When baseball season starts, many players and their families assume it’s time to stop lifting and just focus on games and practice. On the surface, it makes sense. Schedules get busy, and everyone wants to stay fresh. But in reality, in-season strength training isn’t about getting stronger. It’s about maintaining what athletes have already built and staying healthy as the workload increases.
Strength training doesn’t end when baseball season starts. Here’s an overview of why it’s important to keep up with strength and conditioning during the season.
Why Strength Drops During the Season
The season creates a perfect storm for strength loss. Players are throwing and sprinting more; they often get less sleep and experience more stress; they have less time for training; and they are generally more fatigued. Without a plan to maintain strength, players will start to feel it by mid-season. Even the best players can experience lingering soreness, “dead” legs, slower sprint speed, and their mechanics breaking down late in games without continued strength training. It’s not the players getting lazy. It’s just what happens if you let the calendar take over.
Practice Isn’t Enough to Maintain Strength
Practice builds skill. Games build competitiveness. But playing baseball alone won’t maintain lower-body strength, trunk stability and rotational control, shoulder and scapula strength, and overall tissue resilience. In fact, the season often creates imbalances from repetitive throwing, same-side rotation, and lots of sitting. That’s why skill work plus a small dose of strength training works best.
What In-Season Training Should Look Like
In-season lifting should not feel like an off-season grind. A good plan includes:
- 1 to 2 sessions per week, lasting 35 to 55 minutes
- Lower volume, high quality
- Enough intensity to maintain strength
- Exercises built around games and practices
The goal is to leave athletes feeling better after training, not beat up.
Will Lifting Make Athletes Sore for Games?
Only if it’s done wrong. Smart in-season programs avoid high-volume leg days and random workouts. Instead, they focus on clean movement, manageable (or no) soreness, and better recovery between games.
What About Pitchers?
Most pitchers should lift during the season, but they need an individualized approach. They benefit from:
- Lower-body strength maintenance
- Trunk and core control
- Scapula and upper-back support
- Careful planning around starts and bullpens
The key isn’t more lifting. It’s the right lifting at the right time.
On and Off-Season Baseball Training | Parsons Sports Performance
Baseball season is long and demanding. A smart in-season strength plan helps athletes stay stronger, healthier, more consistent, and ready for important games late in the season. At Parsons Sports Performance, we don’t lift in-season to push athletes harder. We lift to keep them performing.