gym users

levitronix

hi guys

Im wondering who here trains in the gym and tries to play somewhat competitive golf, trying to stay in the 70's.

im squating 120kgs for sets of 6
dead lifting 120kgs sets of 8
bench 90kgs sets of 8

im feeling my lifting my be getting in the way of the golf, especially chest ! think it may be pulling my shoulders forward and down at address which is bad.

anyone any feed back that lifts body weight or more when they train !!
what exercises would you avoid or do more ???

Dr_Colossus

Interesting subject and something I have pondered since I've stepped up my gym activity the past couple of months with a change in regime getting in on average 4 sessions per weeks versus my previous 1 or sometimes 2.

I presume sets = reps above or are they max lift 1 reps with multiple sets of each?

I've have very similar lifts with current lifts as below for comparision:
Squat is 130kg, generally 4 sets of 6 reps working towards a target of 140kg
Dead lift (Romanian) is 100kg, generally 4 sets of 8 reps working towards a target of 120kg
Bench press also 90kg, generally 4 sets of 6 reps working towards a target of 100kg (can only get out 3 reps at 100kg at present)

I found early on in mid Dec when increasing my activity I was generally quite stiff and sore with DOMS the day after but over time this has abated.  As I've become accustomed to the increased activity I've also improved my stretching habits somewhat which in turn has helped recovery or at least the sensation it was restricting my golf swing.

In terms of the bench press giving you the feeling of pulling your shoulders forward at address do you do much back exercises to offset the hunched posture overworking of the chest can yield? I find one arm rows, low rows and lat pull downs good for working the back.

Last year despite how infrequently I attended the gym I was concerned weights use would affect the sensation and feeling in my hands especially in terms of the short game.  As a result during the qualifying season I rarely did any weights and instead did the odd cardio session.  Can't say it was a bad golfing season as went from 9 to 7 handicap (without a single win) but not sure I can attribute any of that to avoiding weights in the gym.

This year I'm going to keep up my gym routine throughout and see how I fair out.  Once I reach my target levels on the main lifts above I'll probably just maintain those rather than reset higher, at least until the off season begins again. That said I generally and expect to limit any weights sessions to focus on the legs the day prior to any competitions in an effort to keep the upper body are arms especially as nimble as possible.

I remember an interview with Gary Player some years ago where he was talking through his fitness and gym routines while on the PGA tour.  He mentioned how most of the other players were both shocked and stunned at him squatting something like 300 pounds the night before the Masters tournament.  If it didn't adversely affect his game I can't imagine it hindering me with my mediodracy.

Also I was surprised to listen to Rory's interview following his first round at least year's Open where he said he was going hitting the gym for the afternoon.  Guess it depends on what you do in the gym and it can be a means of unwinding and escaping all the media attention in their case.

In terms of weights in general I don't think or expect them to improve my golf swing, I have a relatively slow swing seed at present (~94mph) so increased power would be no harm but I don't think this will be achieved from increased strength. I do enjoy my weights sessions and can feel some improvement in strength and endurance over the past few months so see them as a means of injury prevention and an outlet away from golf.

rocky911

Great topic,

I would be in the same boat but I am going from playing in the front row to playing golf. At the moment the lifts/weights quoted are in the same boat, but i do believe my size particularly shoulders and chest are killing my swing at the moment.

If you look at most of the pro guys it seems that a lot of the rely heavily on core work and flexibilty such as pilates etc. I think that the key is striking a balance with muscle mass and power.

Personally at the moment I have completely changed my program by upping my cardio, increasing my rep range etc.

Ciaranra

I train 4 days weights and 1 day core and fit cardio when i can.
I do 4 day split covering everybody part.
My body weight is 83kg from 89kg target is 80kg happy to stay at that
I find if you stay lean and keep the bulk off it wont effect your swing.
But i have gone from maxing weight out to controled reps .
If im deadlifting il lift 100kg but hi reps but form is key.
And if you keep swinging and playing golf u want loose flexability.
Like anything else use it or loose it

Ciaranra

levitronix wrote: »

hi guys

Im wondering who here trains in the gym and tries to play somewhat competitive golf, trying to stay in the 70's.

im squating 120kgs for sets of 6
dead lifting 120kgs sets of 8
bench 90kgs sets of 8

im feeling my lifting my be getting in the way of the golf, especially chest ! think it may be pulling my shoulders forward and down at address which is bad.

anyone any feed back that lifts body weight or more when they train !!
what exercises would you avoid or do more ???

