All Your Heart Athletics

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Simple breakdown of scap retraction, why it matters, and a sequence to learn it.

Stretch shortening cycle explained 👇

The stretch shortening cycle is how the body produces a fast powerful movement by using a quick stretch of the muscle/tendon before it contracts.

It has three main parts:

- Elastic energy gets stored in the tendon following a stretch of the muscle/tendon (hip shoulder separation creates this stretch)

- Following an amortization (transition phase) that potential energy stored in the tendon is converted into kinetic energy (upper half rotating through in the swing)

One of the biggest keys of baseball performance is utilizing this principle with good timing in rotation.

If you want more ways to rotate more explosively then comment “power” for my rotational power guide.

Build the tools you need 🚀

Some guys are blessed by God with insane talent. There’s no denying that.

But, I’d say close to 0% of players ever reach their true potential.

And exit velo is a massive predictor of level of play, but the good news is you can increase it by training the right way.

Research shows this, but a real life example is Rowen.

He went to a D1 camp last fall and they liked him but said “power is lacking” and “exit velo isn’t there”

After grinding all offseason they came back to watch him and literally didn’t recognize him…

He drove balls all over the park and showed way more power than he did in the fall, so they immediately got him on a visit and offered him.

Rowen’s a perfect example, just because you’re not there yet doesn’t mean you can’t become the player you want to be.

Miles went from 85 to 98.8 EV (Here’s an overview of how he did it)

*He also made improvements with improvements in throwing velocity, bodyweight, and weight room strength.

Miles started working with me 1-on-1 last fall as a college freshman at an NAIA school. 

He ran well already, but wanted to gain weight, arm strength, and power over the offseason. 

He had a few obstacles keeping him from reaching his goals.

Obstacle 1: Limited time as a student athlete/overwhelmed with what to do.

This is a very common issue with players. 

There’s a million different training methodologies out there and with limited time in the day… It feels impossible to figure out which is correct, build the plan, and execute on it consistently. 

To combat this. We trained the right things for him by assessing him with a battery of tests. Maximized his time by attacking weaknesses with efficient workouts, and he had action steps each day within the training app. 

Obstacle 2: Lacked the power and velocity he wanted

Plain and simple he needed to improve his raw tools. To help him make jumps with these we focused on 3 things. 

a. Gain strength/explosiveness in movements that translate to baseball
b. Gain muscle/perform well by having a process and tracking nutrition
c. Improving movement quality on the field and gym with video instructions for exercises, custom drills, and video breakdowns. 

Obstacle 3: Nagging Pain/Previous injuries 

Like a lot of players, he had some nagging hamstring and arm pain that he had been dealing with for a while.

To help him with this, his workouts were adjusted to make sure he didn’t aggravate those prior issues, he was given exercises specifically for them, and he had recovery/mobility days on his off days from training. 

Miles has made incredible progress within the program and that is a testament to his hard work and following a proven process built to help him build his tools and stay healthy. 

If you want help building your tools and staying healthy then DM me “5-TOOL” to inquire about 1-on-1 coaching.

More explanation 👇

The scap moving properly and strength with the muscles around it is key.

When we raise our arm overhead our shoulder blade rotates up to allow the humerus to rotate up fully as well.

If the shoulder blade is not able to rotate well or isn’t stable then that can lead to risk of injury.

The lats are a key mover in the throw so it is common for them to be tight, so when the lats become tight it can limit overhead movement because the lats help the scapula downwardly rotate.

Comment “ARM” if you want my arm care guide sent to you for free 🫡

(Be sure to follow so it’ll actually send)

Sets and reps 👇

Full body power:

(3 sets of 3 reps)
- broad jumps
- lateral broad jumps
- med ball scoops

(3x10, 3x30 yards)
- sprints from baseball stance

(3 sets of 3 reps)
- explosive bench (40% of 1 rep max)
- med ball slams (10-20lbs)

- weighted jumps (DBs add to 30% of bodyweight)

(3 sets of 8 reps)
- DB reverse lunges

- DB bench
- DB row

Upper strength:

(2 sets of 15 reps)
- incline T/Y

(3 sets of 3 reps)
- med ball chest pass
- kneeling lat throw

(4 sets of 5 reps)
- pull-ups (add weight if you can)
- DB bench

(3 sets of 8 reps)
- Landmine press
- incline row
- cable face pull

Lower strength

(3 sets of 3 reps)
- depth drop to broad jumps
- reactive lateral broad jumps
- shuffle med ball scoops

(3x10, 3x30 yards)
- sprints from baseball stance

(4 sets of 5 reps)
- sumo DL
- cable rotation

(3 sets of 8 reps)
- goblet lateral lunge

Mobility/recovery

For hamstrings, hip flexors, lateral hips, pecs, lats
- roll out 2x20 passes
- stretch 3x30 seconds
- move through full ranges 2x15 reps

Comment “SPEED” if you want me to send over my speed guide for free.

More info below 👇

Order of exercise is important to maximize gains.

Basic rules of thumb are to prioritize explosive movements over slow first and large muscle groups over smaller ones for accessory work.
1. Plyometrics
- 2 to 3x per week
- 3 sets of 3-5 reps
- max effort and full recovery between

2. Med ball throws
- 2 to 3x per week
- 3 sets of 3-5 reps
- max effort and full recovery between

3. Sprints
- 2 to 3x per week
- 3-6 sprints 10-60 yards
- max effort and full recovery between

4a. Strength
- 1x week for upper and lower
- 2-4 sets of 1-6 reps
- 85%+ with 3 minutes rest between

4b. Power
- 1x week for upper and lower
- 3-5 sets of 3 reps
- 40-60% with 1.5 minutes rest between

5. Accessories
- 2x week for upper and lower
- 3-4 sets of 8-12 reps
- within 1-2 reps of failure with 2.5 minutes of rest

6. Arm care
- 2-3x week
- 3-4 sets of 8-12 reps
- within 1-2 reps of failure with 2.5 minutes of rest

I hope this helps you out!