Posted by: Jimmy () on Fri Jan 26 19:44:35 2007

> > It goes without saying that any top quality athlete should be in shape. And that
combines cardio as well as weights. Over time so many players realize too late that they
should have taken better care of themselves.
>
> Its true that a certain amount of cardiovascular endurance would benefit an athelete in
that 1) it would help them stay fresh in the late innings 2) it would help them stay fresh
late in the season and 3) it might help them avoid injuries. But as for strength/power,
running for endurance does nothing for you. Strength comes from the intensity of a
workout, not the volume. Baseball is an anaerobic game that requires mostly short bursts
of all-out activity, not sustained submaximal effort (most runs in game situations are less
than 5 seconds in duration). As a rule, if you can run a mile in 7 minutes your aerobic
fitness should be sufficient for baseball. The player would benefit more from a
weightlifting routine that focuses on strength and power instead of a program that
emphasizes endurance.

Tarheel,

You couldn't be more wrong. The ability to be consistent is the most wanted characteristic
that managers and coaches look for and want in a hitter. If a hitter hits 10 home runs the
first half of the season but hits none the second half because he had no endurance
training in his lift routine, he has not reached his power potential for those equally
important games later in the season. The last game is just as important if not more
important than the first game of a season, so training for just one short burst is not the
way to go. The season is not a sprint, nor is it a marathon, but it is a marathon of sprints.
Training like a power lifter will shorten the life of that power in a long baseball season.

Jimmy