Medicine Ball - Optimal Weight for Golf Exercises?

[nevets88]

I went to buy a medicine ball after seeing some exercises that are helpful for golf. Of course there are many options from 4 pounds to twenty. I guess I should just go to a sporting goods store and try them out myself. Is there an optimal weight for a reasonably fit male?

[billchao]

1 minute ago, nevets88 said:

I went to buy a medicine ball after seeing some exercises that are helpful for golf. Of course there are many options from 4 pounds to twenty. Optimally, I guess I should just go to a sporting goods store and try them out myself. Is there an optimal weight for a reasonably fit male?

Not really. It depends on your strength level and what you're planning on doing with it.

I have a 6lb and 8lb medicine ball. Quickly outgrew the 6lb once I started working out again, and even the 8lb is too light for some exercises which I end up using dumbbells for. 

You can still do stuff with lighter ones as long as you focus on keeping the intensity level high, concentrate on the muscles you're targeting. You just end up taking more reps to failure. It's about how you move the weight rather than how heavy it is.

[nevets88]

There are no balls where you can add subtract weight like a putter? 

[ToolManSam]

6 hours ago, nevets88 said:

I went to buy a medicine ball after seeing some exercises that are helpful for golf. Of course there are many options from 4 pounds to twenty. I guess I should just go to a sporting goods store and try them out myself. Is there an optimal weight for a reasonably fit male?

The core moves 1-2mph 

Medicine ball training is useless unless you have some sort of specific goal you NEED to accomplish 

[boogielicious]

21 hours ago, nevets88 said:

I went to buy a medicine ball after seeing some exercises that are helpful for golf. Of course there are many options from 4 pounds to twenty. I guess I should just go to a sporting goods store and try them out myself. Is there an optimal weight for a reasonably fit male?

I use an 8 or a 12 for golf specific work. I use resistance bands he same way when I don't have a wall to throw the ball against.

[billchao]

1 hour ago, boogielicious said:

I use an 8 or a 12 for golf specific work. I use resistance bands he same way when I don't have a wall to throw the ball against.

Yea resistance bands are good. I like them better than medicine balls for the eccentric part of an exercise. 

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I don't do any golf specific exercises. If you train for strength and athletic movements you'll see benefits in your golf swing, but the purpose of working out shouldn't be solely for improving your golf game, IMO. You'll get more results spending that time working on your skills instead if that's what you're after, @nevets88.

[3jacker]

16 hours ago, ToolManSam said:

The core moves 1-2mph 

Medicine ball training is useless unless you have some sort of specific goal you NEED to accomplish 

Lol.  Great deduction.

[boogielicious]

59 minutes ago, billchao said:

Yea resistance bands are good. I like them better than medicine balls for the eccentric part of an exercise. 

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I don't do any golf specific exercises. If you train for strength and athletic movements you'll see benefits in your golf swing, but the purpose of working out shouldn't be solely for improving your golf game, IMO. You'll get more results spending that time working on your skills instead if that's what you're after, @nevets88.

Most of the resistance exercises I do are multi-purpose anyway. Improving core strength applies to everything really. I also do leg strength work and shoulder/arm work, which were part of my surgery recovery programs. I do them for maintenance.

The only real golf specific motions are resistance work from A4 position down to A7 and some A6 to A8 with bands. Those also help with my flexibility as I am older and don't have Gumby flexibility like some of you younger folks! 

[Typhoon92]

Like Boogielicious said, 8-10 lb.. It's more about speed and fast twitch muscles than it is tossing a heavy ball at the wall.  You don't want to throw it with your arms, ...explosive hip turn and extend your arms in a tossing motion.

[nevets88]

On 4/22/2019 at 9:22 AM, billchao said:

Yea resistance bands are good. I like them better than medicine balls for the eccentric part of an exercise. 

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I don't do any golf specific exercises. If you train for strength and athletic movements you'll see benefits in your golf swing, but the purpose of working out shouldn't be solely for improving your golf game, IMO. You'll get more results spending that time working on your skills instead if that's what you're after, @nevets88.

That makes sense. It's hard to motivate doing the same old exercises, so maybe these being different might get me to workout more.

 

[billchao]

1 minute ago, nevets88 said:

That makes sense. It's hard to motivate doing the same old exercises, so maybe these being different might get me to workout more.

That's why I signed up for a program at athleanx.com. The workout structure is there but I'm doing slightly different exercises every week, so it's never boring. Plus, having a schedule to adhere to and the fact that I paid for it helps keep me committed.