Get in the Gym

April 3, 2026 by mindfulhitting

Athletes constantly ask me how to increase their exit velocity, improve their base-running speed, add power, boost arm strength, or expand their range in the infield. While drills and mechanical tweaks can help marginally, the answer nobody seems to want to hear is this: get in the gym and move weight consistently.

Strength training doesn’t just improve one or two aspects of your game—it elevates everything simultaneously. If you want to raise your entire level of play and become a better athlete across the board, consistent gym work is non-negotiable.

The Promise

I can’t guarantee you’ll play at the highest level. But I can promise this: if you train 4–7 days per week with consistency, you will improve on the field. Depending on when you start, you’ll likely surpass 90% of your peers.

The gym is one of the only places where you can’t fake it. It’s difficult to start, but once it becomes habit, you’ll be capable of things others simply cannot do. No one pretends their way through a 300-pound squat—you either put in the work or you don’t. That physical capability translates directly to more power, more speed, and better performance in every dimension. Plus, you’ll pass the “eye test” when coaches and scouts are looking for athletes at the next level.

The Eye Test Matters

Whether people admit it or not, the eye test is the first filter every athlete faces. When evaluators look at players, the first thing they notice is whether you look like an athlete. Are you strong? Athletic? Physically put-together? It’s immediately obvious who trains and who doesn’t. If you haven’t been in the gym, you fail before the competition even begins.

Start Them Young

For years, parents and coaches have hesitated to introduce kids to the weight room, and this caution has become detrimental. Many don’t expose children to any physical training—no push-ups, no air squats—until age 15 or 16, putting them years behind the elite development curve.

I believe you can introduce kids to structured training as early as 10, 11, or 12—but that doesn’t mean putting a barbell on their back immediately. Make it enjoyable. Teach push-ups, lunges, step-ups, pull-ups, and air squats. Let them have fun with sleds, box jumps, and medicine ball tosses. As they move more efficiently, progress to goblet squats, weighted lunges, and dumbbell bench press.

Keep it fun and progressive. By the time they’re 14, 15, or 16, they’ll be ready for serious loading on the bar—and they’ll be so far ahead physically that it will surprise you.

The “Game Day” Excuse

A common fear I hear: “I have a game tomorrow, so I can’t lift today.” This thinking is actually backward. High-level athletes typically lift on game days—either before or after, depending on their schedule and preference.

Many young athletes (and parents) worry that lifting will leave them tired or sore, hurting their performance. In reality, this is only an issue if you don’t train consistently. Once you’ve established a routine, workouts become a warm-up for the game—or if you prefer training afterward, a way to decompress and wash away the stress of a bad performance.

Inconsistent lifters fall into a dangerous loop: I can’t lift today because I have a game tomorrow. Then I can’t lift the next day because I have practice. Then there’s another game. The excuse train never stops. But athletes who make the gym part of their game-day ritual quickly become the dominant players on the roster.

College and professional athletes train throughout their seasons. Yes, they learn to lift smarter around game days, but skipping workouts because of a game or practice isn’t an option. The more consistently you train, the less lifting feels like a hindrance to everything else. The less you do it, the more it feels like an obstacle.

The Mental Edge

Physical development is only half the story. Athletes who train develop mental toughness exponentially faster than those who avoid the weight room. Building a gym habit instills discipline and the willpower to push through discomfort. It teaches you how to fail, adjust, and progress toward goals. What feels difficult for others becomes routine for the athlete who has spent years progressing in the gym.

The College Reality Check

College baseball is a meat grinder. If you’ve never lifted seriously, the physical and mental strain will break you down quickly. That’s why so many freshmen quit or transfer after their first year—it’s a shock to the system. The level of play is higher, the workouts are intense, and coaches need to win to keep their jobs. They’re relying on 18- to 20-year-olds to deliver, and they’ll push you to your limits.

Most freshmen aren’t mentally prepared for this pressure. Add physical unpreparedness to the mix, and every day feels like a fight for survival. But for athletes with an established gym habit, this burden is lighter. The workouts feel natural, removing a significant layer of mental stress and allowing you to focus on performance.

Beyond the Game

The weight room is your friend as an athlete. Whether you make it to the big leagues or not, the lessons and habits forged under the bar will elevate your game—both physically and mentally. More importantly, they create lifelong patterns that improve your health, advance your career, and likely lead to a happier life.

Getting Started

If you need a place to start, check out the WORKOUTS page, where I’ve laid out a year’s worth of training. While these workouts are more advanced, they can be modified for any experience level.