Originally posted by: SludgeFactory
I thought all the Bonds' apologists had moved on to the "everybody else is doing it" defense. You can at least argue that one a little bit.
At the most fundamental level, basic biomechanics dictates that torque production and angular velocity at a joint is a function of force input and lever arm. The ways to increase force input are to make the muscle bigger and/or learn how to recruit more of its fibers.
Obviously there are a lot of things that go into a baseball swing and generating power with it, and muscle size isn't #1 on the list. But it is a factor, and it's even more important when you reach a level where everybody has a high degree of skill and are looking for any edge they can get.
And forget muscle bulk, steroids are a great tool for recuperation over a 162-game season and for career longevity. I've said this before, Bonds is/was getting the same benefits from this as any middle-aged guy who pays thousands of bucks for hormone replacement therapy.
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Baseball batting. An electromyographic study.
Shaffer B, Jobe FW, Pink M, Perry J.
Department of Orthopaedics, Georgetown Medical Center, Washington, D.C.
The muscle firing pattern in 12 muscles throughout the lower extremity, trunk, and upper extremity during the batting swing is described in this study. The two hamstring muscles studied and the gluteal muscle had a similar pattern of high muscle activity during pre-swing and early swing, and then rapidly diminished. The vastus medialis demonstrated peak activity between 95 and 110% maximum muscle test (MMT) throughout the swing phases and follow-through. The erector spinae demonstrated activity from 85 to 185% MMT during the swing phases. The abdominal obliques showed greater than 100% MMT during the swing phases and follow-through. The supraspinatus and serratus anterior showed relatively low muscle activity (less than 40% MMT). These results show that batting is a sequence of coordinated muscle activity, beginning with the hip, followed by the trunk, and terminating with the arms.
Power in the swing is initiated in the hip, and therefore exercises that emphasize such strength development are indicated. The maintained, high muscle activity in the trunk muscles indicates a need for back and abdominal stabilization and rotation exercises. The relatively low level of activity in the four scapulohumeral muscles tested indicated that emphasis should be placed on the trunk and hip muscles for a batter's strengthening program.