NYCDAD....Yes, that was what I was wondering as well. At what point are there diminishing returns? And do you get to a point when you can't get any further? Does risk of injury go up because at some point you are no longer stressing the body for gains, but instead just stressing the body? If Michael Phelps continued to train his body in and out of the pool, would he drop more time, or would his body simply adapt and then start to wear down eventually?
SHOVEIT4KS....Thank you for telling me about your son's journey. It is very encouraging and was what I hoped I would hear about. You are correct, that all of this comes with risk of injury. So, I asked the question......when is it too much? I think you answered that...... you just keep working and understand the risk goes up along with the returns...but that there may not be an answer. It may come down to drive, genetics, luck...
Everything son is doing has been initiated by him. Lifting, Driveline...all of it. We are doing what we can to support it all. As a parent, you have a gut instinct. You can hear so much noise from so many sources, that it can drown out the gut. Mine told me that baseball players are athletes first and players after. That you need to put in just as much time working on the athlete, as you do the skill of the player. That in todays game you have no choice but to have both or you will at some point be left behind. I love sports, love watching him play, but I want to make sure that I am doing what I can to be educated.....and hopefully, if possible, reduce risks involved.
Congratulations on your son's success. What a wonderful ride!!
IOWAMOM23....I can totally relate to the big thigh, smaller waist issue! LOL Again with drowning out the noise...have heard from so many...do not let baseball players run long distances and instead focus on being explosive. Happy to hear it has worked out well for your son. Seems it always comes down to what works for the individual!
Steve A....WIth son being two way I think it will be a challenge. He is a starting pitcher and will start at SS when not on the mound. Trainer said he would decrease volume, but not load so much. Fewer reps with just as heavy weight with the goal of maintaining strength throughout season, but not building like in the off season. I could not agree more about the players these days. To get to a high level, I don't think these things are a choice. Have seen so many good players over the years fall off. They didn't want it enough to put in the work.