Strength in Golf

[Satch12879]

Tiger’s approach to training should be a cautionary tale for today’s pro golfers, not an example to follow. All of these guys are doing high rep work and too many “isolation” exercises. Golf at their level requires a tremendous amount of repetitions. Eventually even their genetically gifted bodies will wear out, just like Tiger’s did (he was a big runner way back then as well). Given the potential for a 30 year career as a professional athlete, the concept of “minimum effective dose” is of highest value to golfers.

Hopefully Bryson will figure it out. He does have a physics degree.

The obvious response to this would be, “but, do S&C coaches for ‘elite’ athletes even know how to make their clients stronger?”

The voluminous evidence on this forum tends to answer this query.

[Colby]

IHave you not seen Brooks Koepka?

Such a misnomer being repeated by the golf media.

Brooks goes 6' 0" and 205. Around these parts, he'd be just a guy.

We're just used to guys like Rory (5'9" & 161 lbs), JT (5'10" & 160lbs) etc. as the "model golfer".

[zft]

Eventually even their genetically gifted bodies will wear out

"Wearing out" always seemed like a curious thing to me. "Wearing out" is an accumulation of stress over time; but so is getting stronger. Maybe wearing out is really an accumulation of injury more than anything. It's just a bit unsavory to me--the term "wearing out"--because that evokes distinctly mechanical imagery in which the machines doing the mechanical work have no capacity to adapt.

He does have a physics degree.

I have a physics degree and I'm an idiot.

[mpalios]

I'd guess the "torque" a gold swing generates can wear someone's body down, specially a low back.

And the stronger the back, the longer it can last.

[Roobo]

"Wearing out" always seemed like a curious thing to me. "Wearing out" is an accumulation of stress over time; but so is getting stronger. Maybe wearing out is really an accumulation of injury more than anything. It's just a bit unsavory to me--the term "wearing out"--because that evokes distinctly mechanical imagery in which the machines doing the mechanical work have no capacity to adapt.



I have a physics degree and I'm an idiot.

Doesn't it depend on what you're wearing out? Tiger would 'load' his right side and had a very explosive rotation out of the top that over time has destroyed his knee and back.

It's about thing that could work out well for Bryson, his swing doesn't look like one that will wreck his body.

[Browndog]

I seem to remember that during the time that Tiger was "bulking up", he was also training with Navy Seals. So in addition to the numerous dings and nicks a player picks up over time due to repetitive nature of things like the golf swing, he severely damaged his knee while training with the SEALS. This injury played into his back issues.

He did not "wear out". He played through injuries, making his "issues" worse.

Nobody likes to take time off to let injuries heal properly. That goes double for someone who was/is a fixated as Tiger has been on leaving his mark on the game (and making oodles of money in the process).

I think this has been documented in books by Wright Thompson, and Tiger's former swing coach Hank Haney.

Tiger's problems were not necessarily the product of poor weight training protocols.

Bryson comes into this training program relatively healthy / injury free. His swing mechanics are 180 degrees different than Tiger's, and that alone might make him less susceptible to injury.

[Yngvi]

"Wearing out" always seemed like a curious thing to me. "Wearing out" is an accumulation of stress over time; but so is getting stronger. Maybe wearing out is really an accumulation of injury more than anything. It's just a bit unsavory to me--the term "wearing out"--because that evokes distinctly mechanical imagery in which the machines doing the mechanical work have no capacity to adapt.
I have a physics degree and I'm an idiot.

I agree with zft... at least about the mental model we have of "wearing out"

[Justin Johnson]

It's nice to see strength and mass having such a dramatic impact on someone's game, instead of mobility, balance, and abs bullshit that been prominent the past 10+ years in golf. I think his methods are more in line with isolation and bodybuilding, but at least it proves that you won't become a muscle bound goon who'll lose the ability to play. Tiger sure didn't when added some weight in his early 20s, but his length never really changed.

Bryson is a dork of the highest order, but he'll invest himself fully into something if he thinks it'll make him better.