Strength and Conditioning
- Thread starter Toon
- Start date
Roysa
Well-Known Member
Hi Toon,
interesting topic you bring up.
Can i ask why you feel you need to strengthen your upper body for tournaments, is it becuase its been a while since you have bowled long blocks of games, say 10 in a day or so?
Im not asking to be intrusive, im just genuinely interested given the powerful balls of today one doesnt need to strengthen up for the game. If it is endurance based well then that is different.
Good topic, will be interesting to get others thoughts.
interesting topic you bring up.
Can i ask why you feel you need to strengthen your upper body for tournaments, is it becuase its been a while since you have bowled long blocks of games, say 10 in a day or so?
Im not asking to be intrusive, im just genuinely interested given the powerful balls of today one doesnt need to strengthen up for the game. If it is endurance based well then that is different.
Good topic, will be interesting to get others thoughts.
jason_doust
The Bowling Geek
Toon says "strenghten up", Roy! (Not upper.) 
Hey Toon, I cycle, as this gives a good all over workout with the focus on the legs, where the real power is needed. (You still have to support your upper body on the handlebars.) As I'm 43, this means I need to do a bit of stretching to stop my hamstrings cramping up. Nothing major, but keep an eye on everything from the legs through the glutes, into your back and even down into your arms if you cycle and bowl, as you'll be working similar groups often and they can get stiff. I've even had wrist pain that my miraculous massage guy in Canberra traced back to my calf, gluteous and hamstring groups. Hurt like hell. Funnily, bowling would relieve the pain.
Take it really easily if you haven't been on a bike in a while, though. It's harder than it looks and a lot harder than bowling. That said, it's good clean fun and I love getting out on the bike. Very mentally refreshing, as often all you think about is pushing the pedals and listening to music. In case you're wondering, it's safer to listen to music than you think on a bike. There are very few cars that make less noise than my headphones can. Quite surprising just how loud cars are when you really listen... Music definitely helps with intensity and duration for something rhythmic like cycling. Create an up-beat playlist that's fun and it's amazing just how much more you can do. I've done rides that would have almost killed me once and with the right music, I'm out of the saddle up the big hills home in Canberra from Lake Burley Griffin.
Pilates is brilliant too, but I get bored doing it! Worth doing a beginners course to understand core strength and decide if it's for you. Tai Chi is awesome for balance and coordination, but again, I get bored. (I'm so easily distracted..! Oh look, something shiny...)
Hope this helps.
Cheers,
Jason
Hey Toon, I cycle, as this gives a good all over workout with the focus on the legs, where the real power is needed. (You still have to support your upper body on the handlebars.) As I'm 43, this means I need to do a bit of stretching to stop my hamstrings cramping up. Nothing major, but keep an eye on everything from the legs through the glutes, into your back and even down into your arms if you cycle and bowl, as you'll be working similar groups often and they can get stiff. I've even had wrist pain that my miraculous massage guy in Canberra traced back to my calf, gluteous and hamstring groups. Hurt like hell. Funnily, bowling would relieve the pain.
Take it really easily if you haven't been on a bike in a while, though. It's harder than it looks and a lot harder than bowling. That said, it's good clean fun and I love getting out on the bike. Very mentally refreshing, as often all you think about is pushing the pedals and listening to music. In case you're wondering, it's safer to listen to music than you think on a bike. There are very few cars that make less noise than my headphones can. Quite surprising just how loud cars are when you really listen... Music definitely helps with intensity and duration for something rhythmic like cycling. Create an up-beat playlist that's fun and it's amazing just how much more you can do. I've done rides that would have almost killed me once and with the right music, I'm out of the saddle up the big hills home in Canberra from Lake Burley Griffin.
Pilates is brilliant too, but I get bored doing it!
Worth doing a beginners course to understand core strength and decide if it's for you. Tai Chi is awesome for balance and coordination, but again, I get bored. (I'm so easily distracted..! Oh look, something shiny...)Hope this helps.
Cheers,
Jason
Toon
OWN IT!
Thanks Jase, I am cycling at the moment. Just doing some endurance based weight programs and running.
Roysa, I am strengthening my whole body as a whole, but mostly doing this to stay fit and improve on endurance.
Perfect example is I bowled in a tourny on the weekend. First day I finished 2nd and the top 2 were far in front of the rest, but during day 2 I was starting to fatigue, lose concentration etc.
It's definately getting easier to bowl so many games. Still need some work though.
Roysa, I am strengthening my whole body as a whole, but mostly doing this to stay fit and improve on endurance.
Perfect example is I bowled in a tourny on the weekend. First day I finished 2nd and the top 2 were far in front of the rest, but during day 2 I was starting to fatigue, lose concentration etc.
It's definately getting easier to bowl so many games. Still need some work though.
