Getting Fit for Golf

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The seasons are shifting and warmer weather is fast approaching so it is time to dust off your clubs and prepare yourself to ìget fit for golfî. Golf specific fitness is comprised of six main components: balance, flexibility, core strength, muscular endurance, power, and cardiovascular endurance. Development in each of these areas will help improve your golf game and decrease the likelihood of a golf-related injury.

Balance is the first key component of a golf specific fitness program. Throughout our daily activities we become right or left side dominant where one side of the body becomes stronger than the other unless specific exercises that require equal strength and coordination are practiced on a regular basis. This side-dominance can lead to anatomical changes over time where certain structures shorten and others lengthen. A body that is unbalanced will typically exhibit faulty movement patterns therefore increasing the susceptibility to injury.

Flexibility is another crucial component of golf specific fitness as tremendous forces are placed on the shoulders, spine, and hips during the golf swing. Adequate flexibility allows those forces to travel through the body into the club head and finally through the ball. A lack of flexibility causes the force of the swing to remain trapped in the body altering the swing and potentially causing injury. Stretches that address all major muscle groups (neck, shoulders, chest, back, hip flexors, hip extensors, and calves) should be performed on a daily basis.

Golf is a sport that requires a great amount of core strength in order to play competitively and safely. The core musculature (abdominals, gluteals, hip flexors, and spinal extensors) must all share the load of stabilizing the body during the golf swing. These muscles must also be able to contract in the correct sequence to maximize power and control during all components of the swing. A strong core acts as an anchor from which the extremities can move more efficiently. Some basic core exercises include pushups, pull-ups, body weight squats, lunges, rotational exercises and hip bridges.

Every golfer needs to have sufficient muscular endurance in order to resist fatigue and continue to exhibit good technique from the first tee to the 18th green. Poor swing mechanics as a result of muscular fatigue can cause technique to degrade, increasing the likelihood of injury and affecting your performance. Your fitness program should include exercises that focus on muscular endurance (low weight, high repetitions) for all major muscle groups.

Another component of golf specific fitness is power. Power is defined as force multiplied by velocity. Strength will help you drive the ball, but power will help you drive the ball farther. Once you have developed an adequate amount of muscular strength and endurance the addition of speed work to some of your exercise program will help you put more power behind your swing.

Cardiovascular endurance is also important as the body must be efficient at delivering oxygen and nutrients to working muscles throughout the entire game or it will be forced to slow down. Just as muscular fatigue can be detrimental, cardiovascular fatigue can also lead to poor performance on the course.

A golf specific fitness program will allow you to play golf better and longer, reduce the risk of injury and ultimately improve your game and your life.

Empower’s Get Fit for Golf Clinic starts next Tuesday!

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Get Fit For Golf!

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The weather is changing and the clubs are now ready to come out of hibernation. The only question is whether or not your swing is ready? Empower is here to help, even if you are already taking golf lessons. Empowerís Get Fit for Golf Clinic can help you improve your body specifically for the game. This will not be the culmination of general golf exercises you could get anywhere but instead a 4 part clinic that will help you better understand the swing and target your individual needs. Specifically, we will focus on all things relating to improving your golf performance.

Often overlooked by many golfers is the importance of stability throughout the entire body for generating consistent power and accuracy. In the first session, we will begin addressing these issues through postural analysis and preparatory exercises that will help you before every round you play. Session two will expand on these concepts by integrating mobility and strength training in order to improve energy transfer to the ball. The importance of coordinating movement for efficient power utilization is addressed in session three. Conditioning drills will also be incorporated to help you resist fatigue and stay consistent on the back nine. Finally, the fourth session will focus on how you can specifically continue to progress your game while reaffirming your understanding of exercises taught in previous sessions.

The clinic starts 6:30pm, April 5^th at the studio.

Chris Lathrop

BS, ACE-CPT, Personal Trainer

Chris is a Certified Personal Trainer through (ACE) the American Council on Exercise. In 2010 he received a Bachelorís degree from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, majoring in Kinesiology with a concentration in Fitness Leadership. He spent his senior year working with individuals suffering from chronic back pain and studied the effects of strength training on Parkinsonís disease for his capstone project.Before joining the Empower team, Chris gained extensive practical knowledge prescribing exercise to adults over 50 in the UNCG HOPE (Helping Older Participants Exercise) Program as well as training a variety of individuals at DownTown Fitness in Greensboro. His diverse experiences have given him a greater understanding of the ever evolving dynamic between our physical and psychological selves. These experiences have led Chris to use a variety of different approaches to help clients stay active and reach their goals.

Yoga for Golfers

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Yoga stretch for rotation

Yoga for golf is by far the best method of increasing your flexibility and staying loose. There aren’t many better feelings than making smooth, unrestricted golf swings are there?! Using yoga will make your entire body respond effortlessly to the demands of your golf swing and keep you loose throughout your round. It is one of the fastest growing areas of fitness in golf today.

Staying flexible and loose is an issue for golfers of all ages. This is why yoga and golf are perfect for each other. You can choose the level involvement of yoga stretches you wish to do. As we age our need for flexibility is arguably the #1 issue that affects oneís golf game.

