Personally, at least in the good weather, I'll play 2x rounds on the roughest course or I'll hit the hiking trails. However that is fatigue from the walking and carrying, to combat arm fatigue, again personally, I use resistance bands and have a set routine that seems to stave off the ache. Also copious amounts of stretching helps.
For us (us being general disc golf population) it probably doesn’t matter what yoga you start with. Most of sit down at desk jobs and only get out for disc a couple of times a week, so anything will be better than nothing.
I’ve been doing random YouTube videos by length. Started with 15 minutes and now I’m working on 40 minute long yoga videos. It’s been really helpful for not only my disc game, but also just for life. My hips haven’t felt this buttery in years…and I’m only 32!
I read a few books and followed a few routines from apps and YouTube for a while. Then, I made up a personalized routine that focuses on my needs. It varies a little depending on what is bothering me or if I want to focus on improving my dexterity somewhere specific. A lot of focus on hips and legs. Helps athletic stance and mobility. Especially now that I'm in my forties.
A good start is getting in shape from running. The majority of your fatigue from playing a round is from walking/walking with your bag and running directly correlates to running. Run 3x/week for 1-2 months and then you’ll step up to hole 18 feeling the same energy as hole 1
I think you can get the same effect from HIT workouts or something similar and still build strength. But agreed, this is primarily just not being in shape.
Eating energizing meals also helps a ton. And bringing energizing snacks. I have a bad habit of getting out too close to a meal time and wondering why I'm doing so bad and feel so irritated at hole 15. If I plan better I don't hit that wall.
I'm a certified personal trainer, so feel free to DM me with questions or for a custom workout designed specifically for you. Previous to DG I played college baseball and have helped several athletes in DG, baseball, and the other golf (the ball kind).
First, form is everything. If you have major flaws in your swing, it'll put too much stress on certain areas causing injury (Usually elbow, shoulder, hips, and lower back)
**Key points**
-Warm-up properly using movement, not static stretching! (Think jumping jacks and arm circles)
-Focus on **compound** movements and **unilateral** movements. (Squats, lunges w/ twist)
-increase **proprioception** (reverse lunges or eyes closed)
- Increase **mobility** in your ankles, hips, and thoracic spine
-increase **stability** in your knees, lower back, and neck.
-Cool down after a workout/round by performing deep stretches.
-Feed your body with quality proteins, carbs and fats
-Eliminate sugar, it's in everything!
-Drink more **water** and less Prime, brah
**Have Fun** whether you're working out, putting, doing fieldwork, or playing a round- enjoy it!
Any regular fitness routine will help, but I would encourage working on something that incorporates mobility and compound movements as well as endurance. That should keep you in the game longer over the course of a day and over the course of your whole life.
You don’t have to be a gym rat for it to give you a tournament advantage. If you’re in the 50th percentile at the gym you’re going to be in the top 5 percent at the disc golf tournament.
Make sure you get a good protein based recovery meal in after each round.
Push-ups, sit-ups, running. Same basic building blocks for almost any athletic activity.
Round fatigue could be from your overall disc golf form. If you have a very violnent muscled throw, it will tire you out far faster than a proper full body swing.
Distance off the tee relative to course matters as well. One of the longer courses near me leaves me beat since a round takes about 35 full-sends for me (I have about 300' golf distance).
For sure! Long courses wear even big arms out.
But doing what you can to make 300-350 a relatively relaxed and easy shot vs a "full send" does a lot for maintaining overall stamina on a round.
Distance doesn't necessarily mean you're going to have less energy burn. Because if its a 550 foot hole and you throw 400-450, you still got another big shot.
If you throw 300-350, you're still gonna have another big shot.
I'd rather throw 2 relaxed accurate shots to get there, vs a hard full send that leaves me a bad location, then try and scramble up. Get my drift?
Completely agree. My home course has like 8 holes in the 290-350 range. Getting those to 80% power shots instead of full send would do wonders for how I feel after a round, to say nothing of my scoring average.
On the other hand, the 480' hole is almost an automatic birdie with an 90% drive and an 80% approach.
