Muscle development for Batting

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King Pietersen

sC Player of the Month June '08
Muscle development for Batting

Most of the chat in this section of the forum is regarding fitness for bowling, but i'm looking to concentrate on my batting, as it's the area for which i enjoy most, and i was wondering as to what sort of muscle groups you'd reccomend working on building on ? I'll be buying a series of weights soon, so would like to know what i should be looking to buy, and how many reps to perform of each, so that I can begin to build up my strength, and help improve the power of my strokes, as that's what seems to be letting me down currently. I generally have good timing, and a fairly decent bat, but i have very little strength in my arms, they're not particularly weedy, but not exactly muscely either. So are arms the key to being a powerful hitter ?

The players I emulate, Pietersen, Hayden, Symonds, Flintoff, etc all are extremely powerful guys, and the majority of international and county cricketers batsmen are pretty well built, I can't think of 1 scrawny successful batsman off the top of my head. So what areas should I be looking to train, to get the most reward ?
 
Re: Muscle development for Batting

Timing is as important as being muscle bound. I wouldn't say that most batsman are well built, more toned and in shape.

If you are thinking about doing weights, the best advice is to see a qualified coach who can show you the correct technique and minimise the risk for injury and bad habits. I'm sure some the other board peeps will say the same.

Maybe they can give a few example exercises that you can ask about.
 
Re: Muscle development for Batting

I totally agree with Jon, actually, I may veer to the timing being more important; if you have timing but no bulk, you can hit a reasonable shot - if you have bulk but no timing, you have nothing :D

What you really want is timing and power.

The best way to achieve this is, as Jon says, get a one2one with a personal trainer. Some, like me, will provide a basic programme [one to be starting with] online but that is only after I have had a lot of written discussion with you and got to know your current health and fitness issues [it can get really personal ;)]. This is no substitute to face-to-face contact and there is no way anybody can check your technique online.

Each individual is wonderfully individual; that's what makes my job so great. There is no such thing as an 'off the shelf' programme. What works for one will not necessarily work for another.

You sound serious about getting this sorted, especially if you are prepared to buy a set of weights. I assure you getting assessed and an individually written programme is a great investment. You will also get good advice on what kind of weights to purchase.
 
Re: Muscle development for Batting

Cheers for the help Liz. I'll look into the possibilty of a personal trainer once i'm working and have some spare cash, i'm pretty skint atm, but am moving soon so my parents said they'll give me money for some weights :D. I'll go to a proper fitness store that specialises in weights and talk to them in there, at least then i'll be getting some proper help. But yeh, i am pretty serious about improving my strength as it'll definitely help my game, both fielding and batting.

Also, I've already got decent timing, but just require that extra boost of power to allow me to hit the boundary more often. I managed to hit a nice square cut for four on Saturday, although that was towards the short boundary at our home turf, would like to hit one on the large boundary. I think improving my power could really improve my game, and possibly allow me to start hitting some real runs, muscely arms look awesome aswell :p
 
Re: Muscle development for Batting

You could ask to have a taster session at the local gym and ask for some time with the gym instructor ;)
 
Re: Muscle development for Batting

out of interest liz, what should people look to pay for such services and what sort of instructor? etc?
 
Re: Muscle development for Batting

It depends what you are after and in what part of the country you live.

A taster session should be free but not all gyms offer them.

If you are a member of a gym:
You will often get an induction by a level II gym instructor included in the membership fee. Level II instructors are not qualified to write programmes.
Good gyms also include an assessment and written programme by a Level III instructor, which should be progressed every three or four weeks.

Personal Trainers can cost from £20 to £80 per hour. You do tend to get what you pay for but not always... and that works both ways ;)
 
Re: Muscle development for Batting

well i dont use a gym, i live in Ware / Hertfordshire.

a little off topic but i'd like to get my shoulder sorted (the whole Knot thing)
 
Re: Muscle development for Batting

I would say your first port of call could be a sports massage and then speak to a sweet physio :D

Then you need to work on your technique; there is something causing your shoulder issues and without tackling it at source, no amount of rehabilitation is going to work.

If you are after a Personal Trainer, have a look in the directory or yellow pages, you can ring them all and see what their charges are. Alternatively, pop down to the local gym, you do not have to be a member to use their PTs, do make sure they are registered though, eg REPs (Register of Exercises Professionals), that way you know the information will be good and the PT will be fully insured.
 
Re: Muscle development for Batting

last physio i had was no where near sweet! he had long black hair and suggested the rack!
 
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