Working out and Playing Pool

Wally in Cincy

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Melissa Herndon said:
...I will be starting a regular work-out with a personal trainer tonight....

You will find your pool stroke may be off if you play on the same day you lift weights. Aerobic exercise does not seem to affect the stroke nearly as much if it is not too intense. I have often played quite well after a long walk. It tends to clear the head.

Do you know what your workout will consist of?
 
i lift weights and jog 4-5 times a week, i lift in the morning and run in the late afternoon, usually before i play pool at night, it doesnt seem to affect my game in a negative way. ive found light-weight tricep kickbacks to be a great exercise for my stroking arm, and a firm lower back will definately help your stance.
 
I think being in good shape in general can do nothing but help your pool game. I have heard Mika and Megan Smith both work out religously.

I just noticed when I did strenuous lifting and played 2 or 3 hours later my stroking arm was harder to control.

Wally~~not really in good shape anymore and can't play a lick of pool either :rolleyes:
 
Wally in Cincy said:
You will find your pool stroke may be off if you play on the same day you lift weights. Aerobic exercise does not seem to affect the stroke nearly as much if it is not too intense. I have often played quite well after a long walk. It tends to clear the head.

Do you know what your workout will consist of?

I will be able to describe it better tomorrow....once I have gone through the workout completely with the trainer. My workout will have 3 different parts...the first is cardio...done with Trazer machines, which are kind of like virtual video games. Here is the description from the website: "Imagine this... You are standing in front of a big TV. On the screen is what looks like a video game. As you move, a character in the video game moves with you. You stop, they stop. You move to the right, they move to the right. You move fast, they move fast. The character is moving around in the video game just as you move around in front of the TV.

Suddenly, it's invaders from space crashing down on your video character. You must move to the left to avoid a bomb. Move back quick to avoid that space junk falling at you. Move! Move! Move!"


After the Trazer part, then I'll do core-strength training. And after that, strength training...but not weight lifting. My goal is not bulk....but more of an overall fitness.

The gym is local to my area, but you can check out the program at www.atgetfit.com.

Melissa
 
Melissa Herndon said:
...Suddenly, it's invaders from space crashing down on your video character. You must move to the left to avoid a bomb. Move back quick to avoid that space junk falling at you. Move! Move! Move

I surely would throw my back out :rolleyes:

Sounds like fun. Might be good for improving coordination as well.

Wally~~going home to the boring stationary bike :)
 
OK, so now that I have done it once, I can report back. It was totally fun, but exhausting at the same time. Those video game machines kick your butt. I was sweating profusely within 5 minutes....but I don't feel bad because every other person using those machines was sweating too. Even the people who already looked like they are in perfect shape!

The staff was incredibly supportive and I had 2 different trainers working with me the whole time. They took turns walking me thru each of the different exercises and machines...and I really enjoyed the whole process. They have exercises devoted to balance and coordination, machines designed to help build strength, and they take you through stretched to help keep your muscles loose.

I have always had a hard time finding an exercise program that I enjoyed because I don't like to be bored...and I don't like to do it alone. This place makes the workout fun, plus the staff members are there to motivate you....so I am very excited about keeping up with it!

The only problem will be scheduling the work-outs around my work and pool schedules...LOL!

Melissa
 
Wally in Cincy said:
I think being in good shape in general can do nothing but help your pool game. I have heard Mika and Megan Smith both work out religously.

I just noticed when I did strenuous lifting and played 2 or 3 hours later my stroking arm was harder to control.

Immonen said in a TV interview a month ago that he sometimes works out (at the gym) on the day of the match... I was wondering why, I too think it's not wise. Although it can empty your mind.
 
I used to work out 4 times per week and play pool for about 2 years straight. My workouts only consisted of weight training. I pushed myself extremely hard, using heavy weights and short sets. The last set in each muscle group would almost always be to failure.

If you start a regular program, for the first 2 weeks or so you will be very sore. But once your body gets accustomed to the workouts, the soreness will not be as bad. At that point it is just a way of life and should not affect pool.

