Workout BEFORE or AFTER golf?

[ProFitnessPlans]

Depends on what your workout is.  A clean, snatch or turkish get-up is incredibly high skill.

Getting the hands to calm down relative to the big boy muscles being facilitated is a great primer for golf.

I love it that you stretch after hitting.  Stretching before will cause a loss of swing speed for at least 30 minutes - may not be a big deal as you warm up on the range but it's a fact.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21068685

Love the Turkish Get-Up but a clean or snatch would be a huge mistake IMO.  No reason to pound your shoulders after or before a round of golf.  Save the Olympic lifts for another day.

[festivus]

That's fair - those exercises don't pound your shoulders with correct technique.  In fact they improve stability.  So yeah just throwing random technical stuff at random people is a mistake - no argument there.  I don't see bad technique as the fault of the exercise, but the coach/athlete.

FYI I've done this with multiple athletes pre-game in multiple sports to great effect.  Light-ish sets with some bar speed and box jump or hops afterwards is a magical warm-up.  It's certainly not the only way but it's quite a good one.

Just curious - if the lifts are "pounding your shoulders" then why would you save them for another day?  All the supposed damage is incremental and chronic so why would it make a difference?  Taking joints through their full range of motion under a load that can be technically handled and using different power bands is kinda the whole point.

[FooFader]

If i'm playing a competitive round i'll take two days off from heavy gym work beforehand because i definately dont hit the ball well if i'm sore but for practicing i'll still go to the gym and lift heavy the day before and practice through the bit of soreness. No science to my reasoning just how i do it

[Big C]

If I plan to work out and golf in the same day, I will try to get my workout in first. Typically, I find that my workouts give me more energy and endorphins while golf drains a lot of energy. As a result, my workouts tend to suffer after a round of golf more than my golf suffers after a nice workout.

And then there's the most important thing - if I want to crack a nice cold beer out on the course, I can do so after a workout and not feel guilty about it at all!

[mdl]

I love it that you stretch after hitting.  Stretching before will cause a loss of swing speed for at least 30 minutes - may not be a big deal as you warm up on the range but it's a fact.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21068685

You can probably get more benefit and skip the swing speed loss with some self-massage (foam rolling or other), dynamic stretching and a few activation drills.  I included a couple videos of some things we do with athletes of all levels and sports:

Nice.  Thanks for the info from the SPEED clinic!  I saw a number of papers showing performance loss after passive stretching in non-golf activities a few years ago when I did a quick lit review after reading somewhere in the popular press that pre-stretching was starting to be recommended against.  I've switched to only dynamic pre-stretching.  Interesting to see an experiment directly on golfers!

Those videos you posted are an interesting possible addition.  I have a roller and some bands.  Maybe I'll give those a go before my next round.  Before, after, or replacing my normal dynamic stretch?

[kenhockey2]

It is important to warm up and cool down when  playing golf. I begin my warm-up 1.5 hours before going to the course. 20 minutes of indoor spinning intervals followed by resistance band exercises. After golf, I go to the gym and cool down for 30 minutes on the elliptical. machine. Then head home to shower, drink a protein shake and take a 45 minute nap. 

[dennyjones]

9 hours ago, kenhockey2 said:

It is important to warm up and cool down when  playing golf. I begin my warm-up 1.5 hours before going to the course. 20 minutes of indoor spinning intervals followed by resistance band exercises. After golf, I go to the gym and cool down for 30 minutes on the elliptical. machine. Then head home to shower, drink a protein shake and take a 45 minute nap. 

Welcome to TST.   Thanks for your input.  

[saevel25]

I would prefer to work out before a round of golf. Probably nothing to failure.

[dennyjones]

I know I wouldn't have enough energy to workout before a round of golf.  There are times when I'm dragging near the end of the round.  I'd prefer to workout on a non-golf day.

[kenhockey2]

12 hours ago, saevel25 said:

I would prefer to work out before a round of golf. Probably nothing to failure.

Just workout enough to warm your body up for playing golf. Cool down after the round to prevent stiffness

The elliptical machine is excellent to use as a warm up and cool down activity for golf. I recommend 15 minutes using  before golf, and 15 minutes after playing your round to flush out the lactic acid out of your muscles. Don't forget to drink a protein shake after your cool down. 

[JCrane]

I think it is good to use some common sense when approaching any physical activity. If you are going to play a round of golf, do you want to warm up with some stretches. Probably, but do you want to lift some heavy weights and tire the muscles out, probably not.

The benefits of working out are achieved on an ongoing basis, so it becomes a commitment that is long term, so what happens in the short term becomes less important 

[kenhockey2]

Warming up your body before playing a round of golf is injury prevention. Cooling down after golf reduces muscle soreness. It is  an individual's choice. 

Edited October 28, 2017 by kenhockey2

[JCrane]

Based on my experience I have problems with this study which I will discuss below the article

Latent effect of passive static stretching on driver clubhead speed, distance, accuracy, and consistent ball contact in young male competitive golfers.

Gergley JC¹.

