Weight Training

[TheChamp]

Over the winter i've doing a bit of semi-intensive weight training to try and get some muscle on my arms. It has worked, but i'm wondering whether the golf game is actually suffering as a result.

My main aim was to get a bit more stamina for long rounds. At times last year i found my upper body was getting quite tired at the end of rounds.

The past 5-6 weeks my game has became very scrappy. My iron play is very poor and my nice draw has turned into a vicious snap hook. My feel around the greens doesn't seem to be the same either - i'm bashing a good few chips well past the hole.

I try to not do weights the night before playing, but i'm just wondering if there could be a link to me lifting weights and playing crap golf?

Perhaps i should be having a longer rest before rounds and or doing less-intensive sessions?

Interested to hear people's thoughts.

 

[Deleted member 1147]

According to my gym instructor (he went to the states to do golf fitness on a scholarship) the core is where you need strength. ie legs, lower back, chest and stomach. Arms aren't as important, but a steady swing will be aided by the arms not being too weak.
I'd have thought that for fitness to stop you getting too tired you need CV work.

Do you use a gym? If so ask an instructor for some advice, or your golf pro.

 

[birdieman]

I think your arms have started to take over your swing. Remember even though your arms are stronger you must lead the downswing with hips, shoulders and then arms in that order - sounds like you're starting the downswing with arms first, throwing the club head on a bad out to in path causing the hook, that's a bad move and something I was all too familiar with but seem to have sorted better recently. Arms must be passive and follow body.

Make sure you're supple enough to get a good hip and shoulder turn, possibly you're a bit muscle bound now and have lost some mobility?

Fine having bigger muscles as long as you retain flexibility. I would focus on quads, lats and abs more than arms for golf power.

 

[Deleted member 1147]

Fine having bigger muscles as long as you retain flexibility. I would focus on quads, lats and abs more than arms for golf power.

I think the aim is not really to make the muscles much bigger - but to stengthen them.

The 3 basic ways of weight lifting as I understand them are:

1 - lots of reps with low weight tones the muscle - ie gets rid of flab.
2 - Medium weights and number of reps grows muscles.
3 - heavy weights and only few reps strengthens muscles.

I use all three of the above in a pyramid program of 12, 10, 8 respectively.

 

[TheChamp]

Interesting Gil, i typically just do two sets of 1 - i.e lots of reps with relatively light weights.

Out of interest, when would you do weights in relation to your golf?

I typically train Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday evenings. Golf is mainly played then on Sat and Sun.

I do a good bit of running so i'm reasonably fit in my lower body. I just felt very weak up top, hence the weights.

 

[RGDave]

Interested to hear people's thoughts.

You don't need weight training to be half-decent at golf.

Seriously, do weights to get fit or build your muscle-tone etc. but until someone says "you have a great swing, but need more power, but not the power from a proper technique" I wouldn't bother unless for non-golf reasons, which I totally admire.

 

[TheChamp]

I don't think you actually read my original post properly, the intention was not to become better at golf by doing weights, it was to improve my stamina. My arms were tired at the end of long rounds last season.

I'm not looking to hit the ball further or anything like that, it was just to add a bit of strength to my upper body.

 

[Deleted member 1147]

Out of interest, when would you do weights in relation to your golf?

I typically train Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday evenings. Golf is mainly played then on Sat and Sun.

Well that's a good question - afterall I'm a lazy sod and don't go often enough!

Do you feel knackered on sat morning? If not then you should be ok to play golf that day!

I, if I can be bothered, just go tue & thurs evenings.

I tried to play one sunday morning after my "mate" at the gym had me training 'til failure on the saturday. I could barely get out of the car let alone play golf.

So I'd say, if you feel flexible enough to swing and your muscles don't ache you should be fine.

 

[RGDave]

Good point, I also didn't see your h'cap of 5.1 (well done!) because I clicked on the quick reply....and didn't read your sig....

Off this sort of standard, I'm not the best to ask. I don't get tired and I'm out of shape, but if you are trying for 2 levels up from me (power and ball striking) then I guess it's worth training....so, yes.....good luck

 

[mono217]

Siple really less reps more weight on your core to get rid of flab then heavier weights less reps to strenthen.

