Instructional fitness blog: Medicine ball squat

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Even though I am on the other side of the Atlantic on the eve of the Open Championship at Royal Birkdale, golf fitness as part of the preparation process for the professional player remains intact.

It is amazing to me how global a sport golf has become and how the components to prepare physically, mentally, and biomechanically for this sport are consistent, regardless of where you are on the globe.

Wedge shots, putting, and driving the ball are all components of the game regardless if you are at the TPC of Sawgrass, Augusta National, The Old Course at St. Andrews or Royal Birkdale. Golf fitness is the same as well. I see players on the PGA TOUR and European Tour encapsulating golf fitness as a component to physically preparing the body to execute the golf swing and compete professionally.

Why do so many professionals across the globe prescribe to golf fitness training?

It goes back to what I have discussed before: injury prevention and performance improvement. Those are the two goals of any conditioning program for professional athletes.

A mantra I often use to better explain this concept is; "You are only as strong as your weakest link." Think of a boat anchor on a large cruise ship with those steal interlocking links throughout it. Each one of those individual links must be strong and able to withstand the forces of the water and nature to keep the ship in place when the anchor is dropped.

What happens if one of those links is weak? The chain will break and the ship will float away. The body is similar to the steel chain in the example above.

The golf swing is a feet-to-fingertips athletic action. Energy is created in the lower body, transferred up through the torso, into the arms, and eventually to the golf club.

In order for this transfer of energy to be efficient, each muscle and joint in the body must have certain levels of strength, flexibility, and endurance. If a certain muscle or joint is weak or inflexible, the body will be stressed above and beyond what it should be each and every swing. Over time, this will eventually cause undue stress to this body part, resulting in injury.

How do we prevent such a situation from occurring? We simply strengthen the chain (i.e. muscles and joints) of the body with golf fitness training. The end result of such training will be a reduced chance of injury and an increase in performance from a physical perspective.

Knowing the creation of energy in the golf swing begins with the lower body, let's take a look at a golf fitness exercise for it. The Medicine Ball Squat is a very basic lower body exercise suiting our needs of the golf swing well.

To perform this exercise, grasp a 3 to 6-lb medicine ball with both hands in front of your chest. Place the feet shoulder width apart, heels on the floor, and toes pointed slightly out.

While maintaining an upright torso position, slowly lower the hips to the floor by bending the knees. Continue to squat downward until your thighs are parallel to the floor. Pause for one second and slowly extend the legs to the starting position of the exercise. Repeat the squat for 8-12 repetitions.

Remember the body is like a chain and each link of that chain must be strong and flexible to execute the golf swing.

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June 25, 2008: Help prevent lower-back injury

As someone who has worked around professional athletes for over 10 years, I can stress this enough: the primary goal of any strength and conditioning program is injury prevention.

Any strength and conditioning coach, athletic trainer, or physical therapist in professional athletics, be it golf, baseball, football, or basketball will tell you a conditioning program has two goals: The first goal is injury prevention, and the second is performance improvement.

Golf is no different than any other sport when it comes to conditioning programs and their goals. These two goals are the same (injury prevention and performance improvement) for the professional as well as the amateur golfer, and at all times are at the root in the development of a strength and conditioning program for golf.

As a result, when we begin to develop a strength and conditioning program for golf, a professional strength coach will first look at the biomechanics of the athletic movement and determine where the body is stressed during the execution of the athletic actions involved within the sport.

Research on the golf swing indicates the repetitive movement of the swing places large amounts of stress on certain joints of the body, particularly the lower back. The sheer forces on the lower back are large and over time can cause injury to this area of the body.

Knowing this information, the strength and conditioning professional will develop a program geared around developing the required levels of flexibility, strength, and endurance in the neuromuscular system to withstand the requirements of the golf swing.

Knowing this information, a strength and conditioning program for golf will undoubtedly include a series of lower back exercises. These exercises focus upon developing the required levels of flexibility, strength, endurance, and power to execute the biomechanics of the golf swing effectively, decreasing the chance of injury and improving performance of the athlete.

One such exercise often found in this section of a conditioning program is the Alternating Arm and Leg Extension. This exercise focuses on developing increased levels of muscular strength and endurance in the lower back.

To execute this exercise, simply place both hands on the floor directly under the shoulders. Position both of your knees directly under the hips, eyes looking down, and back flat.

Simultaneously extend the left arm and right leg. Extend both the arm and leg until completely straight. Hold this position for one second, and return to the starting position of the exercise. Repeat the exercise, extending the opposite arm and leg. Alternate back and forth for 10-15 repetitions.

