Does anybody train for disc other than throwing? What kinds of workouts do people use to help their games? Running, lifting, crosstraining? Noticable results?? Thanks

Volunteer brush clearing and chainsaw work is good exercise and provides good kharma.

I do a typical exercise routine. Aerobic, strength/resistance weight, and stretching.

It's important to strengthen areas that support your rotator cuff and shoulder. This helps prevent injury in the area that disc golf puts the most stress on. I also work on my core strength and flexibility by doing various ab work. Doing an all around, full body routine is effective but you may also want to work on problem areas. For me, that's mostly endurnace and flexibility. I get tired and tight during a tournament with 3-4 18 hole rounds so that's what I focus on.

I go with strength training (more weight/less reps) during the "off" season and go to more endurance (less weight/more reps) preceding more activity. If there is a tournament coming up, I lighten the load leading up to the event and then comletely stop lifting a couple days before. I take the same approach to practice.

Stretching is very important as tightness during a round can effect your play. Critical is to warm up with stretches before and to cool down with stretches afterwards. I'm a little older so I'm stretching between holes/shots.

Something to consider is that muscle require time to recover between work outs. That's why many lifters focus on different body areas so they can lift every day. You only do say shoulders every other day so you get that recovery. You also need to factor in that throwing is an exercise and doing so during the "recovery" day doesn't allow your muscles to recover.

I've been doing quite a bit of strength training this winter to try to help out on distance a bit....I should do some endurance work but I haven't really had much of a problem with that before (something about being 22)...

Does anyone do hip abduction/deductions? I've been thinking about trying out the machine in our gym thinking it may increase strength to get better rotation - but I'm curious if anyone else has tried it before...

I occasionally do hip abduction. Can't hurt. Since you need to change your routine every 6 weeks, add it into the next cycle and see what the results are. If the results aren't satisfactory, eliminate from future routines.

I feel that core excercises are the key. Since the BH throw uses so many different muscles, you need to work them all. A stronger arm won't do much if your back and legs can't handle them.
T push-ups are awesome. Do a push-up then while in the up position raise an arm up and behind you till you are in the shape of a T, like you are making a throw to the ceiling.
I also work with medicine ball. Sit on the floor, feet flat. Lean back till you are as close to 45 deg. as you can get. Take medicine ball from one side and touch it to floor behind your back, then take it to the other side.
Stretching is probably more important than anything else. Stretch everything, since you use it all in a throw.

1-2 hours of practice shaved about 3 strokes 2 years agao and now switching to the straddle has shaved another 2-3.

Practicing throwing drives in a field is nice but I can't visualize and "golf shots".

To me playing IS MY EXCERCISE!!!!

A large part of the disc golf golf equation, for me, is that I have really gotten where I cannot stand "working out" in the gym.

Playing (a lot) is worth about 15 lbs of weight loss in the summer.

... but for a good backhand workout, try backfisting a 100 lbs heavy bag 50 times a night. When the bag flies across the room, you have finish power.

Playing is good excercise, however...
By just playing, you are working only one side of your body unless you are ambidextrous. This will lead to imbalances in your physiology. I used to just play and I would get all sorts of pains in my back, neck and shoulders. I used to pull ribs out of place as well since my right side was strong and my left was weak. The muscles would pull to one side of my body. I am not a gym person either. Everything I do for workouts I do at home. Now that I stretch and do some strengthening excercises, I rarely have to see my chiro.
You can just play, but if you want to get to your top potential, you have to do other things as well.

I used to be a gym rat when my parents were paying the fees. Now I live in a studio apartment the size of a closet and can't afford hundreds of dollars a year for a gym I have to drive 20 minutes to get to. Disc golf is my only exercise friend now. Just thought I'd complain out loud

Tafe is dead on with his comments. Playing alone will result in an inbalance. When one side is stronger, it can actually pull your spine out of alignment. I've had the same experience. Chronic back problems until I started exercising and stretching. Now I never have problems with my back.

You don't need to be in a gym to exercise. Push ups, chin ups, crunches all work well and they cost nothing. Lifting gets boring anyway. You can also do fun things. Basketball, biking, rock climbing. You'll feel better and have more energy - at least after the first month.

Practicing yoga is the best thing I have found for overall core strength, as well as balance and focus. I saw a tremendous boost to my golf game after about 3-4 months of regular yoga.

Practicing yoga is the best thing I have found for overall core strength, as well as balance and focus. I saw a tremendous boost to my golf game after about 3-4 months of regular yoga.




That and you can put your legs behind your head much easier :D

To be serious tho anything that helps your focus helps greatly on your game.

As an Ulty player I do a lot of other stuff... and I figure it'll help me on grueling tournaments with multiple long courses (for example: I should be hardly affected by BG Ams long walks). I do a five week lifting cycle to strengthen my core (shoulders/chest) along with auxiliary lifts to keep the rest of my body in balance. I don't do squats because before and after every workout I run a full speed run (working my way up by 1/6 of a mile every week since January, gone from 1/2 of a mile to 1 4/6 this week, maintaining 5:45 pace the whole time thanks to the slow increment build).

It works for me at least. Then again, with all I've done for Ultimate I haven't hit a course, other than one tournament, since mid-January. :( All I have time for is my nightly putting routine. Hopefully with the weather breaking and the time changing I'll have extra time so all my spare time outdoors won't go to Ultimate!


-Chris.

Before a round, I often practice the not so normal shots that the conditions might ask of you. At Fountain Hills, in 30 mph winds (ok, maybe 25mph) I was practicing my thumber approach shots and scoobies. Taking the wind out of it made me more confident that I could par if my shots were not perfect.

Playing is good excercise, however...
By just playing, you are working only one side of your body unless you are ambidextrous. This will lead to imbalances in your physiology. I used to just play and I would get all sorts of pains in my back, neck and shoulders. I used to pull ribs out of place as well since my right side was strong and my left was weak. The muscles would pull to one side of my body. I am not a gym person either. Everything I do for workouts I do at home. Now that I stretch and do some strengthening excercises, I rarely have to see my chiro.
You can just play, but if you want to get to your top potential, you have to do other things as well.



This is very true and I know that the Champ does yoga or tai chi or something to that effect as well as being very active outdoors in general. Also, within the game, I think that there are things you can do to help a little with balance. For example, when golfing my right arm does nothing but throw. I always pick up my bag with my left arm (the bicep is now bigger than my right), and I even try to pick up my discs off the ground with my left hand. I think it helps also to throw both backhand and forehand. There are days where my backhand snap is weak from overuse and I will play almost the entire round forehand.

I do countless repetitions on the 12oz curl machine. Plus I tug around a full keg with me everwhere I go.

Final results still pending.