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For some reason many people seem think you can't have more muscle and be faster/more explosive. :\
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Weight lifting & disc golf?
- Thread starter DiscFifty
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BirdieMachine
Michael Moore Fan Club President
I don't disagree that strength isn't part of the equation. A baseball bat does weigh quite a bit though. Steroids also help you recover fast, a thing you need when playing everyday or other. I just think that flexibility and core strength matter most in golf and disc golf. I see the avg Joe not having enough of either. If you can't wind up and unwind properly then forget strength.
Redbone1412
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Andy, I find your posts very interesting. In your very first post here you bash crossfit (lets get this out of the way, i am a crossfitter), then recommend the person to go to a crossfit box, then warn them about terrible, stuck up crossfit trainers. You really confused me.
I dont have any personal training credentials, but i do think their is a difference between functional and "gym" strength. You also need to define functional. I believe in the weight lifting world it would be defined as it relates to everyday movements in the real world. But really it is whatever you are working toward and want to improve upon. (Ex. baseball players do a lot of baseball specific workouts, basketball players do a lot of basketball specific workouts)
So as a disc golfer what does that mean? To me it means that we need to throw a lot of discs. get a lot of reps throwing discs, working on footwork, timing, etc. Do we totally neglect everything else? of course not. athletes dont just do sport specific work outs. Because we all know, the stronger you are the farther you can POSSIBLY throw a disc or ball or person or whatever. The issue here is applying that strength to your throw. If your body is not in sync then you will lose some of the energy that your body has generated. Its all about timing and having a smooth motion with no breaks in the chain. If you have breaks in the chain you lose energy (distance) plain and simple.
I know this because i was a professional baseball player.(Never made it to the Bigs, so dont get excited) Pitcher to be specific. There are many similarities between throwing a baseball and a disc.
All that being said, I think if you are just worried about your disc golf then place the emphasis on workouts that will help out your form, like throwing a lot of discs into a net, working on your foot work and timing to smooth out any wrinkles in your form. But definitely dont forget about hitting the gym or box if your a crossfitter. We all need to stay in shape so we can live healthy lives.
BTW, Andy, I did take a peek at a couple of your videos and you do strong arm it a little bit. And yes, it is probably do to your size and lack of flexability, you are pretty thick. Not saying thats a bad thing as long as that is what you are going for. But a wise man once told me, "What good is your work out if it doesn't help you at your craft?" Basically if your gaining muscle mass and getting "big" but it is prohibiting you from throwing a baseball harder and more accurate or throwing a disc farther and more accurate (whatever your trade may be) then what good is it?
Just my thoughts, I hope you all find some useful information in them!
I dont have any personal training credentials, but i do think their is a difference between functional and "gym" strength. You also need to define functional. I believe in the weight lifting world it would be defined as it relates to everyday movements in the real world. But really it is whatever you are working toward and want to improve upon. (Ex. baseball players do a lot of baseball specific workouts, basketball players do a lot of basketball specific workouts)
So as a disc golfer what does that mean? To me it means that we need to throw a lot of discs. get a lot of reps throwing discs, working on footwork, timing, etc. Do we totally neglect everything else? of course not. athletes dont just do sport specific work outs. Because we all know, the stronger you are the farther you can POSSIBLY throw a disc or ball or person or whatever. The issue here is applying that strength to your throw. If your body is not in sync then you will lose some of the energy that your body has generated. Its all about timing and having a smooth motion with no breaks in the chain. If you have breaks in the chain you lose energy (distance) plain and simple.
I know this because i was a professional baseball player.(Never made it to the Bigs, so dont get excited) Pitcher to be specific. There are many similarities between throwing a baseball and a disc.
All that being said, I think if you are just worried about your disc golf then place the emphasis on workouts that will help out your form, like throwing a lot of discs into a net, working on your foot work and timing to smooth out any wrinkles in your form. But definitely dont forget about hitting the gym or box if your a crossfitter. We all need to stay in shape so we can live healthy lives.
BTW, Andy, I did take a peek at a couple of your videos and you do strong arm it a little bit. And yes, it is probably do to your size and lack of flexability, you are pretty thick. Not saying thats a bad thing as long as that is what you are going for. But a wise man once told me, "What good is your work out if it doesn't help you at your craft?" Basically if your gaining muscle mass and getting "big" but it is prohibiting you from throwing a baseball harder and more accurate or throwing a disc farther and more accurate (whatever your trade may be) then what good is it?
Just my thoughts, I hope you all find some useful information in them!
I'd recommend practicing putting rather than lifting weights.
