Better Golf With Fitness

Mobility and Stability- The Foundation at Five Iron

At Five Iron Fitness,  working on Mobility and Stability is at the foundation of everything we do.  Our programming model is based off of Strength Coach Michael Boyle's "Joint by Joint Approach to Training".  Once we have a good foundation of Mobility and Stability, we can build Strength and Power on top of it.

Dave Phillips and Lance Gill, from TPI, do a great job explaining this approach and why it's important in this video.

Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus- Janet Alexander on Working with Women

There are plenty of differences between men and women, and when it comes to training women, it's really important to understand what is happening in their bodies every month.   Although I have seen Janet Alexander lecture on the topic, I forgot how important being aware of hormonal changes can be. 

Janet is an incredibly bright woman who walks the walk when it comes to training and teaching.   She trains hard and trains often and she is one of the most passionate leaders in the fitness field. 

Check out this great video of the segment on The Golf Fitness Academy that she appeared on with one of the players she trains, Nicole Smith. 

Why Your Workout Sucks

Don't Listen to the Magazine Crap, You're Doing It All Wrong!

On this blog, I normally don't mention many trainers who don't work with golfers, but there is some really great information about developing your workout template in this video from the Diesel Crew's Smitty.  Lots of great info here from a guy who walks the walk (and doesn't limp as much anymore!)

I will be interviewing Smitty this week on The Strength Coach Podcast about a bunch of stuff, stay tuned. 

Check it out the video here.

Lunge with Rotation

Here is a exercise that has become a staple in my golf fitness programming, the Lunge with Rotation.  Done right, it combines lower body stability with upper body mobility, imperative for power in the golf swing. 

2 things to remember here are: 1) When you step forward, think of the foot pressure on the inside of the foot to help stabilize the lower body and prevent the knee from moving laterally and 2) make sure the rotation comes from the upper torso, not just the arms.  I tell my golfers to "glue the ball to your chest."

Plank Progressions

The Plank is a great exercise to develop core stability but like all exercises, we need to progress them. Here are some progressions that you should try once you master the plank.

Hip Mobilization from "Assess & Correct"

In my final "sneak preview" video of the bonuses for "Assess and Correct", I go over the Hip Mobilization from the bonus e-book, "Warm Ups for Every Body."

The bonus gives you 2 options for each sport or situation, and you can use the manual to look up the exercises, print them out and bring them to the gym.

Check out the video:

Check out more about "Assess and Correct."

Chest Stretch with a Twist from "Assess & Correct"

Another one of the Bonuses in "Assess & Correct" is a report called "The Great 8 Static Stretches" that shows you 8 stretches that everyone should be doing for better flexibility.
In this video, I go over a chest stretch with an added move that they show in the e-book.

Check out "Assess & Correct" here.

Beyond the Foam Roll from "Assess and Correct"

One of the Bonuses in "Assess & Correct" is an e-book called "Optimal Self-Myofascial Release" which shows you the soft tissue methods and techniques that Mike Robertson, Eric Cressey and Bill Hartman use with their clients and athletes.
In it, they show you a ton of techniques with the foam roller, the stick and tennis or lacrosse balls.
In this video, I go over one of the techniques with the lacrosse ball that they show in the e-bbok.

Check out "Assess & Correct" here.

Training the Senior Golfer, Part 3- Hip and Torso Mobility

John D'Amico continues his four part series on Training the Senior Golfer with a discussion and examples of Hip and Torso mobility.

Training the Senior Golfer with John D'Amico

My good friend John D'Amico (TPI Certified both as a Level 3 Medical Professional and Level 2 Golf Biomechanist) came up to the Five Iron Fitness studio to chat about "Training the Senior Golfer."
Too many times senors are afraid to start a fitness program, and John came up to talk about the three most important issues for senior golfers.