We love golf, and during the off-season, we dream of getting back on the course. Fortunately, the off-season is an excellent time to improve your game and your physical performance. We asked our friend Bret Huotari of Ascend Performance Training to give us some tips. Be sure to check out his blog at www.ascendperformancetraining.com and enjoy!
Thriving in the Off-Season
Are you looking to improve your physical performance during this offseason for golf? How helpful would it be to have a routine to gain strength, and improve flexibility & balance while still increasing the longevity of your joint health? A longevity program will focus on program sustainability regarding strength gains and skill acquisition.
A Proper Program
It should span a large breadth of material to cover all the important kinesics of the body. Science agrees that strength training is the most optimal modality for overall health performance. Strength Training refers to exercises that primarily require weights as resistance to stimulate muscle growth. Muscle growth requires an optimal testosterone or hormonal balance to achieve the best results. Most strength training programs use a progressive overload approach which is a methodology that increases the amount of weight you are lifting over a specific amount of time. This type of training would go great when paired with a volume training program that uses high rep ranges and increases levels of overall “work” being done in each session.
Do It for Your Health
The great thing about entering a new program is you will be spending much more time focusing on your health, your breathing, flexibility, and probably even eventually, your nutrition! Fitness and a consistent workout routine are just like golf, everyone is a beginner at some point until they learn on their own or seek out an instructor.
4 Pillars of Success
There are a few important things to remember as you embark on this journey. The idea behind this program is to develop sustainability, find balance in daily challenges, and increase your performance and longevity in the game of golf. Don’t be too hard on yourself and know and expect there will be days you don’t get it perfect. Keep working at it and you’ll see improvements in your mood, health, and golf performance!
- Develop or have someone develop a safe, customized lifting program/ Do this program 3x per week
- Drink 70 oz of water daily/ 90 oz on training days
- Eat consistently at regular intervals
- Start a Growth Journal / This is key!
Top 4 Exercises for Strength and Longevity
I have selected these exercises because they can be done by most of the populations and have great strength benefits while mitigating injury potential. There are other strength exercises as well that would fit great however these 4 pillars are typically green light exercises for strength. Practice your technique rigorously until it is perfect before adding any weight to any free-weight exercise. The form is important to make sure we’re activating the right muscle groups and reducing unnecessary stress on joints, ligaments, and tendons.
- Romanian Deadlifts (Hex Bar)
- Incline Dumbbell Press
- Lat Pull Downs
- Farmer's Walks
Bret Huotari is a certified personal trainer accredited by AFPA. He holds AED/CPR certifications from the American Red Cross and boasts twelve years of experience as a personal trainer in the fitness industry. Bret is the founder of Ascend Performance Training.
