10 Off-Season Training Tips From Angels Slugger Mike Trout
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Sean M. Haffey / Getty
The Two-Time AL MVP
If his next 10 seasons are anything like his first five, Mike Trout will go down as one of the best players in the history of baseball. Speedy and powerful, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim centerfielder has averaged more than 30 homers per full season in the big leagues, with a career batting average over .300 and an American League-leading wins above replacement five years in a row.It’s no shocker that the New Jersey native has already racked up six All-Star Game nods, two AL MVP awards, and three AL MVP runner-up finishes. Oh, and he just turned 26 on August 7. Here’s how Trout trains to be a baseball deity.
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Jonathan Daniel / Getty
In-Season
“During the season, I try to get in the gym three times a week, just to maintain strength and keep my muscles fresh,” says Trout. “It’s a long season—162 games—and you gotta keep your body healthy, so you don’t want to be in there bustin’ your tail and getting your body sore. That’s one of my big pet peeves. I like to make sure my body feels good.”
Game on
“Baseball is probably the most unique professional sport to train,” says Lee Fiocchi, Angels head strength and conditioning coach. “Other sports do not have a competitive schedule that is as demanding or as consistently inconsistent in regard to game times and travel. Frequency and intensity are the two most important elements in our in-season program. Our intensity alternates between lifting heavier loads in lifts like the belt squat one day a week, and lighter, speed-strength loads another day a week.”
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Karl Gehring/The Denver Post / Getty
Buddy Sytem
“I have a bunch of buddies who work out with me, guys around town whom I grew up with,” says Trout. “We do competitions to push ourselves a little bit more. When there’s some braggin’ rights on the line, you tend to work harder because you want to win. We get our work done, but we have fun. Some nights you get out of there, and you’re so tired you can barely walk.”
Off-season
“In the off-season I crank it up a lot,” says Trout. “I take off about a month, and then I’m in the gym every night back in New Jersey. My trainer, Dan Richter, comes up with a bunch of workouts. One night we’re working on speed. On other nights we’re doing heavy lifting, footwork and agility, and endurance. He likes to make things fun. A lot of regular workouts can be boring. I like to spice it up a little bit.”Magic Mike: Trout’s blend of power and speed has drawn comparisons to Yankees great Mickey Mantle.
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Rob Tringali/SportsChrome / Getty
Game On
“Mike is an extremely hard worker,” says Richter. “He wants to and has to be the best at everything. One of the upper-body competitions we do is this: 10 pullups, 10 medicine ball pushups, 10 Bosu push-pulls, 10 incline pushups, 10 decline pushups, 10 wall pushups, and 25 skips with the jump rope. Best time wins.”
High reps
“I do squats, bench presses, and deadlifts, but I don’t use a lot of extremely heavy weight,” says Trout. “Instead I do a lot of reps. I have no idea how much I can lift, as far as a one-rep max. But I like doing deadlifts, cleans, and squats because they help with the lower body, and the lower body is huge for baseball.”
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Jim McIsaac / Getty
Big Push
“If I could do only one exercise to train for baseball,” says Trout, “it would probably be my favorite full-body move. We get a tractor tire, put about 400lbs of dumbbells inside it, and then push it 25 yards up and back. We do that six to 12 times. It’s both my favorite and my least favorite workout. It’s so hard to do, but when you get it done, it’s well worth it.”Play it safe: Trout focuses on producing optimal power, not his one-rep max in the big lifts.
Fuel up
“If I go into the gym without putting a little something in my stomach, I feel terrible,” says Trout. “Staying hydrated is important, too. I drink a lot of water and a lot of BodyArmor sports drink throughout the day. With BodyArmor, the potassium, the vitamins, the natural sweeteners—it’s huge for me. I can stay hydrated so I can get my work done.”
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Jayne Kamin-Oncea / Getty
In the Moment
“Mike is a superb all-around athlete,” says Fiocchi. “He has exceptional strength, power, and speed, but when you combine it with his coachability, likability, humility, and his ability to not worry about the future or the past, he stays in the present and keeps things light and fun for everyone—besides opposing pitchers.”
