To play on tour these days, you have to hit it a long way. And while looking like a bodybuilder is not necessary, if you want to gain distance, packing on the pounds can help. Just look at some of the longest hitters in the world to see this

These guys are packing muscle, and can bomb it over 400 yards.

I often deal with players who are trying desperately to build muscle in attempts to hit the ball farther and compete on tour. The majority of these players are hitting the gym hard, and some have been for many years, but were not achieving the success they thought they would.

That’s because a vital element had been missing – nutrition.

An Example

If you have 2 people training just as hard in the gym, they could get wildly different results at the end of a year based on the amount of energy they are consuming alone. Golfers (especially ectomorphs who are looking to gain muscle) often have very high metabolic rates. Add on gym training and a round of golf each day (which can often burn in excess of 1200 calories per round walking) and we have a recipe for very high energy demands. What happens when you do resistance training to gain muscle, but you are not eating enough food?

A study by Donnelly (1993) showed that even weight training subjects saw muscle LOSS when they were hypo caloric (weren’t eating enough energy).

Now, although most studies don’t report much muscle loss when adequate protein and resistance training is done, compare it to the person who did have adequate energy intake. The person who covered their energy needs and had a small surplus could gain around 2lb of muscle per month. This means that, by the end of the year

• The person who didn’t eat enough energy may have 3-4lb less muscle (even if they were weight training)
• The person who ate more energy and trained could be up to 24lb more muscular

This is why it is so important to look after your nutrition when it comes to your body composition goals. Fuel4Golf has both weight loss and  muscle gain plans for you, showing you everything you need to achieve your goals (even including meal plans and templates). Click below to find out about the programs.

References

Donnelly, Joseph E., et al. “Muscle hypertrophy with large-scale weight loss and resistance training.” The American journal of clinical nutrition 58.4 (1993): 561-565.