Comparison of Steady State Exercise and Interval Training on Pitching Performance in Collegiate Baseball Players: A Pilot Study

International Journal of Exercise Science 12(6): 726-734, 2019. Traditionally, a baseball pitcher’s in-season conditioning between starts has consisted of steady state exercise. Little to no research exists on the effects of interval training on pitching performance. The purpose of this study was to examine the difference between steady state exercise (SSE) and interval training (IT) on exercise and pitching performance in collegiate baseball pitchers following an 11-week program. A total of 13 collegiate baseball pitchers were randomly assigned to either the SSE or IT group and tested pre- and post-season on a one-mile run, 30-m sprint, pitching velocity, walks plus hits per innings pitched (WHIP), fatigue index, and a muscle soreness/readiness scale. Pitchers in the SSE group had better one-mile run times post-season than the interval training group (p=0.007), but no difference on 30-m sprint performance (p=0.15). No differences were observed for pitching velocity (p=0.25), WHIP (p=0.75), fatigue index (p=0.79), or muscle soreness (p=0.52). There appears to be no additive benefit on interval training, as opposed to traditional steady state exercise on pitching performance