Best Body Build For Great Golf?

[robinoso]

If you are wanting to add more, when thinking about bench, rotate your flat and db sets.  They both use different stabilizer muscles.  If you only lift db, you will feel weaker on flat and vice versa.  Just a thought I had after reading.

Also, if you feel pain anywhere.  Stop.  Don't be tough and try to lift through it.  It will hurt more in the long run.

[WarEagle]

I'm 14, a highschool freshman, I play Right tackle and weight 158 lbs and am around 6 feet or 5-11. I lift dumbells, but for golf, you don't need extraordinary muscles, just enough muscles to handle the weight of your clubs, and flexibility, there is a reason there aren't any bodybuilders on tour, Dustin Johnson is the ideal golf type.

[Mr. Desmond]

See Tiger at 22 years old.

[WUTiger]

The key to success in golf has always been to achieve coordination among golf swing, body build, and equipment.

Some small players hit the ball a long way because their movements are so quick and well-coordinated. Chi Chi Rodriguez weighed about 140 pounds, but regularly pounded the old metal-shafted drivers 270 yards. He was quick on his movements.

As for weight training: initial benefit for high school athletes is to balance the musculature . As children, most people tend to be stronger on either the left or right half of the body - weight training helps achieve balance among the muscle groups.

I had a retroactive problem in this area. After surgery in 2005, I ended up with a right calf muscle that was 2" less in circumference (around) than the left. It too me more than a year of overtraining on the right calf the get them back into balance.

Also, weight training strengthens the joint muscles to help prevent injury.

Recently, I'm seeing articles and blog entries on certain exaggerated movements in a golf swing that can lead to cumulative shoulder or back injury. Guess the warning would be "don't build a golf swing which will tear your body up."

[ggolokin]

i for one don't think you need a specific body to play golf, for instance im quite skinny... i'm 182cm which i think is around 6feet and 72kgs which is i think around 160lbs,  and my swingspeed tops out at 120mph.. i'm sure with a bit of core muscle training i could go a bit further to 125... but it's only 5mph difference.

[slabm7]

Google starting strength by Mark Rippetoe. It's a basic full body program that is easy to do and is built for skinny guys to put on muscle. You have to eat alot more as well. You won't gain muscle by eating big Macs. Eat high protein meats, dairy, and alot of fruits and veggies. Get some protein powder to help get your protein intake up. The future generation of tour players are going to be in better and better shape. Look and everyone on tour under he age of 30. I would say %90 have some kind of workout routine. Its proven that muscle gain helps to stabilize joints and reduces the risk of injury. Stretching daily will help with flexibility and power and well. The days of the Craig Stadler and John Daly figures on tour are behind us.

[WUTiger]

I'm already in great shape and very flexible, I've done Gymnastics, Jiu-Jitsu, Ballet:(

... And what type of build is the all around best for playing golf?

You've got a good start on flexibility. A couple of years ago, the martial arts were recommended as a good cross-training activity for golfer. Also, I know of two former South Korean Army officers - one in Oklahoma, another in Illinois - who ran Tae Kwon Do studios. Both of them became golfers, and as they approached age 50 got their PGA certification and switched over to being golf teaching pros.

One of the male pro golfers - can't remember his name - is pals with a pro boxer and has done conditioning workouts with him. He credits the pro boxer with showing him the benefits of steady breathing during athletic moves.

As for best body build? Back in the early 1970s, some college sports researchers did a study to identify which physical characteristics were prevalent in successful wrestlers. A couple of years of study was unable to turn up an ideal wrestling build. Successful wrestlers had in common only that they won a lot of matches.

I sense it's the same thing for golfers: there's no one ideal build - especially these days, with the ability to technically fine-tune one's clubs and balls.

[saevel25]

The key thing with martial arts is a center of balance. There all about not being out of control, and harnesing leverage. Thats something alot of people can learn, especially those who think they need to John Daly it. Though if you look at John Daly, when do you seem him off balance. The only person i ever seen hit a ball consistantly long and off balance, Bubba Watson. But i think he micromanages it. For a short period of time, through impact he is in perfect balance. Then it all goes to hell.