Block out the noise
“When I get on the field, I don’t think about who people are comparing me to or any of that stuff,” says Trout. “For me, after the national anthem and once the lights are on, it’s all about baseball. It’s always nice to get compared to the all-time greats, but for me, it’s just going out there and playing and trying to help the team win. And all that other stuff will fall into place after.”
If his next 10 seasons are anything like his first five, Mike Trout will go down as one of the best players in the history of baseball. Speedy and powerful, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim centerfielder has averaged more than 30 homers per full season in the big leagues, with a career batting average over .300 and an American League-leading wins above replacement five years in a row.
It’s no shocker that the New Jersey native has already racked up six All-Star Game nods, two AL MVP awards, and three AL MVP runner-up finishes. Oh, and he just turned 26 on August 7. Here’s how Trout trains to be a baseball deity.
In-Season
“During the season, I try to get in the gym three times a week, just to maintain strength and keep my muscles fresh,” says Trout. “It’s a long season—162 games—and you gotta keep your body healthy, so you don’t want to be in there bustin’ your tail and getting your body sore. That’s one of my big pet peeves. I like to make sure my body feels good.”
Game on
“Baseball is probably the most unique professional sport to train,” says Lee Fiocchi, Angels head strength and conditioning coach. “Other sports do not have a competitive schedule that is as demanding or as consistently inconsistent in regard to game times and travel. Frequency and intensity are the two most important elements in our in-season program. Our intensity alternates between lifting heavier loads in lifts like the belt squat one day a week, and lighter, speed-strength loads another day a week.”
Buddy Sytem
“I have a bunch of buddies who work out with me, guys around town whom I grew up with,” says Trout. “We do competitions to push ourselves a little bit more. When there’s some braggin’ rights on the line, you tend to work harder because you want to win. We get our work done, but we have fun. Some nights you get out of there, and you’re so tired you can barely walk.”
Off-season
“In the off-season I crank it up a lot,” says Trout. “I take off about a month, and then I’m in the gym every night back in New Jersey. My trainer, Dan Richter, comes up with a bunch of workouts. One night we’re working on speed. On other nights we’re doing heavy lifting, footwork and agility, and endurance. He likes to make things fun. A lot of regular workouts can be boring. I like to spice it up a little bit.”
Magic Mike: Trout’s blend of power and speed has drawn comparisons to Yankees great Mickey Mantle.
Game On
“Mike is an extremely hard worker,” says Richter. “He wants to and has to be the best at everything. One of the upper-body competitions we do is this: 10 pullups, 10 medicine ball pushups, 10 Bosu push-pulls, 10 incline pushups, 10 decline pushups, 10 wall pushups, and 25 skips with the jump rope. Best time wins.”
High reps
“I do squats, bench presses, and deadlifts, but I don’t use a lot of extremely heavy weight,” says Trout. “Instead I do a lot of reps. I have no idea how much I can lift, as far as a one-rep max. But I like doing deadlifts, cleans, and squats because they help with the lower body, and the lower body is huge for baseball.”
Big Push
“If I could do only one exercise to train for baseball,” says Trout, “it would probably be my favorite full-body move. We get a tractor tire, put about 400lbs of dumbbells inside it, and then push it 25 yards up and back. We do that six to 12 times. It’s both my favorite and my least favorite workout. It’s so hard to do, but when you get it done, it’s well worth it.”
Play it safe: Trout focuses on producing optimal power, not his one-rep max in the big lifts.
Fuel up
“If I go into the gym without putting a little something in my stomach, I feel terrible,” says Trout. “Staying hydrated is important, too. I drink a lot of water and a lot of BodyArmor sports drink throughout the day. With BodyArmor, the potassium, the vitamins, the natural sweeteners—it’s huge for me. I can stay hydrated so I can get my work done.”
In the Moment
“Mike is a superb all-around athlete,” says Fiocchi. “He has exceptional strength, power, and speed, but when you combine it with his coachability, likability, humility, and his ability to not worry about the future or the past, he stays in the present and keeps things light and fun for everyone—besides opposing pitchers.”
Block out the noise
“When I get on the field, I don’t think about who people are comparing me to or any of that stuff,” says Trout. “For me, after the national anthem and once the lights are on, it’s all about baseball. It’s always nice to get compared to the all-time greats, but for me, it’s just going out there and playing and trying to help the team win. And all that other stuff will fall into place after.”
