One area that every baseball player needs to improve on is his

ability to prepare for both practice and competition with a

comprehensive dynamic baseball warm-up.

At BaseballStrength.com we have a very simple saying that has very

a very profound impact: Warm-Up to Play, don't Play to Warm-up!

I'm sure we have all been guilty of this in the past but jumping

right into your workout or playing a quick game of pickup

basketball is not a sufficient warm-up for an intense performance

enhancing workout. In fact, if we see any of our athletes "playing"

before or during their workout they are asked to return when they

are ready to train.

Why should you take your warm-ups so seriously? Because it is the

most important portion of your training session!

Setting the tone of each workout begins in the first 2 minutes and

if the tone is one of playing games your training session will not

be productive. The seriousness with which you take your warm-up

sets the tone for the rest of the training session. Getting in the

proper frame of mind at the start of the training session allows

you to improve their mental state. An improved mental state leads

to improved reaction time during speed and agility drills, improved

perception of their body's physical state, improved coordination

during balance activities, and improved overall concentration in

all aspects of the training session.

Aside from the mental benefits of a well designed warm-up there are

plenty of physical benefits as well. The first and most obvious

benefit is improved elasticity and contractility of the muscles. A

thorough dynamic warm- up will help the muscles loosen up through a

full range of motion. Muscles can be thought of like rubber bands.

When you attempt to stretch a cold rubber band it often cracks. On

the other hand, when you stretch a rubber band after it has been

warmed up a bit you are able to stretch it without fear of it

breaking.

The warm band also has a great ability to contract and fly across

the room. The same is true for your muscles. As they are warmed up

they have a greater ability to stretch through their full range of

motion and contract forcefully without the fear of injury.

All warm-ups must follow a few simple guidelines. First, begin with

simple movements and progress to more complex. Following this

guideline, all of our BaseballStrength.com warm-ups begin with

floor based movements and progress to standing movements. Secondly,

begin with slower movements and gradually pick up speed. Our

warm-ups begin with athletes lying on the ground moving slowly and

finish with our athletes ready to move into their high speed power

workouts.

Finally, begin with body weight movements before adding external

implements.