Stay away from bench press use dumbells less injury and you get better stretch on chest.

levitronix

One exercise i ve been told to stay away from already is flys, also the larger your chest gets the less chance you have of a full shoulder turn, you dont wana expand it and have less shoulder rotation

at one time i could bench 140kgs (10 years ago )so my chest press strength builds back quite quickly , but my last coaching session it was raised as a concern

OP: i do a lot of back work

look at lot the guys on tour who look like they lift ,very few of them have developed chests compared to lets say arm size, lot of trap, lat ,triceps and quad development

Ciaranra

levitronix wrote: »

One exercise i ve been told to stay away from already is flys, also the larger your chest gets the less chance you have of a full shoulder turn, you dont wana expand it and have less shoulder rotation

at one time i could bench 140kgs (10 years ago )so my chest press strength builds back quite quickly , but my last coaching session it was raised as a concern

OP: i do a lot of back work

look at lot the guys on tour who look like they lift ,very few of them have developed chests compared to lets say arm size, lot of trap, lat ,triceps and quad development

Agree if you want to train for golf specific and use weights its strenght training.
But some of us gym goers find it hard to let go.
Sometimes i change it up but weight training 15 yrs plus i still enjoy it
Im never goin on tour so for me its finding a balance

spacecoyote

Was reading an article by the guy who worked with Clarke to get him in shape.

From what I remember, his advise was squats & deadlifts, developing your triceps, but avoiding too much work on biceps.

Think he talked about work with resistance bands too to build speed.

Really main emphasis on building leg & core strength.

He also said to generally avoid too much cardio, as its not really necessary for completing a round of golf & results more in degradation of muscle.

But hey, I'm a lazy ba$tard and have done none of the above.

John Divney

spacecoyote wrote: »

Was reading an article by the guy who worked with Clarke to get him in shape.

From what I remember, his advise was squats & deadlifts, developing your triceps, but avoiding too much work on biceps.

Think he talked about work with resistance bands too to build speed.

Really main emphasis on building leg & core strength.

He also said to generally avoid too much cardio, as its not really necessary for completing a round of golf & results more in degradation of muscle.

But hey, I'm a lazy ba$tard and have done none of the above.

Darren wouldn't have lost that weight without a lot of cardio though?:eek:

D Hayes

John Divney wrote: »

Darren wouldn't have lost that weight without a lot of cardio though?:eek:

The program he was on has a massive emphasis on diet. Actually very little cardio involved in the routine.

John Divney

D Hayes wrote: »

The program he was on has a massive emphasis on diet. Actually very little cardio involved in the routine.

Jesus, he must have been miserable, I suppose hitting Golf Balls all day and a radical diet change will shed pounds pretty quickly.

slave1

Rory in da gym...

http://www.pgatour.com/news/2015/04/02/behind-the-scenes-of-rory-mcilroy-at-mens-health-cover-shoot.html

spacecoyote

D Hayes wrote: »

The program he was on has a massive emphasis on diet. Actually very little cardio involved in the routine.

Yeah,cardio was very minimal, according to the article it was a lot of this high intensity short work out time stuff

John Divney

spacecoyote wrote: »

Yeah,cardio was very minimal, according to the article it was a lot of this high intensity short work out time stuff

Ah, I used to do those, they are actually amazingly good cardio workouts, you just don't need to 'run'. It's called High Intensive Interval training,

BigChap1759

John Divney wrote: »

Darren wouldn't have lost that weight without a lot of cardio though?:eek:

This has been proven to be a bit of a myth - latest thinking is that you can lose as much or even more weight with the correct weight/resistance programme incorporating explosive movements.

Diet is the most important factor though to losing weight

MisterAnarchy

slave1 wrote: »

Rory in da gym...

http://www.pgatour.com/news/2015/04/02/behind-the-scenes-of-rory-mcilroy-at-mens-health-cover-shoot.html

Interesting quote from that article

Golf is a very athletic sport ... six to eight miles walking in a round, which is the same distance a soccer player covers in a game, you flex and rotate and have huge forces going through the body. It’s very demanding.

slave1

MisterAnarchy wrote: »

Interesting quote from that article

Yeah, I was surprised by the eight mile piece, I think six is about the max that I've done, eight seems pro length maybe?

