So golf is probably not really considered a strength sport… But do any of you out there golf? I am an avid golfer (and of course I pump iron as well). How do you guys balance the two? I have lifted on the same day as golfing, the next day my shoulders and back tend to be a little sore (I have a pretty powerful swing). I golf 2-3 times per week, usually Friday and Saturday. I guess my questions are:
Is it ok to lift and golf on the same day?
Should I decrease my total # of sets on shoulders and back to avoid overtraining?
I could just be making too big a deal of this, but I don’t think a game of golf should leave me sore the next day…
I used to play golf quite alot after lifting and didn’t really think it affected my swing. If anything, it jacked up my CNS helping hit longer drives. I’d probably stay away from overhead pressing and use more dumbell exercises for upper body rather than barbell exercises. Just concentrate on keeping the external rotator cuffs strong. At least that’s what top strength coaches do with the quarterbacks. Oh yeah work on your PC (lower back, ass, and hamstrings) using reverse hypers, pull throughs, etc (see Westside/Dave Tate).
I used to be a serious golfer. Competed as a junior. I used to play everyday during the summer.
Once I started olympic lifting I only played 2-3 times per week as spent a lot more time in the gym. However, I did find that when performing a light/high speed olympic lifting workout (consisting mostly of power cleans, power snatches and jump squats) in the morning I performed much better on the course 3 hours afterwards. I was both looser, more focused and had more power (hyper active CNS = better intra and intermuscular coordination).
However, a strength workout and especially a bodybuilding-type workout would probably have a negative impact on your game.
Is it ok to lift and golf on the same day? yes, soreness should not affect your swing. just a matter of warming up and stretching. also stretch throughout your round.
Should I decrease my total # of sets on shoulders and back to avoid overtraining? keep in mind if you undertrain, you can always go back to the gym in a day or two and lift again, if you overtrain you run the possiblity of injury and you are done golfing and lifting. take it from me, took me several different times to learn this lesson. also lifting weights WILL NOT hurt your game at all! IF you do it properly. you can hurt your game though, if you don’t train and stretch right. that is why you don’t see every meathead in the gym on the long drive circuit. goes along with seeing the olympic sprinters running sub 10 seconds, tell me there not big and flexible? golf is no different.
I could just be making too big a deal of this, but I don’t think a game of golf should leave me sore the next day…
I’m going to agree with CT about olympic lifting and golf. Do it, hit it farther, I know I did.
I started doing a lot of power cleaning last year before the snow really started to melt and I got back on the course and was hittin the ball a club further, its awesome.
As for lifting to get “BIG” and golfing, there’s a lot of times I’m sore on the course from a big lifting day, but oh well “walk” it off (up the fairway hopefully). My swing did shorten up and speed up a lot though since I’ve first started lifting, which screwed my tempo… but after a few days of practicing longer and slower (back) swings, things came back around, and the ball started going farther, and my accuracy improved from the better tempo. Needless to say, I dropped my handicap by 4 shots this summer, it hasn’t been this low since I was in highschool and playing all the time. I love it. LIFT STRETCH GOLF
During my summer holidays I can spend 4-5 hours at the golf course 4-5 times a week. My main problems have been to do with getting adequate calories to compensate for the extra calories used up. I also found that with playing at a very undulating course, my rounds turned into huge light cardio sessions, which definitely decreased my gains.
I’ve had no problem with weight training affecting my game except for when I’ve tried to play after deadlift day and my concentration and strength have both suffered.
Balance was always a problem in my golf swing but since I started lifting my balance has improved and my posture is far more solid. My forearms are stronger helping me to power through deep rough a la Tiger at Pebble Beach. At first I lost a lot of my feel around the greens too (scrambling was my strong point). I’m not sure if this was just a coincidence but I was back to my best in a couple of months.
This post is also a timely way to recognise the end of an era as today Vijay Singh starts his reign as world number 1… 264 more weeks and he beats Tiger’s record…
Thank you all for replying. My biggest concern is that I don’t want to overtrain. I agree that its hard to gain mass while doing cardio or light-cardio type stuff. (On a side note, I live in the northeast, so summer is great to lose weight while being outside, and winters are great for putting on mass). Anyway, I was not aware of the CNS repsonse. I also hear many people talk about stretching on the course, but I have not taken it seriously. I usually stretch after a bad shot, then the next one is great, perhaps there is a link! By the way, after a hard workout and 18 holes, I am more or less tight. Not so sore, but worn out. That is why I am concerned about overtraining.
On a side note, I worked out this morning (10x5 chest, 8x5 tricep) and had the longest drive of my life today (320 yards absolutely straight without a roll). I actually outdrove the fairway and ended up in the rough…
smk67, flexibility in the shoulder/rotator cuff area is key. also the low back. you would be surprised how far you would drive if you take stretching as seriously as you lift. the two go hand and hand in golf, actually its better if the golfing world kept thinking the way they think and leave the weights alone. but i have a feeling golf will be changing in the next several years as far as fitness/weightlifitng is concerned. just what phil m and justin l have done over last year. they are catching up to what tiger has been doing for years. but, just wait unitl you see some long drivers make it on tour, if you think tiger and john daly put on a show…
on a side note, for those of you who think vijay will give #1 back to tiger soon i don’t think so. his time was coming and with the training and practicing he is doing i think he will give tigers stint at #1 a good run, especially gaining the confidence he didn’t even need. he has been working out with a long driver for a while now, gaining some tips quid pro quo…