I lift and it doesn't seem to affect my game outside of helping to maintain my stamina. If you want to workout, that's fantastic. But do it for overall health. The benefits towards DG are absolutely minimal IMO, if we are talking about in shape VS in shape with very well developed muscles.
I've never had my muscles restrict my flexibility, at all.
I lift and it doesn't seem to affect my game outside of helping to maintain my stamina. If you want to workout, that's fantastic. But do it for overall health. The benefits towards DG are absolutely minimal IMO, if we are talking about in shape VS in shape with very well developed muscles.
I've never had my muscles restrict my flexibility, at all.
Last edited:
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Paul McBeth said he follows Tiger's diet and workout plan.
Redbone1412
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Very true, good putting can save countless strokes, its the game in the game.
I want to start going to the gym but I feel like such a n00b trying to lift weights and whatnot. I'm the guy who has to read all the instructions on how to use the equipment
Scrawny nerds rule...?
guys like you annoy me
Chines
Par Member
The better shape your in the better you will be at something, equally as much if not more, the better "technique" you have the better you will be at something. It's usually pretty good practice to balance your body as best you can. I just recently retired from professional bull riding and I worked with a trainer and our time was mostly spent trying to balance my body out cause with that sport the hand you hang on with is your leverage you grip and your balance. I've notice the same thing with disc golfing for myself this year. My right side is getting stronger than my left just with how much I'm playing.
I tried the cross fit thing but it wasn't for me. I ended up injuring myself doing it cause I pushed it to far. If you got a good trainer and your in good shape already before you start doing it you should be fine.
That being said you could be the strongest motha trucker in the world and still only throw a disc 75'. Technique is super important. You know what they say Driver for Show, Putt for Dough.
I tried the cross fit thing but it wasn't for me. I ended up injuring myself doing it cause I pushed it to far. If you got a good trainer and your in good shape already before you start doing it you should be fine.
That being said you could be the strongest motha trucker in the world and still only throw a disc 75'. Technique is super important. You know what they say Driver for Show, Putt for Dough.
theeterrbear
Par Member
He says not to start with crossfit, and once you have a good base established outside of crossfit then it wouldn't be a bad thing to incorporate.
And he also defines functional, being that all muscle is functional as its purpose it to function (the redundancy hurts), but I feel it was unspoken that optimal functionality is keeping balance in the body. Ergo, the guy who could bench 500 and only bench is not striving for optimal functionality (by strictly focusing on one thing) and is therefore irrelevant to the conversation expect for pointing out, "Hey, you don't want to do that, and that's not what we're talking about trying to do, and that won't happen unless you're trying to make that happen." I think it would be suffice to define "gym strength" as imbalanced/unoptimized strengthening.
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Climo practices putts with phone books. 
I am 5´8 134lb so i am build like a stickman. I just recently started to work out at home. I don´t want to pay for a gym since i feel like i can do a lot for my overall Fitness without paying tons of money.
What i found useful and helped my game and more importantly my general fitness is eating healthy and having a workout routine i do 4 times a week consisting of bodyweight exercises and strechting. i have been doing this for about a month and at least feel better about myself, which helps tremendously while playing. Gaining confidence in yourself is key and far more important then being ripped like the Hulk. Don´t get me wrong, i feel like i gained a little strenght in my shoulders and core section already which increased my overall distance a little a bit, but Feeling better about my Body is what keeps my head in the game and thats what saving me strokes!
What i found useful and helped my game and more importantly my general fitness is eating healthy and having a workout routine i do 4 times a week consisting of bodyweight exercises and strechting. i have been doing this for about a month and at least feel better about myself, which helps tremendously while playing. Gaining confidence in yourself is key and far more important then being ripped like the Hulk. Don´t get me wrong, i feel like i gained a little strenght in my shoulders and core section already which increased my overall distance a little a bit, but Feeling better about my Body is what keeps my head in the game and thats what saving me strokes!
Smigles
* Ace Member *
Being in shape helps disc golf.
Building up more muscle than that hinders it.
Pretty much common sense.
Building up more muscle than that hinders it.
Pretty much common sense.
Building up your core only helps if you use it in your form. I started doing Yoga a couple months ago, focusing on both strengthening my core and getting my hips more limber. I was seeing some improvement in my distance, but while doing Yoga a couple weeks ago, I hurt my back picking up my daughter while too relaxed.
Long story slightly shorter, I went out and played today, feeling better finally, but was still throwing pretty poorly. I got to my third to final hole I was playing for the day when I realized I wasn't pulling through with my hips very much. I kind of reset myself mentally, slowed down my walk up and focused on getting the speed on my throw from my hips. I threw my Inertia somewhere between 360-375' according to me walking it off from the tee. My previous best D with the Inertia was around 340'. I repeated this same form on the last two holes, slow walk up, focus on keeping my back straight and getting that twist in my hips, and overthrew both holes, the last one quite a bit up hill, I threw past it at least 50'.
