How do you measure up ...? (Golf Strength)

I didn't foresee this happening on the first day ...

And it definitely wasn't the start I wanted to make with a new group of exercise professionals ...


A few years ago I was doing a week-long Exercise Coach training course.

It was the culmination of a fair bit of pre-requisite work and I was excited for the learning opportunities ...

Lots of great info about ways to assess the human body. And then correct issues and imbalances.

And that first day was going pretty well.

Until I was singled out.

Assessed as having Female-Like Flexibility.

(Not a bad thing in itself, but read on for why I was embarrassed ...)

We were practicing the Rocabado 9-Point Flexibility Test on each other. And then the group was divided up based on the results ...

"...All the 0-2s stand over there..." (not me, just all the bigger, fairly strong looking guys)

"...All the 3-4s stand over there..." (not me, 2 women and 2 men)"

"....And all those 5 and above stand in that corner..." Just me and two women, both of whom had stories of joint dislocations (more on that later).


Now please don't get me wrong. I'm definitely not being sexist here.

The fact is, that as a general rule, women are more flexible / mobile than men.

(The obvious reasons for this revolves around the need for flexibility during child-birth)


But here is the real crux:

There is an inverse relationship between flexibility & strength

 

So as another general rule: if you are naturally very flexible, then you are also probably naturally weaker.

Conversely, if you are genetically tight then you are probably genetically strong also.

Hence, my embarrassment at being in the VERY FLEXIBLE GROUP.

What it said was, I am weak. (Not the best look for a fitness professional).


Some simple rules or points to think about from today's story:

1.   Get your flexibility and golf specific strength & power assessed properly. Then you know where you are on the flexibility vs strength continuum.
 

2.   Implement a program to hone in on your inherent deficiencies and balance the body. If you're tight (and also as you age) spend more time on flexibility / mobility work. If you're weaker genetically (as I am) time spent on strength training will be more beneficial.

3.   Be aware that if you are hyper-mobile you are more at risk for joint injuries. These are painful and harder to recover from. Those that are genetically tighter will be more at risk for muscle injuries which are quicker to recover.

 

Now why exactly as a golfer would you need to get stronger ...?

As Nick Buchan from Stronger Golf puts it:

"...Besides the general health and fitness benefits of getting stronger, golf isn’t a sport that requires you to lift heavy loads or push 300lbs men out of your way, the golf club is light, so why do golfers need to be strong?..."

Here's the first one:

"...The most obvious benefit of improved strength and power is an increase in clubhead speed, which can be increased dramatically with proper training, countless research papers have shown this over the past 10, even 20 years..."

Not keen to hit the ball further ...?

Well, there's always the multitude of other strength benefits:

(Back to Nick's article again ...)

• "All other physical capacities, such as power, speed, mobility, balance, muscular endurance and coordination depend on force production within the physical environment. If strength improves, all other capacities improve with it, to varying degrees."
• "Data also reveals that a rapid weight shift to the lead leg in the downswing creating forces of more than 180 percent of a golfer’s body weight at impact. These robust weight transfer dynamics and torque during the downswing emphasise the importance of leg strength."
• "Research has even shown than increasing strength improves putting performance. This is likely because stronger muscles helps improve fine motor control.
• "Because you are stronger, each swing is relatively less stressful, and the likelihood of making a mistake — or a small movement pattern error — is less likely."
• "Let’s not forget issues of injury prevention too, as research shows a comprehensive strength training program working all muscles and joints will help reduce the chances of injury by ensuring that you have a strong, stable musculoskeletal system."

Now for the moment you have been waiting for: some 4 Strength Benchmarks for Golfers so you can figure out how you measure up.

Opinions differ on these so they are by no means set in stone. They are an interesting starting point nonetheless...


1.   Bulgarian split-squat 6-8 reps with 0.5 x Body Weight in each hand

2.   Chin-up 5 reps for men, 1 for women.

3.   6-8 reps feet elevated push-up with 2okgs external resistance for men, 6-8 reps at Body Weight feet on floor for women.

4.   1.5 x Body Weight Deadlift for 5 reps.


Read the full article related to these here: https://strongergolf.org/2016/03/18/strength-standards-golf/


Need my help with any of this? Head here:

Click here to request a complimentary Golf Fitness Consultation with Andrew. (In-person or via Skype. You choose.)


Cheers

Andrew "Getting Stronger" Ransom, The Golf Fitness PT