Archive for the ‘Fitness’ tag

Golf: Improve Your Golf by Improving Your Golf Fitness

Many average players use the PGA Tour golfers as their role models. We buy the equipment the pros recommend in commercials. We buy their instruction books and try to model our games after them. In recent years there has been an increasing emphasis on fitness by Tour golfers. They are getting in better shape, working out more, trying to build strength and conditioning through weight training or other exercise routines. The Tour even has a mobile exercise trailer that goes from event to event, so the players can keep up with their training even while competing. Many PGA tour players are now as well-conditioned as athletes in other sports, which wasn’t the case 25 years ago when fitness gurus such as Gary Player were considered unusual.

Just as amateur golfers find that using the same equipment as the pros doesn’t translate into playing as well as they do, it is difficult for most of us to keep up with our golfing heroes’ commitment to physical fitness. But you don’t need to spend 5 nights a week in the gym to make noticeable improvements in your physical conditioning. An easy place to start: go for a walk.

We think we hit the ball with our arms and hands, so it might be tempting to build up the big muscles in the back and shoulders through weight training, but actually the legs supply the power to a golf swing. Just watch the fast leg and knee action of a pro golfer in the downswing. There’s almost like a “snap” as they strike the ball. Going for walks on a regular basis is a great way to build up your legs. Notice we said walk, not run. You don’t have to take up jogging, which can be stressful on your joints. After 6 months or so or regular walks, you will notice that you don’t get nearly as fatigued when you hit a few buckets of balls on the practice range.

You can start with a short walk, say 20 minutes or so, and build up to longer distances. If you build up to brisk walk, you will get some cardio benefit from the exercise as well, which your doctor will appreciate. Which reminds us, before you start any exercise program, including walking, be sure to consult with your doctor.

The key is to go for a walk as often as you can. If you have a dog, you have a built-in personal trainer. Your dog would be happy going on walks 3 times a day if he could. And he’ll nag you to go. Who can resist those imploring eyes when he brings you his leash and gently nudges you towards the door?

Of course, walking was one of the original benefits of a round of golf. But the advent of golf carts eliminated that (along with valuable summer employment for young people as caddies). Going for walks will help improve your golf game. Establish a regular walking program will improve your golf fitness and you might even lose a few pounds.

Fitness for Golf – Hill Sprint and Shoot Par

Watching Tiger Woods this past week (pre knee surgery)reminded me that golf season is about to start for many people out there.

This is the time of year that I often get questions about how to best train to improve your golf game. Questions like this one:

“Sorry if this is a stupid question, but I am going to ask it anyway. I am a 45 year old male, and I live in the Northeast. I am currently amassing information for me to devise my off season fitness program for the glorious sport of…(please sit down before continuing)…GOLF!

Currently, my winter program is going to be extremely eclectic, with a combination of weights, kettlebells, bodyweight exercises, stretching/yoga/pilates, and, up till now jogging.

Enough background…my question is this… will hill sprinting help with my golf game? Intuitively, I would say anything that burns (the blubber) off my body is going to be beneficial to all aspects of my game and life, and further, the strength built in my leg muscles through your program must help as well, but I want to hear what you think.

I hope I haven’t wasted too much of your time, and again, if this is a stupid question, feel free to say so.

Cheers,

Brian

No question is stupid Brian. Although I admit I had to do some research to match hill sprint training with the game of golf. Here goes.

Yes, hill sprints will help your golf game – and here’s 7 ways they’ll do it:

1. Dynamic warmups and static stretches done on the hill will increase your flexibility. This can lead to longer backswings which will generate more club head speed – in other words, you’ll hit the ball farther and straighter.

2. Hill sprints will strengthen your abs – this will help prevent lower back injuries which are common in golf.

3. Hill sprints will strengthen your upper leg muscles which can improve your balance during your swing.

4. Hill sprints will strengthen your hips – more power and speed in your swing.

5. Hill sprints will strengthen the muscles in your lower legs… perfect for push-off power in your down swing.

6. Sprinting up hills will strengthen your core and trunk. These muscles are essential for the twisting motion of your golf swing.

