Just gaining weight can actually slow down your pitching velocity. Work on strengthening the muscles in your arms, BOTH ARMS, and don't stress about your velocities right now, you are what 13, 14? You shouldn't even be messing with weights until you shave regularly or you can really cause more harm than good to your body. Your body is still trying to click itself together properly, if you interrupt that you can't undo that kind of damage.If you feel the need to work out use resistance bands, not weights, can't stress this point enough.
Not true Caco. I have spoken to doctors as well as strength and fitness trainers regarding this. A 13 or 14 year old is no different than a 25 year old. You need to emphasize proper form and appropriate weight. Obviously the amount of weight varies drastically. And maybe the youth should be a little extra careful not to push the envelope. But my 13 yo works out with a cressey guy. It has helped him and his teammates a lot. Not a lot of olympic lifts but the do dead lift and squats. Then they do a lot with kettle balls and dumbells. Also band work and medicine ball. A little of everything really. And velocity should always be a concern. Let it fly!
We are going to have to agree to disagree on this one 2020. Medicine balls, k-bands, running, pushups, lunges are all okay. Dead lift and squats...we have been advised heavily against these until growth plates are a bit more secure.
Advised by whom? I have been very careful to seek out advise on this and the pediatrician as well as fitness guys have all been in lockstep that its ok. Has your doctor said something different?
Speed and agility trainer and football coach funny enough. Speed and agility guy said to work on core muscles with resistance training and increase flexibility on both sides of your body, and not to use any weight over 20 pounds because it can stop the back and shoulder muscles from growing normally and actually affect how the bones grow.
Football coach, who is a gym teacher at my kids school, told him (I wasn't there) that lifting weights like a 10th grader in 7th grade will just mess your whole back up and he had to wait for his kid muscles to be adult muscles before he tried to put that kind of load on them. He also said that there is a reason why football players look like football players and baseball players look like baseball players, the same workouts don't apply....which I think is what resonated most with my son.
Either way, I don't see a burning need to have my 13 year old bulking up or looking for a velocity jump. Core muscles, long throws, resistant band squats and let the body form naturally is the way we are going until he's older and it becomes more critical to his development as a baseball player.
You are correct we will have to agree to disagree. And by the way sqauts and deadlifts do not 'bulk you up'. And our in house strength and fitness guy who interned for cressey puts the kids through baseball specific workouts.