Here is a quick video golf lesson to add some power and distance to your game.
Make sure to stretch both sides of your body!
Brandon Smith
Golf Fitness @ The International
Personalized Golf Workouts
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Are You a Modern Day Golfer?
Are you a modern day golfer? Do you want to play all the new equipment and take advantage of all the cutting edge technology that is available to you? Do you want to improve, gain more distance and shoot low scores? If so, I have news for you...........
You're not giving yourself a chance!
The Modern day PGA Tour player has flexibility and is a well rounded athlete. Sir Nick Faldo has mentioned how every player is in shape these days and that being fit is the number one difference he has seen this season.
You can't be a modern day golfer if you are not in better shape.
I spent 3 straight days at a national golf expo located in the northeastern part of the county, that has been covered in snow for the last three months. I must say, I was not shocked by what I saw, but I certainly was surprised.
This golf expo had everything a golfer could ever want, from discounted greens fees to shiny new golf clubs.
Here is what I saw......
The majority of people in attendance were over weight, drank beer all day (yes, they served beer at this event!!) and spent most of their time in the "demo area" hitting ball after ball. Retailers made a bunch of money selling 400 dollar drivers, and golf courses sold hundreds of discounted rounds.
What I didn't see was enough traffic in the "fitness" section of the expo, Even after commentators mention fitness during every round of a PGA Tour Event!
This is a big problem! There is no way you can take advantage of all the great advances in golf club technology if you are not working on your physical game.
The golf expo featured golf fitness experts willing to give a free physical evaluation and explain the importance of using a foam roller for recovery after a round. Very few people went to the fitness section of the expo.
The new equipment is designed for the young guns on the PGA Tour. If you want to play the same gear they use, you better start a flexibility program ASAP!! Have you seen the Dustin Johnson commercial where he hits a 3 iron 250 yards? Most of you would be lucky to even hit that club square, let alone get any distance out of it. Johnson is an athlete. He has the NUMBER ONE physical component to his game that many of you lack. FLEXIBILITY!
If you want to be a better player and really take advantage of all the great equipment being offered, start a flexibility program.
Make it easy on yourself and just start with some very basic stretches EVERYDAY. Spent 5 minutes a day, then spend 6 the next day and 7 the day after that. The point is, do SOMETHING everyday to improve your flexibility.
Something is better than nothing. If you are willing to spend crazy money on new clubs and maybe gain a yard or two, then you can certainly start a basic flexibility program. More flexibility will eliviate pain, provide more range of motion in your swing and it will make your lessons more valuable because you will actually be physically able to make the kind of swing your instructor wants.
If you need help starting a program, please contact me HERE and I will help you out.
Flexibility is the number one component you need for your physical game. You can't even begin to work on strength and power unless your body moves better.
Contact me now and lets get going on a program.
Brandon Smith CSCS
You're not giving yourself a chance!
The Modern day PGA Tour player has flexibility and is a well rounded athlete. Sir Nick Faldo has mentioned how every player is in shape these days and that being fit is the number one difference he has seen this season.
You can't be a modern day golfer if you are not in better shape.
I spent 3 straight days at a national golf expo located in the northeastern part of the county, that has been covered in snow for the last three months. I must say, I was not shocked by what I saw, but I certainly was surprised.
This golf expo had everything a golfer could ever want, from discounted greens fees to shiny new golf clubs.
Here is what I saw......
The majority of people in attendance were over weight, drank beer all day (yes, they served beer at this event!!) and spent most of their time in the "demo area" hitting ball after ball. Retailers made a bunch of money selling 400 dollar drivers, and golf courses sold hundreds of discounted rounds.
What I didn't see was enough traffic in the "fitness" section of the expo, Even after commentators mention fitness during every round of a PGA Tour Event!
This is a big problem! There is no way you can take advantage of all the great advances in golf club technology if you are not working on your physical game.
The golf expo featured golf fitness experts willing to give a free physical evaluation and explain the importance of using a foam roller for recovery after a round. Very few people went to the fitness section of the expo.
