Health Habit Building Tips to Improve Your Golf Game: #4 - Strengthen Your Glutes

In May 2013, Golf Digest published a great article describing a 42 point, six week get fit planhttp://www.golfdigest.com/magazine/2013-05/get-fit-six-week-plan.

We’re expanding on the points and adding insights and perspectives. The list was authored by Ben Shear, who trains many of the game's top players, including Luke Donald, Jason Day and Webb Simpson. Embrace his suggestions, and it won't be long before you look better, feel better and, yes, play better golf.

Strengthen the most important muscles in the golf swing: your glutes (buttocks).

We can strengthen the glutes with basic techniques that are relatively simple and accessible to everyone. Doing movements with just our body weight can make a significant impact on both glute development and cardio health if done with enough duration and intensity. Adding resistance, even in small amounts will increase strength and performance to higher levels which will enable more powerful and consistent swing posture and performance. The glutes are engaged when we address the ball prior to the swing and throughout the backswing, downswing, and follow through. They provide a stable foundation for golf and for normal life activities.

Good movements that can strengthen the glutes include:

• Squat variations: Squatting is a normal, natural movement that we sue when we sit or when we pick up objects off the ground, body-weight squats, squats holding dumbbells or kettelbells, and weighted bar squats will all increase strength of the glutes. Maintaining proper form enables us to perform the movements safely and efficiently.

• Kettlebell swings: Kettlebell swings will strengthen glutes, grip, back, and shoulders and can simultaneously improve cardio endurance.

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• Good mornings: Good mornings can be done with bodyweight alone or holding a dumb bell or kettlebell for resistance.

• Deadlifts: A natural movement required for picking up items from the ground. Learn good form before using weight.

• Walking: Basic human transportation. Walk fast and often, great for the glutes.

• Sprinting: Occasionally up the intensity of your walking. Intensity improves effectiveness.

• Stairclimbing: Skip the elevator, walk more stairs, strengthen the glutes, improve your golf game.

Do all of these in order to provide various stresses to your body and strengthen your glutes. But remember, Pound for pound, squatting is the best bang for your buck strength exercise. Squatting makes us stronger by working different large muscle groups. The primary groups include the body movers – the quads, hamstrings, and glutes. In addition, the muscle of our “core” must stabilize the torso and maintain a neutral spine while supporting the load during the movement. The squat is a complex movement that forces coordinated work and the body grows stronger as a unit.

Next we’ll discuss the importance of posture. Let us know your thoughts about strengthening the glutes, water, walking, and sleeping.

Healthy Habit Building Tips to Improve Your Golf Game: #3 - Sleep

In May 2013, Golf Digest published a great article describing a 42 point, six week get fit plan – Click Here to see the Golf Digest plan.

We’re expanding on the points and adding insights and perspectives. The list was authored by Ben Shear, who trains many of the game’s top players, including Luke Donald, Jason Day and Webb Simpson. Embrace his suggestions, and it won’t be long before you look better, feel better and, yes, play better golf.

“Write down how much you sleep each day. Your goal is 60 hours a week.”

Wow, that’s a stretch goal for most of us! Between managing a busy work schedule, balancing family life, getting enough exercise, and practicing our golf game, fitting in 8 and a half hours per night seems practically impossible. A key point to remember here is that sleep is important. Sleep is key, essential, and absolutely downright necessary for our basic physiological operations. Sleep supports our neurological performance, endocrine balance, immune system functioning, and musculoskeletal growth and repair. Our bodies release human growth hormone (HGH)during sleep which is an essential player in cellular regeneration.

Like most aspects of health and fitness, the need for sleep varies by individual. Some of us fall into the range of the seven-eight hours and others of us can’t get by without nine or ten. A few mutants among us hit our optimum with only six or so hours of shut eye but these are truly very rare indeed. Much of our differing sleep needs is determined by age. Babies need the most, while adults require the least. Older adults actually need as much sleep as other adults, in contrast to popular belief. Although sleep patterns become more fragmented as we age, we still need more than we typically get. Sleep still enables critical hormonal secretion (like growth hormone) necessary for healthy aging. One study in particular linked solid sleep with higher levels of testosterone in older men.

