Weightlifting's Effect on the Golf Swing

[allin]

Lower reps at higher weights increase muscle size because they maximize muscle blood flow, muscle fiber and strength is related to size, but it is not a cause and effect relationship, bigger does not always mean stronger. Equating strength of this type to power meets only the very narrowest definition.  Most body builders are notoriously weak for their muscle size. Of course they do almost no cardiovascular training.  Do you also encourage that?  Outside of the gym the type of functional strength needed to perform any athletic feat requires some duration.  This is why few professional athletes look like body builders.  The best power lifters do vary their reps, they also train to failure much of the time, not a practice beneficial for most sports training.  I feel your perspective is narrow, and not appropriate for golf, we do disagree.  It has been my experience that power lifters and body builders are eager to defend applicability of their training methods for athletic pursuits, but their arguments are based on narrowing the discussion and ignoring much of the research. If you are a certified trainer this is covered during the certification process and is basic knowledge.

Originally Posted by newtogolf

We can agree to disagree, but look at workout routines for powerlifters you'll see most don't exceed 6 reps.  Also, if you're actually increasing muscle size, you're increasing strength (one doesn't happen without the other).  Most body builders do mass movements designed to increase mass, and isolation exercises designed to hit specific muscles and muscle areas - two different purposes.  For example, they might do barball EZ Curls with high weight and low reps to increase the overall size of their biceps but also do concentration curls or preacher curls to help their bicep peak or split.

I don't know what research you use, but as a former certified personal trainer, I can tell you first hand that if you want maximum strength gains keep your reps to less than 8, I prefer 6.  As for flexibility, until you get to massive proportions, large muscles to not impair flexibility, lack of proper stretching does.  There are 260+ pound body builders that can do a split, there are some that can barely turn their head, it all depends on how much effort they put into maintaining flexibility.    Many bodybuilders now incorporate yoga into their workouts to maintain their flexibility.  Male gymnasts are typically pretty musclular guys, and the most flexible you'll see, so not sure where you're getting your information from.

[tmorg]

Umm bodybuilders usually do between 8-12 reps for a majority of their workouts as well as powerlifters this is to avoid injury as their muscles grow very fast from stacking supplements and roids and there tendons and ligaments need more time to catch up to handle sets of 3-5.

[bkoguy07]

Some people in this thread don't know what they are talking about.

On a side note since no one else has addressed this - where is your back exercises?  You seem to neglect one of the largest muscle groups in the entire body.

[Noonan1]

Josh,

I would highly recommend yoga on your off days. At leas twice a week. I started doing yoga my senior year in college when I was playing golf. With 2 days a week of yoga and 4 days a week working out I was in the bet golf shape of my life. Yoga will help balance all of the muscles you are working out in the gym. It will make them all work together fluidly and efficienty while increasing your flexibility and strength.

Good luck - it sounds like you are dedicated to improving your game.

[JD616]

I do back exercises I just didn't mention them I was in a rush when I typed out my workout. My workout varies quite a bit, but I tend to stick to full squats, bench (dumbbells or barbell), some form of a row, lat pulldowns, curls, decline situps, supermans for the lower back, and military press. But I often throw in other exercises too.

I have heard that throughout the year there should be a shift in the way you workout. For example, 3-4 months endurance, 3-4 months strength, 3-4 months of just playing golf with minimal extra strain on the body. However, I feel that the 3 should be incorporate all throughout the year, but with variances week to week.

I would get into yoga, but I don't know where to do it. Are there videos or something I could buy that would provide me with yoga exercises I could do at home?

Also, I plan on working much harder throughout this golf season and then on into next fall and winter. I hope to improve my game and my overall health throughout this process and I guess time is the only thing that will show how much the work pays off.

[saevel25]

But physics as said that force equals mass x acceleration..  Your adding in strength, but if that strength can only go 100 mph, your not maximizing the energy transfer.

honestly, most people should just concern themselves with getting into shape. I doubt majority of the people on this thread are Camillo. We are all typical people, with a few exeptions. So just doing anything outside our normal lifestyle would be beneficial to the gofl swing.

Really, there are not much gains in strength past the first few reps. Even doing a 2nd or third set doesn't increase the strength build you have.

My best instruction, just work out. Make it balanced between cardio and strength, and make sure you work out the whole body. I highly recommend balance training as well..

On a side note, its been found that doing static stretching before cardio can lead to injury. So if your going to stretch before running or weight lifting do dynamic stretching. That is perform the movements of the activity your going to do at a low intensity for bit. This will get the body loose. Static stretching is mostly beneficial after working out.