The new equipment is designed for the young guns on the PGA Tour. If you want to play the same gear they use, you better start a flexibility program ASAP!! Have you seen the Dustin Johnson commercial where he hits a 3 iron 250 yards? Most of you would be lucky to even hit that club square, let alone get any distance out of it. Johnson is an athlete. He has the NUMBER ONE physical component to his game that many of you lack. FLEXIBILITY!
If you want to be a better player and really take advantage of all the great equipment being offered, start a flexibility program.
Make it easy on yourself and just start with some very basic stretches EVERYDAY. Spent 5 minutes a day, then spend 6 the next day and 7 the day after that. The point is, do SOMETHING everyday to improve your flexibility.
Something is better than nothing. If you are willing to spend crazy money on new clubs and maybe gain a yard or two, then you can certainly start a basic flexibility program. More flexibility will eliviate pain, provide more range of motion in your swing and it will make your lessons more valuable because you will actually be physically able to make the kind of swing your instructor wants.
If you need help starting a program, please contact me HERE and I will help you out.
Flexibility is the number one component you need for your physical game. You can't even begin to work on strength and power unless your body moves better.
Contact me now and lets get going on a program.
Brandon Smith CSCS
Monday, January 10, 2011
Is This a Good Golf Workout?
Is this a good golf workout for you?
There are several workouts "designed" for golf and for golfers, but I don't recommend that you try this one.
http://www.golf.com/golf/video/article/0,28224,2041190,00.html
However, there are some very good points here as well, which we'll get into later.
Reasons not to follow:
1. To Risky-why try to balance yourself on a ball, especially while holding weight? All it takes is a quick lack of focus or one wrong move and you're on the ground with a hand or wrist injury!
2. Exercise Selection- You can only do so much that is actually going to help your golf game while on the ball.
3. Ground Reaction-When you kneel on the ball you eliminate any benefit you can get from the ground reaction forces.
4. Core Work-yes, you must stabilize your core to get on, and stay on the ball, but there are much better (and safer) options for core work.
Tim Maxey (former Strength Coach of the Cleveland Indians) one of the first Strength Coaches I've ever worked with, told me that "baseball players run, hit and throw with their feet on the ground, so we are going to train with our feet on the ground". Golfers play from the ground up, and actually use the ground to develop power, so try to train as much as you can with your feet on the ground.
Natalie Gulbis is a very good athlete (and very marketable too) which is why I question why she is on that exercise ball. It might be good for her modeling career, but could instantly crush her golf career.
Now to the good points. Natalie begins her workout with a bunch of flexibility work through her hips. Very good. She also does plenty of plank work (best, and safest move for your core). Although I don't agree with her entire workout, there are some good points that all golfers can follow.
Brandon Smith CSCS
Golf Fitness Expert
There are several workouts "designed" for golf and for golfers, but I don't recommend that you try this one.
http://www.golf.com/golf/video/article/0,28224,2041190,00.html
However, there are some very good points here as well, which we'll get into later.
Reasons not to follow:
1. To Risky-why try to balance yourself on a ball, especially while holding weight? All it takes is a quick lack of focus or one wrong move and you're on the ground with a hand or wrist injury!
2. Exercise Selection- You can only do so much that is actually going to help your golf game while on the ball.
3. Ground Reaction-When you kneel on the ball you eliminate any benefit you can get from the ground reaction forces.
4. Core Work-yes, you must stabilize your core to get on, and stay on the ball, but there are much better (and safer) options for core work.
Tim Maxey (former Strength Coach of the Cleveland Indians) one of the first Strength Coaches I've ever worked with, told me that "baseball players run, hit and throw with their feet on the ground, so we are going to train with our feet on the ground". Golfers play from the ground up, and actually use the ground to develop power, so try to train as much as you can with your feet on the ground.
Natalie Gulbis is a very good athlete (and very marketable too) which is why I question why she is on that exercise ball. It might be good for her modeling career, but could instantly crush her golf career.
Now to the good points. Natalie begins her workout with a bunch of flexibility work through her hips. Very good. She also does plenty of plank work (best, and safest move for your core). Although I don't agree with her entire workout, there are some good points that all golfers can follow.
Brandon Smith CSCS
Golf Fitness Expert
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Hello Golfers.