[GonnaBreak70]

Update: I have developed several exercises in including a weight lifting routine, sprinting for mass and to raise HGH levels, and I have also signed back up for jiu-jitsu and they are working on adding a Cross-Fit routine to there shedule which I plan on participating in. I have also completely changed the way I eat to better suit a weight gain lifestyle. 3500 calories a day. I have gained 10 pounds and weigh 150. I have also greatly increased my flexibility. My long term goal is 170 pounds and the firefighter build:) The affects to my golf game include suprisingly, a better wedge game! I have much better control with all my irons but especially my wedges and scoring irons. It's seems much easier to stiff a wedge than before. Possibly due to more forearm strength and better lower body stability. I haven't played much, but I hope to see my handicap lower soon.

[DoGolf Jonathan]

I completely agree - you definitely should work out your whole body.  I have seen a lot of guys who were good golfers and just lifted weights and then got really stiff and their swings just wasn't as fluid anymore.

Originally Posted by saevel25

Unless your seriously going for, heavy lifting were you artificially increase your muscles to look fashionable, then you shouldn't have issues with flexibility. Actually if you lift weights correctly, you should slowly gain more flexibility as your range of motion should increase with strength.

I advocate working out the whole body, with emphasis on the hips and core.

[glock35ipsc]

Originally Posted by Ole_Tom_Morris

When someone asks "How much do you bench?" the smart answer is, "I don't."

My answer is "who cares, how much do you squat?"

To the OP - My body type is an ectomorph, probably your build type too. I was pretty much like you my entire life; from high school until 2008 I was 5'10 and 130-135#.  I started working to gain weight at 130# in January 2009 (at age 38) to 175# in June 2010.  Personally, I think you should work on overall lean mass gain (ie; put on some more muscle), THEN work on conditioning for golf.

The keys to gaining weight and pretty simple..... eat, lift, sleep.  Rinse and repeat.  Almost every skinny person thinks they eat enough to gain weight, but get frustrated when they don't.  I always thought I ate enough, but obviously didn't.  The other thing was, I wasn't eating the RIGHT KINDS of food.  Your goal should be to add more lean mass (muscle) than body fat.  But you WILL gain some body fat, which in my case (and probably yours) sure wouldn't hurt anything!

As far as the workouts to gain mass, they are few but effective.  Forget about doing curls, forget about focusing on triceps.  You need to be doing the big compound lifts; squats, deadlifts, bench press, overhead press, rows.. they will work every muscle in the body.  Don't forget push ups, pull ups and chin ups, and dips too.  Start light, and progressively add weight at each new workout.  I did it 5# at a time.  I started squatting with just the bar (45#) and added 5# each time (Monday just the bar, Wednesday bar + 5#, Friday bar + 10#, etc).  Same with bench and overhead press.  I started deads with just the bar plus 25# on each end, with the weights setting on blocks to get the height right, then adding 5# each new workout.

For the eating part, increase your calorie intake by 500 calories a day of CLEAN foods and watch your weight.  If after 2 weeks it hasn't moved, or hasn't moved much, add another 100.  The greatest leap for me was drinking 1 gallon of whole milk a day for 3 months while doing a simple 5x5 routine of compound lifts.  There are those that will say doing the GOMAD (gallon of milk a day) will just add fat, but if you are lifting heavy compound lifts, it will be more muscle than fat.  I proved that.  At my "fattest", I as at 16% body fat.  I know a LOT guys today would kill to be that lean!  Hahaha!  I still drink a minimum of a pint of milk a day, and I hover right around 13-14% BF.  And no, my cholesterol didn't go through the roof.  In fact, my LDL (bad) cholesterol has never been above 125, and my HDL (good) cholesterol has never been below 58.