Sean_pop

Yoga is probably the best thing you could do for your Golf.

Ciaranra

Sean_pop wrote: »

Yoga is probably the best thing you could do for your Golf.

I would say pilates and all men should do some form of resistance training.
Men loose muscle in their 30s

Golfgraffix

Ciaranra wrote: »

I would say pilates and all men should do some form of resistance training.
Men loose muscle in their 30s

I have been doing Pilates for two years now and has really helped with flexability. I have a bulging disk on my left side (L5/S1) when it flares up I have a stretching routine and when it's ok I do strengthening exercises every other day.

Since I started I have had no major flare ups, the ones that have me crying in s heap on the floor. So the Pilates has really worked interms of management.

I would love to get to the gym, carrying a few extra pounds now and creeping to 25% body fat, it's amazing how the metabolism changes at 40. Not sure what gym work I could do with my dodgy back. I think swimming will the exercise for me.

J

Zardoz

Golfgraffix wrote: »

I have been doing Pilates for two years now and has really helped with flexability. I have a bulging disk on my left side (L5/S1) when it flares up I have a stretching routine and when it's ok I do strengthening exercises every other day.

Since I started I have had no major flare ups, the ones that have me crying in s heap on the floor. So the Pilates has really worked interms of management.

I would love to get to the gym, carrying a few extra pounds now and creeping to 25% body fat, it's amazing how the metabolism changes at 40. Not sure what gym work I could do with my dodgy back. I think swimming will the exercise for me.

J

You sound like my doppelganger

I have had bad sciatica in my left side for the last 6 months and really tight muscles in my legs for years.

It had gotten so bad that I couldnt put on my socks in the morning ,I was so tight .

I went to the physio and she gave me some exercises and I also incorporated alot from this site http://www.knee-pain-explained.com/

The leg muscles are still tight but nowhere near what they used be ,I was so tight even walking 14 holes of golf would leave me broken up for days.

I've put on about a stone and a half in the last year due to injuries so must try to shift it ,I couldnt do so before now as I was too sore.

I started using Serrapeptase lately and it has improved my back an awful lot .
Its a natural antinflammatory and available in any decent health store.
http://www.onlineholistichealth.com/enzyme-serrapeptase/

I am back playing regular golf again and playing soccer too ,still not right but on the road back.

I must look into the Pilates ,do you do that on your own or in a class ?
Any good links ?

Montgolfier

Golfgraffix wrote: »

I have been doing Pilates for two years now and has really helped with flexability. I have a bulging disk on my left side (L5/S1) when it flares up I have a stretching routine and when it's ok I do strengthening exercises every other day.

Since I started I have had no major flare ups, the ones that have me crying in s heap on the floor. So the Pilates has really worked interms of management.

I would love to get to the gym, carrying a few extra pounds now and creeping to 25% body fat, it's amazing how the metabolism changes at 40. Not sure what gym work I could do with my dodgy back. I think swimming will the exercise for me.

J

Read somewhere swimming is bad for golf. As it builds slow endurance muscle. I need to drop about 20kg myself at 38yo is that to ambitious?.(100kg now 5'7")
I think if I could stop stuffing my face that's half the battle. Not easy to lose weight with a wife and young kids, built for comfort and not for speed now.

Golf365

In Slade Valley the Pro. John Dignam told me to reduce the actually weight but increase the repetitions . The problem
he said was that the increase of muscle mass decreases flexibility .

One of my mates who plays in the USPGA is only a small guy, but can bench not far off double bodyweight. He wouldn't bother doing this if he felt it didn't help his game.

On the other hand, he does loads of mobility work, and that would far outweigh time spent lifting.

levitronix

Basil3 wrote: »

One of my mates who plays in the USPGA is only a small guy, but can bench not far off double bodyweight. He wouldn't bother doing this if he felt it didn't help his game.