Yoga allows you to maintain a suppleness in every area you choose to focus on. And what’s really great about yoga is the benefits to your mind as well. Perhaps no game is more wrought with mental hazards than golf. The sport introduces a constant struggle between the conscious mindóanalyzing, alert, logicalóand the subconscious mindóthe well of intuition and long-term memory. Though golf fundamentals like body stance and stroke are learned in the conscious mind, they are stored in the nether regions of the subconscious. This clash between subconscious and conscious mind presents an opportunity for the awakened athlete to override the mental strife created by the overanalyzing conscious mind and reach toward the wakeful, clear mind state accessible through the intuitive subconscious.

Golfers who don’t learn the nuances of the mental game of golf remain frustrated or give up before mastering the sport. Yet by incorporating elements of yoga practice, you can develop the mental discipline that golf demands.

So while you’re doing the right thing by improving your flexibility you are also gaining the side benefit of a peaceful state of mind. A true win win situation. From a mental game/peak performance coach’s perspective, this is the ultimate combination!

Come to an EMPOWER YOGA CLASS and see for yourself how it can benefit not only your golf game but your LIFE!

Anisha Desai

Empower Yoga

Get Fit for Golf!

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Summer is here and is in full ìswing.î For many of us, this means itís time to go and hit the linksif you can brave the sweltering heat and humidity that is!

A round of golf is a great way to spend a morning or late afternoon, and get away from the stress of the work week. However, many people find it quite a challenge to make improvements to their golf game. After all, it isnít quite so easy to ìput the ball in the hole,î as Happy Gilmore once famously stated. So if you feel this way when you play a round, one possible solution (other than lessons of course) is to give golf specific strength training a try.

Whether you are more or less a scratch golfer like myself, or if you are primed to hit the PGA tour, golf specific exercises can improve core stability, lower and upper body strength, flexibility, as well as balance. All of these components are vital in making consistent progress on the course. Check out this link for a great combination of moves that focus on improving power, mechanics, and flexibility (link). If youíre looking for a few of these exercises to do, just to get started, I highly recommend the golf squat, golf twist, power rotation w/clap, front and side leg swing, and window washers.

In any event, incorporating some of these exercises into your workout routine should help you to start hitting the course ready to make some birdiesor at least better your chances of staying out of the trees, water and/or sand.

Jamie Ives MA, CSCS, Master Trainer

Jamie has several years of experience in the fitness industry, working with clients of various ages, ability levels, and health conditions. He enjoys using his knowledge as well as his experience in exercise prescription and program design to help each of his clients reach their individual wellness goals and improve their quality of life. For more information about Empower Personal Training, please call (919) 401-8024.

Why Yoga’s Great for Men

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Well men, weíve got news for you. Yoga isnít a ladies-only thing like going to the bathroom in packs or opening store credit cards only to get 5 percent off the purchase. In fact, taking one yoga class per week or doing a couple of pre-workout poses can increase endurance, build strength, prevent injuries, and may even stave off heart disease. Men suffer from tightness, often in the hips, hamstrings and shoulders that can lead to injury and weakness. Over-training in one area can cause repetitive stress and other serious injuries. Men need both strength and flexibility. Yoga is a full body workout that provides both. Yoga can open and release menís tightest spots while strengthening the places that donít get a lot of attention (ie. low back and knees). Forward folds are an excellent place to start. We often have a hard time knowing when we are holding excess tension in our head, neck and shoulders, and that buildup of tension can create headaches, insomnia, poor circulation and decreased lung capacity. If you practice slow, steady breathing along with this pose, it can lower your blood pressure over time. Forward folds are a great warm up for any workout. If there is only one pose you can do, downward facing dog is the way to go. We often experience back pain due to chronic tightness in the hamstrings and hips. Itís also common for us to have very tight shoulders. Down Dog releases those areas, while building upper body strength. If you can do only one pose a day, start with Downward Dog. (See instructions below) Donít be discouraged if you think you arenít flexible enough. Yoga will improve your flexibility, but you do not need to be flexible to get started. Since yoga has been practiced by men for so long, many of the poses actually make more sense for a man’s body and some require a lot of upper body strength, which women often lack at first. So men, we know you love yogafor your girlfriend.but you might be surprised at how well it compliments your regular workout as well. Yoga brings the body back into balance, into its natural alignment. Yoga, with its full spectrum of poses – prone, supine, backward bending, and forward bending – can teach someone where imbalances and physical weaknesses are and can help strengthen the body. Yoga can help enhance an athlete’s performance in his sport by teaching how to breathe properly, how to relax and how to gain flexibility! So come and join me at Empower on Tuesdays and Thursdays and discover the secrets of yoga through your own experience.

Sign-up for a yoga class on-line

Downward-Facing Dog Pose

HOW TO DO: Downward-Facing Dog

Stretches feet, shoulders, hamstrings, and calves; strengthens arms, legs, and core

Start on your hands and knees with your feet and knees hip-width apart. Position your hands about shoulder-width apart, and spread your fingers wide. Pressing firmly through your hands, lift your knees off the floor and straighten your legs. (If you have tight hamstrings, a gentle bend in the knees is fine). Walk your hands forward a few inches, and walk your feet back a few inches to lengthen the pose. Squeeze your thighs as you press them toward the back wall. Press your heels back and down toward the floor (though they might not reach the floor). Relax your head and neck and let your shoulder blades slide down your back toward your feet. Set your gaze between your feet. Suck your stomach in and engage your core muscles. Breathe deeply. Hold for three minutes, rest, and repeat one more time.