As the New Year approaches, many people are thinking about starting new workout routines to help with their health and their bowling game. The hardest part about getting started can be figuring out what to do. For most people they start with what they know they can do- hop on a treadmill and get to stepping!
While walking and/or running is great for increasing physical activity levels. It won’t help your bowling game much or prevent injuries. The most beneficial physical activity to add to your regimen would be well rounded strength training. Without adding resistance to your muscles and joints and putting them under different loads, it won’t be possible to get stronger.
So where do you begin? You don’t need to do anything fancy like you might see on all the social media posts from fitness gurus. Sometimes, simple is better! In order to create a balanced strength training program you need to incorporate the following: knee dominant exercises, hip dominant exercises, push exercises, pull exercises, loaded carry variations, and some core exercises.
Here is a sample workout plan that you can do 2-3x/week to get started:
A1) Knee Dominant= Lunges 3 sets of 6 on each leg
A2) Push Exercise= Dumbbell Bench Press 3 sets of 10
A3) Core Exercise= Plank or a Plank variation 3 sets for :20-:30 seconds
B1) Hip Dominant= Hip Lifts with weight or on a stability ball 3 sets of 10
B2) Pull Exercise= Bent Over Single Arm Rows 3 sets of 6 on each arm
B3) Loaded Carry Variation= Farmer Carry 3 sets for 40 yards
By following that format you do exercises that engage all parts of the body. Single leg and single arm work is great for bowlers because we usually have many asymmetries between the right and left sides of our bodies. This is exactly where I would start with every client, and then increase frequency, complexity, and volume over time to build endurance, strength, and power!
For a more personalized approach please visit www.bowlfit.com
