The best examples of strength and conditioning drills for baseball

Let’s start with what most people actually want: real examples of strength and conditioning drills for baseball that you can plug into a workout. Then we’ll zoom out and explain how to organize them.

Here are the types of drills we’ll cover in detail:

• Lower-body power drills for hitting and throwing
• Upper-body strength drills that protect shoulders and elbows
• Core stability work that keeps your swing and delivery consistent
• Speed and acceleration drills for base running and defense
• Conditioning that matches the stop‑and‑go rhythm of baseball

Each section will include examples of strength and conditioning drills for baseball that you can use right away, plus simple progressions for different ages.

Lower-body power: best examples of strength and conditioning drills for baseball

If you want to hit the ball harder or throw with more intent, you need to be able to push into the ground. That starts with the legs and hips.

Here are some of the best examples of lower-body strength and conditioning drills for baseball players.

Trap bar deadlift (or kettlebell deadlift)

Think of this as your “engine-building” lift. The trap bar deadlift trains the glutes, hamstrings, and back in a way that transfers well to sprinting and swinging.

How to use it in baseball training:

• Stand inside the trap bar with feet about hip-width.
• Keep your chest tall, push your hips back, and grab the handles.
• Drive through your feet to stand up, squeezing your glutes at the top.

If you don’t have a trap bar, a heavy kettlebell deadlift works well for youth and home setups.

Why it works for baseball: hitters and pitchers both need strong hips and hamstrings to create force and then decelerate safely. This is one of the most reliable examples of a strength drill that carries over without beating up the joints.

Rear-foot elevated split squat (Bulgarian split squat)

This single-leg strength drill builds balance and power in the front leg—the same leg that has to brace and stop your momentum when you land your pitch or finish your swing.

How to do it:

• Place your back foot on a bench or box behind you.
• Hold dumbbells at your sides.
• Drop your back knee toward the ground while keeping your front knee tracking over your toes.
• Push through your front foot to return to the start.

For many players, this is a better example of a strength exercise than heavy back squats because it’s easier on the spine and more similar to baseball positions.

Lateral bound to stick

Baseball isn’t just forward and backward; it’s side-to-side. Lateral bounds train the same kind of push a shortstop uses to explode to a ground ball.

How to perform:

• Start on your right leg.
• Jump sideways to your left, landing softly on the left leg.
• “Stick” the landing for 2–3 seconds before jumping back.

This drill is a simple example of strength and conditioning for baseball that blends power, balance, and deceleration.

Upper-body strength: shoulder-safe examples of baseball conditioning drills

Baseball players don’t need bodybuilding arms; they need strong, healthy shoulders and backs that can handle thousands of throws and swings.

Here are examples of strength and conditioning drills for baseball that build upper-body strength without wrecking your arm.

Dumbbell bench press with shoulder-friendly setup

Instead of heavy barbell benching with a wide grip, dumbbells let your shoulders move more naturally.

Key coaching cues:

• Lie on a flat bench with dumbbells held above your chest.
• Keep your elbows closer to your sides (about 45 degrees), not flared out.
• Lower slowly, then press back up under control.

This is a practical example of an upper-body strength drill that supports hitting power without putting your shoulders in a vulnerable position.

1-arm dumbbell row or chest-supported row

Rows are your friend. They build the upper back muscles that stabilize the shoulder during throwing.

How to do it:

• Support one hand and knee on a bench.
• Hold a dumbbell in the other hand, arm straight down.
• Pull the weight toward your hip, squeezing the shoulder blade back and down.

For players with cranky lower backs, a chest-supported row on an incline bench is a great variation.

Face pulls and band pull-aparts

These are small, unglamorous drills that show up in almost every example of a modern baseball strength program because they target the rear shoulders and upper back.

Face pull basics:

• Attach a rope or band at face height.
• Pull toward your nose, leading with your elbows and rotating your hands back.

These can be done almost daily with light resistance and are often recommended by sports medicine and physical therapy professionals for shoulder health. For more on shoulder injury prevention in overhead athletes, you can browse resources from the National Institutes of Health.

Core and rotation: real examples of strength and conditioning drills for baseball swings and throws

Core work for baseball is not about endless sit-ups. You need a trunk that can resist unwanted motion and then transfer force from the legs to the arms.

