Lifting and pool performance

dquarasr

dquarasr

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This is a sincere, if naive, question. Anyone ever notice a correlation between lifting weights / resistance training and pool performance on the same day or next day?

I wonder if there is either a pool performance degradation after an intense workout, especially chest/back/shoulders/bis/tris. Or even a performance gain after such a workout due to "calming" the muscles because of being fatigued and in recovery mode.

Ideas? (I did a search but got so many hits on weights, weight lifting, etc., that I didn't find anything that answered this question.)
 
I lifted quite a lot through my 30’s, and having had a bad back since my early 20’s, I can tell you that building muscle in my back did wonders for my back pain (lots of deadlifting, squats, overhead press, big compound movements). I tweaked my back a few months ago, and while I no longer have any desire to be deadlifting 150kg, it did make me think that maybe I should do some light lifting again, because when my back is gone, so is my pool game.
 
So what I think I'm hearing is to avoid upper body (or maybe even legs; they are the foundation of the stance, after all) on league days, which for me is once weekly on Wednesdays.

Thanks for the responses.
 
dquarasr said:
So what I think I'm hearing is to avoid upper body (or maybe even legs; they are the foundation of the stance, after all) on league days, which for me is once weekly on Wednesdays.

Thanks for the responses.
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Not at all. Unless you're going straight to the pool hall from the gym, forget about it. It is a complete non-factor in your performance. It will only help.
 
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I'm no expert at this but a friend and Natl Champion once told me that strengthening the wrist and forearm is a good idea.
Playing league once a week isn't too demanding but playing tournaments that last 4-5 days or playing long sessions, can get to your legs and mental fatigue sometimes sets in. For that I'd think cardio exercises would help. That would include consistently taking long walks or better yet long hikes through the woods up and down hills. 4-10miles Other than that, keep yourself flexible with lots of stretching exercises.
 
dquarasr said:
So what I think I'm hearing is to avoid upper body (or maybe even legs; they are the foundation of the stance, after all) on league days, which for me is once weekly on Wednesdays.

Thanks for the responses.
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Nah, don’t worry about it. If you’re new to lifting and worried about it, don’t do any isolation stuff for upper body the day before you have to play any serious matches. For example, if you play on Wednesday, don’t do your first ever bi-tri superset on Tuesday night 😂 Sorry if you aren’t actually new to lifting, but DOMS is real, particularly when starting out. Once you’ve lifted a bit, you’ll get an idea of how your body responds, the DOMS will become less of an issue, and you’ll realise it doesn’t really matter, unless you go to play immediately after doing a massive leg workout and you have jelly legs :)

And as 3kushn said, make sure you do plenty of stretching. Even if you’re not lifting a lot, stretching is really important, particularly as you get older.
 
terpdad said:
Not at all. Unless you're going straight to the pool hall from the gym, forget about it. It is a complete non-factor in your performance. It will only help.
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And if you are working out hard enough to get near empty....you are gonna need to eat every 4-6 hours.
 
I’m 66 and I’ve been a gym rat since my late 30s, on and off since. The last few years with Covid I haven’t gone often. I bike 20-30-40 miles per week at 12MPH on a mountain bike on pavement. I’m relatively fit, 5’5” at 145 lbs.

Back around 1994 I got really serious and got down to 11% body fat. I was able to bench around 185 (a lot for me considering I injured my left shoulder) and got to squatting 245 and leg pressing 720 6 reps). I’m experienced at resistance training but I wondered if an intense session would affect my pool performance.

Last week Tuesday I hack squatted on the Smith for the first time in a loooooong time. Trouble with stairs Tuesday night. Really sore Thursday and Friday. Rode Saturday felt great.
 
dquarasr said:
I’m 66 and I’ve been a gym rat since my late 30s, on and off since. The last few years with Covid I haven’t gone often. I bike 20-30-40 miles per week at 12MPH on a mountain bike on pavement. I’m relatively fit, 5’5” at 145 lbs.

Back around 1994 I got really serious and got down to 11% body fat. I was able to bench around 185 (a lot for me considering I injured my left shoulder) and got to squatting 245 and leg pressing 720 6 reps). I’m experienced at resistance training but I wondered if an intense session would affect my pool performance.

Last week Tuesday I hack squatted on the Smith for the first time in a loooooong time. Trouble with stairs Tuesday night. Really sore Thursday and Friday. Rode Saturday felt great.
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Squats will kick your ass!

