10,000 Swing Update

Total as of Saturday January 12, 2013  - 5500 one arm swings practiced

One swing at a time.  Averaging about 542 swings per day.  330 swings was the lowest day, 1000 swings was the highest day.  Took two days off January 10 and 11.

                     

Observations:  If you manage the number of reps per set, and schedule it out it really isn't as difficult as it might seem.  In the beginning, started out doing set of 30 reps per set.  It looked like this, 10 left arm swings, 10 right arm swings, 10 hand-to-hand swings, rest.  Then repeat for 5 sets, for a total of 150 swings per session.  Repeat the session three times for 450 swings total for the day. I quickly moved up to 50 reps per set (15L/15R/20H2H).  I used a 20kg bell for the first 6 days.  I then dropped to a 16kg bell and upped the reps to 75 per set (20L/20R/30H2H). I used this routine for 3 days, then took two complete days off.  I then did 1000 swings on the day after the rest days, using a 16kg bell I did 4 sets of 100 reps (30L/30R/40H2H), and 12 sets of 50 reps with a 20kg bell (15L/15R/20H2H) using the newly found TV Fitness Challenge (TFC) routine watching an NCAA basketball game on TV.  The recovery period between sets was around 6-8 minutes on average.

This challenge is all about VOLUME, the volume increases your capacity for work.

Some tips.

• Concentrate on technique for each rep, no sloppy reps allowed.
• Use two 'bell sizes, the snatch size bell and one right below it, in my case I use a 20kg and a 16kg, this allows you to cycle the training capacity.
• The number of reps and bell size should be taxing enough that you have to be mindful of your form and you should finish the set slightly winded and feeling some burn in the muscles of your posterior chain.
• Schedule two or three sessions per day, avoid a one session event.
• Take rest days, preferably 2 consecutive days, every 6-7 days. 
• I am also using the soon to be released TV Fitness Challenge routine to get in some high volume sessions.

Summary:  I am really enjoying this challenge as my endurance is increasing rapidly.  At no time was I ever sore, my back actually feels 100% better than it did when I started.  A bonus, I have to tighten my belt another notch, so that means I am transforming my body.  I do not care about how much I weigh on the scale, but I am losing inches in the area's that matter most.  My regular strength training sessions are better, I am getting strong(er).   The increased work capacity is helping in other area's.  My energy levels are high, I don't feel as tired in the mid afternoon.  I am also sleeping better at night, that is great!

So what does this have to do with GOLF? The kettlbell swing so closely mimics the muscular tension and relaxation pattern of a golf swing that I am training my central nervous system and muscular coordination in high volume to be able to cycle this ballistic pattern.  The abilbity to turn off and turn on muscular tension and relaxtion in a coordinated movement is the difference between an elite and recreational athlete.  The carry over effect, or "what the hell" effect, from the kettlebell swing practice to my golf swing practice will result in increased club head speed which will equate to more shot distance, power on demand, more consistent club control and ball striking. Better golf performance.

I also am training the five elements of what is needed for golf swing performance: mobility, stability, balance, strength and power. The beauty is I am training these five elements with one simple but effective movement, in the privacy of my own home, with one simple tool - the kettlebell.

High volume kettlebell swings is the foundation of the upcoming Platinum Golf Fitness training program.

The first 30 days is the foundation month, next we will incorporate kettlebell swings and dry golf practice swings.  Then we will build overall body strength and incorporate the best golf performance training movement - the Turkish Get Up.  Stay Tooned!

Note:  While writing this article I did 400 one arm swings using a 16kg bell 4 sets of 100 (30L/30R/40H2H). So I am now at 5900 swings for the month.

ONE SWING AT A TIME!  Build a Better Golf Machine!

Getting in 10,000 swings in January

I'm committed!  Probably should be.  In the month of January I am going to do 10,000 swings.

10,000, read that again!  I am getting myself in golf condition.  I am going to perform one arm kettlebell swings with a 20kg kettlebell ~ 45 pounds.

The KB SW so closely mirrors the muscular activation patterns of the golf swing it is almost scary. Both are full body mulit-joint movements that move a relatively light object to a pre stretch loaded position, then the object is smoothly accelerated using a very powerful hip drive, creating tremendous ballistic force, the object reaches an impact point where all the forces are concentrated, then the object is eccentrically brought back to rest.  The kettlebell swing and the golf swing are two of the most explosive movements in all of sport. Both movements use the tension/relaxation performance cycle to create maximal power. Strength and speed make up a powerful kettlebell swing as well as a powerful golf swing.