Here are some of the most useful examples of strength and conditioning drills for baseball when it comes to the core.

Pallof press (anti-rotation press)

This looks simple but hits the exact pattern you need to stabilize your trunk during a swing or pitch.

How to do it:

• Attach a band or cable at chest height.
• Stand sideways to the anchor, feet shoulder-width.
• Hold the handle at your chest, then press straight out.
• Fight the urge to let the band twist you.

This is a textbook example of a drill that trains your ability to resist rotation, which is just as important as creating it.

Half-kneeling cable chop and lift

These drills train controlled rotation from the hips and core, not just the arms.

Chop pattern:

• Set a cable high on one side.
• Kneel on the inside knee (closest to the machine).
• Pull the handle down and across your body toward the opposite hip.

Lift pattern:

• Set the cable low.
• Pull up and across your body.

These are great examples of baseball-specific core drills because they mirror the diagonal patterns used in throwing and hitting.

Dead bug and front plank variations

These don’t look like baseball, but they build the deep core control that keeps your lower back happy.

• In a dead bug, you lie on your back, arms up, knees bent, then slowly extend opposite arm and leg while keeping your lower back pressed into the floor.
• In a front plank, you hold a straight line from head to heels on your forearms, bracing your core and glutes.

You’ll see these in many college and pro programs as simple, low-risk examples of core stability drills.

Speed and agility: examples of conditioning drills for baseball movement

Speed in baseball is about the first 10–30 feet, quick reads, and sharp direction changes. Long-distance jogging won’t get you there.

Below are real examples of strength and conditioning drills for baseball that build usable speed and agility.

Base-running acceleration sprints

Instead of random sprints, use the actual basepaths.

Simple setup:

• Sprint from home to first at 90–100% effort.
• Walk back slowly for recovery.
• Mix in first-to-second and second-to-home sprints.

This is one of the most practical examples of conditioning because it matches game distances and angles.

10-yard and 20-yard starts

Short sprints train the same acceleration you need off contact or out of the batter’s box.

How to structure it:

• Start from a staggered stance or a base-running stance.
• Sprint 10 yards as fast as possible.
• Full rest (at least 45–60 seconds) between reps.

Current research in sprint training for team sports emphasizes short, high-quality sprints with full recovery to develop real speed rather than just fatigue. You can see similar principles discussed in sports science resources from organizations like the National Strength and Conditioning Association.

Lateral shuffle and crossover drills

Infielders and outfielders live in lateral movement.

Example drill:

• Set two cones 10–15 feet apart.
• Start in an athletic stance.
• Shuffle quickly from cone to cone, staying low and under control.
• Add a crossover step variation to mimic the first step an outfielder takes on a fly ball.

These are simple examples of movement drills that directly support defensive range.

Game-like conditioning: baseball-specific examples of strength and conditioning drills

Conditioning for baseball should look like baseball: short bursts of work with plenty of rest, not endless miles of running.

Here are examples of strength and conditioning drills for baseball that better match the sport.

Work-to-rest sprint intervals

A typical baseball play is a few seconds of effort followed by 20–40 seconds of rest. You can mirror that in training.

Example session:

• Sprint 20–30 yards at near-max effort.
• Rest 30–40 seconds.
• Repeat 8–10 times.

This style of conditioning trains the phosphagen and anaerobic systems that actually power baseball movements. For general information on exercise and heart health, the American Heart Association and Mayo Clinic both cover interval training benefits.

Position-specific conditioning circuits

You can also build short circuits that reflect positional demands.

For pitchers (between starts, in the off-season):

• Med ball rotational throws
• Short sprints (10–20 yards)
• Light sled pushes or hill sprints

For catchers:

• Squat-to-stand patterns
• Short lateral shuffles
• Quick up-and-down movements from a low stance

These circuits are good examples of conditioning that improves work capacity in the exact positions players live in on the field.

Med ball power: some of the best examples of strength and conditioning drills for baseball

Medicine balls might be the most “baseball-looking” tool in the weight room. They let you train rotation and power at high speed without the stress of throwing a baseball off a mound.

Here are a few best examples of strength and conditioning drills for baseball using med balls.

