18SP 020: Golf Fitness Misconceptions and Takeaway Lessons from 2014

Today’s episode (the 20th episode!) of the 18STRONG Podcast is a little different than the past 19.  In this one it JUST ME!

It’s been an incredible journey so far, and I am truly honored to have had such great guests on up to this point.

In the past 19 interviews and simply working in the fitness/medical world over the last 12+ years, I have come to the conclusion that there are many misconceptions floating around golf fitness that the general public is not aware of. Or maybe they just don’t care to take the time to learn about these topics in regards to improving their health, performance, and lifestyles.

So I decided that as a way to recap all that we’ve had in 2014 and to kick off 2015, this episode would be dedicated to some of the biggest misconceptions and lessons that I have learned over the years and through my most recent interviews.

The Misconceptions and Takeaway Lessons

In this episode I cover these 5 main topics:

1. Flexibility
2. Fat Loss tactics
3. Getting in “golf shape”
4. The Mental Game
5. Recovery

All of these are topics that are, or need to be, discussed with every golfer’s fitness plan.  In my experience, however, I’ve seen many mistakes being made when individuals attempt engaging in these areas.

Thanks to some of the clarity that our previous guests have brought to the show, I wanted to try to clear some of these things up.  So to get all of the details from this episode, be sure to listen by either clicking on the play button in the audio player above, or by downloading episode #020 in iTunes.

Here is a bit of a detailed outline and some appropriate links from the show:

Flexibility

• Mobility vs Stability
• Dynamic stretching vs Static Stretching
• When should you stretch and How?
• Corrective exercises: Each stretch should have a purpose.  Don’t just stretch to be stretching.
• Ankle mobility test (dorsiflexion)- In a half kneeling position, place your foot 5 inches away from the wall (toes facing wall) and try to press your knee forward to reach the wall without lifting your heel from the ground.

  

• Movement First: if you can’t move through a motion without weight, you first have to try correcting the dysfunction before loading
• Related Podcast episodes: #018 Brian Bradley, #10 Nick Mueller
• Related articles: Mobility vs Stability

Fat Loss

• I describe my story about my “fat phase” last year and how I was able to quickly get rid of the goo and get leaner than I had been in a long time in just 3 months.
• Cardio:
  • Not nearly as important for fat loss as you might think
  • Instead of long cardio sessions, switch to short, high intensity bursts
• Lifting weights:
  • Has MORE of a fat burning capability than most realize
  • Stimulates the body to burn more fat than cardio
  • Saves time because you don’t have to do both (strength train and cardio)
  • Increases lean muscle mass which also increases the body’s ability to burn fat
• Diet and Nutrition:
  • This is the secret sauce for fat loss
  • You don’t have to go crazy with it, just make changes and eat the right stuff in moderation
  • The basics:
    • Not enough protein
    • Not enough good fats
    • Too much processed food
    • To many starchy carbs/grains
    • Not enough real veggies
  • The biggest challenge of eating right is preparing it and having a plan.
• Related Podcasts: #004 Mark Smith,  #017 Michael Manavian
• Related Articles: Fat Loss

Getting in “Golf Shape”

• A fitness program should not just be exercises that look like a golf swing
• Golf is a powerful and explosive sport
• Need to work on speed, strength, balance, and control
• Keys to getting stronger for your golf game:
  • Move heavy things in your workout
  • Move fast and explosively (with a purpose)
  • Balance out any weak areas
  • Prevent injuries
  • Exhaust the system every now and then to prep for fatigue
• Golf techniques are not learned in the gym or in a workout, that s learned on the practice tee with a professional
• Any sport specific drill/technique based practice should be done in a setting that is as close to “game-like” as possible

The Mental Game

• I am fascinated by the mental coaching side of the game
• My background in psychology makes me very interested in how people think and perform under pressure
• We tend to get in our own way when we are out on the course
• Revisit Dr. McCabe’s discussion on getting rid of expectations
• Revisit Dr. Ellen Reed’s advice on visualization and breathing
• Related podcast episodes: #006 Dr. Bhrett McCabe, #013 Dr. Ellen Reed

Recovery

• This is one of the most overlooked pieces of the puzzle for performance, fat loss, strength gain, etc.
• Our future guest Shawn Stevenson wrote the book “Sleep Smarter” which covers a lot of the important topics of recovery, which include:
  • muscle recovery
  • weight loss
  • brain function
  • hormone efficiency
• Recovery is important during your workouts too!
• Overtraining has become a very common problem in some of the high intensity workouts of present, which often leads to injury

In closing, there are a lot of misconceptions in the fitness world.  Many of them stem from simply following what we “used to do.”  It is your job to seek out better information the allow yourself to improve on a daily basis.

Hopefully you found this episode insightful and entertaining.  Thanks for listening!