On the other hand, he does loads of mobility work, and that would far outweigh time spent lifting.

thats power lifting strength ! not many guys would be able to do that

Been working with a 3kg med ball last while doing med ball throws trying to build a bit of extra speed, also decided to drop most of the chest work out, only leaving bench in now, but doing slow negative and fast push, doing this after legs

ForeRight

You need to figure out what you want out of exercise.

Do you want to build lean muscle which in turn means reduced body fat, faster metabolism and better health

Or

Do you want a gym program designed around your golf game.

If you want to build lean muscle it's simple. Diet has to be right... Eating "clean" 80% of the time along with a good gym routine. One day do chest and triceps, next back and biceps, next shoulders and traps and of course one day of legs. Always do some core work too.

Do that for 2-3 months IF the diet is right you will shed body fat like you won't believe. You will have your metabolism in over drive no matter what your age is.

In regard to gym programs for golf I personally think that's ridiculous. We are amateur golfers. Average amateur golfers at that mostly so why dictate your training schedule or worry about the gym affecting your game.
Our crap inconsistent swings affect our game perfectly as it is already.

Ciaranra

ForeRight wrote: »

You need to figure out what you want out of exercise.

Do you want to build lean muscle which in turn means reduced body fat, faster metabolism and better health

Or

Do you want a gym program designed around your golf game.

If you want to build lean muscle it's simple. Diet has to be right... Eating "clean" 80% of the time along with a good gym routine. One day do chest and triceps, next back and biceps, next shoulders and traps and of course one day of legs. Always do some core work too.

Do that for 2-3 months IF the diet is right you will shed body fat like you won't believe. You will have your metabolism in over drive no matter what your age is.

In regard to gym programs for golf I personally think that's ridiculous. We are amateur golfers. Average amateur golfers at that mostly so why dictate your training schedule or worry about the gym affecting your game.
Our crap inconsistent swings affect our game perfectly as it is already.

Well said

levitronix

ForeRight wrote: »

You need to figure out what you want out of exercise.

Do you want to build lean muscle which in turn means reduced body fat, faster metabolism and better health

Or

Do you want a gym program designed around your golf game.

If you want to build lean muscle it's simple. Diet has to be right... Eating "clean" 80% of the time along with a good gym routine. One day do chest and triceps, next back and biceps, next shoulders and traps and of course one day of legs. Always do some core work too.

Do that for 2-3 months IF the diet is right you will shed body fat like you won't believe. You will have your metabolism in over drive no matter what your age is.

In regard to gym programs for golf I personally think that's ridiculous. We are amateur golfers. Average amateur golfers at that mostly so why dictate your training schedule or worry about the gym affecting your game.
Our crap inconsistent swings affect our game perfectly as it is already.

well were not all in the same boat, I love golf, love to try a be competitive
I ran 3 hour marathons , done an 11 hour ironman
I won bikes races
ran a 17 min 5km
when I weight trained full time I could squat 160kg, 16 years ago
diet will nothing for my golf game maintain muscle mass and strength will do something !

golf on its own would bore me, that why I include the gym

ForeRight

levitronix wrote: »

well were not all in the same boat, I love golf, love to try a be competitive
I ran 3 hour marathons , done an 11 hour ironman
I won bikes races
ran a 17 min 5km
when I weight trained full time I could squat 160kg, 16 years ago
diet will nothing for my golf game maintain muscle mass and strength will do something !

golf on its own would bore me, that why I include the gym

I can't really tell what point you're trying to make?

I'm all for training and building strenght. I just don't see the point in worrying about how it affects our golf game. If you decide to bulk up doing a program for a year well of course that will change things but just going to the gym building some lean muscle to stay fit, healthy, strong and keep the body fat down is more important that worrying about a golf game when someone is playing off an amateur handicap if you get me. Imo of course but obviously each to their own.

BigChap1759

levitronix wrote: »

well were not all in the same boat, I love golf, love to try a be competitive
I ran 3 hour marathons , done an 11 hour ironman
I won bikes races
ran a 17 min 5km
when I weight trained full time I could squat 160kg, 16 years ago
diet will nothing for my golf game maintain muscle mass and strength will do something !

golf on its own would bore me, that why I include the gym

Felexicon

Few too many lads in here think they're going to turn in to Arnie just by heading to the gym for few days a week.