Baseball / Softball Program

An off-season and in-season training template for baseball and softball athletes. Builds general strength, rotational power, sprint speed, and arm health — then maintains them through the season.

Overview

Baseball and softball are rotational sports with high skill demands. The weight room doesn’t teach you to hit or throw, but it builds the physical base that makes you hit and throw harder, run faster, and stay healthy.

Phases:

• Off-season (12-16 weeks): Build strength, power, and speed
• Pre-season (4-6 weeks): Sharpen sport-specific qualities
• In-season (season length): Maintain strength, protect the arm
• Post-season (2-4 weeks): Full rest, no throwing

Who It Is For

• High school, college, or adult baseball / softball athletes
• Pitchers (with specific arm-care considerations)
• Position players (with position-specific emphasis)

Not for:

• Beginners (build a strength base first with Starting Strength or StrongLifts)
• Athletes with active shoulder or elbow injuries (see a medical professional first)

Position-Specific Emphasis

Position	Emphasis
Pitcher	Shoulder health, rotational power, endurance
Catcher	Hip mobility, repeated squat, arm strength
First base	Strength, moderate power
Middle infield	Acceleration, quickness, change of direction
Third base	Arm strength, reaction
Outfield	Sprint speed, arm strength, route running
Hitter (any position)	Rotational power, hip mobility

Off-Season (Weeks 1-12)

Goal: build the biggest general and rotational power base possible.

Weekly structure: 4 training days + 2 sprint days

Day	Session
Mon	Lower body + rotational med ball
Tue	Upper body + arm care + sprint work
Wed	Rest / mobility
Thu	Lower body + power clean
Fri	Upper body + rotational work
Sat	Sprint work + arm care
Sun	Rest

Monday — Lower + Rotational:

• Back squat: 4x5 @ 80%
• Romanian deadlift: 3x8 @ 70%
• Med ball rotational throw (wall): 4x5 each side
• Landmine rotation: 3x8 each side
• Leg curl: 3x10

Tuesday — Upper + Arm Care + Sprint:

• Bench press: 4x5 @ 80%
• Barbell row: 4x6 @ 75%
• Band external rotations: 3x15 each arm
• Face pulls: 3x15
• YTW raises: 3x10
• Sprint work: 6x20m, full recovery

Thursday — Lower + Power Clean:

• Power clean: 5x3 @ 75%
• Front squat: 4x3 @ 80%
• Hip thrust: 3x8 @ 70%
• Nordic curl: 3x5
• Calf raise: 3x12

Friday — Upper + Rotational:

• Overhead press: 4x5 @ 75%
• Pull-up: 4x6 (weighted if possible)
• Cable chop: 3x10 each side
• Cable lift: 3x10 each side
• Med ball slam: 3x8

Saturday — Sprint + Arm Care:

• 10m sprints: 6x, full recovery
• 30m sprints: 4x, full recovery
• Change of direction drills: 4 sets
• Band external rotations: 3x15
• Foam roll + mobility

Pre-Season (Weeks 13-16)

Goal: sharpen sport-specific qualities. Maintain strength.

Weekly structure: 4 sessions + sport-specific work

• Reduce main lift volume to 3-4 sets
• Keep intensity (RPE 8)
• Increase rotational power work
• Increase sprint work specificity (60-yard dash, base-running drills)
• Increase sport-specific throwing volume gradually

In-Season

Goal: maintain strength, protect the arm.

Weekly structure: 2 lifts + games

Day	Session
Mon	Full body (low volume)
Tue	Game
Wed	Arm care + mobility
Thu	Full body (low volume)
Fri	Game
Sat	Game
Sun	Rest

Monday — Full Body A:

• Back squat: 2x3 @ 85%
• Bench press: 2x3 @ 85%
• Row: 2x5
• Band external rotations: 3x15

Thursday — Full Body B:

• Deadlift: 2x3 @ 85%
• Overhead press: 2x3 @ 80%
• Pull-up: 2x5
• Face pulls: 3x15

Rules:

• 45 min max per session
• No soreness-inducing work
• No PR attempts in-season
• 8-9 hours sleep every night
• Arm care every session

Pitcher-Specific Considerations

• No heavy overhead pressing on throwing days
• Band work before and after every throwing session
• Never lift hard 1-2 days before a start
• If the shoulder hurts, stop. See a professional.
• Full off-season rest from throwing (2-4 weeks)
• Monitor pitch counts year-round

Progression Rules

Off-season:

• Add 5-10 lbs per week to main lifts
• Add rotational power volume every 3-4 weeks
• Add sprint volume every 2 weeks
• Deload every 6-8 weeks

Pre-season:

• Maintain main lift loads
• Increase rotational power and speed work
• Deload 2 weeks before season

In-season:

• Hold the weights steady. No PRs.
• Deload every 4-6 weeks (cut volume 40%, keep intensity)

Testing

Test at start and end of off-season, and mid-season:

Test	Metric
60-yard dash	Time
10m sprint	Time
Vertical jump	Height
Broad jump	Distance
Back squat	3RM
Deadlift	3RM
Exit velocity	mph (via HitTrax or Blast Motion)
Throwing velocity	mph
Pull-up	Max reps

Common Pitfalls

• Training too hard in-season. Baseball season is long. Conserve energy.
• Skipping arm care. This is how careers end.
• No off-season rest from throwing. Year-round throwing causes injury.
• No rotational power work. Hitting and throwing are rotational. Train them.
• No sprint work. Home to first matters. Train acceleration.
• Maxing out in-season. Never do this.

When to Switch

• After off-season: transition to pre-season
• After pre-season: transition to in-season
• After in-season: 2-4 weeks of complete rest, then off-season

Journal

Uses the Training Log — Baseball / Softball template. Track lifts, rotational work, sprint times, and arm health.

Related Resources

• Baseball / Softball Training (concept)
• Sport-Specific Training (concept)
• Sport-Specific Program README
• Power (concept)
• Speed (concept)