Most of us with busy schedules and extreme demands on our time will benefit from more sleep. If you’re not getting 8-8.5 hours per night, make an effort to get 30 minutes more every night for a week and see if you feel differently by the end of the week and see if it impacts your golf game that week. Other suggestions to help you get better sleep include:

Eat a light dinner: lighten up on the size of dinner to help get a deeper sleep

Have a glass of wine: One glass will help you relax and release the day’s pressures. More than one can be detrimental and cause intermittent sleep which will defeat the purpose.

Handful of nuts: eating a few nuts before bed can help you get to sleep faster due to the nutrients they contain.

Write out the reflections of the day: Take a few minutes to write out the accomplishments, tasks, worries, andpressing concerns of the day. In many cases you can arrive at solutions if you don’t try to consciously force them.Recording them before bed will enable your sleeping mind do the work for you and you will be ready to tackle the list refreshed in the morning.

Watch or read briefly: Reading is overall better for your mind than watching television but sometimes intentionally doing something mindless can help you relax. Periodically, perhaps watching a movie can help your sleep. However, if reading helps you fall asleep, then read before bed.

Sleep is good for your health, your life, and your golf game. Develop a strategy for getting more sleep and improving the quality of your sleep. Try to increase the amount of sleep you get for a week and feel the difference for yourself.

http://www.golfdigest.com/magazine/2014-05/improving-your-sleep-ron-kaspriske

Healthy Habit Building Tips to Improve Your Golf Game: #2 - Walk

In May 2013, Golf Digest published a great article describing a 42 point, six week get fit plan – Click Here to see Golf Digest’s plan.

We’re expanding on the points and adding insights and perspectives. The list was authored by Ben Shear, who trains many of the game’s top players, including Luke Donald, Jason Day and Webb Simpson. Embrace his suggestions, and it won’t be long before you look better, feel better and, yes, play better golf.

“Walk. Walk more rounds. Walk to work. Walk to the store. Walk around the block. Walk the dog. Stand up from reading this right now and walk.”

Walking is a great, practical, functional way to build fitness. Man has been walking for millions of years. It was our only source of transportation for most of those years so we are built and well suited for the task. Walking is an essential human activity that has served us well since our ancestors got up on two feet. People in ancient (and some modern) cultures would spend many hours each day walking to get where they wanted to go. The modern advances in transportation technology and digital communication have reduced the amount of walking that we are required to do in our everyday lives so we should make a point to walk more.

Walking is easy, any healthy person can do and some that are not so healthy. Walk with your children, walk with your spouse, walk your dog, walk with your parents or even your grandparents. Enjoy the companionship of a brisk walk and talk. Those that suffer from arthritis can walk and can benefit from walking. Walking is an activity we can do when suffering from back problems and it can help with injury recovery. The elderly can walk and it can help with maintaining balance skills.

Walking is fun. Walking can help us see the work around us in a different way. We can walk places that cars can’t go. Take a walk on a trail through the woods, up a mountain through a forest, along the shore of the ocean or a lake. Enjoy a walk by clearing your mind and experiencing the sights, sounds, and smells of the moment. If you can’t spare 10, 20, or 30 minutes (you should really examine your priorities), take your team with you and have a walking meeting – in a courtyard, out to lunch, or around the parking lot.

We have all the equipment we need. Look down at the ground. You already have the feet which have evolved into effective walking tools over millions of years. At most, you’ll only need a new pair of shoes. You also have the internal predisposition (genetics) for walking as a primary source of transportation.