7. Hill sprints will increase your stamina and endurance. Most golfers see a major decline around hole 13 due to a lack of endurance. Better stamina will improve your consistency on that back 9. Increased stamina will also help you stay consistent in your putting – fatigue can lead to the loss of fundamentals.

Hey, I found even more links between hill sprinting and golf than I originally thought of… again, goes to show you that working out using the right kinds of exercises will transfer to almost any activity that you want to improve in.

What are the Best Golf Exercises for Your Golf Fitness Program and Golf Training Program

Golf exercises within a comprehensive golf fitness program can improve the fundamentals of your golf swing. These types of golf exercises within a golf training program can benefit golfers of any age. The problem many golfers face is determining what are the best golf exercises to place within their golf fitness training program. We are well aware that many professionals on the PGA Tour today implement golf fitness training into their programs. It is without question a part of what many professionals utilize to improve their golf game. The questions I often get is; what are the best golf fitness exercises for the amateur?

Before providing a set of exercises to utilize in the improvement of your game. We must first understand what comprises the golf swing from a biomechanical perspective. It is a functional athletic movement, utilizing the entire body in the execution of it. It is a “feet to fingertips” movement incorporating the entire body.

In order to execute the swing correctly specific physical parameters are required of the body. Basically to perform each phase of it efficiently and effectively certain levels of flexibility, balance, muscular strength, endurance, and power are required. If the body is lacking in any of these categories the execution of the golf swing will be hampered.

Knowing these factors about the golf swing provides us the background required to determine the best exercises for golf. In general the ideal exercises for golf will develop these physical parameters of the body to enhance your game.

For example, the ideal fitness program would entail flexibility exercises to improve the ranges of motion in the joint of your body. This would enhance your ability to draw the golf club through the long ranges of motion required of the swing. One such exercise I often recommend for this section of a golf fitness program is Rotators.

The second set of exercises within such a program would focus on balance. The golf swing requires balance in order to develop tempo and execute each phase of the swing. Specific exercises such as Airplane Rotations can improve the ability of your body to balance within the biomechanics of the swing.

Finally, a series of exercises to improve the strength, endurance, and power of your muscles would be a part of such a program. These exercises would improve the ability of your muscles to maintain a fixed spine angle, create rotation, decrease muscular fatigued, and finally develop more power. Numerous exercises can be incorporated into this section of the program. Some of my favorites are Seated Russian Twists, Medicine Ball Chops, and Tubing Rotations.

To summarize, the best golf exercises within your golf fitness program develop the physical parameters of the body for the golf swing. These types of golf exercises will enhance your ability to execute the golf swing correctly and improve your current golf game.

Sean Cochran is one of the most recognized golf fitness instructors in the world today. He travels the PGA Tour regularly working with professional golfers, most notable PGA and Masters Champion Phil Mickelson. To learn more about Sean Cochran and his golf fitness exercises and training programs go to http://www.seancochran.com

Golf Fitness Exercises to Warm Up Five Minutes Before Your Round of Golf

Golf fitness exercises can be very beneficial as part of your warm up before a round of golf. Especially on those days when you are tight on time. If you rushing to get to the golf course for your weekly round of golf, or struggling to warm-up for your round of golf when you only have 5 minutes to spare. The implementation of some golf fitness stretches could be just what you need before heading to the first tee.

It is well known that in every professional sport athletes perform a series of flexibility exercises and drills to prepare them to play a game. The game of golf is no different. Unseen to the general public, many PGA Tour players perform a series of golf flexibility exercises to prepare them to play golf. It is done prior to hitting the driving range or putting green. It is a process of getting the muscles and joints of body ready to swing a golf club. Most every golfer on the planet understands the benefit of a warm-up program to get the body ready to play golf or any sport for that matter. Unfortunately for us the time required to perform a comprehensive golf warm-up program with golf flexibility exercises is not reasonable. Not reasonable because of time restrictions on our busy lives.

