Does anyone here seriously weight train?

[Monty23]

I've been doing it the last 6 months. Most of that time not playing golf due to the weather in the north-east. I'm talking weight training routines not geared towards golf ... involving alot of deadlifts, squats, etc.

 

Some of the time the two sports can collide, but I've found lifting does help my golf as long as I stretch every single day.

 

check out bb.com and get a good program goin, maybe it could help your distance.

[Matt...]

It is a great way to improve your game if you know what you're doing. Personally, I love working out and i know my golf game is benefiting from it. But some people just don't believe it is needed and I don't know why

[eyezlee]

www.t-nation.com Check it out. There are workouts and diets for everything.

 

 

If you are really interested in improving your overall mobility and back health check http://www.magnificentmobility.com/ and then buy the DVD. Amazing what its done for my back issues.

[CivEngr08]

I do. I'm lifting free weights 4 days a week on every muscle group, mostly just to get stronger and in better shape (dang Freshman 15...and sophomore, and junior). I also have one of the heavier weighted momentus trainers that I use along with my workouts to keep my swing in shape so my lifting doesn't alter it. I've seen some good results in the 8 weeks that I've been on it, and so has my golf game.

[LionLinks16]

yea same here. im in the northeast. i'm still a kid, and can't really go after school or work. but every saturday i go to the gym. when i'm not there, i do pushups and crunches and alot of stretching! when i am at the gym, i mix it up. sometimes bench press and flys, or sometimes ill kill the abs and do alot of core. both are good, but heavy lifting is for increasing body mass and resistance band and speed exercises are good for the swing.

[thatswhatshesaid]

I try and work out every day of the week. I'll do two days on a normal lifting program and the next day will be my TPI golf program. So four days of a strength workout and 3 days of my golf workout. I go to Anytime Fitness as well, so I can workout whenever I want to. Definitely check them out if they're in your area. They're reasonably priced and very convenient.

[soberguy16]

i dunno how serious you wanna call it, but i do weight train 4 days a week. Usually my routine is Monday: chest & bis, Tuesday: Legs, Wed: rest, Thursday: shoulders, tris & abs Friday:back...sometimes ill do abs wed instead of thurs. i usually ride the bike or do elliptical for a few minutes to get my heart going and a little sweat, then ill stretch for a few minutes before i start my workout. for each muscle group i typically do 2 or 3 exercises, 3 sets each. i do typical stuff like bench (mix between barbell and dumbell), flys, squats, pullups, dips, etc. i used to do a ton of sets and be in the gym for like 2 hours per workout and i never really got any stronger bc i was overtraining (although i had really good endurance and i was leaner than ever)...now ive cut my time in the gym in half and do way fewer sets and have put on a little more muscle. I was trying to gain a few pounds and was succeful, but in that i gained a bit of fat too so now im trying to train heavy without eating like an animal...pretty much maintain my strength and lose a few pounds. i dont do anything specifically focused towards golf...i find that keeping my entire body strong helps me in all sports...just keep stretching and work on your flexibility and youll be good to go. :)

 

p.s. i also live in the northeast and have only been working out hard the last few months as well...when the weather warms up i tend to not make it into the gym quite as often...

[tongzilla]

I weight train. Only free weights and body weight exercises. Squats, DLs, bench press, shoulder press, sometimes power cleans. Assists include dips, pull ups, curls, and some leg raises. Plus some cardio spread throughout the week. I use a linear progression program especially when I haven't lifted for a while. Strength and power is the focus, but I do some hypertrophy work too to look good.

[TKing]

I've been lifting weights since 1963 and playing golf for 6 months. Lifting just to stay in shape, not to keep getting bigger. I've been doing the same weight limits for 13 years. Don't lift to see how much you can lift-just to get and stay strong. I only work each muscle group once a week. The real trick is to learn how hard to push and when enough is enough. It takes a long time. The main goal should be to get as strong as possible without injury. Learn all the lifts with light weights for a good while before really pushing up to heavy weights.

[Nachosgrande]

I've added 20 lbs of muscle since high school and don't hit it any further than I did then (that can't be attributed to technology). The muscle helps control my swing, however, and makes it more repeatable and consistent. I've noticed on tour that adding muscle doesn't add distance, either. Flexibility and technique are much more important. I think that's why a lot of golfers don't work out. It also takes me longer to stretch out before a round than it ever did before I started lifting, and if it's the day of or after a workout, I get tired quicker than I used to. My short game also suffers because I've lost a bit of my touch around the greens. I lift anyway, but I don't think it really helps my golf game.

