Bryson DeChambeau, power surge

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  • #947 Reply
    JGilrain
    Participant

    Is it possible that Bryson could have added so much length in a few short months without using steroids? Eyebrows were raised when he suddenly started hitting bombs of 350 plus yards when the 2020 season got going, and there was speculation–but he said it was due to an off-season exercise program, and I guess since he’s “The Professor” everybody took him at his word. In 2016 Bryson averaged 294 yards off the tee, and in 2017 he added 5 yards getting up to 299 (ranking 45th on tour). In 2018 he added 7 more to 306 (ranking 25th), but in 2019 he dropped back to 302 (34th on tour). Suddenly in 2020 his driving average jumped a whopping 20 yards, all the way to 322 yards (at the top of the distance rankings). The added length in ’17 and ’18 seem like a reasonable increase from a dedicated strengthening program over a couple of years, but why the slide back in 2019 and sudden jump in 2020? Did he hit a wall with old fashioned hard work in the gym? Perhaps decided to add a little juice to his program in the off-season after the distance dropped back a bit in 2019? Seems a little odd.

    #950 Reply
    GolfDay
    Keymaster

    Before we jump to such outlandish conjecture, I think we owe it to Bryson to look at the full picture. Firstly, the substantial muscle increase in the period of time for which Bryson’s muscles increased, is not an anomaly. In fact, according to health experts, an athlete can put on 10 pounds of muscle mass without any drugs over a 90 day period if they stick to a vigorous workout regimen. It is well know that DeChambeau is a workout freak, with a weight training schedule that includes a daily intake of 7 protein shakes, as well as spending three to four hours a day in the gym. For anyone out there who is not a workout enthusiast, that is an incredibly intense regimen. DeChambeau began this workout regimen in the fall of 2019, and continued it throughout the lengthy COVID break in 2020. So, the 20 pound gain in muscle mass over a period of around 5 to 6 months is really unsurprising to me, especially with the kind of workout regimen Dechambeau practiced. Not to mention, the PGA Tour has quite a robust drug testing system, and if DeChambeau was ever taking steroids, it would have been discovered by now.
    On a side note, DeChambeau’s distance increase is not solely the result of his hulking muscle mass, as golf analysts have continually pointed out. In fact, it is a well-known truism among the golfing world that muscles don’t automatically correlate with driving distance at all. What matters is swing speed, and DeChambeau has masterminded a unique method to accomplish that spike in swing speed. For example, DeChambeau’s speed training regimen is what most have pointed to as the secret to DeChambeau’s distance increase. According to DeChambeau, when most players do their swing speed sessions, they tend to stop when their distance numbers begin to fall. DeChambeau actually did the opposite, he continued banging ball after ball until he physically couldn’t do it anymore. DeChambeau would continue practicing this method for months on end, building his endurance, and he ended up seeing huge spikes in his swing speed. According to DeChambeau, this is the key to building endurance which is paramount to hitting it long. This is just one example of why Bryon’s distance has increased so substantially.So, before we jump on the steroid bandwagon, I think it’s important for us all to look at the entire picture and do the comprehensive research that is really standard if we are going to engage in fanatical speculations and in the process impugn Bryson’s character and reputation.

    • This reply was modified 3 years ago by GolfDay.
    • This reply was modified 3 years ago by GolfDay.
    • This reply was modified 3 years ago by GolfDay.
    • This reply was modified 3 years ago by GolfDay.
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