If you had the chance to watch Golf Channel's 12 nights at the academy, I'm sure some of you were a little confused by Sean Foley.
Sean is the coach to Justin Rose, Hunter Mahan, Sean O'hair, Stephan Ames and Tiger Woods. His approach is very much rooted in bio-mechanics and strength & conditioning.
On his episode, Sean kept referring to the ground, and how using your feet and the ground together was the genesis of clubhead speed. Sean is talking about a concept call "Ground Reaction Force". Unless you went to college and studied bio-mechanics or physics, I'm sure you have not heard the term "ground reaction force".
Here is the simplest definition I can give you, courtesy of Wikipedia.
Ground Reaction Force- refers generically to any force exerted by the ground on a body in contact with it. For example, a person standing on the ground exerts a force on it (equal to the person's weight) and at the same time an equal and opposite ground reaction force is exerted by the ground on the person.The use of the word reaction derives from Newton's Third Law, which essentially states that if a force, called action, acts upon a body, then an equal and opposite force, called reaction, must act upon another body.The force exerted by the ground is commonly referred to as the reaction, although the distinction between action and reaction is completely arbitrary and the expression ground action would be, in principle, equally acceptable.
If you had the chance to watch Golf Channel's 12 nights at the academy, I'm sure some of you were a little confused by Sean Foley.
Sean is the coach to Justin Rose, Hunter Mahan, Sean O'hair, Stephan Ames and Tiger Woods. His approach is very much rooted in bio-mechanics and strength & conditioning.
On his episode, Sean kept referring to the ground, and how using your feet and the ground together was the genesis of clubhead speed. Sean is talking about a concept call "Ground Reaction Force". Unless you went to college and studied bio-mechanics or physics, I'm sure you have not heard the term "ground reaction force".
Here is the simplest definition I can give you, courtesy of Wikipedia.
Ground Reaction Force- refers generically to any force exerted by the ground on a body in contact with it. For example, a person standing on the ground exerts a force on it (equal to the person's weight) and at the same time an equal and opposite ground reaction force is exerted by the ground on the person.The use of the word reaction derives from Newton's Third Law, which essentially states that if a force, called action, acts upon a body, then an equal and opposite force, called reaction, must act upon another body.The force exerted by the ground is commonly referred to as the reaction, although the distinction between action and reaction is completely arbitrary and the expression ground action would be, in principle, equally acceptable.
What does this mean to your golf swing? Well, basically it means that a good swing starts with good footwork. To further help with the concepts of the golf swing, I want to introduce you to my golf instructor, Adam Kolloff.
Check out Adams website and take a look at some of the video and still photos of swings, that show weight shift and footwork, causing a reaction in the ground sending energy back into your body. Adam has a method of teaching that uses ground reaction forces. He refers to it as THE MOVE.
By doing "the move", you are putting force into the ground without even knowing it. If the move is done correctly, you apply force to the ground with your feet and legs first. The ground then pushes back at you, allowing you to generate speed in your hips, torso, arms and finally send all that energy into the back of the ball.
In my personal practice, I work on the MOVE in between sets during my workouts. If you read Adam's book, you will see exactly how I apply the move to my workouts.
Everything in your golf swing starts with your feet. Sean Foley was explaining that he has all of his clients hit balls with no shoes on. Be careful when doing this for the first time and take smaller swings until you "feel" what is going on with your body. This is also why I like to have my clients workout barefoot. Again, be very careful if you try that at home! Your feet receive tons of information from the ground and then relay that information to the rest of the body.
So my recommendations are:
1. Watch Sean Foley's episode on Golf Channel
2. Read Adam Kolloff's book "Finally Down the Middle"
3. Hit ball bare foot
4. Workout barefoot (not in a public gym)
Good luck and stay Flexible
Brandon Smith CSCS
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Add Some Power
Add some power, before, during and after your next round
It takes dedication and hours of hard work to develop a great swing, and overall sound golf game. What doesn't take hours of mental and physical preparation is eating well.
Food is the best way to add natural energy to your game. When you don't eat well, it's like putting low octane gas in a high performance sports car. Your body is the sports car! You must treat it the right way to produce the power and energy you need to perform and practice.
