The New Era of Golf Fitness
For many years, serious golfers eschewed strength training fearing it might tighten their muscles and inhibit their swings. In some respects they were correct. One example is Johnny Miller. At the height of his great career, he decided to spend his offseason chopping wood. Despite having flashes of brilliance, he was never the same. Some people speculated that he became too muscular and didn't have the same fluidity. His laser like iron shots of the past were not hit as close to the hole thereby putting too much pressure on his putting which eventually turned into a serious case of the yips.
Looking at today's best golfers you see beautifully sculptured bodies and no loss of skills. They have discovered that strength training is critical to performing at the highest level. They frequent gyms in the fitness trailers on tour, at hotels and in their own home gyms. They realize with strength training they can practice harder, have more energy at the end of a round and/or tournament, prevent injuries and hit the ball farther. What happened to change the culture of the non exercisers...flexibility training. As long as you stretch the precise muscles you traumatized during your workout, there is a good chance you will not feel any "Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS)" and the resulting stiffness. Without stretching, the micro traumas (created in the muscle fibers and fascia while strength training,) stiffen up and accumulate. Ultimately this leads to less function in the muscles, less distance and fatiguing sooner. Now, in addition to resistance/strength training, the best golfers in the world are stretching before and after playing and working out.
The key to safe, effective flexibility training is to never create pain in the act of stretching. Gentle tension is all you should feel. The same as stretching when you wake up in the morning or after a 3 hour ride in the car. It is the same stretching technique used by dogs, cats and little babies. We all do it the same way and we never hurt ourselves in the process. We move in space, to find, feel and release that which is tight or inhibited. It feels great. Men in particular are used to the old adage "no pain - no gain". Pain is a great tool to use as a guideline...if you feel any, you have gone too far. If you feel any pain you are creating more problems than you are solving. Think about it. Have you ever associated the word "pain" with anything good?
The next time we will discuss what creates club head speed and how to increase it. In the meantime continue your workouts but don't forget to gently stretch after.
Freddie Dolan is a personal trainer to athletes in all professional sports and is President of StretchMate, Inc. (www.stretchmate.net)
