Best Body Build For Great Golf?

[Lihu]

I think you greatly missread, or misunderstood my last post. Firstly, I don't just lift weights with my arms. My routine is very diverse and encompasses my whole body. I lift heavy, and eat big. Monday-Chest Core Tuesday-Shoulders Back Wednesday-Rest Thursday-Arms Core Friday-Legs Saturday-Light Cardio Sunday-Light Cardio Secondly, why on earth would I stay away from lifting??????? Lifting has already produced desirable results in my game and also I might add, my life. I used to be that wirey 130 pound kid, now I have controlled strength, stamina, endurance, stability, etc. On a side note, why do so many people consider lifting weights a bad thing? If you have specific goals, and a bit of intelligence, weightlifting can be the best thing that's ever happened to you.

What you are doing sounds perfect, and your weight is just right for a 19/20 year old. You can be one of those really athletic golfers of your generation. Now what people normally expect when someone says they'll work out to build up mass, is what I did. I went on a "cyber" diet when I was roughly your age (about 20 years old, 5'10.5" and only 150 pounds, but really thin), and a really aggressive lifting program. I gained about 38 pounds and lifted really heavy weights. Bench 320, military press 210, etc, etc. As I grew older, my mass increased only more. Mostly the marbled fat in between the muscles. It got to a point that I neede to go on a diet to get down from 239 pounds of unwanted weight. Now that I am older, I wish I had not done it. Luckily, I did not damage any of my bones/tendons. I knew a few people on the same exercise program with terrible side effects. I can't help but feel that if my arms were thinner, that my swings would be faster. Not that it needs that much more speed up to meet my golfing goals. However, this is probably why most golfers feel that gaining weight is detrimental to your game.

[LuciusWooding]

Originally Posted by GonnaBreak70

I think you greatly missread, or misunderstood my last post.

Firstly, I don't just lift weights with my arms. My routine is very diverse and encompasses my whole body. I lift heavy, and eat big.

Monday-Chest Core

Tuesday-Shoulders Back

Wednesday-Rest

Thursday-Arms Core

Friday-Legs

Saturday-Light Cardio

Sunday-Light Cardio

Secondly, why on earth would I stay away from lifting???????

Lifting has already produced desirable results in my game and also I might add, my life. I used to be that wirey 130 pound kid, now I have controlled strength, stamina, endurance, stability, etc.

On a side note, why do so many people consider lifting weights a bad thing? If you have specific goals, and a bit of intelligence, weightlifting can be the best thing that's ever happened to you.

I think I should have rephrased my recommendation: I meant don't train your arms much if you're not underpowered, not "don't touch weights altogether". Certainly you can use weight training for your core and legs, though I believe using only one's own body weight is safer and more realistic. And "lifting heavy and eating big" is great if you're trying to gain 30 pounds. Given you are/were a bit undersized I can see why you'd want that, but it's a really stupid plan for most people to get fit. I'd say 6 feet, 150-160 pounds is plenty of mass for playing great golf. People who already weigh that much or more should not try as aggressive a routine, better to tone and do cardio. The average fatasses I see on the course couldn't find a place to put 30 more pounds.

Fitness is great, but our idea of fitness is pretty skewed by the average athlete. I think people equate big muscles with fitness because a lot of sports are highly specialized and don't reward being a good all around athlete. Ashton Eaton is only 170 pounds, most people would consider him a pretty slim build, but he kicks serious ass in the decathlon. Baseball and football teams probably would tell him to put on 20 pounds if he wanted to join.

My reason for not wanting big arms: If you gave me two 5 pound weights and let me attach them to a golfer wherever I wanted to mess up his swing, it would be one on each hand or around the elbow, assuming we don't attach them to the club. Simply put, the hands and arms are the farthest part from the center of rotation, and throw off your balance the most. If you put those weights on the legs, on the head, waist, torso, etc., it wouldn't do a whole lot to the swing. Since one of your arms is straight at all times during the swing, and you have to swing them around a stable body, surely any extra muscle mass in the arms would sap more power than it could create?