The hand-to-hand movements practiced with the kettlebell will build outstanding rotational power from the ground up, training the body to take the power generated from the legs, through the core of the body, into the shoulders, down through the arms and into the golf club. There are no better movements that can be done that will carry over to the full golf swing.

My 10,000 swings will be hand-to-hand one arm swings with a 20kg bell.  (H2H 1ASW).

I start with my left arm and perform a swing and transfer the KB to the right hand and perform a right arm KB swing, this is the H2H pattern used to complete the desired number of swings for that set.  I will use sets of 30 1 ASW H2H for the first 2500 swings. Then I will increase it to 35 for the next 2500, and so on.  I want to make sure the SW's are done crisply and as perfect as I can perform them, my mantra is NO SLOPPY SWINGS.

The beauty of the H2H 1ASW is that it builds tremendous rotational and anti-rotational mobility, stability, balance, strength and power.  There is a counter rotational aspect to the swing on the none KB side.   The carry over effect is insane, as this movement closely mimics the body's muscle activation patterns necessary in a powerful yet graceful golf swing. It is a ballistic rhythmic pattern of tension and relaxation.

There is no better movement than the KB SW for training golf power, and the 1 arm swing, hand-to-hand is as good as it gets.

As of January 3, 2013 the count is 1230. Onward to 10,000 swings in January.

Off Season Golf Fitness

Off Season Golf Fitness - up here in the Ohio Valley area (Western Pennsylvania) the weather has changed over to fall time.  Although yesterday the temperature was in the mid-70's the golf season has pretty much wound down to the few die hards that will play in just about any weather.

The golf clubs usually go into the storage shed, garage or basement at this time of year and the season is over for most recreational golfers.  Most golfers will not touch a golf club until early spring.

As a golfer you are missing out on a 3-4 month period where you can improve your golf performance tremendously.  Invest the time each week you would have played or practiced golf and devote it to a simple but effective golf fitness plan.  If you played one round of golf per week that would be 4 hours of time, invest half that to a golf fitness routine and your game performance will improve once next golf season comes back around.

So what do you concentrate on in a golf fitness routine?  The full golf swing is one of the most explosive movements in all of sports.  You are moving a very light object (the golf club) very quickly from, 0 miles per hour to 80+ miles per hour back to 0 miles per hour, in one fourth of a second. This take a very coordinated effort that puts the body under a tremendous amount of stress.  The golf swing is a very complex full body motion that demands all elements of fitness be present.

The Five Elements of Golf Fitness are: Mobility, Stability, Balance/Body Awareness, Strength and Power.  The elements are sequential and go in the order from M-S-B-St-P.  We must work train in the proper sequence.  It does a golfer no good if we get stronger in our upper body but lack the mobility to make a proper shoulder turn.  Like wise, we can be as flexible as Gumby, but lack the stability to transfer forces efficiently from our lower body through our torso to generate club head speed and power.  Until we can control our balance our strength does us little good in the golf swing. A graceful yet powerful golf swing is the blending of all five of the elements of golf fitness.

We work mobility first, then stability, then balance, then strength and then power......

Before we even start a golf fitness routine it makes sense to set a base line.  We use a functional movement system (FMS) to screen movement patterns then prescribe the proper corrective exercise movements to build a very functional golfer.  The FMS will give us a starting point, it is a simple 7 step movement screen that assess the golfers ability to move in fundamental patterns.  We can determine if any dysfunction or asymmetries exist in the golfer from this screen.  Then we can prescribe the proper correctives.  The beauty is we can re-screen to see if the correctives are accomplishing the goal of removing the dysfunction or asymmetry.  This is not unlike taking golf lessons, the teacher first assesses  your swing and then suggests drills, you work on the drills and re-assess the results, changing where necessary to accomplish the goal.

A lot of times golf instructors tell me they can't fix a persons golf swing because the golfer lacks the physical attributes, such as mobility, to perform the movements necessary.  This were a proper movement screen and a proper golf fitness plan will pay huge dividends for a golfer.