Rotational scoop toss against a wall

This drill mimics the hip and trunk rotation of a swing or throw.

How to do it:

• Stand sideways to a sturdy wall, feet slightly wider than shoulder-width.
• Hold the med ball at hip height.
• Load into your back hip, then rotate and “scoop” the ball into the wall as hard as you can.

Use a lighter ball (4–8 pounds) so you can move fast—more like a swing, less like a grind.

Overhead slam

This builds total-body power and teaches you to transfer force from the ground up.

Basic version:

• Stand tall with the ball overhead.
• Use your hips and core to drive the ball straight down into the ground.

This is a simple example of a power drill that’s safe for most players, as long as they don’t have shoulder issues and they use a ball that rebounds predictably.

Step-behind rotational throw

This adds a footwork pattern similar to a crow hop or a hitter’s stride.

• Start facing sideways to the wall.
• Step behind with the back foot, load into the back hip, then rotate and fire the ball.

You’ll see drills like this in many current MLB and college strength programs because they bridge the gap between weight-room strength and on-field power.

Putting it together: how to organize these examples of strength and conditioning drills for baseball

Now that you’ve seen many examples of strength and conditioning drills for baseball, the real question is: how do you combine them without overdoing it?

Think in terms of three phases across the year:

Off-season (build strength and power)

• Emphasize heavier strength work: trap bar deadlifts, split squats, rows, bench press.
• Add med ball throws 2–3 times per week.
• Use short sprints and position-specific conditioning 1–2 times per week.

This is when you push the weight room hardest because game volume is low.

Preseason (shift toward speed and power)

• Slightly reduce heavy lifting volume.
• Increase med ball and sprint work.
• Add more baseball-specific conditioning: base-running intervals, lateral shuffles, defensive movement drills.

The goal is to feel fast and explosive as practices and scrimmages ramp up.

In-season (maintain, don’t chase PRs)

• Keep strength work 1–2 times per week at lower volume.
• Focus on joint health: face pulls, band work, core stability.
• Use light, short conditioning to stay sharp without adding fatigue.

Research and field experience both suggest that maintaining strength in-season helps reduce overuse injuries and performance drop-off, as long as total workload is managed. For general injury prevention and youth sports guidance, the CDC’s youth sports resources are worth a look.

FAQs: common questions about examples of strength and conditioning drills for baseball

What are some good examples of strength and conditioning drills for youth baseball players?

For youth players, keep it simple and technique-focused. A solid example of a safe youth program might include bodyweight squats, split squats, push-ups, inverted rows, light med ball chest passes, basic planks, and short sprints. The goal is to build movement quality and coordination, not heavy max lifts.

Can you give an example of a 3-day strength and conditioning plan for a high school baseball player?

A simple 3-day split might look like this:

• Day 1 (lower + core): trap bar or kettlebell deadlifts, split squats, lateral bounds, Pallof presses, planks.
• Day 2 (upper): dumbbell bench press, rows, face pulls, band pull-aparts, med ball rotational throws.
• Day 3 (speed + power): sprints (10–30 yards), base-running intervals, med ball slams, light conditioning circuits.

This uses several of the best examples of strength and conditioning drills for baseball without overwhelming the athlete.

How often should baseball players do conditioning drills during the season?

In-season, most position players do conditioning 2–3 times per week, usually in shorter sessions. Pitchers often adjust based on their start day, with more conditioning the day after they pitch and less as the next outing approaches.

Are long-distance runs good examples of conditioning for baseball players?

Occasional longer runs (like 1–2 miles at an easy pace) can help general fitness, but they shouldn’t be the main conditioning tool. Baseball performance depends more on short, intense bursts and quick recovery, so sprints and interval-style conditioning are better examples of sport-specific work.

Do these drills help prevent injuries, or are they just for performance?

Done correctly, many of these examples of strength and conditioning drills for baseball can support injury prevention by building stronger muscles, better joint stability, and more balanced movement. Upper-back work, core stability drills, and controlled strength training are often recommended by sports medicine professionals as part of an overall strategy to reduce overuse problems. For medical concerns, always cross-check with resources like Mayo Clinic or consult a qualified healthcare provider.