[Lihu]

I think I should have rephrased my recommendation: I meant don't train your arms much if you're not underpowered, not "don't touch weights altogether". Certainly you can use weight training for your core and legs, though I believe using only one's own body weight is safer and more realistic. And "lifting heavy and eating big" is great if you're trying to gain 30 pounds. Given you are/were a bit undersized I can see why you'd want that, but it's a really stupid plan for most people to get fit. I'd say 6 feet, 150-160 pounds is plenty of mass for playing great golf. People who already weigh that much or more should not try as aggressive a routine, better to tone and do cardio. The average fatasses I see on the course couldn't find a place to put 30 more pounds. Fitness is great, but our idea of fitness is pretty skewed by the average athlete. I think people equate big muscles with fitness because a lot of sports are highly specialized and don't reward being a good all around athlete. Ashton Eaton is only 170 pounds, most people would consider him a pretty slim build, but he kicks serious ass in the decathlon. Baseball and football teams probably would tell him to put on 20 pounds if he wanted to join. My reason for not wanting big arms: If you gave me two 5 pound weights and let me attach them to a golfer wherever I wanted to mess up his swing, it would be one on each hand or around the elbow, assuming we don't attach them to the club. Simply put, the hands and arms are the farthest part from the center of rotation, and throw off your balance the most. If you put those weights on the legs, on the head, waist, torso, etc., it wouldn't do a whole lot to the swing. Since one of your arms is straight at all times during the swing, and you have to swing them around a stable body, surely any extra muscle mass in the arms would sap more power than it could create?

Ahem, some of us "fatasses" are playing golf to lose the 30 pounds or so, because doing something like a decatholon would kill us. But at least I walk the course... Yes, you're right, if I had thinner arms, I am sure my swing and swing speed would benefit.

[MbolicGolf]

Do Crossfit get powerful. Olylifts are best for power proprioception and quick changes in directing while maintaining balance.

[Tax Man Golfeth]

When in college I was in top shape. Benched 300 and did pullups by the dozens with 100 lbs strapped to my waist. Standing straight at attention I could not force my hands to touch my thigh/pockets. In the end it injured my shoulder and back and made it impossible to buy a business suit off the rack. I probably would have found it difficult to hold a golf club and rotate properly. Now that I'm older and softer I don't have that problem so much. ;)

[rustyredcab]

Originally Posted by MbolicGolf

Do Crossfit get powerful. Olylifts are best for power proprioception and quick changes in directing while maintaining balance.

Please consider a review on CrossFit (on this site) targeted at golf fitness benefits and how scalability works for us fat old guys. I'm considering CrossFit but afraid of injury and it being way over my head.

[TN94z]

Originally Posted by MbolicGolf

Do Crossfit get powerful. Olylifts are best for power proprioception and quick changes in directing while maintaining balance.

Ehhh....I know Crossfit is all of the rage right now and I have no doubts it will get you in shape but at what costs?  A lot of what I see are people doing WAY too much weight with very bad form.

[ladders11]

Originally Posted by Tax Man Golfeth

When in college I was in top shape. Benched 300 and did pullups by the dozens with 100 lbs strapped to my waist. Standing straight at attention I could not force my hands to touch my thigh/pockets. In the end it injured my shoulder and back and made it impossible to buy a business suit off the rack. I probably would have found it difficult to hold a golf club and rotate properly.

Now that I'm older and softer I don't have that problem so much. ;)

So why do you still consider this to have been "top shape"? It seems to me like the ability to bench 300 lbs is highly correlated with later-in-life injury and obesity. The sad fact is that pro bodybuilders all wind up getting joint replacements at relatively young age. And at some point the level of training declines and all that muscle turns to fat.

Originally Posted by LuciusWooding

Fitness is great, but our idea of fitness is pretty skewed by the average athlete. I think people equate big muscles with fitness because a lot of sports are highly specialized and don't reward being a good all around athlete. Ashton Eaton is only 170 pounds, most people would consider him a pretty slim build, but he kicks serious ass in the decathlon. Baseball and football teams probably would tell him to put on 20 pounds if he wanted to join.

