Winter workouts

[Discwrangler2]

I did P90X last winter. It was good and hard...just being motivated to workout is 90% of the battle.

This year I tried going through P90X and was instantly not into it. I had been hearing about this revolution going on in the fitness world called CrossFit.

I have to say, it's almost like cheating, I'm usually done in 30 minutes, half the time of p90x. However, the results have been quicker. What I'm figuring out is that P90X is about looking good, and Crossfit is about functionality and the body is just a by product of being fit.

http://www.crossfit.com

http://journal.crossfit.com/start.tpl

Based on triggering the three metabolic pathways using Olympic lifts, Gymnastics and "Cardio".

The interesting thing I just read says they have identified that all great athletes have one common link, the ability to open the hips. Sounds like a good trait for disc golfers too.

 

[uNicedmeMan1]

Discwrangler, I am very interested in getting into Crossfit. I also messed around with p90x last year and would like to change it up. One problem, I can't decipher the website... can you give me a quick Crossfit for dummies or at least point me in the right direction to get started?

thx!

 

[Discwrangler2]

I picked up a doorway pull up bar for $15 at TJ Maxx. Works well so far.

 

[j-bolt]

I picked up a doorway pull up bar for $15 at TJ Maxx. Works well so far.

Is it the kind that doesnt extend beyond the doorway? I want my pull up bar to allow for wide and narrow gripped reps.

 

[DigIt]

I wish Kettlebells were not so freaking expensive. I feel the workout you do with them would transfer very nice to Disc Golf. Tons of knees, some core and it's great for grip strength.

 

[Widdershins]

I wish Kettlebells were not so freaking expensive. I feel the workout you do with them would transfer very nice to Disc Golf. Tons of knees, some core and it's great for grip strength.

Fill empty milk containers with water and you have basically the same thing.

 

[garublador1]

I wish Kettlebells were not so freaking expensive. I feel the workout you do with them would transfer very nice to Disc Golf. Tons of knees, some core and it's great for grip strength.

Fill empty milk containers with water and you have basically the same thing.

As long as you only want 8 pound kettle balls.

 

[Widdershins]

I wish Kettlebells were not so freaking expensive. I feel the workout you do with them would transfer very nice to Disc Golf. Tons of knees, some core and it's great for grip strength.

Fill empty milk containers with water and you have basically the same thing.

As long as you only want 8 pound kettle balls.

Sure but kettle bells aren't really designed for maximum weight bearing exercises.

A lot of the kettle bell exercises I am directed to do involve balance and control, where 8 pounds (or less) is what I use and depending on the exercise would be hard pressed to handle greater weight. There are a thousand variations but for example, balance on one leg, with a slight bend to the weight-bearing knee. Kettle bell in each hand, back straight. Now punch across your chest (not out but sideways) and upward with the left hand then return to starting position while maintaining balance. Then do the same motion with the right hand. Do it 10 times with each hand (20 punches in total), then switch to the other foot and repeat. It is difficult to keep balance while punching. That extra weight added to your motion pulls you off your center so you have to fight to keep balanced. Go ahead, pull out the milk jug and try it (but not too many times or you might end up with butter). The balance aspect of the exercise (while maintaining form) is more important than the weight bearing aspect. If you want to push around hundreds of pounds you can visit the leg press machine.

Of course I use balance on every shot but never throw a disc which weighs 8 pounds (about 178 grams is my limit).

There are no doubt athletes who can handle greater weight. Ok, start with a 2 or 3 gallon container. Still a lot cheaper than kettle bells.

If anyone has dumbells, they seem to work as well as kettle bells for the same exercises and are more comfortable to grip.

 

[garublador1]

If you want to push around hundreds of pounds you can visit the leg press machine.

8 pounds to hundreds of pounds is quite a jump in logic. Suggesting that anything over 8 pounds are "maximum weight bearing exercises" is a bit of a stretch, too. What happens after a couple weeks when that punching exercise gets easy and you still want to improve? What if you find an exercise that's easy at 8 pounds from the start? What if you find one that requires the use of both hands? I'm just saying that for a lot of people an 8 pound kettle bell will have a fairly limited life span unless your goals aren't very tough to achieve. You'll end up having to buy the bells anyway once you get good at the exercises with the 8 pounders.

 

[Widdershins]

If you want to push around hundreds of pounds you can visit the leg press machine.