My point is, I think the strength in my core has helped, but it only helps when I use those muscles effectively and smoothly.
Long story slightly shorter, I went out and played today, feeling better finally, but was still throwing pretty poorly. I got to my third to final hole I was playing for the day when I realized I wasn't pulling through with my hips very much. I kind of reset myself mentally, slowed down my walk up and focused on getting the speed on my throw from my hips. I threw my Inertia somewhere between 360-375' according to me walking it off from the tee. My previous best D with the Inertia was around 340'. I repeated this same form on the last two holes, slow walk up, focus on keeping my back straight and getting that twist in my hips, and overthrew both holes, the last one quite a bit up hill, I threw past it at least 50'.
My point is, I think the strength in my core has helped, but it only helps when I use those muscles effectively and smoothly.
soarinsirg
Newbie
Gonna try and make this short and sweet, when in reality could write a book. Let me start by saying I am not even close to a pro DG'er. Barely been playing a year. Have played Ball Golf my whole life, and seen the benefits of strength and mobility in my game. Background: B.S. Exercise Science, Sports Performance experience, and current DPT student.
Exercise in golf has certainly been re-looked at since Tiger Woods decided to turn into a monster. That being said, it did not make or break his career. Same goes for DG. For some people it may help them get out of a plateau and keep climbing. I do believe that the benefits of exercise will help your game, but not as much as some people like to think, as previously stated, DG is mainly technique, not a strong arm contest.
There is no such thing as a perfect workout for a specific goal. Everyone is different, every ones strengths, weaknesses, and restrictions will be different. With that being said, a workout I would design for disc golfer A may be completely inappropriate for disc golfer B , even if they have the same long term goal. A good place to start would be Gary Grays med ball series exercises. I believe these can be found through the Nike Golf 360 website. Something that mostly everyone can do. These exercises are performed in all planes of motion. DG is mostly played in the Transverse Plane, so you should train in the Transverse Plane. My next recommendation would be TRX or Jungle Gym training (go ahead youtube it, Drew Brees stars in a decent video). Yes, they love to throw the buzzword "functional" around, but these types of exercises are not focusing on a specific muscle group but training the whole body fingernail to toe nail.
These are just starting points for those looking to focus their workouts more towards DG. Take it as it is. There is no quick fix exercise routine, good programs are constantly changed and modified, and they certainly don't involve machines at the gym, (run from those....no seriously, run).
Exercise in golf has certainly been re-looked at since Tiger Woods decided to turn into a monster. That being said, it did not make or break his career. Same goes for DG. For some people it may help them get out of a plateau and keep climbing. I do believe that the benefits of exercise will help your game, but not as much as some people like to think, as previously stated, DG is mainly technique, not a strong arm contest.
There is no such thing as a perfect workout for a specific goal. Everyone is different, every ones strengths, weaknesses, and restrictions will be different. With that being said, a workout I would design for disc golfer A may be completely inappropriate for disc golfer B , even if they have the same long term goal. A good place to start would be Gary Grays med ball series exercises. I believe these can be found through the Nike Golf 360 website. Something that mostly everyone can do. These exercises are performed in all planes of motion. DG is mostly played in the Transverse Plane, so you should train in the Transverse Plane. My next recommendation would be TRX or Jungle Gym training (go ahead youtube it, Drew Brees stars in a decent video). Yes, they love to throw the buzzword "functional" around, but these types of exercises are not focusing on a specific muscle group but training the whole body fingernail to toe nail.
These are just starting points for those looking to focus their workouts more towards DG. Take it as it is. There is no quick fix exercise routine, good programs are constantly changed and modified, and they certainly don't involve machines at the gym, (run from those....no seriously, run).
JerseyDevilDiscs
Bogey Member
I'm sure people have suggested these already, but here is what I enjoy:
Squat, Bench Press, Dead Lifts/Cleans, Skullcrushers, Hammer Curls, Lat Pulldowns/Rows, Flys, Farmer's Walks, Wrist Curls.
Oh, and crunches. Lots of crunches.
I could go all day! So, pretty much a well-balanced lifting plan, working around 65%-80% of your max.
Squat, Bench Press, Dead Lifts/Cleans, Skullcrushers, Hammer Curls, Lat Pulldowns/Rows, Flys, Farmer's Walks, Wrist Curls.
Oh, and crunches. Lots of crunches.
I could go all day! So, pretty much a well-balanced lifting plan, working around 65%-80% of your max.
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