Why You Should Walk

Get rid of the golf cart!  I'm a firm believer that the riding golf cart is the death of golf for me at my age. Golf Cart

I walked a 9 hole round yesterday.  It was the most enjoyable day of golf I have played in years.  The last time I walked was in July of 2011 on the Ocean Course, with a caddie.  Even in the rain it was fun, very wet but fun and on one of the worlds finest golf courses.

Yesterday I carried my own bag, a Sunday golf bag (a Sunday bag is a very light golf bag that is easy to carry).  I took a 3-wood, and 5 irons, and my putter.  I ran off 3 straight pars.....on tough holes, and I finished with a 41 score.  I was in focus.  I was looking around at the beauty of the course.  I took my time and enjoyed the experience. And I hit the golf ball way better.

Golf is a walking sport.  It took me 90 minutes to walk 9 holes, I was walking at a leisurely pace, a stroll. That was the same time it would take to ride in a golf cart.  My tempo in my golf swing matched my walking tempo.  My swing was more relaxed and I felt great.

Riding in a Golf Cart: The Bad and the Ugly

• cost more money to play
• does not reflect your swing tempo
• if you are not driving you could be with a hacker, and that sux
• promotes tight hip flexors and lower back, which put the brakes on golf swing speed
• is just plain lazy

Walking: The Good

• less expensive, the majority of the greens fee is the riding cart
• better pace of play, you set the tempo
• it's healthy, walking is good for you (you know that)
• you will enjoy the course more, see the sights, smell the roses
• it is faster, test it versus riding
• you will play better golf because you are relaxed and loose
• The Pro's walk, that should tell you something right there

Ok, there are some courses where walking is just prohibited or stupid because of the lay out.  I refuse to play those courses. 

I am starting a movement, WALK WHEN YOU PLAY GOLF!

Golf Fitness. (People are Laughing)

I recently asked a professional golf instructor what he was doing for golf fitness at his teaching facility. He started to laugh.  Seriously he laughed at me.  The conversation ended right there.

Here was a professional teaching instructor that was charging his clients high rate lesson fees and he was laughing about golf fitness.  I was shocked and I was turned off.  No matter what type of golf instructor he was, as a student of the game of golf, I could never take him seriously or recommend any recreational or up and coming amateur golfer to receive golf instruction from him.

The number one frustration for golf instructors is their students can not physically perform the swing changes they are trying to accomplish, do to poor or lacking golf fitness. 

"But I workout at the gym" is heard many times when I ask golfers if they are doing anything for the physical side of their golf game.  That's admirable but golf fitness is a very complex niche.

I'll call it a "niche", even though there are over 28 million golfers in North America.  I can think of no other recreational demographic that has that kind of participation that does not take physical training seriously.  There are very young golfers (some say too young) and there are very old golfers, and a bunch in between.  They come in all sizes and shapes and all with different degrees of athletic backgrounds, yet very few of them can tell you that they practice golf fitness that is specific to helping them enjoy and perform better.

One of the most amazing contrasts in sport is witnessing a golfer that is 5'10" tall and weighs less than 160lbs, hit a golf ball off the tee with a driver over 300 yards in distance with accuracy. Then you take a ex-strength sport athlete, like a football player, that is 6'4" tall and weighs 240lbs and he struggles to generate enough clubhead speed to hit the ball 225 yards in distance and lacks any consistency, but can bench press over 300lbs.   What makes the small statured golfer more explosive than the large ex-football player?  Strength? Skill?

Golf fitness is unique, hitting a golf ball is a highly coordinated skill that blends mobility, stability, balance/body awareness, strength and power. We call those the five absolutes of golf fitness.  Sure it is a skill, and it requires hand eye coordination, but hitting a golf ball is a skill.  The act itself is no more difficult than ping-pong when it comes to hand eye coordination.  The blending of the five absolutes of golf fitness is the key for a powerful yet graceful golfer and this is where golf fitness get's chaotic. 

How do you practice golf fitness, and still maintain the high level skill.  Traditional golf fitness includes strength training, flexibility training, and some conditioning training.  This is your basic strength and conditioning approach.   As golf equipment has went through modern technology changes, golf fitness has remained stagnant.  Better athletes are playing golf, even recreational golf.  Your body is the most expensive and the most tunable piece of golf equipment you will ever possess, yet golfers will neglect their fitness in lieu of purchasing the latest and greatest technology in the search for more distance or a better game.  The golf game improvement equipment market is huge.  The golf fitness market is almost non existent.  Why?

