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Sports training

Strength workout for fast bowlers

Cricket's commonest injuries are hamstring, side and groin strains, and in young fast bowlers, stress fractures in the lower back. No strength programme has been tested on injuries in cricket, so this session is our own design, built on the general evidence: programmes with the Nordic hamstring exercise were linked with about half as many hamstring injuries across sports (though the strictest analyses find the effect uncertain), strength training cuts sports injuries in general, medicine-ball throws and shoulder strength go with throwing speed in cricketers, and in a small trial, heavy lifts paired with jumps improved bowling speed. Do it twice a week in winter and pre-season, and once or twice in season. It doesn't replace the ECB's limits on overs and rest days, which matter most for young backs. You need dumbbells or a kettlebell, a light band, a back extension bench or sturdy bench, a 2 to 3 kg medicine ball, and a partner or anchor for Nordics.

40 minIntermediate16 movesA band · An anchor point · A dumbbell · A bench or box · Medicine ball · A step · A wallCalves · Hip flexors · Shoulders · Quads · Glutes · Hamstrings
Follow along: a timer, a cue and the next move, one step at a time.

Warm-up

  1. Skipping2 min
    Beginner · Calves, Hip flexors, Quads · 3D demoEasyEasier: Ankle bounces (mini pogo)Harder: Alternate-leg bounding
  2. World's greatest stretch3 each side
    Intermediate · Hip flexors, Adductors, Glutes · 3D demoReach up as you turnEasier: Low lunge (Anjaneyasana)Harder: Active pancake lift-off
  3. Standing band external rotation12 each arm
    Beginner · Shoulders, Back · 3D demoElbow by your sideHarder: Side-lying external rotation

Legs

Rest 90 s to 2 min

  1. Dumbbell goblet squat3 × 6 to 8
    Intermediate · Quads, Glutes, Abs · 3D demoStop 1 to 3 reps short of failureEasier: Bodyweight squatHarder: Back squat with bands
  2. Rear-foot-elevated split squat (Bulgarian split squat)3 × 6 to 8 each leg
    Intermediate · Quads, Glutes, Hamstrings · 3D demoFront knee over the toes: your bowling front leg takes this loadEasier: Reverse lungeHarder: Split squat jump
  3. Single-leg Romanian deadlift3 × 8 each leg
    Advanced · Hamstrings, Glutes, Abs · 3D demoHinge with your hips levelEasier: Dumbbell Romanian deadlift

Hamstrings and groins

  1. Nordic curl2 × 5 in week 1, building to 3 sets of 12, 10 and 8
    Advanced · Hamstrings, Glutes · 3D demoA partner holds your ankles; lower as slowly as you can and catch yourself with your hands. Build over about 10 weeks, as in our hamstring and groin programmeEasier: Slider hamstring curlHarder: Full Nordic curl
  2. Copenhagen plank1 set each side, 3 to 15 reps
    Advanced · Adductors, Abs, Shoulders · 3D demoShort lever first, with your top knee on the benchEasier: Hip adduction machine

Back and trunk

  1. Back extension on a 45-degree bench2 × 10, hold 2 s at the top
    Intermediate · Back, Glutes, Hamstrings · 3D demoRise to a straight line, no furtherEasier: Ball back extensionHarder: Horizontal back extension (hyperextension, Roman chair)
  2. Side plank2 × 30 s each side
    Intermediate · Abs, Hip abductors, Shoulders · 3D demoHips highEasier: Knee side plankHarder: Side plank with leg lift
  3. Half-kneeling Pallof press2 × 10 each side
    Beginner · Abs, Glutes, Shoulders · 3D demoDon't let the band turn youHarder: Pallof press

Shoulders and power

Rest 60 s

  1. Side-lying dumbbell external rotation (on a bench)2 × 12 each arm
    Beginner · Shoulders, Back · 3D demoSide-lying with a light dumbbell, elbow on your sideEasier: Standing band external rotationHarder: Incline reverse fly with external rotation
  2. Prone Y-T-W raises2 × 5 of each shape
    Beginner · Back, Shoulders, Neck · 3D demoForehead on a towelEasier: Wall angelHarder: Bent-over reverse fly
  3. Two-hand overhead throw3 × 5
    Intermediate · Shoulders, Abs, Triceps · 3D demoThrow hard against a wall or to a partnerEasier: Medicine-ball chest pushHarder: Lying one-arm overhead throw
  4. Medicine-ball scoop throw (backward overhead throw)3 × 5
    Beginner · Glutes, Quads, Shoulders · 3D demoHinge, then drive with your hipsHarder: Two-hand overhead throw

Calves

  1. Single-leg calf raise from a step2 × 12 each leg
    Intermediate · Calves · 3D demoSlow on the way downEasier: Slow calf raiseHarder: Single-leg pogo hops

Tips

  • Twice a week for 8 to 12 weeks before the season, then once or twice a week, with no Nordics or heavy leg work in the 48 hours before a match (our suggestion).
  • Nordics leave hamstrings sore for a few days at first: start at the lowest dose, as our muscle soreness guide explains.
  • Under-16s: bodyweight or light loads with a coach watching, as our children's guide advises. Strength work doesn't replace the ECB's limits on overs and rest days.
  • Bowlers growing more than 7 cm a year follow the ECB's guidelines for the age group below.
  • Back pain on arching, a sharp pain in your side when bowling, or a pop at the back of the thigh: stop and get it checked (our spondylolisthesis, rib injury and hamstring strain guides).

The doses are suggested starting points, not a prescription. Choose a range you can control and stop for sharp or increasing pain, numbness or tingling. Get individual advice after an injury or surgery, or if you are pregnant or managing a health condition.

Guides that recommend it

Find more moves like these

More sports training

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Plyometrics for runners

A 20-minute hop and bound session for runners: ankle bounces to pogo hops, one-leg hops and bounding, building foot contacts slowly over 10 weeks.

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Strength workout for cyclists (gym)

A 50-minute gym session for cyclists: heavy squats, one-leg presses, hip flexion and calf raises as in the cycling trials, plus jumps for bone.

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Questions people ask

How long does the strength workout for fast bowlers take?

About 40 minutes, including any warm-up and cool-down listed. Shorten it by doing fewer rounds; lengthen it by adding one.

What equipment do I need?

You need: A band, An anchor point, A dumbbell, A bench or box, Medicine ball, A step, A wall. Each move links to its guide, where you can find an alternative if you are missing something.

Is it suitable for me?

It is written at intermediate level. 13 of its 16 moves have an easier option listed beside them; use them freely.

How do I make it easier or harder?

Use the easier or harder option listed under each move, change the number of rounds, or adjust the rest. Progress one change at a time.