Winter strength training...........

[nutzfourgolf]

Looking for routine(s) to incorporate

WRX's ;)

As a resident in the N.E. (Rochester, N.Y.) Fall is here and old man Winter is around the corner. We'll play golf here until there is snow on the ground. Last year I had a really good late winter at the gym. I get there at least 3x a week and treadmill/elliptical/ for cardio, and squat/seated leg press/ un assisted dips / un assisted pull ups / bench / curls / seated row / lat pull downs / upright rows / tricep pull downs / etc....

I found that my spring rounds and early summer rounds were more like mid season rounds - driver and iron game were really solid (putter still sucks). I'm looking for more of a defined strength training regime that is easily repeatable in the gym - maybe chest/arms one workout and back/shoulder another workout.

Please share whats out there that works.... Do you keep your workouts in excel and keep track? I've noticed that at age 42 I need to hit the gym to maintain the 35in waist and the muscle tone. I don't want to bulk just maintain my tone and wife's eye. Thanks in advance! - Kevin

[rosskoss]

I'm looking for one as well.

 

I've tried posting repeatedly about golf fitness here but very few people seem to be interested. In addition to a winter strength training routine, I'd be interested in some core training and stretching exercises as well.

[thatswhatshesaid]

The best thing you can do for fitness is stop searching for stuff on the internet and go see a personal trainer who can assess what YOU need. General recommendations might be a good starting point, but if you're serious about improving your fitness, seek someone out who can help you. Just make sure you find someone who knows what they're doing.

[lefty92]

The best thing you can do for fitness is stop searching for stuff on the internet and go see a personal trainer who can assess what YOU need. General recommendations might be a good starting point, but if you're serious about improving your fitness, seek someone out who can help you. Just make sure you find someone who knows what they're doing.

VERY true.

 

Luckily, I have a weight room & trainer available at my school, so I don't need to worry about that.

[ParkviewSounds]

lumberman "ax chops" is what my trainer calls them but they are very good for the core and the swing. these can be done two ways, and you need the rope hooked up to the upper level of the cable pull or the lower level.

 

standing sideways so that the rope is above your left side, reach across your body and grab the two ends with both hands, and keeping your arms straight pull from the top left side of your body across down to the lower right side of the body, kind of like chopping wood left handed. reverse and do your other side.

 

you can also do the same thing with the rope at the lower end of the cable tie. reaching from your lower left side and exploding up to your upper right side works your core really well too. just make sure to always keep your arms straight and really focus on using your core to generate power.

 

this may be hard to understand but i hope it helps. there are also some good two person core techniques that my trainer does for me that are good for the swing as well.

[againstthegrain]

For those of you looking for the magic exercise or routine to do over and over nobody replies because there is no such thing. Even if you hire a trainer you should be doing a different routine every session or you should hire another trainer. There are literally thousands of sources of info on the net some of which have been mentioned repeatedly on this board.

 

For the OP to progress from the basic bodybuilding you did last winter do some research on functional training.

 

 

From wikipedia:

 

Origins

 

"Functional training has its origins in rehabilitation. Physical therapists developed exercises that mimicked what patients did at home or work in order to return to their lives or jobs after an injury or surgery. Thus if a patient's job required repeatedly heavy lifting, rehabilitation would be targeted towards heavy lifting, if the patient were a parent of young children, it would be targeted towards moderate lifting and endurance, and if the patient were a marathon runner, training would be targeted towards re-building endurance.