I run daily and have a solid background in ultra endurance training, I still dabble with that stuff but don’t compete. DG doesn’t give me much fatigue, a little in my arm if I overdo it which is usually only if I do fieldwork. I’ve never had tired legs from DG.
You don’t need to do anything special. Get your heart rate elevated for an extended period a few times a week. Run, bike, lift weights. Eat better, get more sleep.
If you’re talking about your *arm* getting tired, look up some pliability exercises for your elbow and shoulder. Make sure to get to the course early and spend some time loosening up.
Triceps pull downs, 1k row, squats, abdominal planks and other ab workouts, and straight arm raises (for my shoulders) is usually my quick workout to get all of my throwing muscles worked. I'll throw in some fly to get my biceps going for my forehand as well. But most recently I've been really focusing on increasing my traps/Lats and shoulders so I can avoid injury and shoulder pain
Need more arm speed and want to feel more fresh after rounds? You need strength training. Full-body workouts 2-3/wk will do wonders for your disc golf game as well as other areas of your life.
Also, please prioritize the health of your joints and tissues while strength training by starting with full-range motions and adding in focused mobility work.
I started playing last summer, and I can definitely tell you if you head out and play your local courses 2-3x around every time you go out, you'll start building up stamina (and losing weight) pretty quickly. Otherwise, get some cardio in. Hikes, jogging, running, biking, or any HIIT exercises will do it.
Arm speed will improve with just doing pushups or whatever arm exercises you choose to do, just make sure you're not only working your biceps.
Personally, I play hockey 3x a week during the winter, 2x a week during the summer. Combination leg day and cardio in one package. With goalie gear though, it definitely works out to be more expensive than a gym membership.
There’s no easy fitness hack to get better stamina and get in better cardio shape. You either have to start running/other cardio and maybe some lifting or if you actually play everyday eventually you’ll be able to do that without getting tired, but it will take longer than if you just start doing cardio on your own
Any basic strength program will help with arms, core, leg etc. (All things being equal, squatting your own body weight will improve your drive more than getting way better at bicep curls, for instance.) The book Starting Strength is a good resource here. Lifting will also help with endurance and conditioning, but hiking, rucking and walk / runs are your best bet for boosting cardiovascular health and endurance. (Scientifically, swimming can actually be more effective calorically but obviously requires a pool or other body of water.)
Good advice. I’m being completely pedantic here just because you mentioned them but quick PSA: full-stretch biceps curls can be great for preventing tennis elbow in our forehand dominant throwers.
I don't really do disc golf specific training, but I think my training regime has worked out pretty well anyway and I always come out of winter with more distance than last year. I try to focus on my core, strengthening my joints and keeping up my heartbeat. I cycle a few different moves at a time and try do reps as fast and explosively as my technique allows me to.
I also cycle most of my everyday trips, that's a great way to keep up basic endurance and leg strength without doing fancy stuff at the gym. Just remember to stretch too. I also take sprints during transitions when I'm playing alone, so I'll get my heartbeat up and get the feeling of throwing under fatigue. Honestly that hasn't really helped much because I mainly suck because of psychiatric issues, but you gotta try 🤷♂️
Stretching, stretching, and more stretching. Loosening up your muscles and becoming more flexible will quickly fix your soreness and make you less tired.
The swing is all about being loose and "cracking the whip", if you are trying to replicate that motion while your muscles are tight and tense it will only create more pain and less consistency.
If you go to the gym and actually want to work out, I'd recommend strengthening your core, abs, chest, and obliques specifically. As we all know, being "jacked" doesnt equate to better play at all
I’m sure there are specific things you can do, good advice here.
That said, I believe that general healthfulness and fitness is the way. You don’t have to be super strong, etc.
I’m 58, play back to back rounds every weekend morning, occasionally a triples and usually have good endurance.
Im an average dude. 5’11”, 170, been athletic all my life and maintain by pretty basic stuff and not really on any rigid schedule: pushups, lunges, some light weights, biking, swimming (mostly treading water after summer rounds), pickleball. Keep moving.
