How I went from throwing 78mph to 96mph in 16 months

written by JOSH GESSNER | The Athletter

Good morning to all new and old readers! Here is today’s edition of TheAthletter, exploring stories, ideas, and frameworks to be the best Baseball Player you can be.

I know I haven’t written one of these in a while. I’m hoping to be a lot more consistent going forward.

We're entering the most competitive time in baseball right now.

Throwing 90mph is no longer enough — 95 is the new 90.

But most pitchers train for years and never even get close to 90… let alone 95.

Just like me when I was 16 — stuck at 78mph.

But 16 months later, I hit 96mph.

So if you're looking to reach 90+mph and beyond — and do it without relying on natural talent or wasting years on ineffective training — this is for you.

But here’s the thing.

I’m not going to give you a top 10 list of drills that “increase velocity.”

Because that’s not what you need.

What you need are the 5 exact underlying principles that make up a high-velocity pitcher.

These are the exact steps I followed to go from 78 to 96mph — and eventually 98mph in pro ball.

And it's not just me…

Hundreds of our athletes are seeing similar results:

(you can see some results here)

Let’s break it down step-by-step.

If you’d rather watch me explain it, here’s the most detailed video version of this newsletter:

Step 1: High CNS Throwing

The first thing I did? High CNS Throwing.

High intent throwing trains your CNS, muscles, and tendons to fire quickly — which is what you need to throw hard.

If you’re always throwing at low intensity… you’re not training your body to throw hard.

I trained this 2x/week:

• Day 1: Pull Downs

• Day 2: Plyo Velo Throws

Why Pull Downs?
They allow you to throw with the most energy possible.
This overloads your body and triggers adaptation — a principle called S.A.I.D. (Specific Adaptation to Imposed Demands).

To throw hard, you have to train hard.
It’s cliché — but true.

Pull downs also help build better lead leg blocks by forcing your front leg to stop massive momentum — training strength, stability, and velocity-friendly mechanics.

With Plyos, the foreign object forces mechanical adaptations.
The drills help you mold high velocity patterns.
So your body learns new patterns. I used:

• Pivot Pickoffs

• Roll-ins

• Rockers

• Step-backs

• Turn & Burns

Track your progress. Treat it like a game. The mentality is to PR every week.

Step 2: Force Production in the Weight Room

You need real strength to throw 90+mph.

Here’s what I consider a strong foundation:

• 2x BW squat / deadlift

• 2.5x BW trap bar DL

• 1x BW bench

• 10+ pull-ups

Once you hit these? You’ve got a solid strength base.

But strength alone won’t get you all the way.

That’s where Rate of Force Development (RFD) and Elasticity come in.

Pitching happens in milliseconds. You need to apply force fast.

So here’s what I used:

• VBT (Velocity-Based Training): move lighter loads as fast as possible

• Overcoming ISOs: push against immovable objects to recruit max motor units and train tendon stiffness

• Impulse Training / Overspeed Plyos: teach you to fire your muscles and tendons rapidly

Strength gives you the engine.
RFD + Elasticity give you access to it in your pitching delivery.

Step 3: Deep Ranges of Motion

Flexibility alone isn’t enough.

You need to develop strength in deep ranges.

Think of:

• Deep dumbbell bench press

• ATG split squats

• Weighted stretch movements

This builds tendon thickness (while ISOs build stiffness) — giving you the control and safety to express power through a full delivery.

If you can’t access or control these positions under load, your flexibility won’t convert to performance.

Step 4: Optimal Body Composition

At 16, I was 155 lbs.

When I hit 96mph? I was 215.

You need lean mass.

Mass equals gas — but only if it’s muscle.

How?

• Be in a caloric surplus

• Hit protein with every meal

• Don’t overthink macros — just hit your cals & protein

My go-to hacks:

• 1,500 calorie morning shake (olive oil, raw eggs, protein powder, coconut oil)

• 5–6 PB&J sandwiches a day

• Big lunch + dinner plates with protein

If you think you're a hard gainer — you're just not eating enough. Track it. Solve it.

Step 5: Mechanics & Energy Transfer

You've built the engine.

Now you have to transfer that energy to the mound.

There are 5 lower-half principles I focused on:

1. Weight Shift During Leg Lift – Create horizontal energy, not just vertical

2. Back Leg Load – External/internal rotation to store force

3. Separation – Back leg initiates pelvis rotation pre-foot strike

4. Timing of Hip-to-Shoulder Separation – Explosiveness + timing > max range

5. Lead Leg Block – It's the car crash that sends energy to the arm

Upper body? Stay relaxed and closed until foot strike.
Then rotate violently.

But everyone’s body is different.
You need to adjust these to your movement profile.

That’s where having a coach that knows what their doing becomes so important.

You have 2 options now:

1. Take this information and try to figure it out yourself

Which is definitely a viable option. I would watch the video I linked for the most in-depth breakdown of these 5 steps.

2. Get expert help to increase your chances and expedite the process.

If option 2 sounds intriguing we built The Pitcher Lab for you.

• Full 1-week assessment
• Custom full-stack program (throwing, lifting, mobility, mechanics)
• 1-on-1 coaching from MLB-level mechanical specialists
• 2–3 classroom calls per week

Our average velo gain is 3–5 mph, with some athletes gaining 10+ mph.
97% success rate.

If you're serious about gaining velocity - you can book a call at the link below.

ThePitcherLab

I’ll see you there.

— Josh
Co-Founder, ThePitcherLab