Great point here. For some reason I think Americans get stuck on the physique of - say Brian Urlacher, who is 6'4" and 260lbs. The fact is that for a normal guy with a normal life it is far better to be Ashton Eaton, Michael Phelps, or some soccer player like David Beckham (6', 170lbs). My best advice would be to develop a sustainable diet and exercise routine that can withstand the changes in your life - firstly your various jobs, wives, kids, and hobbies, but also your natural changes due to aging. Even as we go through our 20s things change (metabolism, hormones, etc.) and so should our diets and routines.

Golf as ever is mostly about mechanics and practice. Think karate. When we practice we're using the exact muscles that are needed for golf: the best exercise for golf is often golf. If you have a chance to go see a PGA event, go do it - you will see people of all different builds, fat and skinny, short and tall. Moreover, watch LPGA and you'll see women who could kick any of our asses on our home course, but who are most likely not powerlifting or anything like it.

[TN94z]

Originally Posted by ladders11

So why do you still consider this to have been "top shape"? It seems to me like the ability to bench 300 lbs is highly correlated with later-in-life injury and obesity. The sad fact is that pro bodybuilders all wind up getting joint replacements at relatively young age. And at some point the level of training declines and all that muscle turns to fat.

Great point here. For some reason I think Americans get stuck on the physique of - say Brian Urlacher, who is 6'4" and 260lbs. The fact is that for a normal guy with a normal life it is far better to be Ashton Eaton, Michael Phelps, or some soccer player like David Beckham (6', 170lbs). My best advice would be to develop a sustainable diet and exercise routine that can withstand the changes in your life - firstly your various jobs, wives, kids, and hobbies, but also your natural changes due to aging. Even as we go through our 20s things change (metabolism, hormones, etc.) and so should our diets and routines.

Golf as ever is mostly about mechanics and practice. Think karate. When we practice we're using the exact muscles that are needed for golf: the best exercise for golf is often golf. If you have a chance to go see a PGA event, go do it - you will see people of all different builds, fat and skinny, short and tall. Moreover, watch LPGA and you'll see women who could kick any of our asses on our home course, but who are most likely not powerlifting or anything like it.

It depends on your definition of "bodybuilders."  When you lift all of your life, you get stronger....it happens.  As you get stronger, you need to lift more weight to get the same level of exercise.  When you start getting up in the "heavy weights" , it's a no brainer that you risk of injury increases.   Most of your joint replacement stuff comes with the PL game.  Bodybuilding is the safer side of lifting.  It is geared toward lighter weight at more reps.  Just the style that you incorporate into PL vs BB increases injuries.  I mean think of how small your shoulder is....that joint is taking a beating while benching.  Saying all of that muscle turns to fat is far stretched too IMO.   If that were the case, everyone on earth would be obese because all of their muscle would turn to fat.

I agree that Americans are stuck on looks.  The media and all it's crap has burnt this into the minds of our youth for years.  At a PGA event, you will also see VERY athletic golfers who seem quite a bit larger muscle wise than they look on tv.  You will see guys playing that obviously spend their fair share of time in the gym.   The ladies are hitting the gyms too, don't be fooled.

You don't have to look like the guys on the cover of muscle magazine just because you go in the gym.  Working out is a HUGE key to a healthy and injury free life. There are guys that take things to the extremes but for their respective sport, it's a must.  It's all in what you want to accomplish.  I personally think weight training is crucial in reducing your chances of injury.

Personally, I think the best shape you can be in varies as you have said.  As do the routines.  I know a guy ( a trainer actually) that is 53 years old and doing routines that young guys couldn't make it through and he is setting world records.  It's all about keeping it simple in my opinion.  There is no sense in doing every workout you find in the magazines. All of these exercises with the crazy names.  All of the new fitness crazes.  Just keep it simple.

Diet.  Diet is highly underrated and the key to a healthy life.  Everyone wants to hit the gym for a few months and look like a model.  Those bodies are made in the kitchen more than the gym.

[rustyredcab]

Originally Posted by TN94z

Ehhh....I know Crossfit is all of the rage right now and I have no doubts it will get you in shape but at what costs?  A lot of what I see are people doing WAY too much weight with very bad form.

