If you’re looking to improve your balance, try walking both frontward and backward regularly.Towards the tail end of my baseball career, I’d take swings in the cage left handed. I had no aspirations of becoming Victor Martinez (fine, of course I did) in my thirties, but I recognized the danger of creating more muscular and biomechanical imbalances. I wanted to train my body … [Read more…]

Resisting getting back into the gym because you’ve fallen off the wagon? Stop. You can regain your size and strength in short order. Muscle memory is real and more powerful than you think.In 2005, I tore my Achilles tendon rounding second base at the Skydome. My post game quotes from mlb.com: I just haven’t really had a chance to allow it to sink in,” Kapler said after the … [Read more…]

Endurance training for a baseball player is illogical. We are not endurance athletes.I remember a mentor of mine telling me I needed to “pound the pavement” to prepare for spring training. He was a former MLB player, and I trusted his guidance. He believed that distance running gets a player ready from a cardiovascular perspective. He was wrong. From nsca.com: The aerobic … [Read more…]

I’ve never understood it. Men and women reach middle age and it hits them. They tell their friends and family, “I’m running a marathon!” Whether it is the need to get in shape or an attempt to prove viability, running 42.195 kilometers (26 miles and 385 yards) has become the standard benchmark. Train for and run a marathon if you wish, just be aware that you’re not necessarily … [Read more…]

Here at Kaplifestyle, we’ve touched on walking quite a bit. Y’all know sprints are part of my weekly routine. I ride bikes less frequently, but perhaps it’s time to share the love with cycling uphill.You may remember the last time I mused about bikes. I was in town, mobbing the streets of Minneapolis for the All-Star Game. Now, I’m in Kansas City for the World Series, but … [Read more…]