One of my favorite quotes in all of sports was made by Ted Williams,  "It's the Indian, not the Arrow" was his reply when asked about the size of the bat he used.  What Ted was eluding too was the bat size really didn't matter if you didn't have the physical attributes to handle it, nor the skill to use it effectively.

With Platinum Golf Fitness we have reverse engineered what is needed to build a better golf machine.  The system is a blend of mobility, stability, balance/body awareness, strength and power practice using body weight and light to moderate kettlebell movements, that can be practiced daily by any level of golfer.  The results are tremendous, we have seen increase in shot distance by 15-20% in a very short time.  Golfers now can get into the the correct swing positions easily and generate more clubhead speed.  Golfers are playing pain free for the first time in years and enjoying and loving their game again.

So what are you doing for golf fitness?  Don't laugh.  You could build yourself into a better golf machine.

Stability - What does it mean for a Golfer?

Stability - the body's capability to transfer generated force from one body segment to the next efficiently.


Force in the golf swing is generated from the ground up.  The force is transferred from the powerful lower body muscles, which are the largest muscles and prime movers in the body, through the hip joints, into the midsection up through the spinal region, through the shoulder joints, down through the arms, which is the only connection to the golf club.  Stability in the golf swing is the body's capability to transfer this tremendous force through the entire kinetic chain efficiently to generate maximum club head speed at the moment of impact.


Most golfers think of stability as holding positions while introducing an unbalanced condition, like a stability ball.  While this is one type of stability it is not the type of stability we are talking about practicing in the full golf swing.  Holding positions is more of an isometric stability, or static tension, an example would be a holding a side plank, or balancing on a unstable surface while holding a push up position to strengthen the core.  While these might be beneficial for producing strength through isometric tension, they do not train your neural-muscular system to properly transfer generated force efficiently from one body segment to another.


In Platinum Golf Fitness we train your body to "fire" the appropriate stabilization sequence in a full body, multi joint, highly coordinated movement.  We use body weight and kettlebell loaded movement patterns where your joint mobility/stability impacts the body's ability to perform the movement pattern efficiently.  It is the joints capability to fire in the correct sequence as the force is generated from the prime movers that constitutes the stability we are training for the full golf swing. 

In a powerful golf swing the large muscles of the lower body generate the ground force.  This force moves up through the lower leg joints, through hip joint and pelvic girdle, through spinal joint regions, through the shoulder joints, through arm joints, into the only connection we have to the golf club, our hands.  Lack of joint mobility/stability in this sequence will result in a inefficient transfer of force, leading to a loss of power and club head speed.  Think of your golf stability as the links of a kinetic chain, as the force moves from one end of the chain to the other, we want the joints to to fire in correct sequence in order to get the maximum transfer of energy.  If one link of the connecting chain fires out of sequence there is a power leak, if two links fire out of sequence we have a compounded effect and a tremendous loss of power that was generated intitally.


There is a reason in Platinum Golf Fitness that mobility is trained before stability.  In the efficient golf swing as the force is transferred from the ground up, joints are either mobile or stable, it is the sequencing or the timing that produce a very powerful yet graceful looking full golf swing.




Most golf stability programs focus on stability in isolation to enhance performance and decrease the incidence of injury.  While this may enhance the golfers performance, they are all done essentially in singular plane aspect, but golf requires the golfer during practice/competition to utilize their body in all three planes of motion at the same time. This means the golfer needs to have the motor units of the rotary and angular/diagonal muscles ready to assist the prime movers as they function in a near-maximal or maximal state and are ready to function when called upon.  An example of this is as follows:  a golfer can power lift 100 lbs for 5 reps.  A very good weight for anyone.  However, when it comes time to hit the ball as hard and with as much finesse as he can, he is not able to transfer all that added strength to hitting the golf ball.  Why?  In this example, his prime mover muscles are strong, but his rotary and angular/diagonal muscles are not as functional.  When it came time to utilize his new strength, there was a loss of power transfer to the ball since his trunk stabilizers and movers were not as strong, thereby not allowing the prime movers of his body to put forth all of their power.  If these trunk stabilizers and movers were stronger and more functional, there would be less power loss during transfer of the energy created by the prime movers to the rotary and angular/diagonal muscles, thereby creating a more powerful golf shot! 

