How much weight can a College Athlete put on in a summer? Or a year?

Hah! The grocery bill is certainly going to take a jump.

Does he need to add weight? Maybe he can add strength without weight gain. When my son went from 6’2” 190 to 200 he felt sluggish. He timed .05 slower in the sixty. When he got back to 190 he didn’t feel weaker. He also didn’t look any thinner.

Build is a factor. My son was built like a point guard. He was 6’1 175 when he graduated from high school.

Son got to college at 6'3" about 190.  Has very long limbs and looked thin.  Coaches told him to get to 225 over time.  After a year he was up to 220 and they said he looked too bulky and to lose 5 lbs.  To be honest, I think that when they say gain weight what they really mean is add muscle tone.  He stopped with the nightly protein shakes and lost 5 lbs in a week.

Ah yes, the good old HSBBW!  I love this place but I should have known: Don’t give a direct answer, instead question whether he needs to gain weight.

Yes, eventually he’d like to be around 225-230 pounds of intimidating muscle mass.  That’s what his coaches want, too.  That’s what the upperclassman who currently starts at DH weighs.  He’s got long limbs, looks kinda skinny but certainly bigger than when he was a 185 pound high school kid.

Mine went from 210 to 240 in 2020 (winter of junior year in HS) lifting in the basement with his sister and adding an entire meal.  Most of the eating and lifting happened from 8pm - 1am (it was like we were housing and feeding a vampire bodybuilder). It happened over a 3-4-month period. The 30 pounds didn’t slow him dawn—he got faster.

He gained another 10 pound during 6 weeks of winter conditioning this past January. He did not feel like the extra weight added power. That weight came off during spring training and he’s holding steady at around 240 now. I expect he will slowly add weight and man muscle as he gets older (he’s 6’7” and 19 yrs old) but he will most likely stay on the solid but rangy side.

@3and2Fastball posted:

Ah yes, the good old HSBBW!  I love this place but I should have known: Don’t give a direct answer, instead question whether he needs to gain weight.

Yes, eventually he’d like to be around 225-230 pounds of intimidating muscle mass.  That’s what his coaches want, too.  That’s what the upperclassman who currently starts at DH weighs.  He’s got long limbs, looks kinda skinny but certainly bigger than when he was a 185 pound high school kid.

LOL - my kid and his teammates/roommates found that night time protein shakes with Mass Gainer helped quite a bit.  Of course this was combined with intensive lifting and eating big meals.  They all gained about 20 pounds or so from first year to second.  My guy had a hard time gaining anything over Summer due to heavy game schedule and travel, but worked hard to maintain and get in as many workouts as possible.  Not easy to do with lots of long road trips.

What are the players goals, hit .400 or look good at the beach?

Bob

@Consultant posted:

What are the players goals, hit .400 or look good at the beach?

Bob

ha ha ha ha......I'll take the beach look...but I am an old.....

Take a look at the number 3 batter on the Dodgers right now.

I think when you're younger, say HS age just gaining weight helps tremendously. It's like a cheat code. But at some point and definitely as a college athlete  you need to be concerned with power. Basically how do you transfer what you've gained in strength into power. Power lifters aren't baseball players.

At 6'2" 200lb he's not a string bean. Can he go to a reputable place over the summer that can help with programming, etc?

Bof

Trea Turner or Chris Turner?

Bob

Interesting topic post. Barry Bonds says hello.

I think the question in the topic header has waaaay too many variables. But as for your son:

Over the summer playing baseball as you state? 5 lbs would be amazing. Maintaining his weight would be the baseline goal

Over 9 months (say, May 1 to Feb 1)? 10 lbs of useful weight at his height (depending on his stage of puberty)

Over 1 year? 10 lbs of useful weight, again depending on his stage of puberty

Hope he likes peanut butter.....

200 is a good weight I think. There are plenty of sub 200 pounds guys at mlb who regularly hit 30+ bombs.

Many college players do need to add weight because they come out of HS at like 150-160 pounds but if you are already at 190+ I would worry more about adding max strength and explosive power than adding weight.

Just give him a good lifting program, eat enough and he will probably gain some weight automatically.

@Dominik85 posted:

… if you are already at 190+ I would worry more about adding max strength and explosive power than adding weight.

Why yes, no kidding.  The whole point is gaining muscle weight to add strength and explosive power.

@Senna posted:

I think the question in the topic header has waaaay too many variables. But as for your son:

Over the summer playing baseball as you state? 5 lbs would be amazing. Maintaining his weight would be the baseline goal

Over 9 months (say, May 1 to Feb 1)? 10 lbs of useful weight at his height (depending on his stage of puberty)

Over 1 year? 10 lbs of useful weight, again depending on his stage of puberty

Hope he likes peanut butter.....

Thanks!  He’s fortunate that the summer league is close to home and doesn’t have any real travel (all the teams are within 60-90 minutes from our house) so he’ll be able to live at home etc… 205 by Fall Ball and 210 by Feb 1 2023 sounds reasonable

@nycdad posted:

At 6'2" 200lb he's not a string bean. Can he go to a reputable place over the summer that can help with programming, etc?

Yes, he’s got a great local trainer that he’ll be able to work with twice a week who specializes in Baseball strength & conditioning and has trained several MLB & MiLB athletes.

Bottom line is that his college coaches want him BIGGER as well as stronger.  He can’t show up next fall and show his coach this thread and say “these guys know better’n you, Skip.”  

@Consultant posted:

What are the players goals, hit .400 or look good at the beach?

Bob

Thanks Bob.  His goals are to develop to his full potential as a Baseball player.  He’s a 3B/1B/DH who is expected to hit for power.  His coaches want him to be bigger and stronger.  If you look at him you can see he could easily be 225-230 pounds when at his full development.  Broad shoulders, long legs, long arms.

3&2

have you seen the tire and fence post drill? Find a old car tire, cut it in half nail the tire to a post. Then find an old wood bat and swing 4-5 times then rest, then again. This will provide a "quick" bat and allow the hitter to wait longer before swing.

FOR PARENTS IT A GREAT 'frustration release!!

Bob

What did his college S&C coach recommend?