Recreation Information

Article Navigation

Click Here for more articles

How to Implement Golf Fitness Exercises into Your Golf Swing Improvement Program

by: Sean Cochran

Over the last few weeks at BioForce Golf, we have had many questions about golf fitness exercises.

Questions such as: are these type of exercises beneficial to someone who has had a lower back injury, what are the best types of exercises to improve my clubhead speed, and what flexibility exercises can improve my back swing?

Through many of our free daily golf tips on our website, we have provided answers to these questions and many more. One area of golf fitness I get quite a few questions about revolves on how to implement golf exercises into a golf swing improvement program.

Many of the individuals who come to our site are not experts in �working out.� I�ve written my golf-specific exercise manual, YOUR BODY & YOUR SWING, to help you develop a program for yourself.

Probably one of the most-asked questions is: how do I go about introducing certain exercises into my golf fitness program?

At times, certain individuals are unable to perform an exercise in its basic form. They are either out of shape, suffering from an injury, or too stiff to perform it correctly. A Russian Twist may be too difficult for a beginner to execute correctly. It takes great core strength, endurance and flexibility to complete the exercise to the limit.

In this type of situation there are �baby steps� you can take in terms of implementing such exercises into your golf fitness program.

I like to call this the �position, movement, tolerance� training guideline. This is an easy methodology to follow in terms of implementing exercises into a training program.

We�ll use the Russian Twist exercise in my book, YOUR BODY & YOUR SWING, as an example.

When you are implementing a golf fitness exercise(s) into your golf swing improvement program, you must be able to place the body in the correct starting position of the exercise.

For example, if I were to have you perform a Russian Twist, first I would ask you to place your body in the correct position for the exercise. In this situation it would be knees slightly bent and placing your torso in a position where the �abs were turned on.�

Hold it Right There!

Just placing your body in the correct position for an exercise requires effort from the body. If you were able to place your body in the correct position, I would then ask you to �hold� this position for a certain amount of time. This would indicate you are strong enough to add movement to your golf fitness exercise.

On the other hand, if you were only able to hold the starting position of the Russian Twist for 15 seconds before your lower back started to bother you, this is an indicator to me that this is where we begin your golf fitness program. I would have you �hold� the start position of this golf exercise for a certain number of seconds and sets. This would, over a period of time, develop more strength and endurance in those golf muscles.

Once we have reached a good �hold� time on a golf exercise, we then progress to adding �movement� into the equation. Movement simply stands for range of motion (how much movement you can do). Every golf exercise has a certain range of motion you move through to get the greatest benefit for your golf game.

In the Russian Twist example, a full range of motion would be a full shoulder turn to the left and right of center. Again, at the beginning you may be unable to make a full shoulder turn. So what do we do? We slowly work on increasing the �movement� within the golf exercise until you are at a point of full range.

As with the idea of �position,� we do the same with the idea of �movement.� We gradually increase until you have achieved a full range of motion in the golf exercise. Once this is achieved, we move on to the final stage of implementing a golf-specific exercise.

The final stage of implementing any golf exercise into your golf swing improvement program is �tolerance.� Tolerance can be defined as performing the correct number of sets and repetitions of a golf exercise for it to be beneficial to your golf game.

No Pain, No Gain!

The idea of �no pain, no gain� does not work in this situation. Rather, you want to be able to perform a self-prescribed number of sets and reps of every golf exercise in your program. This prescribed amount of work is up to you, the individual golfer, and what you feel is best for your body.

Too little work will provide you no benefit. Too much work or following the �no pain, no gain� mind-set can increase the possibility of injury greatly.

You need to use your best judgment on every golf exercise in your program. This will allow you to perform each golf exercise with the correct technique, develop (maybe over time) the correct range of motion of each golf exercise in your program, and finally take each exercise to �your own level of tolerance.�

It is very easy to implement golf exercises into your golf swing improvement program. Follow the simple rule of �position, movement, tolerance,� and this should help you dramatically in the development of your golf fitness program.

Once you�ve mastered the exercises and routines in your current exercise program, you�ll be ready to take it to the next level, a more advanced program.

Sean Cochran

About the Author

Sean Cochran is one of the most recognized golf fitness instructors in the world today. He travels the PGA Tour regularly with 2005 PGA & 2004 Masters Champion Phil Mickelson. He has made many of his golf tips, golf instruction and golf swing improvement techniques available to amateur golfers on the website www.bioforcegolf.com. To contact Sean, you can email him at support@bioforcegolf.com.