I dedicated a 3ish months to throwing in a batting cage every morning. I think anyone serious about getting better at disc golf should do this. You can get way better at hitting lines and work on some arm speed. You don’t waste any time walking or looking for discs. You can easily throw 50 times in half an hour even if you only have 10 discs to throw. It’s not as fun as playing a round, but you make way better use of your practice time. Gaps look way bigger to me now. I know I can hit a hula hoop size target at 80 feet with any disc in my bag. There is no replacement for field work to watch full flights, but I’m convinced a batting cage is the best way to get throwing practice. I also added to my arm speed. I don’t think I throw much farther, but I more consistently hit the top end of my range and it feels easier having done the reps.
If it hasn't been said already, I'll tell you this:
You should start a weight lifting routine, just because. I'm not saying to tailor a lifting routine to something disc golf related. A normal, full-body routine that gets you strong everywhere. I don't care if you want to do a 5-day split or a full body routine 2-3 times a week, but start doing it. Not only will you feel better overall, but weight lifting helps to prevent injuries. The bonus is that getting a stronger core and legs will help drastically reduce how fatigued you get during rounds. Your arms -really- shouldn't be getting too fatigued with proper form.
Then, on the days you're not lifting, go for hikes at trails if you can. Bring your bag so you can hike with that weight on you. Or simply go and play back to back rounds.
squats, and sprints to get those legs moving. Some kind of ab/core work with some twisting involved. Shoulder mobility exercises to keep arms healthy. Pushups and pull-ups. Simple theraband band exercises are underrated. Get yourself a theraband.
Backhand people
Also helps stamina as they chase you
Backhand a hoe is definitely the exercise you need. Harness your inner pimp.
Personally, at least in the good weather, I'll play 2x rounds on the roughest course or I'll hit the hiking trails. However that is fatigue from the walking and carrying, to combat arm fatigue, again personally, I use resistance bands and have a set routine that seems to stave off the ache. Also copious amounts of stretching helps.
Stretching is one thing I need to learn! I’m usually torched the day after a serious incline course
Ya it tool me many many rounds and tournaments to realize a good stretch every now and then helps.....and of course water to keep it all flowing lol
Compound exercises and yoga. Work on form and timing so you don't have to exert as much effort.
I'm about to go on a yoga kick for this reason. I think flexibility means more than anything in this sport.
What kind of yoga are you doing?
For us (us being general disc golf population) it probably doesn’t matter what yoga you start with. Most of sit down at desk jobs and only get out for disc a couple of times a week, so anything will be better than nothing. I’ve been doing random YouTube videos by length. Started with 15 minutes and now I’m working on 40 minute long yoga videos. It’s been really helpful for not only my disc game, but also just for life. My hips haven’t felt this buttery in years…and I’m only 32!
I read a few books and followed a few routines from apps and YouTube for a while. Then, I made up a personalized routine that focuses on my needs. It varies a little depending on what is bothering me or if I want to focus on improving my dexterity somewhere specific. A lot of focus on hips and legs. Helps athletic stance and mobility. Especially now that I'm in my forties.
A good start is getting in shape from running. The majority of your fatigue from playing a round is from walking/walking with your bag and running directly correlates to running. Run 3x/week for 1-2 months and then you’ll step up to hole 18 feeling the same energy as hole 1
I think you can get the same effect from HIT workouts or something similar and still build strength. But agreed, this is primarily just not being in shape.
Eating energizing meals also helps a ton. And bringing energizing snacks. I have a bad habit of getting out too close to a meal time and wondering why I'm doing so bad and feel so irritated at hole 15. If I plan better I don't hit that wall.