Walking is a foundation of good health and fitness. It can help reduce body fat. It can improve and manage our “numbers” such as blood glucose and triglyceride levels in the blood. Walking can help elevate our mood and we can mediate while walking to clear the mind and stimulate the brain. We can use walk time as think time to develop new ideas or simply relax and let built up stress fade away.

Walking can have a significant positive impact on your health and you don’t need to spend 10 hours a week doing it. Most scientific studies showing the benefits have people walk for ten, fifteen, thirty minutes at a time. Click Here to read more on the benefits of walking.

You can find that much time each day. Walk a little farther at lunch. Park in the farthest space rather than searching and waiting for the closest space to the door. Take a quick trip around the block with the dog when you get home, she will love it and you will too. You can do it and you will thank yourself when you do.

Healthy Habit Building Tips to Improve Your Golf Game: #1 - Hydration

In May 2013, Golf Digest published a great article describing a 42 point, six week get fit plan. Click here to see the Golf Digest plan.

We’ll be expanding on the points and adding insights and perspectives. The list was authored by Ben Shear, who trains many of the game’s top players, including Luke Donald, Jason Day and Webb Simpson. He says, “Being “fit” can mean a lot of things. It can be anything from having your best blood-pressure reading in a decade to being able to slip into a decommissioned pair of jeans again. When he says “get fit,” what he really means is get fitter.” Embrace his suggestions, and it won’t be long before you look better, feel better and, yes, play better golf.

“Drink more water. A lot more. That’s still not enough.”

Our individual need for water depends on numerous factors. Activity level, body size, environment (humidity level and altitude, most significantly), quality of health, age, and pregnancy/breastfeeding impose the most legitimate variations. In general, we want to replace the fluids we lose in a day, and intensive activity (with its accompanying sweat) will increase the amount of fluid we need. For prolonged, intensive exercise and/or significant water intake, it’s essential to balance salt/electrolytes with water. So playing golf on a hot, humid day may significantly increase the amount of water we need.

Remember that daily water consumption includes water that our bodies extract from other sources such as coffee, tea, soft drinks, beer, and food. That’s right, scientific research does provide evidence that other beverages and foods do contribute to our overall water intake. Even beer can have a positive impact when used in moderation. Conventional Wisdom says that these are diuretics and therefore only increase your requirement for pure water. Of course, that’s not entirely accurate, because coffee, tea, soft drinks and alcoholic beverages do actually add to water intake rather than detract from it. Alcohol and caffeine only become significantly diuretic in very large and otherwise dangerous amounts. Click here for Mark Sisson’s take on water consumption – MD Apple.

That said, water is the best liquid that we can consume to promote adequate hydration.

Fruits and vegetables are very good water sources as well and they can also provide on course energy during a round, especially for the important finishing holes. An apple, pear, or handful of grapes does contribute to your water consumption and will elevate blood sugar for the final holes. That sports drink which also includes salts or electrolytes is not recommended and should be discouraged but can also help during the latter stages of the round if the drink cart is not equipped with fruit.

From an overall health perspective, drink mostly water. Consume fruits and vegetables as a supplemental water source. Coffee, tea, and other beverages also contribute to water intake but don’t consider them your primary sources of water. How much water do we really need? Definitely drink water when you’re thirsty. Our thirst instinct tells us when we need to drink more water. It has been functioning for millions of years and research indicates that we are not already dehydrated when we feel thirsty. We couldn’t have survived as a species for so long if we experienced thirst “too late”. If you’re playing golf on a hot, sunny day, drink plenty of water and other fluids and consume fruits to help you stay healthy and play your best. To explore the research in more detail click here. PDF link

Golf Swing Conditioning and Habit Building - Backswing

Explosive Golf, Using the Science of Kinesiology to Improve Your Swing is a book by Dr. Michael Yessis that demonstrates ways to enhance your physical approach and understanding of swing mechanics though golf focused training movement.  Try incorporating these routines with your functional fitness work as prescribed by ep golf and build your golf foundation for performance improvement.