 

I think it'll help my long game once I hit 50 or so.

[pocketfulladoubles]

I spend 1 hour on kettlebells 4 times per week, and do 1/2 hour to 1 hour yoga stretching on the off days. My diet is more rigourous than my exercise, primarily high protein (fish, eggs, milk+whey, red meat), Omega 3 supplement via fish oil and a touch of flax, seeds mostly pumpkin and sesame, some walnuts, and lots and lots of green vegetables (artichoke, broccoli, spinach, arparagus, and zucchini). I limit fruits to maybe one banana or apple per day with some blueberries and dates, prunes, figs, etc thrown in. Almost no grains or starches. Been doing it for about 2 years. Only with that did I get my body fat down to 8% now and falling very slowly at this point. I think you'd have to do lots and lots of cardio and eat even more strict to get to 5% or so. I see some guys do it, but they are professionals. Workouts = 30% diet = 70%.

[w8liftr]

I'm a competitive powerlifter, so I take my training very seriously. I'm 220 lbs @ 5'8" and I have as much flexibility as most people 50 lbs lighter. I stretch the muscles I train after each training session. I'm not a single handicap, but I love the game and try to improve all the time. Obviously I would train differently if it was for golf, but I would still train. Many powerlifting principles would apply to golf training, such as dynamic (speed) training. The evidence is there that it can be beneficial if done right.

[diehardgolfer32]

It's good to weight train, but you need to learn how. Weight lifting with the wrong muscles can ruin your golf game. If you're looking to improve your game, learn what you should be lifting or don't lift at all.

[ChrisM84]

I work out 6 days a week if you count cardio. I've cut my sets and rest time down to two sets per exercise with a minute break in between. I do three exercises for the bigger muscle groups, and two for the smaller. I used to do 3-4 sets per exercise, but switched to less sets with more intensity (drop sets, forced reps), so anymore than two sets is overkill for me. It's nice to be done with the weights in about 20 minutes!

 

I do cardio first thing in the morning. M, W, F, I do a 20 minute interval routine on the treadmill. Sprinting for 20 seconds, light jog for 40 seconds, then repeat. Tue, th, sat, I jog at an easy pace for 3 miles.

[kylemacca01]

Ive been training for around 3 years now with very heavy weights and high intensity. I have put on a lot of strength and my swing speed has gone from 105 to 120 mph which is a pretty big jump. Only problem is i neglected golf for a while and focused on training and this has messed up my plane and technique somewhat. Just ordered a momentus so im hoping this will help. Love training though, you can just focus on one thing and go all out, its a nice release.

[PepsiDuck]

I started weight training about 5 years ago, gained about 20 pounds, and golf seems like a totally different game, where i am able to consistently hit the ball relatively further than before. but other than the obvious health and strength benefits, it also makes you look darn good... :lol:

 

though i admit it gets tougher when you don't have a workout buddy, because you make up excuses not to train, don't train as hard as you would if someone was there to push you, etc.

 

however, i honestly don't understand people's fear of weight training when it comes to golf. people say that they don't want to get "too big" to restrict flexibility, their turn, or whatever. seriously though, you will notice significant gains in strength when you first start out, but you honestly will not see huge gains in size (i'm talking about noticeable bulking) for at least the first few years, and that's assuming you're supplementing your training with an increased diet. the majority of folks that weight train probably won't see themselves ballooning up since they (1) don't eat enough or (2) don't lift heavy and hard enough.

[PepsiDuck]

It's good to weight train, but you need to learn how. Weight lifting with the wrong muscles can ruin your golf game. If you're looking to improve your game, learn what you should be lifting or don't lift at all.

 

i don't necessarily agree with this. i don't really see any particular muscle group that could possibly hurt the golf swing from being too strong. perhaps it could be too strong and ruin the balance with another muscle group, which would then mean you have a problem with a muscle being too weak (i.e. train that muscle). this often happens with people who train their abdominals but neglect their back, which causes back problems later.

 

lifting is better than not lifting. unless you're injured. there isn't a single muscle group that wouldn't benefit your game. there is no "wrong" muscle. the body's different muscle groups were designed to work in conjunction with each other, so for all your major movements, lifting or otherwise, multiple groups are used, whether it's bench press, pullups, or a golf swing.

 

however, i do agree that it is vital that you learn how to properly weight train, including proper technique, dieting, workout scheduling, etc.