Author information

 

Abstract

This investigation was conducted to determine the effect of 2 different warm-up treatments over time on driver clubhead speed, distance, accuracy, and consistent ball contact in young male competitive golfers. Two supervised warm-up treatments, an active dynamic warm-up with golf clubs (AD) and a 20-minute total body passive static stretching routine plus an identical AD warm-up (PSS), were applied before each performance testing session using a counterbalanced design on nonconsecutive days. Immediately after the AD treatment, subjects were instructed to hit 3 full swing golf shots with their driver with 1-minute rest between trials. Immediately after the PSS treatment,

subjects were instructed to hit 3 full-swing golf shots with their driver at t0 and thereafter at t15, t30, t45, and t60 minutes with 1-minute rest between swing trials to determine any latent effects of PSS on golf driver performance measures.

Results of paired t-tests revealed significant (p < 0.05) decreases in clubhead speed at t0 (-4.92%), t15 (-2.59%), and t30 (-2.19%) but not at t45 (-0.95) or t60 (-0.99). Significant differences were also observed in distance at t0 (-7.26%), t15 (-5.19%), t30 (-5.47%), t45 (-3.30%), and t60 (-3.53%). Accuracy was significantly impaired at t0 (61.99%), t15 (58.78%), t30 (59.46%), and t45 (61.32%) but not at t60 (36.82%). Finally, consistent ball contact was significantly reduced at t0 (-31.29%), t15 (-31.29%), t30 (-23.56%), t45 (-27.49%), and t60 (-15.70%)

. Plausible explanations for observed performance decrements include a more compliant muscle-tendon unit (MTU) and an altered neurological state because of the PSS treatment. Further, the findings of this study provide evidence supporting the theory that the mechanical properties of the MTU may recover at a faster rate than any associated neurological changes.

The results of this inquiry strongly suggest that a total-body passive static stretching routine should be avoided before practice or competition in favor of a gradual AD. Athletes with poor mechanics because of lack of flexibility should perform these exercises after a conditioning session, practice, or competition.

 

First of all an accurate study has to have everything being equal and I think based on my experience, that is impossible here. Golfers come in all sizes, shapes, and fitness levels.

What were the exercises and  what was the duration of those exercises ? All relevant

I look at stretching and muscle lengthening as two different things. Stretching either static or Dynamic if done consistently like in Yoga. which is where much of my experience comes from, will lead to muscle lengthening over time.  At first the muscles resist the stretch and that is why it takes a long term commitment to the process.

Once the muscles are lengthened (we call this flexibility) then the stretches simple insure that the muscles stay that way.

When we get to that point it should not matter before or after the round of golf because we are no longer straining or traumatizing the muscles.

I do accept the fact that many golfers are not willing to make a long term commitment to this type of program, but It does not change the physics.

 

People who I have worked with in my Yoga for Golfers Program have found this leads to longer straighter drives because of greater flexibility and control of their bodies, but I have to emphasis that this comes only with a longer term commitment and most golfers are not ready to do that, but I would hope  those who have done that would agree with me on that point.

This is just my opinion and everyone is entitled to theirs

Thanks

 

 

 

[kenhockey2]

The author of this stiudy examines the effects of passive vs active warm up prior to engaging in golf activity. I interpret this researcher's findings suggesting AD warm up will not effect golf performance, where as passive warm up may effect golf performance, club head speed. 

Therefore, it is an individual's choice to engage in warm up prior to playing golf. What is the individual's purpose for warm-up activity prior to playing a round of golf? injury prevention? Enhance golf performance? 

From my experience as a former ice hockey player, it was ingrained into my schema by my strength and conditioning coaches to engage in an active warm up and cool down prior to stepping on and off the ice. Therefore, I just transferred this routine into my recreational activity lifestyle. 

I am just sharing what works for me. 

Edited October 29, 2017 by kenhockey2

[JCrane]

7 hours ago, kenhockey2 said:

The author of this stiudy examines the effects of passive vs active warm up prior to engaging in golf activity. I interpret this researcher's findings suggesting AD warm up will not effect golf performance, where as passive warm up may effect golf performance, club head speed. 

Therefore, it is an individual's choice to engage in warm up prior to playing golf. What is the individual's purpose for warm-up activity prior to playing a round of golf? injury prevention? Enhance golf performance? 

From my experience as a former ice hockey player, it was ingrained into my schema by my strength and conditioning coaches to engage in an active warm up and cool down prior to stepping on and off the ice. Therefore, I just transferred this routine into my recreational activity lifestyle. 

I am just sharing what works for me. 

If it works for you then keep doing it. That is what I say. Thanks for sharing this info. Ultimately we all have to find what works for us, no matter what the studies tell us thanks

[kenhockey2]

I just happen to read an online article on using resistance band exercises as a warm up prior to playing golf. I tried some of the exercises using a light resistance band 30 mins before going to play golf

I have to say I felt loose around my shoulder girdle and only used half of a 50 ball basket as a warm up. 

Any thoughts?

[JCrane]

50 minutes ago, kenhockey2 said:

I just happen to read an online article on using resistance band exercises as a warm up prior to playing golf. I tried some of the exercises using a light resistance band 30 mins before going to play golf

I have to say I felt loose around my shoulder girdle and only used half of a 50 ball basket as a warm up. 

Any thoughts?

I think you answered your own question. It works ! 

[kenhockey2]

Thanks for sharing the research article on AD vs Passive warm up on golf performance.