One other thing.... you mentioned that you wanted to " put on some weight and bulk up" in your free time... not gonna happen.  No one ever "accidentally" got big and strong!  If you are serious about gaining mass, you will have to work your ass off and eat!  Feel free to PM me if you have any questions, I'd be happy to help!

EDIT:  I see you have put on 10# in two months, congrats!  Just so you know, the gains will start being harder to come by as time goes on.  Don't get discouraged.  I did the same thing, had a big scale weight increase right away, then it got tough!.  It was mostly an increase in body fat, but definitely lean mass as well.  3500 calories is good, but at some point your will plateau and will need to steadily increase the calories if you are to continue to gain mass.  In the end I was at 4700-5000 calories a day!  Just keep at it!!

[saevel25]

A good book is "good calories, bad calories". Thsi book is not your everyday health book. Its pretty scientific, and really boring. But its gives some great knowledge as to why american's are getting obese. It has to do with processed foods, sugars, and HFCS. Our bodies are made to eat fat and protein, those who say you don't want to drink whole milk because it fattening is wrong. Skim milk is fattening, because its loaded up with sugar.

Though i will say this, i would rather people get whey protein instead of milk. There is some striking evidence pointing that drinking milk is actually linked to brittle bones later in life, as well as other health issues, including breast cancer. Also the fact that we can not process milk to its full potential, majority of the vitamin D is just passed through our systems.

[BigBird]

I don't know how tall you are, but you can't go wrong with the Tiger build. He's built like an athlete, and I'd suggest the same if you want to perform like one.

That said, great golfers come in all shapes and sizes, but the build like Martin, Tiger etc are the ones I'd go for.

[saevel25]

I wouldn't worry about type of body. If you eat right, No Processed Carbs (grains, rice, sugars, pastas, ect...), eat alot of veggies, moderation on the fruits, and eat protein, your body will find its way to were its suppose to be. I would concentrate on just doing total body workouts. I wouldn't prescribe to any set number of reps or sets, mix it up. I have done very low numbers 6 reps, to very high, as a many as i can. All i know is that i am working out the same muscle group, just in different ways. Really its all about not being bored with your routine. But i stopped caring about progressions, or how many reps this day, it was just to much of a hassel to do. For me i know exercises that work out which muscles, and i just throw it all together. My favorite routine is to alternate upper, abs, lower. Then try to get every muscle group, for me that leads to about 6-7 variety of ab exercises.

Unless your genetically predispositioned to having large muscles, you will probably end up being lean. Just strive for what your body will tend towards genetically.

[GonnaBreak70]

I must respectfully disagree. I seriously began lifting weights about 1 1/2 years ago, and have since put on 23 pounds of muscle, and lowered my handicap by about two and half strokes. I went from 132 to 161 pounds, and I now have much more strength and consistency when hitting the driver or long irons etc. Granted, I also completely changed my diet, and do core exercises twice a week in addition to swimming and running, but that added strength and weight were definitely the biggest factors in lowering my handicap. Surprisingly though, I don't actually hit the ball much further, but I do hit it much more consistently. I used to be a windup doll with the driver, but now for the most part I know I'm going to find it again.

[LuciusWooding]

Originally Posted by GonnaBreak70

I must respectfully disagree.

I seriously began lifting weights about 1 1/2 years ago, and have since put on 23 pounds of muscle, and lowered my handicap by about two and half strokes.

I went from 132 to 161 pounds, and I now have much more strength and consistency when hitting the driver or long irons etc.

Granted, I also completely changed my diet, and do core exercises twice a week in addition to swimming and running, but that added strength and weight were definitely the biggest factors in lowering my handicap.

Surprisingly though, I don't actually hit the ball much further, but I do hit it much more consistently. I used to be a windup doll with the driver, but now for the most part I know I'm going to find it again.

