Warm Up

Before you start any physical activity it is important to warm your body up through stretching.

Stretching increases your range of motion, protects your muscles from injury and prepares your body for the physical activity you are about to begin. You will not tire as quickly during your activity if you stretch first!

Stand with your feet together and your back straight and lift your arms over your head.

Place your right arm straight across your chest. Your left arm should be placed bent over your left arm with your left wrist resting on the back of the right arm above the elbow. Now use your left arm to press your right arm into your body and hold for 10 seconds and repeat three times. Switch arms.

Sit on the ground and spread your legs out to the sides in a straddle position. Bend your body over your right leg and hold for 10 seconds. Then bend your body straight in front of you and hold for 10 seconds. Finally bend your body over your left leg and hold for 10 seconds. Do this without bouncing to stretch your lower back, inner thighs and hamstrings.

Pitching Exercises

Pitchers need strong abdominal muscles and leg muscles for balance and they certainly need strength and endurance in their shoulder and arm for throwing the fast and consistent pitches.

Two important muscle groups that work to make this happen are the muscles of the rotator cuff and the deltoids.

¤ Deltoid Raises

Stand with your feet about hip-width apart. Keeping your abs tight and back straight, raise your arms up until they are parallel to the floor. This motion works the front part of the deltoid muscle. To work the side, or lateral, part, assume the same starting position and lift your arms to the side making a "T". Try each kind of deltoid raise 10 times.

¤ Resistance Band Rotation

Tie a piece of resistance tubing around a doorknob and stand away from the doorknob to get some resistance on the band. Place your elbow at your side, bent at a 90 degree angle, using your arm strength pull your hand out, away from your body while keeping the elbow tucked Repeat for 3 sets of 10. Next, turn and face the opposite direction and move your hand in towards our body, targeting the opposite muscles. Just like the first version of this exercise, keep your elbow tucked to your body and move only the hand. Repeat for 3 sets of 10.

Hitting Exercises

Hitting uses major groups such as the shoulders, biceps, triceps, and abdominals, but the muscles of the forearm - the wrist flexors and extensors - are just as important. The flexor muscles cover the front, or palm side, of the forearm and the extensors cover the back of the forearm.

¤ Wrist Curls

Take a small dumbbell or a can of soup/vegetables in your hand. Support your arm on a table or countertop with your wrist/hand over the edge. Holding the weight or can in your hand with your palm up extend your wrist down toward the floor and then curl it back up. Repeat this motion 10 times. To work the extensor muscles simply turn your palm over and perform the same motions.

¤ Grip Strength

Find something relatively soft - Play-Doh, clay, a rolled up towel, etc. and give it a squeeze. Open and close your hand to perform continuous repetitions. Do this for one minute and switch hands. Repeat three times.

Fielding Exercises

Next time you watch a Phillies game pay close attention to Carlos Ruiz. Ever wonder how he is able to maintain that catching position for nine whole innings - sometimes more? His leg muscles are also very strong. But it takes more than strength to maintain that Catcher's position behind the plate. It takes muscle endurance too - the ability of a muscle to continue to work over a long period of time. One of the major muscle groups that require both strength and endurance for catchers are the quadriceps.

The quadriceps or "quads" are four muscles that cover the front part of your leg.

¤ Squat

Stand with your feet hip-width apart, toes forward. Keep your chest up and eyes focused forward. Slowly bend your knees and lower yourself toward the ground (pretend there is a chair behind you and you are going to sit down). Make sure your knees stay straight and are directly above your toes, but not going past them. Gradually stand back up and repeat. Try to do two sets of 10.

¤ Wall-Sit

Stand against a wall or sturdy door with your feet about hip-width apart and toes forward. Keeping your back straight, head up, and shoulders back, slide down the wall letting your knees bend. Your upper body and quads should form an "L". Your knees should be straight and directly above your feet - not past them. Hold this position for 10 seconds and stand up. Try to build your endurance by working up to 30 seconds

Running Exercises

Strong leg muscles are important to help players cover ground in the outfield or steal bases. There are many groups of muscles in your legs - the quadriceps, hamstrings, gluteals, hip adductors, and calf muscles.

¤ Hamstring Bridges

Lay down on your back, with your knees bent and feet flat on the ground. Squeezing your core and using your hamstrings, lift your low back off of the ground, hold in this bridge position for 3-5 seconds. Repeat for four sets of 10.

¤ Lunge (pictured, right)

Start with your feet apart (about hip-width). Step forward with your left leg and bend your knee. Keep your back straight, shoulders back, chest up, and keep looking forward so as not to slouch over. Keep your knee directly above your toes making sure it doesn't go further than that. Stand back up and switch legs. Repeat 5 times for each leg.

Cool Down

When you complete any physical activity it is important to cool down to return your body to its pre-exercise state. This also helps to reduce injury.

Cool down exercises are often the same ones you do to warm-up your body. Here are some additional exercises you can try.

Raise your right arm straight over your head and then bend your elbow so your fingers reach toward the middle of the back. Use your left hand to grab your right elbow and gently pull back your right arm to feel the stretch. Hold for 10 seconds and repeat three times. Switch arms.

Bend your right leg and grab it with your right hand. Press your foot toward your buttocks to feel the stretch and hold for 10 seconds. Switch legs.

NOTE: If you need to hold onto a chair for balance do so with the opposing arm for each stretch.