Andrew- in season what are your thoughts regarding pitching rest and blackburns? For example, weekend pitcher (Sat. and/or Sun.) and one mid- week bullpen session — when and how often should this pitcher do blackburns?
It depends on the pitcher. If a guy has good scapular control and mobility, he can get away with doing blackburns 3 times a week on non-throwing days just for maintenance purposes. Guys that don’t have good scapular control and mobility should try to do them every day to strengthen the scapular retractors and prevent injury during the season. Once they exhibit no signs of weakness or immobility they can cut down to 3x per week. They can be done on bullpen days and after weekend starts, but I would skip the “thumbs-up” positions, since these tax the external rotators more heavily. Throwing already puts a big strain on the rotator cuff and we don’t want to overload the external rotators.
Andrew- in season what are your thoughts regarding pitching rest and blackburns? For example, weekend pitcher (Sat. and/or Sun.) and one mid- week bullpen session — when and how often should this pitcher do blackburns?
It depends on the pitcher. If a guy has good scapular control and mobility, he can get away with doing blackburns 3 times a week on non-throwing days just for maintenance purposes. Guys that don’t have good scapular control and mobility should try to do them every day to strengthen the scapular retractors and prevent injury during the season. Once they exhibit no signs of weakness or immobility they can cut down to 3x per week. They can be done on bullpen days and after weekend starts, but I would skip the “thumbs-up” positions, since these tax the external rotators more heavily. Throwing already puts a big strain on the rotator cuff and we don’t want to overload the external rotators.