Joe Rosenthal is the owner of Kinect Sport & Fitness. His passion for the game of golf, coupled with strength and conditioning, have helped focus his efforts to obtain is Bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology with an emphasis in physical therapy from San Diego State. Joe received his Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) and Titleist Performance Institute (TPI) Certification. It is at Kinect Sport & Fitness in Pleasanton where Joe performs his highly accredited golf specific conditioning program.
Joe is teaming with ACES to offer golf fitness tips throughout each month. You can contact Joe at (925) 997-4360 or go to www.Kinectsf.com.
Winter is quickly approaching and if you’re anywhere in the Bay Area you can tell.
The mornings are brisk, and the nights are chilly. Still, the mid-day heats up and we have great golf weather. But not for long! Nobody – at least that I know – likes playing golf in 30-degree weather. So, what to do in the winter months when you aren’t on the range or playing the course?
Maybe a golf fitness routine in preparation for the cold months? You’ve heard about golf conditioning before. The pros talk about how it’s helped their game in post-tournament interviews. But you aren’t too sure what it really is. You also may look back and think, I really haven’t done much physically but play or hit the range. So how do I go about diving in? These are all common concerns. Let’s address some of them and see if a golf fitness program over the winter is something you can benefit from.
So, you haven’t really done much physically over the last few months, or maybe even years – that’s okay. The approach now is to start easy. Let’s not over do it here. The worst thing we can do now is injure ourselves trying to gain too much too fast. Take it easy and start by gaining confidence in our body by performing mobility (stretching) and stability (balance) exercises. This is a great place to start if we have not been that physically active for a while.
From this point, you can now kick it up a bit. The next step is to perform moves that involve strength. Our strength declines over time at a steady rate. If you don’t use it, you lose it! We know that. But we can reverse this – or at least slow it down – by incorporating strength exercises like rows with a rotation or lunges with a side bend.
Lastly, power is the name of the game! The power we produce in the swing determines how far we hit the golf ball. Plain and simple. A large part of power production comes from the stimulation of our nervous system. Ways to activate the nervous system and ultimately more muscle groups, is by moving quickly! You can start with small squat hops a few inches off the ground. And for the upper body, shadow boxing with fast hands and arms.
Remember, the winter is the best time to be working on your body to improve your game. If you are thinking about diving into a conditioning program for golf, here is a good place to start.
- Work on mobility of the hips, thoracic spine, and shoulders
- Start activating muscles through stability moves
- Add in some strength exercises…it doesn’t have to be much
- Move explosively! Incorporate power to your program
The order in which you perform these moves is crucial. It goes in progression from easiest on the body to more difficult and demanding. We all want to see improvement fast, but don’t be in such a rush. That’s when we get hurt! Also, consistency is key here, so try to move (workout) at least 2 times per week. Keep this up throughout the winter months and you’ll be happy you did come spring and summer!
By Joseph Rosenthal