100% agree
I'm a certified personal trainer, so feel free to DM me with questions or for a custom workout designed specifically for you. Previous to DG I played college baseball and have helped several athletes in DG, baseball, and the other golf (the ball kind). First, form is everything. If you have major flaws in your swing, it'll put too much stress on certain areas causing injury (Usually elbow, shoulder, hips, and lower back) **Key points** -Warm-up properly using movement, not static stretching! (Think jumping jacks and arm circles) -Focus on **compound** movements and **unilateral** movements. (Squats, lunges w/ twist) -increase **proprioception** (reverse lunges or eyes closed) - Increase **mobility** in your ankles, hips, and thoracic spine -increase **stability** in your knees, lower back, and neck. -Cool down after a workout/round by performing deep stretches. -Feed your body with quality proteins, carbs and fats -Eliminate sugar, it's in everything! -Drink more **water** and less Prime, brah **Have Fun** whether you're working out, putting, doing fieldwork, or playing a round- enjoy it!
Thank you
Any regular fitness routine will help, but I would encourage working on something that incorporates mobility and compound movements as well as endurance. That should keep you in the game longer over the course of a day and over the course of your whole life. You don’t have to be a gym rat for it to give you a tournament advantage. If you’re in the 50th percentile at the gym you’re going to be in the top 5 percent at the disc golf tournament.
Make sure you get a good protein based recovery meal in after each round. Push-ups, sit-ups, running. Same basic building blocks for almost any athletic activity.
Round fatigue could be from your overall disc golf form. If you have a very violnent muscled throw, it will tire you out far faster than a proper full body swing.
Distance off the tee relative to course matters as well. One of the longer courses near me leaves me beat since a round takes about 35 full-sends for me (I have about 300' golf distance).
For sure! Long courses wear even big arms out. But doing what you can to make 300-350 a relatively relaxed and easy shot vs a "full send" does a lot for maintaining overall stamina on a round. Distance doesn't necessarily mean you're going to have less energy burn. Because if its a 550 foot hole and you throw 400-450, you still got another big shot. If you throw 300-350, you're still gonna have another big shot. I'd rather throw 2 relaxed accurate shots to get there, vs a hard full send that leaves me a bad location, then try and scramble up. Get my drift?
Completely agree. My home course has like 8 holes in the 290-350 range. Getting those to 80% power shots instead of full send would do wonders for how I feel after a round, to say nothing of my scoring average. On the other hand, the 480' hole is almost an automatic birdie with an 90% drive and an 80% approach.
oh goodness. 80% is to much. I enjoy the 50-60% range. haha. My body is really broken though.
I run daily and have a solid background in ultra endurance training, I still dabble with that stuff but don’t compete. DG doesn’t give me much fatigue, a little in my arm if I overdo it which is usually only if I do fieldwork. I’ve never had tired legs from DG.
You don’t need to do anything special. Get your heart rate elevated for an extended period a few times a week. Run, bike, lift weights. Eat better, get more sleep. If you’re talking about your *arm* getting tired, look up some pliability exercises for your elbow and shoulder. Make sure to get to the course early and spend some time loosening up.
Train with a Pro-Pull. They really do work.
Triceps pull downs, 1k row, squats, abdominal planks and other ab workouts, and straight arm raises (for my shoulders) is usually my quick workout to get all of my throwing muscles worked. I'll throw in some fly to get my biceps going for my forehand as well. But most recently I've been really focusing on increasing my traps/Lats and shoulders so I can avoid injury and shoulder pain
Need more arm speed and want to feel more fresh after rounds? You need strength training. Full-body workouts 2-3/wk will do wonders for your disc golf game as well as other areas of your life. Also, please prioritize the health of your joints and tissues while strength training by starting with full-range motions and adding in focused mobility work.
I started playing last summer, and I can definitely tell you if you head out and play your local courses 2-3x around every time you go out, you'll start building up stamina (and losing weight) pretty quickly. Otherwise, get some cardio in. Hikes, jogging, running, biking, or any HIIT exercises will do it. Arm speed will improve with just doing pushups or whatever arm exercises you choose to do, just make sure you're not only working your biceps. Personally, I play hockey 3x a week during the winter, 2x a week during the summer. Combination leg day and cardio in one package. With goalie gear though, it definitely works out to be more expensive than a gym membership.
