Is weightlifting detrimental to one's stroke?

Hail Mary Shot

Hail Mary Shot

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I'm having thoughts whether if Gym workout could damage your good stroke. I know for a fact that such activity could develop your power breaking skill. but I'm quite unsure if it would damage your good stroking consistency. will a pool player be able to compensate and adjust just the same as before? or will he say goodbye to his good stroking days?

any pool player/bodybuilder out there? :D
 
weightlifting

At first you will probably have to make adjustments with your pool game, or anything really, to allow for the weightlifting/bodybuilding (soreness, schedule, just putting more focus on another hobby). But I think exercise will benefit your game overall. Exercise in general benefits your body and your brain. Your energy levels will be higher, your focus, stamina, and confidence will all improve. If you're planning on going Mr.Universe then I doubt you will have time enough to play pool to worry about a finite stroke. About the only thing about exercising/weightlifting that will hurt your game is all the distractions from girls trying to hit on you.
 
cyrex said:
At first you will probably have to make adjustments with your pool game, or anything really, to allow for the weightlifting/bodybuilding (soreness, schedule, just putting more focus on another hobby). But I think exercise will benefit your game overall. Exercise in general benefits your body and your brain. Your energy levels will be higher, your focus, stamina, and confidence will all improve. If you're planning on going Mr.Universe then I doubt you will have time enough to play pool to worry about a finite stroke. About the only thing about exercising/weightlifting that will hurt your game is all the distractions from girls trying to hit on you.
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thanks. the last statement was quite motivating. :D
 
Hail Mary Shot said:
I'm having thoughts whether if Gym workout could damage your good stroke. I know for a fact that such activity could develop your power breaking skill. but I'm quite unsure if it would damage your good stroking consistency. will a pool player be able to compensate and adjust just the same as before? or will he say goodbye to his good stroking days?

any pool player/bodybuilder out there? :D
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I wouldn't call myself a body builder but I've played enough pool and work out enough to know that the only time working out ever inferferred with my storke/game is right after working out. My speed control would be hard to control when I did not allow time for the pump to cool down. In other words, if you are going to get into action, wait a couple of hours after working out or your lats/arms and upper body may still be so pumped up that it will interfere with your stroke.

Other than that, the exercise is very beneficial to all aspects of your life. I would recommend making the gym more of a priority than the pool hall.
 
Good advice. Like said, unless you are a serious power lifter it would be really hard to mess up a stroke by lifting weights.

And as said, being in good shape, both mental and physical as they both go hand in hand, can only improve your game.
 
I don't think it will.

Does anyone in the Hollywood vicinity know Frank? Big Frank? Super huge bodybuilder, about 6'6" and could do arm curls with my entire body. He shoots side arm because his shoulder and neck muscles are so big. But he's got one of the gentles touches I've seen, regardless of his size.

Hail Mary Shot said:
I'm having thoughts whether if Gym workout could damage your good stroke. I know for a fact that such activity could develop your power breaking skill. but I'm quite unsure if it would damage your good stroking consistency. will a pool player be able to compensate and adjust just the same as before? or will he say goodbye to his good stroking days?

any pool player/bodybuilder out there? :D
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I have changed my workout so I can play pool better.

I used to lift 1 body part per day/1 major grouping. I would be sore for 3-4 days in that area. It greatly affected my ability to be consistent. If you lift hard, you can't play pool. Anybody that says you can doesn't lift hard. I went from 170lbs last summer to my current 245lbs at 16% bodyfat. Now that summer is approaching and I am focusing entirely on pool I have switchedto doing cardio 3 days per week and lifting moderately with no soreness. My game is improving exponentially and 10 hour practice sessions are no big deal with no fatigue. Overall cardio has put me better physically and mentally. You'll see.... just play around, but decide what you want and stick with it.
 
Hail Mary Shot said:
I'm having thoughts whether if Gym workout could damage your good stroke. I know for a fact that such activity could develop your power breaking skill. but I'm quite unsure if it would damage your good stroking consistency. will a pool player be able to compensate and adjust just the same as before? or will he say goodbye to his good stroking days?

any pool player/bodybuilder out there? :D
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If you use roids you'll have a short ;) stroke with NO chance of developing a long, smooth one...
 
Building muscle is a good thing for your game, this way, your stroke will be consistent when the heat is on (pressure situations). I started it about 3 years ago and would never quit. I have more energy at the table and can play for very long amounts of time do to the muscle build up in my core (legs, stomach, chest, etc.)
 
Thank you for your insights guys. I guess I'll do some moderate weightlifting then (just to be sure). I just wanted to build and tone up my muscles again. I wasn't playing pool while I was weightlifting before. so I don't know if it would affect my current good stroke and I hope it doesn't in a negative way. I got good control of the rock and love to play pocket speed. it's like playing golf, waiting for the ball to drop inside the putt.

as far as my extra-curricular activities are concerned, I play basketball atleast once a week (2x at most). and I plan to do some other cardio like running, as madhaterm3 had given me an idea. I do swimming (underwater) during the summer 3 times a week for atleast half an hour in every session.
 
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weightlifting is detrimental to everything except attracting hot chicks that are attracted to idiotic, meathead guys. i hit the gym 5 days a week, lol.
 
It's kinda like playing basketball right after you work out, you can't do it! you will throw the ball to hard or to light. As long as your not lifting weights in between your turns at the table then you'll be fine. I workout 5 days a week and the only hard time was when i first started because I was so sore, it was hard to shoot. If anything I think working out has helped my game as it will yours!
 
I've tried to both but find that I cannot play pool with good consistency if I am trying to lift weights with any kind of intensity. Light weights and cardio will probably have no impact or a positive impact on your game, but serious lifting to build size and strength will not help your game. If you have the time to commit serious hours to your pool game, I think you can maintain a high level and maybe even improve while you bodybuild. It will take you longer to warm up and your consistency will suffer if you are sore from lifting.

IMO you will make more rapid improvements in your pool game if you do not lift weights with the intentions of making gains in size and strength. If you try to improve at both, be prepared for higher levels of frustration in both.
 
I life heavy weights 2 times per week. I make sure that I do NOT do it on a day im shooting, or my game suffers alot. Also, if i miss some gym time and go at it hard on Tuesday morning, my league play on Wednesday still suffers.
It is the worst if i work my shoulders/back hard, arms seem to recover OK. Overall, it has afffected my enough on Wednesdays that I changed my workout to Monday instead of Tuesday to have more recovery time.

To give you an idea how it affects me, im in a house league with 10 ranks. I am a solid 8. When i miss workouts or dont go at it hard, I win 75% of my matches and sometimes fluctuate up to a 9. If my workouts affect me, I miss shapes way too much and end up losing 75% of the time.

Could be other factors, but my stroke just feels "tight", and difficult to get the right speed. I think it affects me way too much, enough that i am trying the changing days/ routines etc.
 
3 times a week I go as hard as I can

I started lifting(squats, bench & deadlifts) back in October and have been going as hard as I can 3 times a week and I have found that at my age(48) it takes longer to recover than when I was much younger(20's). The way I counter the tightness is with a good sports massage therapist and my chiropractor.
I believe it was affecting my game for the first few months but now it is having much less impact on it and is actually helping with the stamina
I do not play pool on my workout days:p
 
Lucky Fish said:
I started lifting(squats, bench & deadlifts) back in October and have been going as hard as I can 3 times a week and I have found that at my age(48)...
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I feel sore just reading this post.
 
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