The New Rotational Training Cycle
YOU (HOPEFULLY) LIMBER up before a workout—but likely not the way Paul Skenes does. The Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher’s warm-up is so unusual it went viral on TikTok last year. The routine is rooted in science, but it looks like a fitness dance from another planet.
First, Skenes mimics a pitching motion using bands and ends by tossing a football (simple enough!). In between, he stands on a pitching mound with a rubber yoke filled with water on his shoulders. He twists his pitching shoulder backward, and then whips it forward. Then he does the same drill on the other side. It almost looks like he’s glitching, shoulders twisting quickly, arms tight to his torso.
Skenes is showcasing the next evolution in rotational training. For years, we’ve known you can build rock-solid core muscle and power up your athleticism with rotational moves. Skenes preps his body to do something often forgotten: decelerate after rotating. Doing this unlocks even more power, while safeguarding smaller joints that can be prone to injury, such as your shoulders and elbows.
Even if you don’t want to hurl a ball like Skenes, who needs his warm-up to activate the chain of muscles he’ll use to throw, you can benefit from rotational training, says MH advisor David Otey, C.S.C.S.
