Cole Hamels' Workout Routine

Cole Hamels could put an end to the Reds' post season run. I wonder if they know that he's probably getting ready by doing 500 crunches:

via Philadelphia Inquier via UmpBump.com:

“I worked out with Cole a lot this winter in Philly,” said Phillies reliever Matt Smith. “I’d give him a hard time because I’d want to do cardio and lift weights, but he’d have to do his back program first. It would take more than an hour. Cole would say, ‘I have to get this done. I have to maintain.’ ”

Hamels does his back program seven days a week and he’s obsessive about it. It lasts about two hours, though he may shorten it during the season. In a typical day, Hamels does 500 crunches. (No wonder his body fat is a minuscule 6 percent.) When he’s done working on his back, he moves to the baseball portion of his day and finishes with an ice bath.

“I’ll look in the mirror before bed and ask myself, ‘Did I do all I can do?’ ” Hamels said. “I’ll do 500 crunches and wonder if it’s enough. I feel guilty if I don’t feel like I’ve done enough. I get paranoid.”