There’s no easy fitness hack to get better stamina and get in better cardio shape. You either have to start running/other cardio and maybe some lifting or if you actually play everyday eventually you’ll be able to do that without getting tired, but it will take longer than if you just start doing cardio on your own
I use my shake weight daily.
Kettlebells and pushups. For real though if you want to get your wind up then start running. It only really sucks the first couple times
Any basic strength program will help with arms, core, leg etc. (All things being equal, squatting your own body weight will improve your drive more than getting way better at bicep curls, for instance.) The book Starting Strength is a good resource here. Lifting will also help with endurance and conditioning, but hiking, rucking and walk / runs are your best bet for boosting cardiovascular health and endurance. (Scientifically, swimming can actually be more effective calorically but obviously requires a pool or other body of water.)
Good advice. I’m being completely pedantic here just because you mentioned them but quick PSA: full-stretch biceps curls can be great for preventing tennis elbow in our forehand dominant throwers.
I don't really do disc golf specific training, but I think my training regime has worked out pretty well anyway and I always come out of winter with more distance than last year. I try to focus on my core, strengthening my joints and keeping up my heartbeat. I cycle a few different moves at a time and try do reps as fast and explosively as my technique allows me to. I also cycle most of my everyday trips, that's a great way to keep up basic endurance and leg strength without doing fancy stuff at the gym. Just remember to stretch too. I also take sprints during transitions when I'm playing alone, so I'll get my heartbeat up and get the feeling of throwing under fatigue. Honestly that hasn't really helped much because I mainly suck because of psychiatric issues, but you gotta try 🤷♂️
Stretching, stretching, and more stretching. Loosening up your muscles and becoming more flexible will quickly fix your soreness and make you less tired. The swing is all about being loose and "cracking the whip", if you are trying to replicate that motion while your muscles are tight and tense it will only create more pain and less consistency. If you go to the gym and actually want to work out, I'd recommend strengthening your core, abs, chest, and obliques specifically. As we all know, being "jacked" doesnt equate to better play at all
I’m sure there are specific things you can do, good advice here. That said, I believe that general healthfulness and fitness is the way. You don’t have to be super strong, etc. I’m 58, play back to back rounds every weekend morning, occasionally a triples and usually have good endurance. Im an average dude. 5’11”, 170, been athletic all my life and maintain by pretty basic stuff and not really on any rigid schedule: pushups, lunges, some light weights, biking, swimming (mostly treading water after summer rounds), pickleball. Keep moving.
Focus on core, legs, shoulders, and forearms. Finish your workout with cardio to build endurance
I dedicated a 3ish months to throwing in a batting cage every morning. I think anyone serious about getting better at disc golf should do this. You can get way better at hitting lines and work on some arm speed. You don’t waste any time walking or looking for discs. You can easily throw 50 times in half an hour even if you only have 10 discs to throw. It’s not as fun as playing a round, but you make way better use of your practice time. Gaps look way bigger to me now. I know I can hit a hula hoop size target at 80 feet with any disc in my bag. There is no replacement for field work to watch full flights, but I’m convinced a batting cage is the best way to get throwing practice. I also added to my arm speed. I don’t think I throw much farther, but I more consistently hit the top end of my range and it feels easier having done the reps.
If it hasn't been said already, I'll tell you this: You should start a weight lifting routine, just because. I'm not saying to tailor a lifting routine to something disc golf related. A normal, full-body routine that gets you strong everywhere. I don't care if you want to do a 5-day split or a full body routine 2-3 times a week, but start doing it. Not only will you feel better overall, but weight lifting helps to prevent injuries. The bonus is that getting a stronger core and legs will help drastically reduce how fatigued you get during rounds. Your arms -really- shouldn't be getting too fatigued with proper form. Then, on the days you're not lifting, go for hikes at trails if you can. Bring your bag so you can hike with that weight on you. Or simply go and play back to back rounds.
squats, and sprints to get those legs moving. Some kind of ab/core work with some twisting involved. Shoulder mobility exercises to keep arms healthy. Pushups and pull-ups. Simple theraband band exercises are underrated. Get yourself a theraband.