What is the Roger Clemens Workout Routine?

What is the Roger Clemens Workout Routine?
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About Roger Clemens

William Roger “The Rocket” Clemens started his amazing baseball career in 1983, with the Boston Red Sox when he was 21 years old. He also played with the Toronto Blue Jays, Houston Astros and the New York Yankees. He received many awards, including the American League Most Valuable Player award, Sporting News Pitcher of the year award five times, and the CY Young Awards seven times. He was ranked 53rd in the Baseball’s 100 Greatest Players by The Sporting News posted at the Baseball-Almanac’s website. Among other pitchers, he was looked up to by many young baseball players because of his pitching skills, outstanding physique, and self-discipline. In 1998, a controversy about Clemens steroids usage to maintain his agility was brought out to the public, but until now, there’s no clear judgment about this allegation.

Overview of Roger Clemens’ Exercise Program

Roger Clemens’ well known work ethics and off season workout routine has been an inspiration for many athletes for more than 15 years. Clemens developed his exercise program by understanding his own needs to fit with the baseball game. He observes a 4-day workout program concentrating on the lower body for two days; upper body for a day; and pitching practice on the last day.

Roger Clemens’ workout routine combines strength training with an intense cardiovascular training routine. For Clemens, playing baseball to keep his body fit is simply not enough. He observed off-season and in-season body training to maintain running speed, the strength to pitch, and the physical and mental readiness to play for the next game.

Cardio Exercise

With a family history of heart problems, Clemens conditions his cardiovascular fitness by running four to five miles daily, and three miles of jogging on the day of his game. He also focuses on strong aerobic exercises by spending 20 minutes cycling using the exercise bike, and another 20 minutes on the treadmill as the initial set for every session.

Strengthening Exercise

Besides cardio exercises, he also performs heavy weight lifting to strengthen his upper and lower body muscles. In addition to these, various squat exercises, jumping rope, sprinting, and stair climbing are performed for upper body strengthening, while fast push-ups, barbell muscle shrugs, and power abdominal crunches are also done to focus on the upper body.

Among the extremes of Roger Clemens’ workout routine, the lightest exercise he follows is rotator cuff strengthening by handling lightweights, since rotator cuff injury is the most common injury for baseball pitchers.

Pitching Practice

Being a pitcher requires much focus and proper body mechanics to throw the ball correctly. Clemens spends his last workout day by performing his best routine, pitching. His pitching-specific practice does not only mimic the actual game intensity but also provides him enough preparedness for balance and momentum.

Whenever he gets a chance, Roger Clemens tries to leave a message to young kids and college students about doing the right thing, and to take care of their bodies. He has proven to himself the great benefits of his hard work on his physical, mental and spiritual well-being.

References

Roger Clemens Biography - What Roger Clemens Workout Routine Has Done for Him

Baseball Football Fan - Pro Pitchers Workout