8 pounds to hundreds of pounds is quite a jump in logic. Suggesting that anything over 8 pounds are "maximum weight bearing exercises" is a bit of a stretch, too. What happens after a couple weeks when that punching exercise gets easy and you still want to improve? What if you find an exercise that's easy at 8 pounds from the start? What if you find one that requires the use of both hands? I'm just saying that for a lot of people an 8 pound kettle bell will have a fairly limited life span unless your goals aren't very tough to achieve. You'll end up having to buy the bells anyway once you get good at the exercises with the 8 pounders.

Well I am certainly not an expert on exercise, so maybe someone who knows more can chime in.

I think there is a continuing value to light weights (or light resistance, like the rubber stretch bands and tubes), even for big, strong athletes. Some exercises look like they should be easy but when you try them they are not. Some exercises can kick your butt with light weights. Some exercises probably shouldn't be done with big weights. When I do rotator cuff exercises my trainer puts me on 5 or 10 pound weights or light resistance stretchy bands.

For a lot of folks working out in a gym, self directed, they just go from machine to machine and push the stacks up and down. But when an expert trainer is directing you it is a whole new world. They can make you cry with a 5 pound weight (if that were their goal, which at times seems to be the case) and put you in weird positions which isolate muscles and movements. And once they learn what your weaknesses are there are many humbling, if not humiliating, experiences to look forward to.

I will bet there are very few disc golfers who would do the punching exercise I described earlier and after a few weeks or a few months(or ever) would want or need more than an 8 pound weight. It is not easy to do without any weights unless you have really good balance (which I don't).

 

[GunnerUnitas1]

I competed in bodybuilding and powerlifting alonged with training many people prepping for shows.
mark is right on what he is trying to say- basically, most people do not have the mind-muscle connection, once you develop
that weight doesnt matter ( in a way) and you will grow/ get stronger much faster. the mind-muscle connection has helped me in
dg bc I have total feel of all my muscles and know the feeling of when to hit it! that and having a great mentor/friend in Marty Peters that
puts me through hell n torture in the dg field to acheive excellece. He knows how I liked/need to be coached, and having good mentors/coaches is
something our sport is def. lacking, especially ones that can actually teach the game. sorry for going on a rant family is already feeding me cocktails lol

 

[GunnerUnitas1]

Also, I think many people in general have a big conception about weight training.
I am always hearing light weights/reps bs!! you need to cycle your reps/intensity sometimes (deloading)
but the fact is in dg you want to develop fast twitch fibers. Lifting heavy weights, low reps, high intesnity
builds fast twitch fibers b/c on your compound exercises where your core is always involved you recruit all
your fibers at once when you get into that double or triple rep range- they are all firing off at once to complete the lift
like in your dg drive when you get to the hit- your recruiting your fast twitch fibers all at once as fast as possible.

AM i gonna get to bulky or lose flexibility?? NO-!!! that is more diet/ supplementation dependent ( if you get huge off eating chips, candy that you have the
genes to mr. olympia then) well balanced diet/supplments are a must but we are not going for mass and eating 6k calories/day.
Along with your heavy compund lifts incorporate some band/ cable movements for flexiblity. you need a balance but the bread n butter is heavy compund lifts nothing fancy!!

cardio is a must for health in general/ and vital to an athletes performance. I do sprints with my doberman on my feield work days- nothing beats these, they develop quick twitch muscles, burn more fat- all in less time then doing 40 mins on the elipical for exapmle- also high-intensity cardio does not burn muscles like long distance cardio/running. I beleive along with my weight training, sprints have been huge for my game in helping me to get faster and maintain flexibility. they are awesome for deveopling pure athletiscm- along with a lot of pylo exercises.

any qustions just ask me, i love talking training and disc golf!!!

 

[JR]

Mark have you found any differences to your putting from punching exercises? I did Wii Fit boxing exercises last winter and got way faster elbow straightening meaning much more putting distance. The faster acceleration also added accuracy to my putts.

I just did 5 lbs dumbell punches with only 10 punches per hand per leg and that is a great workout. I too suffer from poor balance. Mine comes from at least not being in good enough shape.

 

[JR]

Gunner could you please tell us your views on light vs heavy weight punches in relation to throwing from the perspective of a laser line putting stroke? Light weights allow for almost full speed arm straightening from the elbow using the outer parts of the muscles mostly while keeping the muscles loose enough for maximum speed and acceleration. Essential requirements to a short arm putt for added accuracy. I can't use heavy weights and get the arm moving like in a putt because of lack of power and having the arm muscles all tensed up. A putt like that goes nowhere and ain't accurate for me.