Changing or creating habits is not simple or easy.  Forget the 21 day myth.  Scientific research indicates an average of closer to 65 days, more or less depending on the person, the activity, and the frequency of engaging in the behavior.  Off course in the morning or evening, is a great opportunity for building or maintaining habits for a strong foundation of golf fundamentals which will lead to lower scores and fewer golf related injuries.

Backswing – an effective backswing plays an important role in delivering explosive power in the downswing.  When a muscle is actively stretched, it will in turn contract with greater force.  In golf, the muscles involved in the downswing are placed in a stretched position during the backswing.  Increasing flexibility and strength of the muscles involved in the backswing will enable greater trunk and arm movement and increase the distance over which you can generate power during the downswing.

Increasing flexibility and strengthening the muscles involved in the backswing will improve your ability to achieve a full wind up of the trunk and full range shoulder turn.  The greater the coil effect of the backswing, the greater distance over which you can generate power during the downswing.  Shoulder rotation, wrist flexion, arm coiling (across chest), and hip turn all contribute to an effective back swing that prepares the golfer to release the energy required for a powerful shot.

Shoulder or trunk rotation to the rear is an important action in the backswing.  The movement involves low back muscles whose strength, along with midsection flexibility, determines the amount of shoulder rotation you can attain.

• Shoulder Twist (see video below) A simple movement to strengthen the lower back and develop midsection flexibility is the shoulder twist which can be accomplished with a pole or bar across the shoulders or simply with outstretched arms.  Note: using only outstretched arms will not produce the same level of stretch to the midsection.

• Back Raise with a Twist (see video below) An extremely effective exercise which adds the resistance of gravity.  Use a balance ball to adjust angles for difficulty and add the element of balance and stability to the movement.

• Wrist Cock (see video below) Increases the rearward distance that the club head travels during the backswing.  Use a weighted handle or simply grip a club for the movement, the closer you grip to the end of the club will increase resistance.

• Left Shoulder Joint Active Stretch (see video below) The left arm should be close to the chest for maximum coiling and compactness of the backswing.   A tight coiling action prepares the muscles to pull the left arm down and across explosively in the downswing.

• Static Right Hip Builder (see video below) The right leg must remain stable during the backswing to prevent lateral weight shift to the rear and to ensure tight coiling of the trunk around the right leg.

Make this backswing series one of your weekly routines.  Do multiple sets if you have the time and capacity.  If you have adequate space in your workout area, take some slow backswings with a club after your strengthening drills as you cool down.  Visualize a full turn and tight coil that is preparing you to launch a powerful stroke toward your target.

Golf Swing Conditioning and Habit Building - Stance

Explosive Golf, Using the Science of Kinesiology to Improve Your Swing is a book by Dr. Michael Yessis that demonstrates ways to enhance your physical approach and understanding of swing mechanics though golf focused training movement. Try incorporating these routines with your functional fitness work as prescribed by ep golf and build your golf foundation for performance improvement.

Changing or creating habits is not simple or easy. Off course in the morning or evening, is a great opportunity for building or maintaining habits for a strong foundation of golf fundamentals which will lead to lower scores and fewer golf related injuries. A combination of general activities for overall body conditioning which strengthen basic muscle groups to increase functional potential and specialized activities that mimic swing movements and actions are keys to improving the golf swing.

Most days, when you arrive home from work (or before you leave if that works better for you), engage in movement activities that will improve your conditioning and improve your game. Activities that will improve the proficiency of your stance, backswing, downswing, and follow through can be mixed or you can focus on one aspect of the swing during each session. Each element is important and each builds upon its predecessor to create a great swing.