This article is free for republishing

Read Articles:

There�s a Better Way to Improve Your Golf Game!

Unusual Baseball Statistics - I Love �em

Winged Fighters

Golf Specific Weight Training Don't Fear it

FACE the RISK, ESCAPE the INJURY

Underwater Photography: The Wonders Under The Sea

Bird Watching Binoculars � Critical Bird Watchi...

The Psychology of a Confident Golf Swing

Online Video Game Rentals-How do They Work?

Greyhound racing basics

Hit Longer Drives�Here�s How

Mountain, Ice and Rock Climbing Gift Ideas

Giant Sequoias � Hiking Boole Tree Loop

Tiger Woods or Bobby Jones: Who's the Better Go...

Backpacking Journals � Preserve Your Backpackin...

Are the Martial Arts still under development?

HDTV? You Ain't Seen NOTHING yet!

Photography: The Basics

The Science Behind DLP Television

Home Theater: 3 ugly secrets revealed!

A Better Golf Swing Is Inevitable

How A Golf Stretching Routine Can Impact Your G...

Triathlete, Do You Have Runner's Kick?

Why Exercise Is Crucial In Achieving The Correc...

Top 3 Kitesurfing Relaunch Tips

Communications Equipment in the Wilderness

8 Tips On Open Water Swimming

5 Tips For More Swimming Pool Fun

Digital Or Film?

Cheap LCD TV Buying Tips

Golf Swing Improvement The Fast Way

Bilateral Breathing- Should You Breathe to Both...

Golf Stretching Exercises Have A Direct Impact ...

Golf Workouts For Winter

How to Implement Golf Fitness Exercises into Yo...

Meade Telestar Review DS 60ME

Favorite Hobbies - Camping

Origins of MartialArts in the UK

An Easy Way To Understand Your Collectibles

Hiking Trails � Preserve Your Experiences

More Article Pages 1 - 2 - 3

Keys to Responsible Recreation in the BackCountry
by: Chuck Fitzgerald

Having a good time is pretty high on everyone�s to do list, especially when surrounded by awesome views and super-awesome friends. We hike, bike, climb, camp, raft, fish, hunt, four-wheel, sleep and eat � among other things � in the backcountry. If not done properly, that�s a lot of wear and tear on our natural resources. Responsible recreation ensures future outdoor enthusiasts the opportunity to enjoy the outdoors as you have. Without a recreation code of ethics, our backcountry would become a thing of the past. Here are some universally agreed upon keys for having a good time � the right way.

-Take only pictures, leave only footprints. If you carry it in, carry it out. This will eliminate litter.

-Protect water sources from contamination. Use bio-degradable soap, or try hot water soap-less dishwashing, bathing and clothes washing. When using soap (even bio-degradable) and toothpaste, dispose of the wastewater at least 100 feet away from natural water sources, well or faucet water sources.

-Be a good neighbor - control your noise and your pets. Always keep your dog on a leash no longer than 6 feet, and away from public swimming areas. Barking and not cleaning up after pets leads to many complaints from other outdoor enthusiasts. Do not leave pets unattended.

-Be respectful of the natural environment � keep the trees and shrubs alive and growing. Nails and wires should not be used on trees because they can cause serious damage to trees. Burn damage will permanently scar or kill a tree.

-When hiking or biking, stay on designated trails. This keeps damage to vegetation and erosion in one place.

-Before leaving your campsite, clean your fire pit and your campsite. Make it as clean as you would want it if you were arriving that day. The next user will appreciate it.

Leave-No-Trace, www.lnt.org, offers the following Principles for Outdoor Ethics: Plan Ahead and Prepare, Travel and Camp on Durable Surfaces, Dispose of Waste Properly, Leave What You Find, Minimize Campfire Impacts, Respect Wildlife and Be Considerate of Other Visitors.

Here is the Tread Lightly!, www.treadlightly.org, pledge: Travel and recreate with minimum impact, Respect the environment and the rights of others, Educate yourself � plan and prepare before you go, Allow for future use of the outdoors � leave it better than you found it and Discover the rewards of responsible recreation.

Responsible recreation means having the common sense and the courtesy to enjoy the backcountry without spoiling someone else�s experience. Most outdoor enthusiasts understand this very well and spend a good deal of their time restoring, enhancing and conserving our backcountry. Have a good time when you�re outdoors, share these keys with your friends and use this information to Get It Right The First Time.

Get Outdoors!

This Static Spot is open for sponsor

This Static Spot is open for sponsor