With October and baseball play-offs right around the corner, we put together a Wild Card Baseball Workout for the full-body inspired by the Major League Baseball athlete. This Wild Card workout emphasizes upper, lower and core strength with just the right amount of conditioning to leave you mean and lean. Remember if you want to look like an athlete you have to train like an athlete! And for all you ladies out there, this is a great workout for you too, just keep the reps high and move through it like a circuit, you will be torching calories and toning in no time!
Warm-Up
Jog:
-Jog a few laps or for ½ a mile
Walking lunges with rotation:
-Lower into a lunge, twist to lunging side and drive up through the heel.
Video Demonstration:
Reverse Lunge:
-Keeping core tight, shoulders back, drop back into a lunge & lunge back backward. Repeat walking backwards.
Walking RDLs:
-Stand on one leg. Make sure there is a slight bend in the knee you are standing on.
-Hinge forward at the waist and push your hips back.
-Make sure your back leg is aligned with your back & reach down and touch the ground in-front of you. Repeat on both legs.
*Make sure you keep your back flat and core tight as you lean forward
Video Demonstration:
High Knees
-Drive your knee up to your chest high as you can, then repeat on other side.
For Upper Body & Arm Strength-Throwing
Alternating One-Arm Push-ups:
-Start with arms shoulder-width apart with one hand on the medicine ball, perform push-up.
-At the top of the push-up roll medicine ball to the other hand and then perform push-up.
Video Demonstration:
:
Overhead Wall-Throw:
-Stand in an athletic position a couple feet away.
-Holding the Stability slightly behind and above the head, throw against the wall.
-Catch and throw quickly again.
-Make sure to keep your core tight the entire time.
Video Demonstration:
Landmine Press:
-Get into a half-kneeling stance with barbell in front of you.
-Holding the barbell at shoulder height in the hand closest to your back leg press the barbell up in a 45-degree angle.
-Then lower the barbell in a slow and control manner.
*To take this exercise to the next level, try performing standing up
Lower Body:
Squats:
-Place you feet shoulder width apart, roll shoulder backs with weights in each hand by your side.
-Lower as you are sitting into a chair, sending hips back and let your knees bend.
-Make sure your chest and shoulders stay upright and back stays straight.
-Continue to lower to the ground as far as you can, making sure your knees to not pass your ankles, core is tight.
-Push-up through the heels and repeat.
Single Leg Glute Bridges:
-Start with shoulders resting on the bench and hold your core tight with weights resting on your hips.
-Raise one leg off the ground & raise your hips to bridge level.
– Lower your hips until you are nearly sitting on the ground
-Then raise your body back up as high as you can & fully-engage you glutes at the top of the motion
Video Demonstration:
Core
Medicine Ball Slam:
-Hold medicine ball overhead with your feet shoulder width apart.
-With the ball over head, slam it to the ground.
-Follow the ball with your body but do NOT BEND at the waist, instead lower into a squat position with head up and core tight.
-Scoop the ball up, explode up driving the ball back over your head and repeat throw.
Video Demonstration:
Russian Twists with Medicine Ball:
-Sitting on the ground with feet a few inches of the ground, body slightly leaned back, core tight & holding medicine balls out in front of you with arms extended slowly rotate to the right. Then return to the center and rotate to the left.
-Make sure the movement is slow and controlled, only using your core to twist from side to side.
Video Demonstration:
Conditioning
Sweet 16s
-Set markets 90 feet apart
-Time yourself and see how fast you can complete running between each marker 16 times
Lateral Jumps:
-Standing with feet together and arms at side, jump as far right as possible landing only on the right foot and lower as if you were squatting.
-Make sure your left leg is behind the right leg, hovering as low to the ground with out touching. Quickly, push-off with your right foot and leap to the left side, landing on your left leg, again hover as low as possible with your right foot behind the left leg. Repeat
Shuttle Runs
-Set 1 cone 20 yards from starting point, set 2nd cone 40 yards from starting point and set 3rd cone 60 yards away from starting point.
-Sprint out to cone 1 then run back
-Sprint out to cone 2 then run back
-Sprint out to cone 2 then run back
Cool Down & Stretch!
Gina Leslie
NESTA Trainer & SAQ Specialist
ISSA Fitness & Sports Nutrition Specialist
Ginathetrainer.com