When you change routines, the week of extreme soreness will probably return.

Now to pool, in all this time, I have only had one bad experience after a work out. I had just done my lower body and got in a game at my room on the way home from the gym. When I was in my pool stance, I could feel my legs trembling and felt unsteady. I learned my lesson and never played again when my legs were wobbly.

However, after an upper body workout, I never had a problem shooting pool. No matter how sore my arms were, it never seemed to affect my stroke.

In the long run, working out can only make you a better player. It probably won't enhance your stroke and shot making ability, but it will give you more stamina and endurance for those all night long sessions. We all know how bending over to take a shot for hours upon hours is hard on the body. The stronger you are, the longer you can play at your true speed.
 
Usedtobe,

Thanks for the advice and info! I have noticed that after the second workout, I am not nearly as sore as I was after the first one. It's almost like working out helped relieve the pain. I am looking forward to working out tonight...it makes me feel strong.

In general, I am just looking forward to just being more physically fit. I have read about studies that show that people who exercise regularly are happier and more positive. Even though I am in decent health, I would like to have more stamina and energy.

BTW, any suggestions of physical activities would be welcome! Let me know what you all do to keep in shape!

Melissa
 
Melissa Herndon said:
...I have read about studies that show that people who exercise regularly are happier and more positive....

I believe it tends to make your brain function better too.

I used to be really good about working out. I had to quit running after having back problems. Then I would either swim or ride a bike trail (or a stationary bike in bad weather) several times a week..

I've lifted weights on and off for 15 years, nothing really serious, but it gets harder as you get older (I'm 47) so I have tailed off the last couple of years. Plus as the cigarette effects build up in my lungs it gets even harder. You are wise to quit. Mostly I have just walked the last 2 years.

I just bought a used Lifecycle (stationary bike) last week and I put together my weight bench yesterday. I'm getting back into it.

My fiancee and I are quitting the cigs soon. Right after the big annual APA tourney this month :D

Good luck with the exercise Melissa. It sounds like a good program. If you ever get bored with it there's plenty of other things you can try. There's lots of good ways to get exercise.

Wally in Cincy
 
Wally,

Good luck with quittin smoking...I hope you and your fiancee are successful with it.

Also, kick some butt at the APA tournament! You are probably smart to wait to quit smoking until after the tournament. If you are stressed out from not-smoking, then you won't be concentrating properly on your matches. (As for me, I am hoping that I will be OK in Vegas since this will be my first tournament as a non-smoker.)

Melissa :D
 
Melissa Herndon said:
BTW, any suggestions of physical activities would be welcome! Let me know what you all do to keep in shape!
Melissa, probably the best activity anyone can do is to take a brisk walk. It does not have the impact on the joints that jogging does and it is easier on the body. After a short break in period, you will easily be able to walk 3 or 4 miles, or more, in an hour.

Although walking on a treadmill is great, because the machine controls your pace and you can't cheat, walking outside is more fun, especially in sunny California. :D You just have to be disiplined enough to maintain the pace.

You will not find a better all around exercise.
 
Hi Rich,

You are quite right about walking in California...it is usually sunny and beautiful. I walk my dog several times a week after work...and we go about 1 mile. I could easily go farther, but we have a set route that we go...and it just happens to be a mile. It usually starts to get dark around the time that we are finishing up walking...and I don't really want to walk in the dark...even though I live in a safe neighborhood. So, the timing works perfectly. I guess if I want to walk further, then I need to start earlier or walk faster...LOL.

On Saturdays, she (my dog) gets about 3 mile walk in the morning...since there are no worries about making it home before nightfall.

I enjoy walking...but it can be boring sometimes. Plus, because walking is so gentle, it doesn't feel like you are reaping any benefits from it. Even though I know it is good for me...I just don't feel as good after a walk as I do after a really long and sweaty workout.