 

[garublador1]

I think there is a continuing value to light weights (or light resistance, like the rubber stretch bands and tubes), even for big, strong athletes. Some exercises look like they should be easy but when you try them they are not. Some exercises can kick your butt with light weights. Some exercises probably shouldn't be done with big weights. When I do rotator cuff exercises my trainer puts me on 5 or 10 pound weights or light resistance stretchy bands.

So 5 or 10 pounds weights or bands, not only 8 pound weights? That sounds like an argument for the idea that only 8 pound weights aren't really enough.

I will bet there are very few disc golfers who would do the punching exercise I described earlier and after a few weeks or a few months(or ever) would want or need more than an 8 pound weight. It is not easy to do without any weights unless you have really good balance (which I don't).

So that's the only exercise you do? If not, why are do you keep using it as the only argument for only needing 8 pound weights, which you admitted you don't even do yourself? Why wouldn't someone want to be stronger? Why wouldn't someone want to get better balance? Isn't that one of the main reasons people lift weights in the first place?

I'm not saying it's a bad idea, I'm just saying that anyone looking to gain anything more than minimal strength and/or endurance probably won't get very far if all they have is 8 pound weights.

 

[Widdershins]

Mark have you found any differences to your putting from punching exercises? I did Wii Fit boxing exercises last winter and got way faster elbow straightening meaning much more putting distance. The faster acceleration also added accuracy to my putts.

I just did 5 lbs dumbell punches with only 10 punches per hand per leg and that is a great workout. I too suffer from poor balance. Mine comes from at least not being in good enough shape.

It is hard to know for sure. My workouts are not a set series of exercises but a constantly changing array so the punching exercises are just among the many variations. Any session might be any combination of flexibility, balance, coordination, endurance and power. My age (55 yrs.) and experience in the game (17 yrs.) makes it difficult to see improvement. The real battles are maintaining what I have and minimizing (or slowing) the inevitable declines of age. For sure I have lost power in the past few years. I would guess my putting and touch shots are as good or better than they have ever been.

One of the little emphasized but important skills of disc golf is balance. Good balance helps on every kind of shot so I would guess that gaining better balance would be beneficial to a young athlete as well as an older player or a raw beginner.

 

[Widdershins]

I think there is a continuing value to light weights (or light resistance, like the rubber stretch bands and tubes), even for big, strong athletes. Some exercises look like they should be easy but when you try them they are not. Some exercises can kick your butt with light weights. Some exercises probably shouldn't be done with big weights. When I do rotator cuff exercises my trainer puts me on 5 or 10 pound weights or light resistance stretchy bands.

So 5 or 10 pounds weights or bands, not only 8 pound weights? That sounds like an argument for the idea that only 8 pound weights aren't really enough.

I will bet there are very few disc golfers who would do the punching exercise I described earlier and after a few weeks or a few months(or ever) would want or need more than an 8 pound weight. It is not easy to do without any weights unless you have really good balance (which I don't).

So that's the only exercise you do? If not, why are do you keep using it as the only argument for only needing 8 pound weights, which you admitted you don't even do yourself? Why wouldn't someone want to be stronger? Why wouldn't someone want to get better balance? Isn't that one of the main reasons people lift weights in the first place?

I'm not saying it's a bad idea, I'm just saying that anyone looking to gain anything more than minimal strength and/or endurance probably won't get very far if all they have is 8 pound weights.

Right. Ignore those puny weights and go juggle Volkswagens.

Many exercises develop strength, balance and endurance using only body weight as resistance. So adding only a few pounds to an exercise which already relies on body weight and balance obviously cannot accomplish much. Now I see the light. Wait until I let my trainer know how uninformed and misguided he is.

Garublador, maybe it is time for you to step up and revolutionize exercise science.

 

[JR]

Balance is a key factor because when you lose balance everything you know and have trained for flies out of the window when the nose and hyzer angles are determined by a lack of balance (unwanted tilt somewhere). Or lack of muscle power to maintain proper positions and motions. I know this only too well from second plus round blues that i often have when starting to throw and go downhill from there. The needs of regular life...

 

[JR]

garu ain't Pilates performed originally with the body weight alone? And ain't it based on core strength and one of the most if not the most effective for gaining core strength? This is what i've heard because i don't do Pilates. If those claims are true every disc golfer should benefit from some of the Pilates exercises. I'm thinking maybe i should check those exercises out hmmm.

 

[uNicedmeMan1]

Anybody do any yoga? I've been thinking that could be a good way to gain flexibility and learn to open the hips...