That's why I was hoping for a review from this trusted site and one its members: MbolicGolf . :)

[TN94z]

Originally Posted by rustyredcab

That's why I was hoping for a review from this trusted site and one its members: MbolicGolf. :)

A review? Of what?

[Tax Man Golfeth]

Originally Posted by ladders11

So why do you still consider this to have been "top shape"? It seems to me like the ability to bench 300 lbs is highly correlated with later-in-life injury and obesity. The sad fact is that pro bodybuilders all wind up getting joint replacements at relatively young age. And at some point the level of training declines and all that muscle turns to fat.

I was 6'4" and b/n 195 and perhaps 210lbs.  Roughly Michael Phelps' size (the comparisons end there) - he has huge lats too.  That's not line-backer size or pro-lifter size.  Just in shape and trim, but very muscular.  You get hooked on exercising and before you know it the 1hr workout turns into 3hrs/day, and the 200lbs weights get boring and you move up.  Then you leave college, get a job, have kids, stop working out, now you're still 210 and ~not~ so muscular and not in shape.  Being big is fun when you have time to keep it up; after a while the weight works against you as you said.

Point is, getting in shape for golf doesn't need to involve protein shakes and creatine.  It's probably counterproductive.

[mdl]

@Rustyredcab, I'll just throw in a word supporting the gist of what @TN94z said.  If you know a lot about exercise anatomy and your body and have worked out your whole life and know what good form and poor form is on various lifts and body weight exercises and what will cause injuries, then sure, go for it.  If you've been a sometime exerciser without much knowledge, I'd agree it's a bad idea, especially just jumping in at your age.

Personally I think lifting weights isn't the way to go.  I know there's lots of other stuff in CrossFit too, but for me it's too much weight lifting.  I'm a much bigger fan of straight body weight stuff.  With some good stretching I think that kind of exercise generally produces the most useable strength per unit of effort input, and you really don't have to work that hard to figure out how to do body weight stuff with the right form so you don't hurt yourself.  I lifted weights super hard in college cause I played baseball and wanted as much mass as possible to hit the ball far.  Post college I've done only body weight stuff, things derived from http://www.amazon.com/The-Navy-Seal-Workout-Total-Body/dp/0809229021, yoga, hand balancing and related exercises, P90X, surfing, pilates, etc.  I feel in much better shape now than I did at 21 (10 years ago), though I surely couldn't squat or clean or bench press as much weight now.

[rustyredcab]

Originally Posted by TN94z

A review? Of what?

Crossfit -- from a golfer's perspective. Sorry if my request of MbolicGolf . was confusing. I understand that CrossFit preaches general athletic fitness. I d on't wish to highjack this thread so I requested a separate review from someone who seems to know first hand. There are a lot of fans and those who think it is bad. This is a place I look to for honest reviews from fellow golf addicts.

[MbolicGolf]

Hi I just saw all this and I Will start doing a write up by the grace of God I should have a couple paragraphs done tonight.

[kevin.chan]

I would say Dustin Johnson has a great body for golf .

Gym workout ( weights , Cardio , Core ) which improve endurance , strength , flexibility will help your game.

Best is to do some search in the web and there are handful of program for golf.

[x129]

I would say that Craig Stadler has a great body for golf. Hard to argue with 13 PGA wins and  a Masters.

Quote:

Originally Posted by kevin.chan

I would say Dustin Johnson has a great body for golf .

Gym workout ( weights , Cardio , Core ) which improve endurance , strength , flexibility will help your game.

Best is to do some search in the web and there are handful of program for golf.

[Shorty]

Craig Stadler has a shit body for golf but was a great player.

Villegas has a perfect body for golf but has a horrible move that meant he would never be consistent.

Steven Allen is smallish but hits it a mile.

Adam Scott, Tiger and Rory have great physiques and are fair players on occasion.

There are several morbidly obese players like Colt Knost on tour who are pretty good.

It's more about the swing than the physique.

Or...making do with what you have. Or making do with what you have created (like an obese frame) but refuse to change.

Tom Weiskopf would probably be the idel physique, all things being considered.