 

 

 

 

"Functional training involves mainly weight bearing activities targeted at core muscles of the abdomen and lower back). Most fitness facilities have a variety of weight training machines which target and isolate specific muscles. As a result the movements do not necessarily bear any relationship to the movements people make in their regular activities or sports. Functional training attempts to adapt or develop exercises which allow individuals to perform the activities of daily life more easily and without injuries.[1]

 

[edit] Benefits

 

Functional training may lead to better muscular balance and joint stability, possibly impacting the number of injuries sustained and individual's performance in a sport. The benefits may arise from the use of training that emphasizes the body's natural ability to move in three anatomical planes of motion. In comparison, though machines can often be safer to use, they restrict movements to a single plane of motion, which is an unnatural form of movement for the body and may potentially lead to faulty movement patterns or injury.[2]

 

[edit] Functional training for sports

 

Many athletes equate strength training with bodybuilding; accordingly, individuals involved in endurance or flexibility-based sports do not strength train for fear of gaining too much bulk and losing flexibility, or mimic the training of bodybuilders without adapting workouts to their specific sports. As a result, training can lack the performance benefits that strength training could provide."

[spiersy07]

I am a director of a company in the UK call Golf-Fit (www.mygolf-fit.co.uk).Golf-Fit is the first golf fitness specific gym in the country. Originated by a Golf Professional and Golf Biomechanist, it has been designed to deliver all the fitness equipment and expertise requirements for a golfer training to improve their performance. Coordinating the skills of the golf pro and fitness instructor means all exercise is ‘swing’ specific, that is tailored to improve the golfer's swing alongside their general fitness.

 

We follow the TPI training module (www.MyTPI.com).The Titleist Performance Institute (TPI), California, is now the premier research and coaching facility for golf fitness in the world. TPI was created by Titleist to provide players with a total game learning experience, combining industry leading experts, state of the art technology, and world class facilities to enhance player’s performance.

 

If you are looking for a program go online where you can look through the comprehensive exercise progam and build a specific program for yourselves.

 

I use this and currently my handicap has come down to below 4, I am fitter, stronger and more flexible.

[Sam-Tee-Time]

I'd encourage you to buy a "Fitness Ball" or "Swiss Ball", one of those large rubber balls, and do some searches on the internet for various exercises you can do with it. It's great for CORE STRENGTH, which is very important for golf.

 

I'd also encourage you to signup for Titleist's My TPI (link below). It's FULL of great exercises, stretches, and workouts, all golf specific.

 

http://www.mytpi.com/

 

[glc3344]

Try going to the Titleist Performance Center.

 

www.mytpi.com its free to signup and you can see various exercises and routines thats the pros use.

 

woops SAM-TEE-TIME beat me to it

[RagingAardvark]

I say this every time: Mark Verstegen's Core Performance. Served me well for golf AND cycling, and general fitness (and surviving getting hit by a car). He has a golf-specific DVD if you only want to do work to improve your golfing, but it really is well-rounded. :good:

[ej002]

buy a medicine ball and throw that thing against a wall do twists etc... good for mimicking the golf swing. Seriously, I have been working with one and my stomach / legs / and back are sore. Much more than from doing sit ups or something.

[GolfFitPro]

As mentioned, mytpi.com and Mark Verstegen's product are both great.

 

For the winter, In a nutshell, I would say:

 

If you can't follow bodybugg's great advice about working with a trainer or at least having one assess you, you should do a self assessment to see where your weaknesses are first. Check out this article by Bill Hartman for more info on a self assessment.

http://www.golffitnessproducts.net/golf-fi...assessment.html

 

You can listen to an interview I did with Bill about the assessment here:

http://bettergolfwithfitnessblog.libsyn.co...?post_id=216875

 

Right now for the start of the off season, it's a great time to just get in shape. Stick with the basics. Bill wrote another article called "Foundation Fitness" that explains some of the basic moves you need to have in your program.

http://www.golffitnessproducts.net/foundat...ng-program.html

 

After 6-8 weeks, start on building strength for another 6-8 weeks. Add some weight, (something you can do 3-6 reps of) and just get strong.

 

The last off season phase, start to add power exercises as you get closer to the season. Incorporate med ball slams, overhead throws, and side throws, etc.

 

All the while you should be adding dynamic flexibility stretches in areas that are important for the golf swing and where your weaknesses are (remember the self assessment).

 

For more about program design, you can listen to Episode 4.5 of my podcast:

http://bettergolfwithfitnessblog.libsyn.co...?post_id=225174

 

Hope this helps.