Health and Wellness
FITNESS, HEALTH AND NUTRITION TIPS TO MAKE YOU A BETTER BOWLER FAT CHANCE
Advantages & Disadvantages
of Less Fat The lower percentage of body weight an athlete has tends to be advantageous both in body motion and in overall energy. However, losing body fat doesn’t automatically mean that you will see improved performance on the lanes. Keep in mind that there are
healthy levels of percent body fat and going below that level can lead to health problems. Imagine a large bowler who
WORK IT OUT: Click on the play button (above left) to watch special video cover- age of Team USA star Tommy Jones discussing how to stay fit for bowling.
DIET CHEWING THE FAT The Impact of Weight Loss or Gain on Your Game
By Nick Bohanan, USBC Exercise and Strength Conditioning Specialist
IN MOST sports, the physique of the athletes has a direct affect on their physical performance. No-brainer, right? A 220-pound male standing 6’2” might be able to hold his own playing football as a lineman in high school, but might not have much success in college. That same athlete would have a very rough go of it as a jockey! In essence, there is an ideal body composition for all sports. So, what about bowling? We all know that bowl-
ers of different sizes have won at all levels of compe- tition. You might ask how this is. It’s partly because bowling is a fairly low-impact sport. There is time between throws to recover energy and rest. But there are definitely advantages and disadvantages to hav- ing more or less weight.
WHY BE CONCERNED ABOUT TOO MUCH WEIGHT? Studies conducted on the participants of several sports showed an inverse relationship between fat mass and the athlete’s ability to perform horizontal and vertical movements. That means that the more fat mass bowlers have, the harder it is to get their bodies moving. Adding fat to the body increases the mass of the body without increasing the body’s
18 USBOWLER FALL 2010
ability to produce force. Without sufficient force, the body is not able to accelerate properly and therefore unable to produce sufficient velocity on the ball. A bowler weighing 220 pounds will burn more
calories than one weighing 190 pounds even if they bowl the same number of games. That is because it takes more energy to move the extra mass. The extra calorie burning means that the heavier bowler will tend to fatigue sooner than the lighter bowler. Once fatigue sets in, it becomes increasing diffi-
cult to maintain focus and concentration. When that happens, bowling it’s harder to recover fully between shots. The inability of the body to recover will make it more difficult to repeat shots and handle stressful situations.
THE BOTTOM LINE Whether a bowler gains or loses weight, aspects of his or her game will change. Changing a bowler’s arm swing after weight loss may be challenging, but in the long run it will be more rewarding. Always remember that you can find a USBC certi- fied coach in your area to help you improve your swing. As the sport of bowling grows in the next few years, I think we will see a lot more high-level bowlers who are more physically fit. Bowlers who take the time to maintain their bodies will have a longer and more satisfying careers.
has been bowling for several years at his present body weight and body fat. Under a doctor’s supervision, this bowler loses several pounds of body weight including sev- eral inches off his waist and chest. That weight loss was done over a relatively short amount of time and when the bowler begins bowling again, he seems to struggle. His energy level is fine. With the reduction in body mass this bowler does not fatigue as easily. However, the bowler is not as consistent as he used to be. Why? The answer is in the arm
swing. A swing that used to be close to the body now has a pronounced loop in it. The bowler is now able to clear his body more easily but there are aspects of his swing that he will now have to change in order to maintain his level of competition. This has been seen in golf as well. Both David Duval and Tom Lehman lost weight and had to adjust their swings to compensate for their now smaller body frames.
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