Recently sent Avery Jenkins an email asking if he could briefly go over his off-season training routine, how much time he spends in the gym as opposed to the field, etc. Took a few months but he actually sent me a response...Not only is Avery a total gym-nut but he also has a degree in Human Physiology, anyways lots of good stuff here I had to share...
"Matt,
Thanks for writing and great question!!
The Season is now winding down for me at this point and I'm very excited to get back to lifting & training for next Season. I just started back at the gym this past week, but gradually working back into the routine starting with Yoga and Running with some lighter weights.
In the Off-Season, I try to keep up with Running and other such Cardio, but I do a regular winter routine of Strength Training with Freeweights and Bowflex in the off-season. Keeping in shape is the number way to extend your playing years and performance on the Course.
I do lots of Shoulder Presses, Bicep Curls, Bench Press (Push-ups) and Ab workouts when traveling on the Road throughout a majority of the year but there's nothing that compares to doing heavy weights when you don't have to worry about throwing for awhile. I do weight machines that do overall body strengthening and then later focus on machines that concentrate on strengthening the Arms, Shoulders and Back.
It's best to strengthen your Shoulders, Core and Back as those are places that take the most torque when throwing. The Shoulders and Triceps generate the most power for throwing distance shots, so make sure that concentrate on strengthening those. The Core helps to generate speed when throwing and helps with overall body flexibility. A strong Core will protect your lower Back as well as your hips and the Shoulders are very vulnerable to injury if not properly strengthened.
But you need to keep in mind that Disc Golf is not one of those sports where you have to Big & Strong to be a great player, trust me, I wish that it was. Disc Golf is more about Core Strength, Flexibility and Speed when it comes to throwing, too much Bulk can cause deficiency in accuracy and control. In this game, it's about power when throwing distance & tee shots, but about touch when approaching & putting.
So I would say, be sure to concentrate your training on your Shoulders, Arms and Core if you are looking to increase your distance. Also work on staying flexible to maintain accuracy and control to elevate your game to the next level.
And of course, always stretch before and after playing rounds of Disc Golf.
Best of Luck with your training this Off-Season and see you on the Course!!
Avery Jenkins
Disc Golf World Champion
www.AveryJenkins7495.com"
Some really valuable information there IMO, it's certainly helped me shape my training regiment. Big thanks to Avery for taking the time to help out a fellow disc golfer.