Stance – The golf stance refers to the both the body position at address and body position during the swing. When hitting the ball on non-level surfaces, different types of terrain, under tree branches and in heavy rough, you must usually make modifications to the swing. Maintaining a stable position during execution of the swing is a key element to smooth, well-coordinated body actions. Achieving a stable body position with normal spinal curvature when you rotate the hips and shoulders during the golf swing is one of the keys to hitting more accurate and powerful shots in addition to prevention of back injuries.

Relatively strong quadriceps muscles (front of the thigh) and hamstrings (back of the thigh) help maintain a stable lower body during all phases of the golf swing. They also help maintain level hips during weight shift and hip rotation. The knees, hips, and ankles are all involved in maintaining a balanced position with body weight slightly lowered and centered over the feet. The back squat and delay squat are great movements for enabling us to assume and maintain an effective golf stance.

• Basic Squat: (see video below) Start without any external resistance until you have mastered the movement and can perform at least 25 consecutive repetitions without weight or resistance.
  
• Delay Squat: (see video below) During the golf swing, the leg muscles must remain under static contraction to hold a steady position. The delay squat helps develop the muscles involved in maintaining the static posture required.

• Good Morning: (see video below) Strong hip extensors and lower back muscles are required to maintain the proper trunk position and spinal curvature, both at address and during the swing. The good morning helps develop the muscles responsible for achieving proper and safe curvature of the spine during the swing.

Do these simple movements several times per week. Don’t just go through the movements like a chore. Visualize yourself at address and making a balanced swing from different lies. Play the game in your mind while building a solid stance. Establish a habit of regular golf development and watch your scores come down.

Golf Swing Conditioning and Habit Building - Introduction

Changing or creating habits is not simple or easy. If it were, we would never shank an iron or “peek” at the line before completing our putting stroke, we wouldn’t overeat and would all be thin, and we would all be up early enough to eat a healthy breakfast before work.

The commonly recited 21 day rule for forming or breaking habits is a myth. For most people, breaking and refraining from a bad habit is a lifetime effort, compounded by the fact that our brains form strong associations between activities and their context which never go away. No apparent scientific reason has been established which indicates it should take three weeks to break an old habit or make a new one. Depending on your unique goals, physical, and psychological profile and the activity/habit you which to establish or break, it could take three weeks, it could take five days, or it could take nine months.

Research shows that habits are formed through a process called ‘context-dependent repetition’. For example, imagine that, when you get home each evening, you do a simple exercise. When you first exercise upon getting home, a mental link is formed between the context (getting home) and your response to that context (exercise). Each time you subsequently exercise in response to getting home, this link strengthens, to the point that getting home comes to prompt you to exercise automatically, without giving it much prior thought; a habit has formed.

Habits are mentally efficient: the automation of frequent behaviors allows us to conserve the mental resources that we would otherwise use to monitor and control these behaviors, and deploy them on more difficult or novel tasks. Habits are likely to persist over time; because they are automatic and so do not rely on conscious thought, memory or willpower. We ultimately want to capitalize on this phenomenon of the mental links associated with ‘habits’ in establishing and sustaining our desired behaviors.

If one of your golf game goals is to increase your driving and iron shot distance and accuracy, start with these steps to increase your chances of success:

• Take small steps and build up gradually. Instead of “I’m going to exercise every single day,” start with “I’m going to do some type of simple exercise at least twice a week right when I get home.”
  

• Only try to change one habit at a time. (Instead of “I’m going to quit eating all junk food, start exercising, and go to sleep at 10 p.m. instead of 2 a.m.,” start with “I’m going to walk (weather permitting or do a golf exercise when I get home from work.”)
  

• Write down the habit you want to change, and write down specific plans for achieving that goal. Rather than writing “I will exercise,” write, “I will start walking or doing a simple golf exercise 30 minutes twice a week when I arrive home from work.”
  

• Repeat the behavior you’re aiming for as often as you can. The more a behavior is repeated, the more likely it is that it will become “instinctive.”
  

In the coming weeks, we will outline groups of both general and golf specific movements that you can do to improve your overall golf game and conditioning.