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Are Big Muscles Bad For My Golf Swing?
Q: I have heard many times that big muscles are bad for your golf swing and that it will restrict my flexibility. Is this true?
Jamie
A: If you go on the Internet you are able to find a massive amount of information on the golf swing and “conditioning” for better golf performance. Unfortunately, a lot of this free information is very ineffective because much of it is based on training techniques and philosophies that are decades old.
One common golf conditioning myth that continues to persist, despite evidence suggesting otherwise, is the idea that big muscles will hurt the golf swing. It drives me nuts that people are still spewing this garbage. I am here to tell you that nothing is farther from the truth. Bigger muscles will NOT hurt your golf swing.
I am a fairly large individual (6'1", 235 pounds, 9% body fat) yet because of my training I have absolutely no problem hitting all the positions I need to generate power. However, I must state that most of the time I would not advise a golfer to go out of their way to put on muscle size.
Some people have phenomenal genetics and can't help but get bigger. But there is a gigantic difference between power training and training for size. Just because someone may train for only 5-10 reps does not mean that they are lifting for size. In fact, if you are training for power to increase swing speed, then 10 reps is about as high as you want to go for most exercises. It is the speed of the movement and the effort to move the weight that dictates the training effect.
Size training is typically slower training that is more focused on contracting the muscle as intensely as possible in order to stimulate maximum muscle growth.
Power training, on the other hand, focuses on the conditioning of the nervous system and getting as many muscle fibers as possible to fire at the same time so you can create significantly more power with the same amount of muscle mass. You can increase your strength and power significantly without adding on a single pound of muscle mass.
Power training is typically higher in intensity and effort than other types of workouts and, as a result, cannot be carried out for long periods of time. This is the reason that I typically recommend 3-4 sets of an exercise for 6-10 reps. This lets you get an extremely effective power enhancing workout in with a very minimal time investment. A true power workout will not go any longer than 45-60 minutes.
The focus of the Pure Power Program, and any golf specific program, should be to concurrently develop golf specific power, stability, balance, flexibility and strength. Muscular size should not be a concern for most golfers.
The type of training you need to do for enhanced power is not conducive to building big muscles. However, if you do happen to put on a little bit of muscle mass, there is no need for alarm. Depending on your genetics and body this could be a natural and positive response to quality training.
P.S. Just as a note, one of Tiger's first goals when getting on the PGA Tour was to put on 25-30 pounds. He did it and things seemed to be working out well for him. Point being, a little additional muscle won't hurt anyone.
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