| Tweet from Maria Torres (@maria_torres3) "Nate Eovaldi, starting for the #RedSox today, is a monster. Said Rick Porcello: "His workouts are ridiculous. He's like warming up (for a start) with 300 pounds on the squat rack. Can't even think about that this time of year."
3:31pm - 16 Oct 2018
Hi Friend!
You probably know by now that the Red Sox won the 2018 World Series and if you were following along, you definitely noticed how dominant Nathan Eovaldi was. |
| | He threw between 92 and 102mph this year and in the world series, between 95-100mph with his average about 97+mph. That's really, really fast!
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| | | He's had 2 elbow ligament replacement surgeries, one in high school (2007) and one 2016 (boston.com). These are big deal surgeries, known as a Tommy John Surgery, and he still bounced back to be dominant.
Most people, especially any fan who was watching could see as plain as the difference between day and night, that he was dominant and then to learn that he lifts weights on game day, before the game and is a pitcher?
Whoa!
Baseball is an old, traditional game, and when I worked in baseball, back in 1999, I still heard the old, saying, "Babe Ruth didn't lift weights, why should I?", but Nomar was, Mark McGwire was, Sammy Sosa was, Barry Bonds was, Andy Petite was, and even though all those guys were tainted for using some form of performance enhancing drug, smart athletes were already seeing the benefits from strength and conditioning.
In the minor leagues we'd lift between 10-12p or somewhere between 2-5:30pm. Position players could lift on any day, however pitchers would lift the day after they pitched in a game and the day after a bullpen session.
Then I met A-Rod's trainer at a wedding and he told me A-Rod would lift after games, which was a common thing I heard in the 2000's as a way to reduce injury risk with professional athletes. Lift after games.
Also in the 2000's, I learned about Post Activation Potentiation, which means if you lift something heavy, rest, and then perform a similar movement pattern to the lift, you'll be faster and more explosive, so if you swing a bat with a weighted donut on the end, and then swing a bat without the donut, you'll swing the bat faster. If you push a heavy sled or do a band sprint, you'll sprint faster. If you trap bar deadlift or front squat or rear foot elevated split squat, a heavy load and then do a vertical jump, you'll jump higher.
So I started testing different versions of this theory, mostly I tested lifting weights before sports because if this is as good as everyone says it could be then why not train my whole body, rest and then go play sports. It worked. I'd lift and then play basketball, softball and Krav Maga, sometimes triathlon training, but those legs were mostly in the morning, and sure enough I would be more physical, sprint faster, react faster, jump higher, hit harder, hit quicker, all athletic skills would be sharper. I'd be more enduring too. My work capacity was notable. I was definitely more aggressive and not timid and it was fun.
Then I read about Mike Trout, probably the best player in Major League Baseball the last number of years, who's young, and he was interviewed by A-Rod, and A-Rod asked him when he lifts and he said, before the game. That was a wow moment for me. A-Rod an MVP when he played lifted after games. Mike Trout a current MVP lifts before games. Baseball has come a long way.
Now, to learn Nathan Eovaldi lifts on game days in which he pitches. He squats. And he squats big weights (300+lbs), late in a season, and he's a starting pitcher, who's pitching in the world series.
Tweet from Maria Torres (@maria_torres3) "Joe Kelly just said Nathan Eovaldi squats 500 pounds pregame. The legend is growing" #DoDamage
12:48am - 28 Oct 2018 |
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Wow! Baseball is officially cutting edge.
Eric Cressey @EricCressey - Oct 29 "Did his squat just go up 200 pounds in a matter of one Tweet? Is that how everyone can be so strong on the internet?"
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| | Then, the email retweets and comments in the strength & conditioning world had fun with it.
Tom Koehler @TKREFRESH22 - Oct 29 Replying to @EricCressey "In Miami it was 405 pre start. Guy is different.
Xan Barksdale @xanbarksdale - Oct 29 Replying to @EricCressey "I heard it was front squats..."
Stephen @Turn2BsbllAcdmy - Oct 29 Replying to @EricCressey "It's gonna be 750 for reps soon."