For example, we set our tee time for Friday at 1:30. Our plan when we leave the house in the morning is “I will get to course at 1:00, hit a few putts, chip for 10 minutes, head to the range, and be at the first tee with a few minutes to spare”. Unfortunately, our plans sometimes do not play out as we intended.

We get stuck with a client on the phone, a conference call runs long, we get stuck in traffic. Whatever the case may be we are caught rushing to the golf course, getting to the course with 10 minutes to spare, jump out of the car, tying our golf shoes, get to the first tee with 5 minutes to spare, haven’t hit a shot or putted….Do I need to go on?
Probably not.

It is a situation that happens to us all, and I as am guilty of it as you. However as strong as I suggest performing a good warm-up, and putting yourself in the correct frame of mind for the round, life at times just does not allow us to do it.

What are we to do in such situations?

I first off would suggest not utilizing the “grip and rip it” motto if you get to the first tee without warming-up. I have seen this (myself included) lead to a myriad of problems from the get go.

I can remember a few years ago I took this approach and I think made a triple bogey on the first hole. My drive went left into the rough, second shot to the right, approach shot over the green into the bunker, bunker shot rolled 20 feet past the hole. Need I go on?

Let’s just say I learned my lesson. First and foremost if you are caught in this type of situation lets not panic. Let’s put a plan together to start the round out on the right foot and keep you in a positive frame of mind.

My first suggestion is not to rush and attempt to hit 3 putts, pull out driver take a few hacks, and then tee it up.

Lets take the 5 minutes we have and get the body warmed-up and ready to swing a golf club. How can we do this? Simply by putting together a series of golf stretches to “loosen” you up. Golf flexibility exercises will loosen the muscles and joints of your body. Preparing them to swing a golf club. They are simple to perform and can get your body and mind more ready to play than just a few practice swings with the driver. This will take a couple of minutes to perform, but it will help you get the body ready to swing the golf club.

Once we have got the body “loosened up” lets get the mind in the correct space. I have seen all too often the tempo of a swing is way out of whack when a golfer lacks the time to properly warm-up. Attempt to relax, take a few deep breaths, and get the body to slow down a little. This should definitely help create some better tempo in your swing from the start.

Also, take your time. Once it is your turn to hit, take a little extra time. Take a few extra practice swings, relax, find your tempo, and match your first swing to the tempo of your practice swing. This is a tip I learned from Dean Reinmuth (top 50 Golf Digest teaching pros).

If you are not comfortable over the ball, step away, take a series of practice swings until you find the “right” swing and then perform that same swing over the golf ball. It has done wonders for my game.

I would also suggest continuing to take extra time on every shot until you feel comfortable and have found your swing. This might not occur until the second or third hole, but it is okay. It allows you to relax, make a good swing, and make a good shot.

Finally, when you are rushed I think course management can really help. Think about it for a moment. Why not on the first tee pull out 3-wood instead of driver, even if it is a par five. Hit a nice shot into the fairway, lay-up, and play for par? Again, starting off with par or even bogey is a lot better than a double or triple, both for your scorecard and mental frame of mind.

So if you are rushing to the first tee to get your golf game going let’s review the protocol. First and foremost lets be smart and utilize the time we have at hand. Lets take the 5 minutes we have to warm-up the body for the golf swing. We will do this through the implementation of a series of golf flexibility exercises. These golf exercises will get your muscles and joints ready to swing a golf club. Once the body is ready the next step is taking your time. Take a few extra practice swings with the golf club. This will allow you to find the tempo of your golf swing. Finally lets be smart with our course management skills. Think about what is the best golf shot to make and play within ourselves until our body and mind is ready to go.

As stated previously, golf fitness exercises are an integral part of a warm up session for golf. Even if you are tight on time, a few minutes spent on a series of golf fitness stretches and golf exercises can greatly benefit your round of golf.

Sean Cochran is one of the most recognized golf fitness instructors in the world today. He travels the PGA Tour regularly working with PGA Professionals, most notably Masters and PGA Champion Phil Mickelson. To learn more about Sean Cochran, his golf fitness programs and golf exercises go to www.seancochran.com

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