UltimateForearmTraining.com

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Hitting 4 Power: Forearm Training – The Icing On The Cake
Coach Dan Huff, CSCS
I was reading a baseball strength & conditioning discussion forum the other day and it was downright upsetting how many people are dead wrong about strength & conditioning for power hitters. . . . keep reading

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I know that I am going to ruffle some feathers here and probably offend some of you, but I make no apologies for it.

I was reading a baseball strength & conditioning discussion forum the other day and it was downright upsetting how many people are dead wrong about strength & conditioning for power hitters. I would have posted my opinion on the topic, but I am no longer a welcome contributor… they banned me a few years ago when I made the absurd suggestion that pitchers should stop running long distance and start lifting heavy weights!

Anyway, the initial question was something along the lines of, “What muscle groups should I be training in order to hit for more power?”

Searching through over 3 pages or answers to the question showed me that about 85% of the replies were the same… Forearms. In fact, one reply was “Forearms, Forearms, & More Forearms! Do them every morning and ever night!”

Check Out The Entire Article At BaseballStrength.com

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Grip, forearm, and hand strength are essential for baseball. Jedd Johnson of the Diesel Crew, and author of Ultimate Forearm Training For Baseball, shows us a few cool baseball hand exercises that can be done in any commercial or home gym with just a weight plate.

The first exercise, a plate hula, is great for supportive grip strength for baseball. This can help stabilize the wrist while throwing, or snapping, a pitch.

Plate curls will do the same while incoporating more forearm muscles.

Use these exercises to throw harder and excell at throwing and baseball.

- Joe Hashey, CSCS –

Keywords: Baseball strength, baseball exercise, exercise for baseball, hand strength, hand strength for baseball, forearm strength, baseball workout, throwing strength, throwing power,

Duration : 0:4:12

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www.LebertFitness.com

Duration : 0:1:10

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As for actual hitting, nothing beats hitting a moving target to gain hand-eye coordination. Have someone stand about 30 feet away from you and throw tennis balls to you to hit in the school gym. The shorter distance will help you pick up the ball (see the ball) quicker. The much smaller ball will cause the real baseball or softball to appear that much bigger.

Gaining hand strength and hand-eye coordination will greatly impact your hitting abilities. Good Luck next season!

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I have an idea for core lifts. I’m just curious what auxiliary lifts are out their to develop a faster swing?
Also looking for lower body lifts.

From someone who played baseball for 20+ years and still does.

Strengthen your forearms by doing either wrist curls or squeezing something like a tennis ball in your spare time. Workout with dumb bells rather than with a bar.

Triceps Extensions

Nosebreakers

Lat. Pulls

Swing a old bat under water (like in a swimming pool) which may sound stupid but it works very well.

Practice with a wooden bat.

Pratice with a heavier bat.

Practice against faster pitching from a shorter distance.

Good Luck with your conditioning.

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