Jim McGrail @Hoya4 - Oct 29 Replying to @EricCressey "I'm hearing it was 700..."
Daniel Bies @Dbies21 - Oct 30 "I interpret that as he warms up with 300. I think she added in the parentheses in error and Porcello legitimately meant that 300 was his warm-up."
Craig Blair @fourblairs - Oct 29 Replying to @EricCressey "Actually said warms up with 300 and then gets up to 500."
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What do I think of all of this?I think Nathan Eovaldi lifts weights, before games in which he's going to pitch. He does it all season, especially the playoffs and even the world series. He lifts heavy, at least 300 lbs, maybe as high as 500 lbs. He dominates.
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What does this have to do with you?If baseball, is an old, traditional game, that is difficult to change, can get with the times and be cutting edge. If the Celtics can build a practice facility and create its own sports science lab, similar to what European soccer teams have been doing. If Milton boy, Rich Hill can defy age, overcome injury and be a dominant pitcher, in the World Series no less. If 2017's Cy Young award winners, Max Kerzer and Corey Kluber can lift weights as starting pitchers. If Lifetime Fitness can have a cold plunge for its male members, who want to sit in a cold pool, shivering to recover from workouts and decrease body fat (if they shiver for 10minutes minimum).
Then it's time. It's time for you to learn from sports like all the other fans, and take action. It's only a matter of time before smart corporations and businesses build strength & conditioning into the daily work day, in which employees lift weights before they start work.
Everyone already knows that coffee has performance benefits, that's why coffee is every where, especially at work.
Its time for you to get with the program and make strength & conditioning (and recovery methods) a part of your lifestyle and identity BEFORE smart companies and businesses build this into their structure.
This is an advantage for you to be cutting edge on. Reap the performance benefits of post activation potentiation in your sports and in your life. Prime your days and peak for big events by making time for self-care and do tough things, like strength & conditioning. When you do tough things, you become tough and when you become tough, life gets out of your way and goes to mess with the weaker person.
Especially do this with your kids. It starts as play (playgrounds, free play, sports and physical chores), and is always play, it only gets a little more structured as you get older.
You already see it happening everywhere you look. People are exercising and making time for self-care. I'm talking about taking it a step further and having it be a structured intention thats part of not only every day, but the most important days.
You have a big presentation. You lift weights and sprint. You have a big deal to close. You lift weights and sprint. You're getting married. You lift weights and sprint. You have a major deadline. You lift weights and sprint. You hosting a big event. You lift weights and sprint. You have to go on tv or the radio. You lift weights and sprint.
If its important. You lift weights and sprint.
Hoping the Red Sox can re-sign Nathan Eovaldi, before he lifts weights and dominates them while pitching for someone else.
Coach Mike
p.s. when you're ready, here are 3 ways I can help you. |
| 1. Group Personal Training: want a coach who cares, awesome people to train with, a results-oriented program to follow and a high energy place to get filled up, then this is for you. Reply with "CYBBC" in the subject when you're ready to be a guest and/or try us out.
2. Private Training. Some people prefer the convenience and privacy of 1-on-1 training. They thrive with the individualized attention and the personalized programming and know recurring appointments is the way to guarantee their success. I have afternoon availability on M / W / F for 1 person and occasional openings at 7:45a, when my other private client is away. If you're interested and when you're ready, reply with "PT" in the subject line and let me know.
3. Program Design. Some people like having access to a coach, yet want to train most of the time on their own. Sometimes they have something specific to work on like a body part, a posture / injury problem or a performance goal, or maybe there's an important event coming up like a reunion, beach vacation, adventure trip or sporting event that they want to get ready for.
Other times they just want a customized program built around where they are currently, how they move and where they want to go. The frequency of this could be 1 off, every 3 weeks, 4, 6, 8 or 12 weeks, semi-annually or annually.
Many people get annual physicals, twice annually teeth cleaning and oil changes every 3000 miles. How often do you update your personal workout routines? When you're ready to get a custom program, reply with "PD" in the subject line to let me know.
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