Four years ago, Tim Collins was a 131-pound high school senior who stood 5'5" and threw an 82-miles per hour fastball. Now, he's made it to the major leagues, and currently pitches for the Kansas City Royals. But how he got there is one of the greatest triumphs in the history of modern strength and conditioning.
It all started in October of 2007, when Collins started working with strength coach Eric Cressey and his business partner, Tony Gentilcore. Together, the three of them went up to a track to see what Collins could do. (Cressey and Gentilcore, it should be noted, are not runners. Cressey is a competitive powerlifter. Gentilcore is a big, strong dude.) Still, they had no trouble at all running Collins into the ground, finishing 8 to 10 yards ahead of him on every sprint. They tested Collins' vertical jump at a mere 25 inches.
So they got to work, using the basic strength exercises: deadlifts, lunges, pullups, chinups, rows, and pushups. And it worked: In 2008, Collins' fastball powered up to the 87 to 89 mph range. He faced 265 batters and struck out 97 of them. And he was just getting started.
Click here to read more about The Amazing Transformation of Tim Collins. And to gain power and muscle like Collins, check out Cressey's newest fitness routine, The Ultimate Strength Workout, available exclusively on Men's Health Personal Trainer.
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