Wait... no weights?

Kirby Arnold / The Herald

I first ran across info about a new strength and conditioning program the Mariners were implementing for their minor leaguers in mini-camp and linked the story here.

But wait ~ there are no weights in the MAJOR league weight room either!

There is quite the buzz going 'round about this program, developed by Dr. Marcus Elliott, who happens to be the M's new Director of Sports Science and Performance and, what's really exciting, is that the M's 3-year contract with Elliott is EXCLUSIVE in regards to MLB teams. What's this? Our beloved Mariners cutting edge? Super cool!

Elliott founded Peak Performance Project, a program based in Santa Barbara, Calif., that develops specialized workout programs for athletes. He has worked with athletes ranging from Olympians to the New England Patriots and Utah Jazz, and Mariners are the first major league organization to use his system.

The program, in basic terms, gets away from the heavy lifting that’s been prevalent in baseball and uses body-weight movements to develop strength, particularly in the core muscles and legs.

Players perform such exercises as box jumps and skater jumps, activities designed to develop the horizontal explosiveness a hitter needs with his legs. In the spring training facility — and soon to be installed at Safeco Field — is a compressed air-driven pulley system that helps strengthen the muscles vital in the rotational movements that are so important in baseball. That machine measures a player’s development in watts, not weight.

There's some excited discussion over at Mariner Central...

And some photos and video here...

The season just gets interestinger and interestinger :-)