Share Your DG Strengthening Routine

[U_NICED_ME]

Thought it might be helpful to share workout tips for improved performance on the DGC. Please add yours!!

1. Wrist Extensions: 3-5 lb weights.

2. Core Strength: In addition to crunches and crunches with a twist.

3. Back Extensions:

4. Exercise Bands: Chest Press

 

[tom8658]

I don't train for disc golf, I train for powerlifting, but I've noticed a couple of accessory movements which seem like they would really help.

The face pull is great for anyone with shoulder problems... start LIGHT so that you can get a full range of motion, and do lots of reps... 3x20 or 4x12 or something like that.

http://www.menshealth.com/mhlists/The_Best_New_Exercises/Cable_Face_Pull_with_External_Rotation.php

YTWLs are also good for your back and the muscles which retract and depress the scapulae, which are weak in most people.

The cable backhand trains the muscles of the backhand throw, and looks kind like this - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9kqzv72-iec - except that you should start in a reachback position with your hips rotated and palm facing the ground. It's very important to rotate at the hips and not at the lumbar spine. It's not supposed to be a fast pull, it's not supposed to be slow either, just controlled. If you treat it too much like a throw, it will screw up your mechanics. 3x12 or so on each side is a good place to start.

As with anything involving lots of movement around the shoulder girdle, you should warm up and start light until you get a feel for it. Warming up properly is an individual thing, but in general you should stretch things that are tight, then do easy movements like wall slides, band pulldowns, arm circles with attention to posture, etc. Unless you have a particularly tight area (I have really tight pecs, for example) save the stretching for the end of your workout. The point of a warmup is to drill good posture and muscle activation patterns before you touch the weights.

 

[waynewf]

I recently took up fencing and it works all the muscles in your arm from finger tip to shoulder as well as it's really great for your core and thighs. It also surprised me how affordable it is compared to other martial art disciplines...plus it's fun, I mean you're sword fighting! So much better than lifting weights...

 

[Mike C]

I find skateboarding keeps my legs in good shape and keeps my cardio up to par. It's the most fun I have exercising for sure, though I enjoy lifting heavy weights too.

 

[djjeremiahj]

i use a cable machine and set the arms into positions that allow me to simulate throwing motions (with much heavier weights).
i can also say that my DG routine is part of a much greater workout.

 

[U_NICED_ME]

I thought it was funny Jak posted that and then started a new thread about an injury. :\ Probably right after wanting to know how to get more distance.

Thanks Tom, those are good. I needed some good opposing exercises with the bands instead of just chest presses. Also, Wayne are you really doing fencing? I can imagine that's a good workout.

Mike, right now I am not doing anything for my legs other than walking courses when I play. I know more power should be coming from my legs, but I don't see me skateboarding. I think I'll just try to stick with Jillian Michaels. She has some pretty good workouts that focus on isolating the quads.

And stick with it Jeremiah! Nice job

 

[tom8658]

I needed some good opposing exercises with the bands instead of just chest presses.

band pulldowns - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ebYb56iUxE

band pull-aparts - hold the ends of the bands with your arms extended in front of you, then try to pull it apart. you may have to choke up on the band to get a good range of motion. if you aren't careful about good posture at the shoulders, and you have shoulder problems, this one might cause some pain

you could always throw the band over a chinup bar and do lat pull downs or rows at various angles

I know more power should be coming from my legs

I suspect leg power has more to do with technique than strength - if you have the timing to execute your throw while twisting at the hips as fast as you can, you would benefit from training your hip rotation for speed, otherwise, drilling your technique would probably yield better results.

I have no idea how you would train hip rotation speed, though. 10x3 Band woodchops, each rep done as fast as possible, maybe? That would probably he hard on the spine though...

If you can't tell, I'm just wildly guessing here.

 

[EduCatOR]

Shoulder workouts are a pretty good idea IMO. Basically, I use lighter weights (10-15lbs) than I would if I was doing bi's, but all you do is raise the weight from your side to your shoulder, keeping your arm straight.

So at the start, the weight is down at your sides, at the end of it your arm and torso will form a 90 degree angle. If you want to be a badass you can raise the weight above your head, just be careful about how much weight you are using.

