Lifting heavy weights and shooting good pool do not go together

Quite a few pro players exercise quite often, including strength training, especially in the last 10/20 years. Not to the point of growing muscles like a body builder or a guy that likes to kick sand at nerds at the beach, but enough to build muscle mass. There were some questions a while back I remember that were asked maybe to Mika or someone else about their training and they said not to work out so you are always sore and the muscles are always growing and breaking down and re-building, but enough to be fit.
 
judochoke said:
Yes on joe Rogan, but hes a little fella, probably 5 foot 6 inches, and 160 pounds. I’m 5-11 and 265 pounds. And yes i firmly believe that lifting heavy weights is the key to longevity. Not talking powerlifting numbers, did all that in my 30 til age 40. I’m just talking about moving weights as fast as i can, for 6 to 8 reps. With little rest. Now i bench 225, for 6-8 reps, with 60 seconds rest between sets. At 66, i still feel i could go much higher in weight, if i slowed down, but have no desire to anymore.

Yes, everything was out the window today because of my neck tension. I will try to practice tonight at home, see if things loosen up.
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Here is my advice, which is far from expert opinion. Focus more on stretching, and consider switching to resistance bands. At 5'11, 265lbs, you are going to fatigue faster, regardless of your weight training. It might be time to consider thinning down a bit, and switching gears. The rest of your body (back, hips, knees, etc), will thank you in the long run. Just my honest opinion.
Good luck.
j2
 
Cardio and good diet, more important. However, I like to lift medium hand weights, 30 pounds apiece with a bench. Presses, over the head for triceps, the row lifts, and curls, both bicep and wrist curls. It keeps you fit, and I don't think it hurts pool. We're not talking really heavy weights here, just more reps.
 
ribdoner said:
STRONG/BIG ARM JOHN from INDY had a blacktop construction biz and pushed a lot of iron in his day.

He played at a very strong shortstop level ( on a bar tabe) in addition to being a fine hoopster.

It looks like some of the Euros dabble in iron, however, not at John's level.
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He used to come to Houston with Whitey and while Whitey was in action he'd hit balls and try to stir up a little action. While he palyed he had this big rubber band one end around his shoulder and the other in his hand. People thought he was crazy but no one dared say anything to him. But he was actually pretty cool to be around. Nice guy.
 
At 5’11” and a weight of 265lbs., your Body Mass Index (BMI) is 37.
As you can’t change your height, maybe consider dropping some weight.

However, muscular athletes can have very high BMI & still be healthy because it
only considers height & weight so it not as predictable for most muscular individuals.

The thing about pool is eyesight, steadiness & smoothness are the ingredients that
help your game excel. Your flexibility improves with stretching as earlier pointed out.
 
In the description of the op it just sounds like nerves got the best of you.
Being the only outsider in a place, with all eyes on you is tough.
Walk into an Asian only carom room as a non Asian player and you will get stares sometimes the entire time you play.

Walk into a small town bar with your case, fancy cues, glove and chalk and watch all the bar stools swing around and see what this guy is all about.

Go to a strange pool room and start playing good by yourself you might get some guys just pulling up a seat and watching you practice. Then, their buddies come over and they start discussing your shots/ game.

Show up to a tournament in a strange place and get matched up against the local hot shot, you may have all the locals telling you how good this guy is, how you will lose, etc.

All these scenarios may have you second guessing every move you make. Or you can realize you came there to play. You are a player. It doesn't matter what they think or say. Fans or haters. Doesn't matter to you. You're a player. You just go back to your routine and go about your business.
Neck got tight because you were nervous.
 
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I think for pool it's important to be strong, but by being able to maintain good balance
to be coordinated in both stable, and stretched out positions..have good core strength
I think it's better to be not bulky but light, physically and mentally prepared to play long
 
I know all of the responses here are well intentioned regarding health, flexibility, BMI, body weight, etc.
and coordinating it with pool but it's not something he wants to hear or is going to do.
For someone who has spent that many years in the gym to get strong and stay strong as the years pass by
requires an entirely different mindset that's ingrained as a result of all the work. It may have been work but it
was very rewarding, enjoyable, and still is. So, what's going to win...heavy lifting or pool? My money is on heavy lifting
until father time catches up and the body starts breaking down causing pain in certain areas and getting weaker.
Then pool could take over. I invite judochoke to tell me personally that I'm wrong and full of crap but don't think it will happen. He's not there yet and that's a good thing.
 
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Used to be a short stop level player that competed in pool in the LA area.

The dude was a serious weight lifter, body builder. Didn't seem to affect his game at all.
 
The answer to your question is simple. A heavy workout builds lactic acid in your muscles. That needs to be removed immediately. Within a few minutes of your workout ... walk briskly for 15 minutes. You will find the change you are asking for. Let me know how it works.
 