Melissa
 
The thing that helped me most was the book "Body For Life" by Bill Phillips. It is available in any bookstore. It is geared toward the beginner and covers exercising, eating, and the all important rest. I highly recommend it.

One thing I learned after subscribing to the fitness magazines and listening to what people advise is that everyone has a different opinion. You will have people telling you to "do it this way" and "do it that way" and "you have to eat this"... For the most part, if you just eat frequently, work out, and rest well, you will make good gains.
 
Melissa Herndon said:
I enjoy walking...but it can be boring sometimes. Plus, because walking is so gentle, it doesn't feel like you are reaping any benefits from it. Even though I know it is good for me...I just don't feel as good after a walk as I do after a really long and sweaty workout.
Melissa, try walking different routes to get away from the bordom.
If you don't feel like your getting enough from the walk, it is easy to solve.
Pick up the pace. :D

Walking is one of the best and safest exercises you can do.
That is not to say is should take the place of your long and sweaty workout.
Walking would supplement your workout.
 
I started doing Yoga about 2 months ago a couple times per week. It really helps dealing with stress. I played someone I rarely ever beat a couple weeks ago and I played the best pool I have ever played without being in the zone. I was so relaxed and didn't concern myself about any bad rolls or leaves and played great. Normally, I would beat this guy 2 or 3 out of 6 sets, but that day I won 5 out of 6 and lost the last one I think to fatigue. He told others that I was unstoppable. I hadn't played for a couple weeks before that and haven't played since. I only play a couple times a month due to obligations and family. Definately gives me motivation to keep doing Yoga.
 
Rich - I will definitely try walking different routes to cure the boredom. Plus it will give my dog some new bushes to sniff...LOL.

Efirkey - Thanks for the Yoga heads up. I bought a Yoga workout CD about a month ago, but I found that following along was sometimes difficult. They would say "hold this position and breath for 4 counts"...but then they would keep talking about posture and core strength and blah blah blah....so I'd be stuck in that position forever...and not feeling like I was breathing right. Imagine having a pool instructor tell you to stay down on the ball for 3 seconds after taking a shot....but then keeping you in that frozen position for another 30 seconds while he prattled on about the "benefits of staying down on the shot". Your back would be killing you after 1 rack of 9-ball. I know they wanted to explain everything thoroughly since it was a beginner's tape...but then they should have another run-through of the work-out without all the instruction...so that I could get a good feel for the true pace of the session. Maybe I will try to go to some Yoga classes instead...that way I will have an instructor to make sure my poses are correct and that I am belly-breathing the right way.

Melissa
 
Being a guy I initially found the thought of doing Yoga as sissyish. Well I don't feel that way after trying it. I have been a bodybuilder and cross country runner and Yoga is as physically demanding as either. I believe it is as hard as you allow it (how far you push yourself or how long you hold a particular pose). However the benefits are tremendous and it is relatively risk free from injury. Increased concentration and a more relaxed state of mind, better flexibility and endurance all will improve your pool game.

I too bought a Yoga tape and there is no way that I can follow along with it - too advanced, but I have no problem with taking a class. Certainly doesn't hurt to try something out for a month to two to see if it matches your needs and personality. I would love to try that space invaders exercise you described - sounds like a hit and much fun. The problem with most exercise is that it isn't fun and no one sticks to it. I got plenty of exercise when I was a kid riding my bike, playing kickball and hide-n-go-seek without even realizing it. But I would rather die a little younger then ride the exercise bike everyday. I need some fun exercise.
 
efirkey said:
I would love to try that space invaders exercise you described - sounds like a hit and much fun.

E,

Call around to local exercise places and see if any of them have Trazer machines. I am sure that my place isn't the only place in the country to have that particular equipment. Or, you can try searching for Trazer equipment on Google to find a place near you that might have it.

If you want to simply learn more about it, visit www.atgetfit.com and click on the Trazer link.

It is fun...but really hard work. There is one video that involves jumping to try and keep basketballs from hitting the ground...and it kills me after about 1 minute.

Melissa
 
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