 

[Jabba]

I am a competing powerlifter and hold a British squat record in the 45-50 year old classand am currently the WDFPF world Masters 2 champion. I agree with the above posts, unless you are exceptionally weak (e.g recovering from a chronic condition) you are unlikely to gain any stamina which would carry over to your golf by using weights. I am not qualified to advise you on your swing but I am sure you would gain more sports specific benefit by hitting lots of balls on the driving range and by power walking sessions, preferably on a route with hills. It might be worthwhile carrying a lightweight hand gripper with you throughout the day and doing a large number of repetitions to help your hands/wrists and forearms but don't bother going for "the burn" which is just a symptom of lactic acid build up because this situation does not occur on the golf course.

 

[TonyN]

Could have something to do with your diet or habits if you are tiring towrds the end of your rounds. Do you carry, or use a trolley?

I am pretty fit for my age, and I tire towards the end of my round on Modays, I have put this down to playing after four days of work and carrying. I used a pull trolley for the first time in ages on Monday and felt very fresh come the end of the round.

What would you normally eat before you play?

 

[TheChamp]

I've noticed a positive difference over the past few weeks when i've finished my rounds. My upper body is no longer tired at all. My diet is pretty good and i'm a big believer in eating well before a round and during it.

 

[Herbie]

Tony has a good point as diet is often the cause of many things.

Unless you weight lift to the level of someone like jabba all you are doing is using a burst of energy for a short spell in one area, if your eating habbits are not correctly monitored you are likely to be wasting time, energy and fitness.

Stamina is not something you will ever get from short spells with the weights and if your swing is good (5h/c it should be) grip strength would be more important to me than arm strength.

Do you eat regular meals?
Do you drink lots of water?

Your body will hang on to callories if it thinks it needs to, irratic meals can do this and along with a bit of extra body fat and water retention comes fatigue.

Try eating a breakfast of porridge or something similar before a round, it burns up slowly and gives longer energy.

Also bananas are excellent during a round and drink water as opposed to pop.

I am as guilty as the next for not doing it but with me there is a noticeable differnce when I play following a good breakfast and drinking lots of water in a round.

 

[dclarke]

The notion of doing higher reps to tone or burn fat is mistaken. Sure, by doing higer reps you may develop better endurance in the muscle by targetting the slow twitch muscle fibres. To burn fat you need to burn more calories than you consume. Interval training is ideal for this.

Although tempo and technique are more important that raw strength in a golf swing, it is a powerful movement nonetheless. Tiger Woods doesn't lift weights for aesthetic purposes - he does so because it has a positive impact on his game.

I certainly don't think lifting weights as impaired your golf game. However, I would make sure you have a more balanced workout than just exercising your arms. As other posters have said, your core and legs are most important in a golf swing.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I think someone like HTL would be your man but I don't see how toned muscle would relate to improved stamina and would have thought a stronger cardio-vascular programme would be better. I am diabetic and so I tend to struggle on the closing few holes as I can't really drink Lucozade sport. powerade etc) to get any boost. I try and drink about a litre of water per round and two bananas (one per 9) and sometimes an Alpen bar (low sugar ideally or I really suffer with sugar spikes)

 

[User 105]

I think the key for me is if your going to do weights, especially heavy weights and training to failure you must make sure you stretch out properly afterwards. Otherwise you just get really tight and will loose any fluidity in your swing.

Cardio will help your stamina and get your body using it's energy sources much more effectively which should prevent tiredness. Providing you are feeding it the right stuff.

And the other thing I noticed after I'd been training for a while was my level of concentration. This was noticed more at work at the time, but transfers to the course. I just found I could maintain focus for longer periods of time.

 

[CrapHacker]

I think this guy's opinion is probably worth thinking about.



Like, err, what does he know, man

 

[adamk15]

According to my standard grade PE jotter if you are wanting to improve stamina you should be doing a large number of reps with a small weight, not little reps with a heavy weight. Maybe try making numerous swings with a small dumbell in your hands? Hope this helps.

 

[Dodger]

Interesting thread as I am starting my weight training on Saturday at 5.30pm,I intend doing reps with my right arm holding an object that holds a fluid pint inside it,the 1st 6 will be done with my right arm than if I remember I will do the rest with my left followed by using both to handle a kebab on my way home while giving my leg muscles a work out by walking the mile home but really doing a mile and a half when you add on my staggers...