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Golf fitness articles
Everything I've written on mobility, strength, power, back pain and nutrition for golfers. Pick whatever's costing you shots and start there.
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Two Kids at the Zoo [Easy Strength]
In the mind of many people. (Some 'Trainers' included.)
You need to be working at your absolute LIMIT in the gym to progress & improve.
This idea in itself can create FEAR and RESISTANCE to even starting a fitness program.
But it can also be a gateway to injury.
Is this causing your back pain …? (S-Posture)
It's the most common 'pain/injury' complaints of golfers. And it can be super-frustrating for those who suffer regular bouts of it …
It restricts your ability to practice and to play. To get the 'repetitions' in that you need to improve ...
You guessed it. It's lower back pain.
And one of those most common causes of lower back discomfort in golfers is the lower crossed syndrome or 'S-Posture'.
How do you measure up ...? (Golf Strength)
I didn't foresee this happening on the first day ...
And it definitely wasn't the start I wanted to make with a new group of exercise professionals ...
That first day was going pretty well.
Until I was singled out.
Assessed as having Female-Like Flexibility.
Respecting The One-Sided Nature Of Golf (Imbalance Injury)
All of this got me thinking hard about the one-sided nature of golf ...
The imbalances this produces, how it can restrict performance and how it could set you up for injury ...
Now we are not going to get too deep into the theory here ...
Because I just want to give the most useful 'nuggets' of golf fitness info I can ...
But if continuing to play golf (uninjured) for years to come is high on your list of priorities, then this one is for you ...
The "fitness" difference between the pros and amateurs
So last week I was driving to work listening to my favourite Golf Fitness podcast (of course, right!?) ...
Catching up on some 'golf fitness gossip'.
Checking in with what other Golf Fitness Professionals around the world are doing. What's working, what's not.
When I almost had to pull over and write this lesson down !!!
It was so profound and yet so simple.
A simple difference with far-reaching consequences ...
The question that was posed (and I'm sure we all want the answer):
"What do professional golfers do fitness-wise that is so different from your average amateur ..."
Keep reading to find out.
So How Would You Know …? (Golf Injuries)
So how would you know …?
If you are about to get injured playing golf …
The injury could be simply annoying.
Performance reducing / score increasing.
Or, I hate to say it, at worst an injury could be career ending.
But is there a way to predict it …?
He was in pain ...
He was definitely in pain …and it was affecting his golf.
Until recently ...
If you have been following the PGA Tour of late you may have seen Ryan Moore notch up another victory at the John Deere Classic ...
I didn't give that too much though initially ...
Until he gave credit to none other than his TPI Certified TRAINER ...
Brian Chandler.
The 'Stress Bucket' ...(and how it affects your golf ...)
Sometimes I don't feel like training at all ...
(Usually Mondays, haha)
Just cannot be bothered. Not feeling it ...not inspired ...
But, on those days, I try to do some "self-analysis".
Figure out what's going on. And what is the most effective way to proceed ...
When working with clients, I often use 'The Stress Bucket' analogy ...
To help them to read their own bodies and the signals they provide ...
I got ahead of myself ...again !!!
On Friday we chatted about the benefits of lifting weights for golfers.
Getting stronger was the theme ...
(As well as addressing media trepidation around the way modern golfers are training).
We encountered some great reasons for a golfer to go about getting strong in the right places ...
Reduced injury risk and more club-head speed were two of the biggies ...
However ...I got ahead of myself ...again ...!!
There's a CRUCIAL step or two that comes well before jumping under a 100kg back-squat for 3 reps ...
Should golfers lift weights ...?
You are probably aware of the Media v Golf Fitness battle that has flared at different times this year ...
In answer to my own subject line, Should golfers lift weights ...?, clearly, I give that a BIG YES.
And I'm just going to quickly summarise a few points from Dr Greg Rose's new article on the TPI site as to WHY I believe its important...
He almost gave up the game ...
When I met Ray, he was in a pretty dark place.
Frustrated is an understatement ...
Putting words in Ray's mouth, I think he felt like his body was 'giving up' on him and his Golf Goals.
And he was almost ready to quit.
Insights from a footy-head (surprising !!!)
Normally I wouldn't count on the Channel 7 Saturday Night Footy Commentary Team to be providing me with Golf Fitness Lessons ...
In all honesty, they generally do my head in ...
Weight Loss for Golf - a lesson from The Three Little Pigs
Every day, with everything that goes into your mouth, you are building your 'house' (your body).
Your body takes the food and drink that you put into it, and builds a new body ...
You are what you eat. Literally.