Snooker and bodybuilding/weight training...

[SouthPaw]

I've been playing snooker for about 12+ years but only really regularly for the past three, i've alot of hobbies and i don't really want to stop any of them, but i've been wondering lately whether i'd be a more consistent/ better player if i wasn't hitting the gym three times a week..?

Now i know my game suffers the next day or so if i'm working out the shoulders/chest/triceps, i find cueing straight more of a problem, so if i'm playing in the league or a comp i make sure to do those muscle groups straight after the snooker and not before...

I've been training for 3/4 years and have steadily put on some size, but i worry if i get any bigger i'm going to have to change my technique and if i lose my size then my games going to suffer, then i'll be back to square one and having to learn the game from scratch again...

Anyway i guess the point of this is to hear people's experience in whether it can be done successfully or not?

[cain29]

Snooker and bodybuilding/weight training...

I definitely had to open my stance more when my pectorals got bigger. That's the only change to my set up though as a consequence of gaining muscle size. As far as being tender or sore goes, it does indeed affect how straight I put the cue through. I find if I work each muscle group every 4 days then I never get that sore anyway. It's only after not training for a few weeks and then training that I get sore enough for it to affect my game. I try to avoid long lay offs from the gym though, but if I was that sore I would definitely avoid a league match.

[SouthPaw]

I definitely had to open my stance more when my pectorals got bigger. That's the only change to my set up though as a consequence of gaining muscle size. As far as being tender or sore goes, it does indeed affect how straight I put the cue through. I find if I work each muscle group every 4 days then I never get that sore anyway. It's only after not training for a few weeks and then training that I get sore enough for it to affect my game. I try to avoid long lay offs from the gym though, but if I was that sore I would definitely avoid a league match.

Yes i see what you mean regarding the dreaded DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) i only really get that after a week plus off too...

I'm concerned about my cue action whether that's going to change, ie not being as flexible the bigger my arms get, do you find that an issue at all?

[Qwer]

not only that sir.
When we lift weights, the back get stiffer for the next few days.

This certainly affected consistency for me.
In turn, i am now a lazy bum. totally not hitting gym any-more. argh

[SouthPaw]

I didn't think this would get much feedback as i don't know many that lift weights/ play regular snooker...

[aussie147]

Personally, i had to stop lifting weights as it was making the shake whilst playing snooker and it really affected my game. It happened every time i have done a weights session and since stopping I havent had any problem whatsoever

[SouthPaw]

Personally, i had to stop lifting weights as it was making the shake whilst playing snooker and it really affected my game. It happened every time i have done a weights session and since stopping I havent had any problem whatsoever

I haven't really noticed that, is this if you played snooker straight after training?

[hotpot]

I used to be gym fanatic and trying to play league snooker the same time , they just dont mix , i could,nt stop twisting my wrist probably due to my forearms being too pumped so i gave up snooker and concentrated on training .

Stopped playing for around six years and did,nt miss it then something clicked and i had an urge to get back on the baize , gradually got back into it and gave up training .

[jim evans]

i do loads of beer training makes for a fat belly but arms dont get in way ,sorry coudnt resist

[philip in china]

Weights are death to precision sports such as snooker. I remember the buys in my target rifle team suffering as soon as they started pumping iron. It seems to be either or.

[damienlch]

It definitely affected my game adversely.

I was given a one week free trial at a gym a couple of months ago... At my first session, I was going at the free weights pretty intensively after a 3km jog at the treadmill.

Anyway, I went to play snooker that very evening. I was playing a rest shot when I completely mis-cued, tried again and the same happened... it was like I couldn't control my arm at all. Didn't fare much better with normal shots, couldn't get down comfortably and the balls went haywire. It was a disaster.

I think you can do both... just need to allow sufficient time for your muscles to recover from the workout. I am recovering still... Lol.

[SouthPaw]

I used to be gym fanatic and trying to play league snooker the same time , they just dont mix , i could,nt stop twisting my wrist probably due to my forearms being too pumped so i gave up snooker and concentrated on training .

Stopped playing for around six years and did,nt miss it then something clicked and i had an urge to get back on the baize , gradually got back into it and gave up training .

Yeah i can feel that if i played snooker/or even pool after doing shoulders or chest/triceps not being able to push the cue through straight, though never thought it could be related to the wrist...

i do loads of beer training makes for a fat belly but arms dont get in way ,sorry coudnt resist

Well i suppose that could fall into weight training lol, i do that style of training on a saturday myself...

Weights are death to precision sports such as snooker. I remember the buys in my target rifle team suffering as soon as they started pumping iron. It seems to be either or.

There's a theme starting here, i'm reading what i feared haha, looks like i'm going to have to decide whether to drop weight lifting if i want to improve my snooker...

It definitely affected my game adversely.

I was given a one week free trial at a gym a couple of months ago... At my first session, I was going at the free weights pretty intensively after a 3km jog at the treadmill.

Anyway, I went to play snooker that very evening. I was playing a rest shot when I completely mis-cued, tried again and the same happened... it was like I couldn't control my arm at all. Didn't fare much better with normal shots, couldn't get down comfortably and the balls went haywire. It was a disaster.

I think you can do both... just need to allow sufficient time for your muscles to recover from the workout. I am recovering still... Lol.

I always try and fit the gym around my snooker days, but when i can't i get exactly like that, rest play included^^

[damienlch]

i do loads of beer training makes for a fat belly but arms dont get in way ,sorry coudnt resist

Well i suppose that could fall into weight training lol, i do that style of training on a saturday myself...

Any day is a good day for that style of training... Lol.

[culraven]

If you fancy combining the 2 i've got a 20lb cue you might be interested in, well it's a wrecking bar really but i'll stick an elk on it for free?

[alabadi]

listen guys, i am not sure about this bodybuilding effecting your game, i have been bodybuilding for 15 years now and go to the gym at least 3-4 a week.

i started playing snooker about three years ago and i am steadily improving each year, i have not seen any decline in how i play after going to the gym unless i am tired to start with. i don't go to the gym on league match days anyway just because i have no time.

i would say if the muscles in the shoulder, traps or arms are aching then yes it may effect how you play due to the fact that the muscle is fatigued. other than that i'm not sure it has any effect.

i can only speak for my self from a personal experience point of view. i love my gym work so would never stop it for snooker, i love both and therefore try and fit both in the best i can.

Alabbadi