I did some one day and went to cross city street on foot the next day.

Thank God I waited for the crosswalk coz I got calf cramp and literally had to put hands on the street and drag myself back to the sidewalk.

At 66 that is too hard. No reason at all to work your body over like that. It is not possible for you to build strength anymore.

As a wise man said: my body begins to fail while my spirit grows stronger.

Work out for SENSIBLE fun and in a way you don't hurt yourself.
 

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dquarasr said:
This is a sincere, if naive, question. Anyone ever notice a correlation between lifting weights / resistance training and pool performance on the same day or next day?

I wonder if there is either a pool performance degradation after an intense workout, especially chest/back/shoulders/bis/tris. Or even a performance gain after such a workout due to "calming" the muscles because of being fatigued and in recovery mode.

Ideas? (I did a search but got so many hits on weights, weight lifting, etc., that I didn't find anything that answered this question.)
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I trained for about 20 years if my life total. I did all the steroids. Was deep into it for years. It’s horrible for pool. The only thing I could do better when I was in the gym full time bodybuilding was break harder.

If you circuit train and keep it light you can play pool, if you bodybuild or power life forget playing pool at a high level. Your muscles won’t fire as smoothly and you lose touch in pool. Your stamina will be fantastic too.

But it’s impossible to do both at a high level at the same time.

Never seen a “big” pool player.

It is possible to lift and play pool well, but the lifting will be exercise not hardcore bulking.

It’s a conflict.

Big Arm John in the bodybuilding world isn’t big at all, in pool he’s big. Just like in the gym I’m a good pool player but in a pro tourney I’m 2 & out.

This was before I got big, there are no pics of me when I was 255 with abs, I’m maybe 225 in this pic. Was in 02 maybe look at the old phone.
 

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I lift every day at 4am and still see no negative impact on shooting pool. Soreness goes away after a few racks, if you are sore. If anything, I can imagine better core strength can't hurt.
 
Fatboy said:
I trained for about 20 years if my life total. I did all the steroids. Was deep into it for years. It’s horrible for pool. The only thing I could do better when I was in the gym full time bodybuilding was break harder.

If you circuit train and keep it light you can play pool, if you bodybuild or power life forget playing pool at a high level. Your muscles won’t fire as smoothly and you lose touch in pool. Your stamina will be fantastic too.

But it’s impossible to do both at a high level at the same time.

Never seen a “big” pool player.

It is possible to lift and play pool well, but the lifting will be exercise not hardcore bulking.

It’s a conflict.

Big Arm John in the bodybuilding world isn’t big at all, in pool he’s big. Just like in the gym I’m a good pool player but in a pro tourney I’m 2 & out.

This was before I got big, there are no pics of me when I was 255 with abs, I’m maybe 225 in this pic. Was in 02 maybe look at the old phone.
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I never got large, only trimmed and fairly cut. Back then I was around 152lbs but much higher muscle to fat ratio.

Two-three years ago I had ballooned to around 165 and my cholesterol numbers were very high. Started biking dropped 28 points, still not low enough. Doc wanted to put me on statins. I said no. Eliminated cheese, dairy, high fat red meat. Shed 17 lbs like it was nothing, reduced my weight to 143 and cholesterol another 40 points. Doc said I was good.

Now at 145 (been bad during the holidays). Need to be more disciplined for late January cholesterol check again.

These days resistance training is no longer for developing strength or size; it’s for flexibility, some trimming (hey, it’s not easy being “all this” lol!), and to try to stave off the ravages of time. Weights these days are around 60-75% of what I used to do in my early 40s.

Thanks, all, for the thoughtful responses
 
I will add I was right at or over 300lbs at one point. Don't know exact lb'age but it was hell on my knees to play for 6 hours. And I was only like 23 years old or so. Dropped to 182lbs at 6'2" height a few years back and worked back to a healthy weight. At 36 years old I'm staying at 200lbs and loving it. Play for hours no pain whatsoever.

Lighter is better, lol.
 
bignick31985 said:
I will add I was right at or over 300lbs at one point. Don't know exact lb'age but it was hell on my knees to play for 6 hours. And I was only like 23 years old or so. Dropped to 182lbs at 6'2" height a few years back and worked back to a healthy weight. At 36 years old I'm staying at 200lbs and loving it. Play for hours no pain whatsoever.

Lighter is better, lol.
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mini hi jack
you should be very proud to have lost that much weight and maintained it
(y)
 
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