As for back strengthening the lowerback,

Dead Lifts

Hyperextension

[Shindig]

Originally Posted by saevel25

As for back strengthening the lowerback,

Dead Lifts

Hyperextension

Awesome, this means I am doing a lower back exercise (dead lifts).  What works the upper back?  I think shoulder press does?

[saevel25]

Depends, the upper back is more complex than the lower back.

Dumbbell Rows

Pull Ups

Chin ups

Lat Pull over

One of the best is the Y-T-L-W-I Raise, this works nearly every muscle in the back.

[TN94z]

Originally Posted by Shindig

Awesome, this means I am doing a lower back exercise (dead lifts).  What works the upper back?  I think shoulder press does?

Deadlifts work everything.

[bunkerputt]

A spine surgeon friend / golfer turned me on to a lot of studies showing that isometric strength is more important for the back in golf than power production.  Your lower back should be focused on maintaining the relationship of the spine to the hips and should be very stable so that your legs and torso can move in response.  If your lower back is moving a lot, your legs and arms aren't moving as quickly, just as if your net walking speed would be much lower if the sidewalk were moving backwards.  So for the lower back, work on bridge techniques or just practice putting for 3 hours a day instead.

[bkoguy07]

Originally Posted by Shindig

Awesome, this means I am doing a lower back exercise (dead lifts).  What works the upper back?  I think shoulder press does?

Deadlifts work everything.  They are great, add a lot of mass to your back traps forearms.

[franky21]

I personally will say that lifting weights will not hinder your flexibility. I work out 4 to 5 times a week and lift heavy everytime. I do certain exercise do maintain my flexibility. I also run for 2 miles 3 times a week and i do alot of stretching. I believe as long as you stretch on a daily basis and do some research on a couple golf exercise for flexibility you will be fine.

[TN94z]

Originally Posted by franky21

I personally will say that lifting weights will not hinder your flexibility. I work out 4 to 5 times a week and lift heavy everytime. I do certain exercise do maintain my flexibility. I also run for 2 miles 3 times a week and i do alot of stretching. I believe as long as you stretch on a daily basis and do some research on a couple golf exercise for flexibility you will be fine.

Yeah, stretching is key. I need to do more of that myself

[Aquaguru]

Originally Posted by TN94z

I see what you are saying....but if you are getting stronger, you are building muscle...there is no way around it.

Actually you can build strength without hypertrophy its because in the first 4-5 weeks you increase your motor unit recruitment. This increases strength.  You see it often when someone starts working out again after a couple years off.  They will be able to lift alot more weight but will not see the hypertrophic effects.

This is also the case in pre-pubescent boys.  They do not have the amount of testosterone to see size gains.

[Aquaguru]

Originally Posted by bunkerputt

A spine surgeon friend / golfer turned me on to a lot of studies showing that isometric strength is more important for the back in golf than power production.  Your lower back should be focused on maintaining the relationship of the spine to the hips and should be very stable so that your legs and torso can move in response.  If your lower back is moving a lot, your legs and arms aren't moving as quickly, just as if your net walking speed would be much lower if the sidewalk were moving backwards.  So for the lower back, work on bridge techniques or just practice putting for 3 hours a day instead.

Yes this is great advice.  To build on this and the concept of the core is that you need to have a string and stable core in order to perform extremity movement, such as the golf swing.  The first muscles to activate and fire during any arm or leg movement in the transverse abdominis (front of the body) and multifidis (between spinal segments in the back), this activation is milliseconds earlier than lets say your biceps, deltoids, or quads.  If you do not have a stable core this will inhibit you from generating the maximum amount of force your body can produce.

Some great exercises to incorporate the core musculature are.  Planks, bridges, and if you are athletic and coordinated enough perform the bench press on a Swiss ball.  The EMG data for the core when doing exercises on an unstable surface are incredible.

[Leftygolfer]

I've been lifting for a while now and put on maybe 10 pounds of lean body mass.  I neglected stretching and it did hurt me.  I went out early this year and just didn't have a good move.  So I've started stetching everytime I work out.  My gym has one of the cages with a golf stretching routine right there.  I just do it and it seems to help.

But I agree there is nothing wrong with some size.  If your 15, girls are really important.  And girls like good arms and a thick back.  I think it would be almost impossible to get too big for golf without GHB and steriods.  Just stretch and play as much as possible.

[saevel25]

Look at it this way, Mark McGuire took steroids in baseball and he's a single handicap golfer i believe. Look how big he is (was)

[TN94z]

Originally Posted by saevel25

Look at it this way, Mark McGuire took steroids in baseball and he's a single handicap golfer i believe. Look how big he is (was)

That shows you what stretching can do for you.