Stretching for about twenty minutes is also a pretty decent idea IMO.

:edit:

I also do the wrist/forearm workout as well, except I use a curl bar and use both hands at the same time. A buddy of mine has a numchuck like thing that has a cable and weight attached to it. He just constantly turns the thing so his forearms and wrists have to work in order to wrap the cord around and pull the weight up. Then he goes back down, rinse and repeat.

 

[waynewf]

I thought it was funny Jak posted that and then started a new thread about an injury. :\ Probably right after wanting to know how to get more distance.

Thanks Tom, those are good. I needed some good opposing exercises with the bands instead of just chest presses. Also, Wayne are you really doing fencing? I can imagine that's a good workout.

Mike, right now I am not doing anything for my legs other than walking courses when I play. I know more power should be coming from my legs, but I don't see me skateboarding. I think I'll just try to stick with Jillian Michaels. She has some pretty good workouts that focus on isolating the quads.

And stick with it Jeremiah! Nice job

I am fencing. I kind of stumbled onto it by accident, but found a studio pretty close to me. It's an awesome workout for lower body, core, and that one arm
It's pretty cool and I was surprised at how affordable it was. Lessons are cheaper than most martial arts studios around and the equipment isn't even that expensive, but the place I go rents all your equipment for $5/lesson in case you don't want to invest in everything right off the bat, but I do plan on purchasing my first foil tonight, and I expect it'll cost about $40...so it's abojust a bit more than I usually pay for dyed discs plus shipping

 

[LeewayeDiscGolf]

I have a set of Perfect Push-ups at home that help lots with shoulders and forearms. And I also ride BMX quite a bit which helps your abs and legs.

 

[waynewf]

And for those of you with kids, here's a crazy stat I heard...as compared to other sports in the single digit percentages, on average 50% of kids who fence and compete throughout high school get a college scholarship. Most division I schools have programs, and all the top schools do. One of the instructors I know fenced his way into a scholarship at Penn with slightly above average grades...

 

[Jukeshoe]

Jukeshoe's Muscle Gain

Pictures from left to right: Jukeshoe 6 months ago, before beginning "training,"
Jukeshoe mid-way through, Jukeshoe: right frickin' now.

Thanks to anabolic steroids, I'm now a hunk of power. :|

 

[Pink Elephant]

You're much better looking now too.

 

[garublador]

There was a thread from a couple months ago called "Working out Efficiently" where I posted what I do.

 

[Jukeshoe]

Yea but now you don't have the strength or size to do this:

YOU THINK THAT'S FUNNY, PENCIL-NECK?!!?!?!? I SHOULD CRUSH YOU LIKE THE LITTLE MAN YOU ARE!!!!! ARRRUGHGHGHGHGHAAHGHGHAHGHGHGHAHGHA!!!!!!


Jukeshoe: <---Can't control the roid rage.

 

[tallpaul]

roids and sam whiches....wave of the future....

 

[Jukeshoe]

roids and sam whiches....wave of the future....

I am the Ghost of Disc Golf Present...

 

[tom8658]

I think I figured out a better way to train the kind of rotation you want for a backhand throw, as speed band woodchops just seem like they would destroy your spine.

Take a sledgehammer, or better, a tornado ball, and swing it at a wall while keeping both feet on the ground. Do it for, say, 8-12 sets of 1-3 reps, resetting between reps. Each rep should be as fast as possible - the point is to train speed, not to wear yourself out - and you should rest as much as needed between sets such that you don't get much of a drop-off in speed between the first rep of the first set, and the last rep of the last set.

Obviously you need a sturdy wall.

The idea is to teach your body to rotate at full speed, and not to subconsciously decelerate as you reach the hips-open position.

I have no idea if this would actually work, but its the same theory as training a squat with bands or chains - develop speed-strength and teach the nervous system not to decelerate the bar towards the end of a lift (which is the lifter's natural tendency).

 

[lazerbeak]

Expert - Through the fire and the flames - Guitar Hero (Helps with grip maybe!?!?) is the extent of my training, that and 16 years of ball golf. Assuming you play guitar lefty and you throw with your right hand.

 

[akbled]

I am a big fan of long toss. Requires a partner though.