When you walk into any “big box” gym in the US, you will no doubt see rows and rows of exercise machines. The vast majority of these machines are designed to have you sit down while you exercise.
So why my utter disgust with this Orwellian-looking scene?
Glad you asked! And I promise to keep this (relatively) brief, as I could go on for 15 pages or more.
Problem # 1 – Your Arse and Center of Gravity
That is, the fact that you are sitting on it, and don’t have to fully interact with gravity in the three-dimensional environment, like when you swing your clubs. That’s just a somewhat fancy way of saying that sitting down to improve your golf game is ridiculous. As a matter of fact, it can actually do you harm (more on that shortly).
read more…
The PGA drug testing procedures, have you heard about them?
Performance Enhancing Drugs (PEDs) have been getting a lot of attention lately, and with good reason. The Summer Olympics and the whole Lance Armstrong drama… just be glad this isn’t an issue in golf.
But wait a minute, Tour Professionals, take a piss in this cup… right NOW!
Many avid golf fans aren’t aware that the PGA started random drug testing for players back in 2008. Since the policy has been implemented four years ago, there have been very few positive tests. That must mean that the Tours are “clean” and ensures a “level playing field”, right?
Not really.
In this post I’d like to share my insights into the world of PEDs, not from actual usage, but from numerous accounts from world class coaches who train world class athletes. I’ll cover a few areas you may find interesting:
1) The shocking number of high level athletes that use some form of PEDs
2) The different benefits of PEDs, and why golfers can benefit from using them in specific protocols
3) The absurdity of the way drug tests are conducted, and why a “clean” test only proves that you and your coaches aren’t idiots
read more…
Everyone is talking about Rory these days… and with good reason!
The kid is on fire. He’s won three of his last four tournaments.
To be successful on any of the Tours, you’ve got to have three foundational elements in place:
1) Killer Golf Skills – full swing, flat-stick, course management, etc.
2) Solid Mental Game – the ability to deal with adversity, and maintain an optimal mental/emotional state
3) Golf-Specific Fitness – enabling your body to fully actualized your golf skills consistently, and minimize injury
Today I’d like to focus on Rory’s incredible 16 month physical transformation – how and why he did it, the benefits he has experienced with his golf game, and how YOU can follow similar principles and take your game up a notch, or three (even if you’re 40 years older than Rory and have a busy life). details here…
Hey, what is that NASCAR driver doing in a PGA event?
Oh, wait… that’s just Jim Furyk decked out in his obnoxious 5 Hour Energy advertising garb.
Just to be clear, I’ve always pulled for Jim… seems like a good guy.
And I have nothing against obnoxious looks on the golf course (with tattoos, piercings, and only 3 collared shirts to my name, I’m not the standard country club role model).
My disappointment with Jim, and the focus of this post, is trying to decide if Jim either:
1) Completely sold out and is cashing in by advertising a crap product that he doesn’t use
or
2) As a multi-million dollar athlete, with access to high-level trainers and nutritionists, he is honestly using this garbage.
I’m going to give him the benefit of the doubt and go with #2, meaning he is a victim to mis-information.
So why am I so down on 5 Hour Energy?
Oh, let me count the ways…
Find out more…
Today I’d like to share with you a couple of innocent-looking exercises.
Of course, you always have to look out for the quiet and innocent ones, at least that’s what my granddad told me.
These exercises are for relatively small muscle groups, but the stability that they provide (or not) can determine how much strength and power you can create with your big-prime-mover-muscles in your golf swing.
Much like The Big Bang Exercise, these don’t look like much. But if you put real effort into them, they are both challenging and rewarding, in terms of how they transfer over to your golf swing.
Without further adieu, let’s get after it!
see the exercises…
The diagram above (from manual therapist Erik Dalton – www.ErikDalton.com) does a nice job of illustrating how the head can migrate forward in our flexion-obcessed world.
In todays post, I’ll explain why you should care (so many reasons, both in regards to your golf performance, and your overall health, wellness and vitality).
And then, of course, I’ll give you a specific game plan to stop (or even reverse it) from happening to YOU.
Golfing buddies don’t let each other get 42 pound heads!
fix it now…
When it comes to choosing which golf exercises are worth your time and effort, it can be the easy-looking ones that sometimes pack the most punch.
Golfers can get drawn into trying out the ones that look cool, like standing on top of a Swiss Ball and swinging a club.
PLEASE DO NOT do this exercise. It’s not cool and the risk-reward ratio is almost as bad as listening to Johnny Miller (yet again) pick apart the best golfers on Tour. BTW, I’ve had several incidences where I almost stabbed myself in the eye with a golf tee while listening to Miller. If it weren’t for the mute button, I’d be blind by now.
watch the video…
The title of this blog post is not one that you’ll see on other golf fitness related websites.
But then again, if this isn’t your first “Renegade Golf Rodeo”, then you’ve certainly come to expect more than just a re-hash of all the same stuff you see in the golf magazines month after month.
So when I ask, “Are you full of crap?”, I mean it quite literally.
Your next question might well be “How does this have anything to do with my golf game?”
Glad you asked!
read more…
As you long-time Renegade Golfers know, I will test out ANY mental game technique that has the potential to increase the golfing success of our team members.
BTW, if you are reading this, I consider you a team member.
There is no initiation fee, but I reserve the right to institute a hazing protocol at any time. 😉
Once again, I digress…
I first test out the new technique on myself, and if it shows promise, I engage several of my local Renegade Golfers to test it out as well.
Only after it passes mustard with a majority of my locals, do I post it out on the blog for the whole team to give-it-a-go.
I’d like to introduce you to one of my long-time mentors in the field of Energy Psychology, Dr. Steve Wells.
Get FREE Special Report…
Golf is predominantly a power sport.
But in order to have power, you must have golf stability.
You see, your proper flexibility and mobility allows certain parts of your body to move through large ranges of motion.
The kicker, though, is that other parts of your body need to remain stable.
It is the combination of some parts of your body moving around other stable parts, that creates the TORQUE we need for POWER.
Once golfers understand this, they start giving more respect to the need for stability exercises, especially early on in the training cycle.
At The Renegade Golf Center, we have established benchmarks that all of our golfers need to meet before they are able to advance to the strength and power phases of their program.
In todays blog post, I’ll show you three of those golf stability benchmark exercises, and you can see if you’re as stable as my junior girls.
NOTE: Don’t be embarrassed when you aren’t… just practice these exercises several times a week, and you too will get strong and stable.
take the test…