What do they do with racehorses after running in a race? Anyone watch the Preakness, KentuckyDerby
or other major races broadcast on TV? Track athletes in the Olympics do it as well. You have to allow
your body to wind down and your muscles to relax. That’s why body builders pump before just going on
stage. Has anyone seen the movie Pumping Iron with Arnold Schwarzenegger? Those body builders try
to get their muscles engorged with blood flow as much as possible before stepping on stage to perform.

Tennesseejoe got it right. Everyone is a unique organism and the truth is, some of us are more unique than
others. Ever know a slim person that eats twice or more your daily caloric intake and never gains any weight?
 
I played my best pool when I worked out a lot, ofcourse you don't go play pool straight after a heavy leg or arm day. Probably different if you're seriously big and your world revolves around working out.
 
I really thought i could become a really good pool player. But unfortunately, do to my lifting for 40 years, and still lifting, its not in the cards for me. But thats ok, as i still have fun. I did not want to make this post into a weightlifting post. That wasn’t my intent. But it seems like it is now a weight lifting post. I will not lift like an old man. I refuse. Why should i ? Yes my body mass is high, i never lose a pound. I see the old guys lifting like old guys at my gym, and just think why slow down???? Now is the time to speed things up!!!! I still lift as in this video, just being careful to not go to heavy, as i do not want to get hurt. I could go much heavier, but i would serve no purpose.

I wish all of the pool players on this site good health and workouts. Do what you can lift, as long as you’re in the gym working hard, you’re on the right path. Judochoke
 
judochoke said:
I really thought i could become a really good pool player. But unfortunately, do to my lifting for 40 years, and still lifting, its not in the cards for me. But thats ok, as i still have fun. I did not want to make this post into a weightlifting post. That wasn’t my intent. But it seems like it is now a weight lifting post. I will not lift like an old man. I refuse. Why should i ? Yes my body mass is high, i never lose a pound. I see the old guys lifting like old guys at my gym, and just think why slow down???? Now is the time to speed things up!!!! I still lift as in this video, just being careful to not go to heavy, as i do not want to get hurt. I could go much heavier, but i would serve no purpose.

I wish all of the pool players on this site good health and workouts. Do what you can lift, as long as you’re in the gym working hard, you’re on the right path. Judochoke
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Ever the optimist, I know there are workarounds like meditation and yoga. You may have to spend time learning how your pool stroke contracts and/or doesn't but there are ways. Something I'd like to see regardless is an automated stroke machine that shows the trainee what linear is. Etc... etc...
 
judochoke said:
Now is the time to speed things up!!!! I still lift as in this video, just being careful to not go to heavy, as i do not want to get hurt.
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It's all relative to what you used to do in the younger years. But benches with a pair of 105 lb. dumbbells at 66 years of age is not going too heavy? Are you shitting me?! Anymore and it's next to impossible to clean the weights and get into position to lie on the bench with a slight incline. That's 210 lbs. and no assistance required to get on or off the bench without the weights or drop them to the side.
judochoke said:
I could go much heavier, but i would serve no purpose.
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No kidding. What do you bench now (flat or incline) with an Olympic straight bar and your highest when young? You had to be over 4 and into 5? Did you pretty much stick to power lifting or ever get into Olympic lifting also?
You might need a 40 oz. cue just to be able to feel it better.
 
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judochoke said:
Now i know why pro pool players are mostly slender, tall, and do do not weigh much. Shooting pool and lifting weights do not go together. I have been lifting weights for over 45 years, and still lift pretty heavy. My body is always in some kind of recovery. Always sore, and I’m alway tight. Not much flexibility at all. Which sucks, as i would really like to be lower bending to the cue ball, but I’m about 16 inches away from my chin hitting the cue.

Have there ever been any muscle bound pros??? Not talking about big heavy guys, talking about guys with some weightlifting backround?

Today, after a back workout at 7 am, 4 hours later,i went to my senior center, to practice on their 8 foot diamond table. As i entered the room, there were about 10 ladies from the knitting class, in the pool room, sitting at the tables. (The knitting room was closed off one of them said)
I said hello girls, and started unpacking my stuff. I unpacked the balls that i brought, pulled out my predator BLAK-1 CUE, WITH CARBON FIBER SHAFT, and put my glove on. One of the ladies said” oh, he must be a pro player with all that high dollar equipment”

So now the pressure was on for me. I started to shoot some balls with all of the girls watching, and could not make a ball. My neck tensed up when i shot my first ball, then my upper shoulders were tight from lifting. Lolllll i could not ever bend my neck to look at the cue ball very well. I tried and tried to lossen up my neck and shoulders, to no avail.

The girls watched for about 30 more seconds, then went back to knitting and gossiping. I shot for 45 minutes, everything was off, and i just packed up and went home.

Anybody else lift weights and run into this problem???????
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I've been lifting every day, five or six days a week, for the past 35 years or so. I noticed a gradual and consistent loss of flexibility once I hit my late 40s. I was never very flexible and never did any stretching. The one day I took one of those stupid yoga classes and they had mirrors on every wall. Once I saw how little flexibility I had I was shocked. I now incorporate stretching between every set. I absolutely feel better. You gotta start regular stretching.
 
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