Keep in mind the goals of a conditioning program for golf and the requirements that need to be met by the exercises incorporated within it.

Place both hands on the floor directly under the shoulders.

Extend the left arm and right leg at the same time, and extend both until they are completely straight. Hold this position for one second, and return to the starting position of the exercise.

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June 4, 2008: Stretch after your round

I have just returned to my hometown of San Diego from the Memorial. It's a great venue, and its one of the weeks I look forward to every year.

As the U.S. Open approaches -- Torrey Pines is only 10 minutes from my home -- I thought this to be a great chance to share a little knowledge with the amateur golfer on some golf fitness training witnessed last week first-hand.

Many of you are aware I am golf fitness trainer on the PGA TOUR, as well as an avid golfer. So whenever I get a chance to share a little insight from the professional side of golf, I do so.

We know the importance of flexibility training for golf. It is understood the mechanics of the swing require you to draw the club through a large range of motion, and in order to do so, flexibility is required. The amateur golfer is aware flexibility exercises that stretch the muscles involved in the golf swing can be of great benefit.

I can't agree with the above statements more, and to further the validity of flexibility training for golf, I can recall a situation at last week's Memorial tournament. Over and over again at the Memorial, PGA TOUR players were coming in after the completion of their rounds to get stretched out.

Why were so many of the golfers coming into the clubhouse after their rounds to get stretched out? Mainly, because of the concept discussed above.

The PGA TOUR player is well aware of the need to be flexible in order the execute golf swing efficiently and effectively, but why after their round of golf?

During a round of golf, the muscles executing the golf swing are active. These muscles are contracting, firing, and elongating to execute the swing. These muscular movements occur over and over again during the round.

As a result, these muscles become fatigued. Once muscles become fatigued, they shorten in length, become "tight," and muscles that are "tight" make it very difficult to execute the golf swing correctly.

So what we saw last week were a number of PGA TOUR players coming into the clubhouse after their rounds to get stretched out. The reason was to prevent their muscles from getting "tight". Now, I would recommend any amateur golfer do the same.

Take 5 minutes and do a series of golf flexibility exercises. One I often utilize is called Openers. It's a simple lower-back flexibility exercise you can use after your round of golf.

Simply lay with your left hip in contact with the floor. Bend both of your knees to 90 degrees and rest the right knee on top of your left. Extend both your arms out from the shoulders while resting the left arm on the floor.

Slowly raise the right arm off the left and begin to rotate your right shoulder. Continue to raise and rotate the right arm until it is on the right side of your body. Attempt to rotate to a position where the right arm is resting on the floor or you feel a stretch in the lower back. Hold this position for 30 seconds. Repeat the exercise sequence with the right leg in contact with the floor and rotating the left arm.

Remember, once muscles become fatigued, they "tighten up", and "tight" muscles make it very difficult to swing a club. Be sure to take five minutes after your round and do some golf specific flexibility exercises, especially if you play often.

Use your arms to warm up the muscles in your back

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May 19, 2008: Use a 5-iron to warm up

I have traveled the PGA TOUR the past six years as a golf fitness trainer. I have picked up countless helpful hints from the professional golfers I train and observe. One of these tips I would like to share with you today.

A 38-inch 5-iron is the perfect length to use as a warm-up tool.

Obviously, as my job states, I am an advocate of golf fitness and believe the amateur golfer can make improvement to their golf game with adherence to fitness training principles followed by many players on the PGA TOUR.

Keep in mind, not only do I work in professional golf, but I am an avid golfer myself. So as an amateur golfer, I can relate to many of the frustrations we encounter as we try to improve our game. The tip I am going to share with you has worked well for me, and I feel could help you out also.

This tip has to do with warming up the body before hitting the range. Almost every PGA TOUR player I know does some type of pre-round warm-up before hitting the practice green or range, so it only makes sense we as amateurs do the same.

The quickest, easiest, and fastest warm-up drill I have found to work for me is a simple exercise I call Rotators. All you need to do is take 2-3 minutes before you hit balls, grab a 5-iron in your hands and do the following: Extend your arms overhead, stretching upward. Slowly reach the club down towards your feet until you feel a "stretch" in the hamstrings or low back. Pause here for a second, go back to the starting point of the exercise, and slowly rotate your torso, shoulders, arms, and club to the left. Once you have rotated, reach down towards to the outside of the left foot. Again, pause when you feel a stretch, go back up to the start up of the exercise, and repeat it to your right.

Once I finish this little drill, my back, hips, and hamstrings feel loose, and those first few swings on the range feel so much better. Give it a shot and I think you will feel the same.