The easiest way to gain energy is to eat well and to eat Breakfast!! Don't skip breakfast just because you have an early tee time
Eat right when you wake up. Eating breakfast replenishes your bodies food supply from a night of fasting (you fast when your body is at sleep). Skipping breakfast is like driving your high performance sports car on empty. Also, your body breaks down muscle when you sleep. Not good!
Here is an example list of energy foods that everyday golfers can easily add to their diets and golf bags during a busy season.
Energy Foods
1. Fruit (apple's specifically) easily carried, and found in just about every store, even truck stops on lonely highways.
2. Yogurt (low or non-fat) easy to travel with and full of vitamins. Add nuts or berries to enhance flavor.
3. Tuna- Get it in a wrap or eat it right out of the can. Tons of protein for lean muscle!
4. Sunflower seeds- chomp on them while walking to your next shot! good source of fiber and energy, just don't spit the seeds on the greens!
5. Bananas- Easy to travel with and quick to eat. Provides potassium which helps maintain muscle function.
The list goes on and on and on, but these 5 foods are all readily available, can be eaten anytime of day and are cheap to buy. Add these foods into your pre-and post round meals and fuel recovery and add some energy during your next round.
Stay Energized
Brandon Smith CSCS
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Strength & Stability
Ask any golf instructor in the game and they will all agree that 99% of all amateur golfers need to be more stable over the ball and maintain good posture.
This exercise, "Stability Bar Pull" will help address those two areas that are weak.
Maintain your posture and don't let the weight twist your hips. This is also a great way to train your core!
Pay attention to all the details when lifting weights and pay extra attention to your body position.
"Move Better. Feel Better. Play Better"
Brandon Smith CSCS
This exercise, "Stability Bar Pull" will help address those two areas that are weak.
Maintain your posture and don't let the weight twist your hips. This is also a great way to train your core!
Pay attention to all the details when lifting weights and pay extra attention to your body position.
"Move Better. Feel Better. Play Better"
Brandon Smith CSCS
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
14 Nutrition Rules to live by
You are what you eat! What a true statement that is. My good friend Joe Howley has laid out some guidelines that I recommend you follow.
If you want more energy, weight loss, great looking skin and to feel better I suggest you try as many of these recommendations as possible.
Joe is an expert in supplementation and organic nutrition. Here is his list:
1. Eat every 3-4 hours
2. Eat protein with every meal (when possible)
3. Consume Quality Whey Isolate Protein
4. Include essential fats with every meal
5. Eat higher quality foods
6. Try to plan meals ahead of time
7. Take in PLENTY of WATER
8. Stay in a Positive frame of mind
9. Take your 90 essential nutrients everyday
10. Take enzymes, probiotics and phytonutrients
11. Get Vitamin D & Calcium
12. Consume foods high in Antioxidants and high ORAC score
13. Stay away from Genetically Modified Food (corn is about 90% modified)
14. AVOID FAST FOOD!
It will be difficult to do everything on this list all at once, but try to do as many as possible. Over time, you will feel much better, have more energy and be 100% healthier!!
"Move Better. Feel Better. Play Better"
Brandon Smith CSCS
Golf Fitness Expert
If you want more energy, weight loss, great looking skin and to feel better I suggest you try as many of these recommendations as possible.
Joe is an expert in supplementation and organic nutrition. Here is his list:
1. Eat every 3-4 hours
2. Eat protein with every meal (when possible)
3. Consume Quality Whey Isolate Protein
4. Include essential fats with every meal
5. Eat higher quality foods
6. Try to plan meals ahead of time
7. Take in PLENTY of WATER
8. Stay in a Positive frame of mind
9. Take your 90 essential nutrients everyday
10. Take enzymes, probiotics and phytonutrients
11. Get Vitamin D & Calcium
12. Consume foods high in Antioxidants and high ORAC score
13. Stay away from Genetically Modified Food (corn is about 90% modified)
14. AVOID FAST FOOD!
It will be difficult to do everything on this list all at once, but try to do as many as possible. Over time, you will feel much better, have more energy and be 100% healthier!!
"Move Better. Feel Better. Play Better"
Brandon Smith CSCS
Golf Fitness Expert
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