We start our stability training using kettlebell carries, where we simple carry a kettlebell in one of three positions, suitcase, rack, overhead, either by marching in place or by walking a prescribed distance.  We can make this as challenging as you can imagine, but the goal is to train stabilization sequencing with dynamic movement, in this case walking.  Next we move to lightly loaded ground based movements, and a full body movement where we sequence and pattern mobility/stability using the seven steps of the Get Up.  Finally we train high speed stabilization sequencing using rotary and angular/diagonal trunk strengthening patterns with hand to hand kettlebell practice.

In a very short time PGF stability practice can have a very dramatic effect on your golf performance, the effectiveness of the system is we train mobility first, then the mobility/stability sequencing.  Nothing is done in isolation, so the carry over effect is rapid. Once we are mobile and stabile, we are ready for balance and strength practice.

Platinum Golf Fitness: Build a Better Golf Machine! Stability

Mobility, What does it mean for a Golfer?

Mobility – the body’s ability to create specific angles and movement patterns, range of motion.

Creating the proper angles and movement patterns that optimize the biomechanics of the two-pendulum motion that make up the full golf swing is the mobility that we are trying to achieve with the Platinum Golf Fitness system.  The majority of recreational golfers lack the required range of motion to complete a full golf swing, and this can be addressed and resolved fairly quickly. Increased club head speed can be achieved after a few sessions of proper mobility practice.

One of the biggest frustrations for a recreational golfer is not being physically able to obtain the correct angle and positions needed to perform a powerful and graceful golf swing.  The golf swing should "flow" and seem effortless even though it is one of the most explosive movements in all of sports.

Mobility is the base of the PGF system pyramid.  Mobility is quite simply your ability to move through a desired range of motion.  As simple as that sounds most golfers do not "move" very well.  Mobility is different than flexibility, and here is the "why" behind the difference.  Flexibility is your ability to stretch or lengthen a muscle in a static position.  Mobility is dynamic movement.  While it may seem like working on flexibility is the correct path to take in order to build a better golf swing, we find that by performing the correct mobility practice, your flexibility will also increase. 

At PGF we have found increasing the range of motion in the hips, thoracic spine and the shoulders to be the best starting point.  We use simple but effective body weight and some lightly loaded movement patterns to increase our mobility.  Some of these patterns could be considered "stretching" exercise but we prefer to call them mobility patterns when it relates to the golf swing.  We work from the ground up and increase hip mobility first.  Then thoracic spine and shoulder mobility.  Most lower back injuries and pain with recreational golfers can be attributed to lack of proper hip mobility.  The lower back compensates for the golfers lack of hip mobility, and this is not a desirable state. Increasing mobility through out the core area leads to the desired ability to disassociate the lower and upper body in the golf swing motion to create the best possible angles in which to bring the club head to the golf ball.

First we start off by opening up the hips, we use a "frog" stretch, that includes dynamic rocking.  This movement is quite effective and should be practiced on a daily basis.  Next we take the brakes off the swing by gently and effectively stretching out the hip flexors by using a "cobra" movement position while also adding in some thoracic spine extension as we "pry" through the movement.

Next we lay flat on our stomachs, arms stretched out overhead, keeping the right arm and right leg in a straight line, we bring our left knee above the waist line and turn your upper torso counter clockwise while extending the left arm skyward.  This is the "arm bar" position.  With the left arm extended we reach back mobilizing the shoulder and thoracic spine areas.  Slide your left knee down and try to "pry" your left hip towards the ground while maintaining an extended left arm bar position.  Repeat on the left side.  From here we go into the classic child's pose to mobilize our spine with some flexion.  

This is a mobility "flow" warm up that should be practiced daily.  You should easily be able to move through this flow in less than 2-3 minutes.  Spend about 10-15 seconds on each movement pattern for mobility.  Work through your range of motion with proper breathing, we do not hold our breathe in any of these positions.

Mobility is the foundation for platinum golf fitness, once we work through this mobility flow as a warm up we go into some more hip, thoracic spine, and shoulder mobility patterning that fortifies the movement needed for a powerful golf swing and prepares us for stability, balance and strength practice.

Our sedentary lifestyles (sitting or laying down most of our time) and the use of a riding golf cart while playing demand that we practice mobility every single day.  Our golf performance will increase with better range of motion. 

Platinum Golf Fitness: Build a Better Golf Machine!  Mobility