You were 132 pounds. That's really really light, even if you're like 5'6". The only male professional I can think of who's that light is Jbe Kruger. I'm 155lb and 6' and I'm considered on the skinny side of things. I can handle swinging heavy clubs hard without losing stability or anything, but it's not because of arm strength. It's all legs and core where I'm stronger than most people; I have pretty lean arms but can create more power in my swing than many people 50 pounds heavier. For reference, Rory is close to the same height as me and about the same weight. He hits it as far as anyone.

As far as lifting weights, I'd say unless you're really underpowered in your arms, don't touch them. Go for core and legs and flexibility, which are where you find stability in the swing. Having big arms is bad and I know from experience that working out unevenly can mess your balance up; I did 2 years of Taekwondo and therefore tens of thousands of kicks, squats, etc. When I stopped, I noticed I got very top heavy as my conditioning faded. I built up my legs so much my center of balance moved a few inches lower, which is deadly in TKD as it allows stability and balance when doing all sorts of kicks. Now, I can do most of the kicks still, but I'm a "normal person" so many of them just don't have their effectiveness. I can still kick to the head from a million different angles, but I lost the ability to do spinning kicks smoothly and my legs feel light in a bad way. I'd imagine working on your arms and upper body could have the opposite effect; if you're a triangle it may cause you problems with balance the same way having really heavy legs helped me. Rotation is really hard if your torso has a lot of weight, and it will stress your core. The muscle required for good golf on your arms will look pretty light, anything above that will only be dead weight.

[Jimdangles]

Originally Posted by Chief Broom

This really isn't as complicated as you might think.  I'd suggest that whatever plan you decide to follow to do it regularly, at least 3-4 a week.  As was said focusing on the entire body is good.  When you work out hit it hard so that you feel it when it's over, and finally just as important as hitting it hard in the gym (or wherever) ramp up your diet so that your body has all the clean fuel it needs to power your workouts, speed recovery, and support growth.  At your weight it sounds like your diet currently won't support the growth and gains you're interested in so be sure to make sure you give your body what it needs.  If you do both of these things at your age you can see astonishing gains in a very short period of time.  I wouldn't worry about tayloring what you do to golf, what you want are all around gains, and doing that will naturally help your game.  I will also say that diet is usually the most overlooked aspect when people want to effect some form of body composition change.  Matching your diet to your goals will be what dictates whether or not you succeed.  I also wouldn't worry about any gains being detrimental to your game.  If you maintain flexibility added strength will just make things easier, from opening pickel jars, moving furniture, to smashing drives and iron shots.

I suggest going to the batting cages and learning how to take a fastball to the chest. Wait thats to get ready for next hockey season. NVM

[GonnaBreak70]

You were 132 pounds. That's really really light, even if you're like 5'6". The only male professional I can think of who's that light is Jbe Kruger. I'm 155lb and 6' and I'm considered on the skinny side of things. I can handle swinging heavy clubs hard without losing stability or anything, but it's not because of arm strength. It's all legs and core where I'm stronger than most people; I have pretty lean arms but can create more power in my swing than many people 50 pounds heavier. For reference, Rory is close to the same height as me and about the same weight. He hits it as far as anyone. As far as lifting weights, I'd say unless you're really underpowered in your arms, don't touch them. Go for core and legs and flexibility, which are where you find stability in the swing. Having big arms is bad and I know from experience that working out unevenly can mess your balance up; I did 2 years of Taekwondo and therefore tens of thousands of kicks, squats, etc. When I stopped, I noticed I got very top heavy as my conditioning faded. I built up my legs so much my center of balance moved a few inches lower, which is deadly in TKD as it allows stability and balance when doing all sorts of kicks. Now, I can do most of the kicks still, but I'm a "normal person" so many of them just don't have their effectiveness. I can still kick to the head from a million different angles, but I lost the ability to do spinning kicks smoothly and my legs feel light in a bad way. I'd imagine working on your arms and upper body could have the opposite effect; if you're a triangle it may cause you problems with balance the same way having really heavy legs helped me. Rotation is really hard if your torso has a lot of weight, and it will stress your core. The muscle required for good golf on your arms will look pretty light, anything above that will only be dead weight.

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.