building big arm

[Smyith]

i'm wondering how one might go about building the strength and technique to become a big arm. this is what i'm thinking but i'm wondering if there is a proven method to go about doing this. when not restricted by the clothing i can throw just under 400' consistently (off dirt pads) and a little over 400' off cement pads(that was last summer and i think i can push it farther now but no local courses have cement pads and daylight hours dont premit me to have to time drive and go to another course.)
arm speed i know is one part of that and i am working on that.
also one thing i have noticed about some of my friends who used to play baseball is tht they all can throw the disc far. i think this has more to do with muscle structure though (i.e. long muscles not bulky). i already have the longer muscles (wrestled back in the day go go flexiblity). any way i have been working with one of the trainers at my college (used to be northwesterns head baseball trainer).

[Blake_T]

key is in finishing and harnessing snap. being strong at the end of the throw. it has very little to do with any muscle strength besides hand strength

[Mark Brunner]

Technique is important

However beyond technique just consistently throwing long big shots will improve your distance slowly over time.

You want to build the long muscles in your arm/shoulder

Resistance bands are the best way to accomplish this. If you want something already setup try the Equalizer bands, RED for warmup and Blue for building your long muscles.


I recommend the clip-tube from
http://simplefitnesssolutions.com/produ ... p_tube.htm

in the heavy and extra heavy. The length of the tubing is half that of the equalizer but the same exercises can be done with it, at least most can. What you really need from them is basically the clip tube 2 pack and then just one handle.

Using these once a day, probably starting out with about 10 reps on red and 5 reps on blue per exercise and increase after a few weeks. You will see improvement in your consistency and you will be able to throw the disc further with less effort.

[Toney]

You can also use large rubber bands sold at sporting shops. Did someone already mention this? I use them like the equalizer. They do more than just strengthen arm muscles. They strengthen your entire tortional motion from knees to hips to side abs, to deltoids, to rotators, to wrists, to fingers. Now this may not make your body turn faster (which is more a technique issue), but these exercises will help hold your body together and keep you healthy, especially as you age.

An advantage of the rubber bands (I think they are called TheraBands, or something) is that you can also exercise your side arm throws. Trap your two throwing fingers into the band and mimic a side arm motion.

You also put the bands on top of a door (I tie the bands off into a large 5 foot circle for all of these exercises), sit on a therapy ball, and do lat pull downs, or standup and do rotator muscle exercises for inner and outer rotators (good for sidearm motion--just ask any pitcher who no longer pitches because of rotator injuries).

I also stand on one end of the band and work on biceps, and other motions for the flyfishing that I do.

Then stretch it all. Disc Golf isn't easy on the body. It is harder on your body than ball golf, IMO, which is why it is good to fling your body around 180 degrees on your throws to relieve all the pressure (which typically isn't done in ball golf).

Oh, I almost forgot, you want longer distance, too. Like Blake says, Work on your snap.

Toney

[Bildo]

I have also been working on longer drives over the last 4 (cold) months. When i started to work out again i noticed an improvement so i talked to a trainer and he told me in order to strengthen shoulder and arm muscles but keep them less bulky i should use a traditional lat pulldown machine, but instead of putting a long bar on the clip, i should attach a handle put about 60 pounds on, lower the pulley to my shoulder height and extend my arm across my chest to my other shoulder 10x each arm 3 sets. I have noticed an increased distance in my drives.

[the invisible tree]

key is in finishing and harnessing snap. being strong at the end of the throw. it has very little to do with any muscle strength besides hand strength

I've been thinking about this as I continue to try to improve my game. I'm a relatively big guy (6'2") but I'm a hopeless wuss (there were maybe 4 or 5 kids in high school who were wussier than I was(mega cool points if you know what I'm talking about)). Would I really see no measurable benefit from gaining a bit of muscle mass? What is the best way to build DG appropriate hand strength? If the above quoted post is true, why do women not have the same potential distance as men?

[Blake_T]

Would I really see no measurable benefit from gaining a bit of muscle mass?

if it adds to your overall level of athleticism and quickness without sacrificing flexibility, yes.

What is the best way to build DG appropriate hand strength?

powerball gyros are good. hand flexors/squeezing tennis balls are good. something that often gets neglected are the backs of the hands and there aren't a whole lot of things that can be done for this. "coning" your fingers with a rubber band on them and then spreading out your fingers is one of the ways.

If the above quoted post is true, why do women not have the same potential distance as men?

decreased tendon elasticity and lower concentration of fast twitch fibers. i haven't seen many women disc golfers with athletic explosive power. the majority of longer throwing women are tall (5'10" or taller) and with the exception of ruth steele, use lever length more than snap/quickness.

[some call me...tim?]

I don't have much to add to this thread, as I'm certainly not a big arm thrower. What I CAN say though, is that you definitely don't need to be big to have a big arm. I've seen guys that are like 6', 150 lbs just able to rip it 400+' no problem.

I'll also never forget the day when on one hole where I'd managed to land it within about 30' of the pin, at the time it was one of my best shots on the hole, I was feeling pretty good about the direction my game was headed. Then a couple kids showed up, about 14 years old. They just had 1 or 2 discs each, both landed easily within 10' of the pin, one even smashed the chains for an ace attempt. It definitely made me think twice about my skills.

So yeah, while I'm sure pure strength accounts for something, it's definitely not the most crucial aspect.

[Muffin_Man]

Just keep practicing and learning (hopefully the right techniques). I'm one of the physically slowest people you'll meet and I've never played a sport in my life... And What I've done on the course in 6 months has even surprised me.

Blake - Could you explain lever length? Or is it just a regular throw without a lot of snap and whip?

[steezo]

If you want something to do to help improve your strengh but don't have equipment etc.. just do push ups, pull ups, and crunches. do alot and do them differently. Your chest, arms, shoulders, back, and core will benefit from those three excercises. Most of the guys I know that hurl disc 400+ are tall and lanky, short and stocky, basically all sizes but all have controlled, smooth, quick/exploding throws. Most of all though, they have muscle memory. Just keep throwing and focus on the " hit ".

[Blake_T]

lever length = length of forearm

[Joel Smith]

Just trying to keep this thread alive for the time being.........although gaining strength may help you acheive greater distance for a short period of time, just remember that speed is king, Christian Sandstrom also holds the TRC record at something ridiculous like 300 feet. With loft times of less than 12 seconds, you have to be VERY fast to cover that distance. I think i got 200 once with an aviar...I need to get a hold of those Condors.

Joel Smith (Milwaukee, WI)

just remember the great muscle continuum:

muscle size>>strength>>POWER>>muscle size

[dscglfgeo]

What is this TRC you speek of??

[Thatdirtykid]

throw run catch, you see how far you can throw a disc and still be able to catch up w/ it and catch it. achievement is measured in distance.

[Weebl]

If you need to, work on high weight low reps to build some initial muscle mass, but the distance comes from low weight high reps along with what others have said, the equalizer to build muscle/maintain a high speed in the muscle movement. I am by no means a expert on this, this is what the local distance thrower told me though. It seems to me having a lot of tricep strength/explosion is crucial in distance.