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Training - New School of Thought

As some of you may or may not know, I began a commitment to training just prior to the new year. I began with golf specific training twice per week to build core strength and flexibility, as well as some golf specific excercises. I'm now moving into a new phase of my training, strength and mass. I can already hear people commenting. I figured I would share some new info for some people of an "old school" train of thought.

For all of you P90X'ers. Keep doing what you're doing. From what I've been able to gather from that workout, it looks good. For everyone else, here's some new information.

I've always believed that flexibility along with strength is the key to a golfers success. However, I wanted to caution people on how they may be warming up. If you're the type of person doing STATIC stretches, let me warn you; YOU ARE PROBABLY DOING MORE HARM THAN GOOD. Studies now show that passive and static stretches prior to physical activity can actually lead to injury. Hard to believe, but there are statistics out there.

With my program, I warm up for about 10 minutes doing some yoga type plank poses followed by some light weight low impact lunges, shoulder, and back exercises. Then I hit the weights. For those that believe weight training can hinder flexibility, let me tell you, WRONG.

Actually, weight training promotes flexibility. When the antagonist muscle is summoned to do a movement (lift weight) the protagonast muscle must relax and stretch. On the negative portion of the rep, the movements are reversed.

Now I'm not telling everyone to go powerlifiting, but you should really use caution when considering how to train. Consult with a doctor, and don't just pick a trainer who has years and years of experience in any particular area. Chances are that those trainers may be set in there ways. Some old theories have now been disproven and with modern science and technology; there are stats showing benefits of new thoughts.

Check out some of the myths in training here: http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/bbinfo.php?page=Myths

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Comments (10)
	PeteG512 6/9/2010 12:18:57 PM I stretch before working out and then afterwards to minimize any chance for injury.
	HIGH_LANDER 6/9/2010 12:10:52 PM great read,thanks for the great,tip!
	pjcedog 3/4/2009 11:33:47 PM I don't stretch before working out, I stretch after.
	pjcedog 3/4/2009 11:33:47 PM I don't stretch before working out, I stretch after.
	dday39 3/4/2009 2:54:06 PM Mobility Versus Stability The most important aspect of any functional movement is the principle of being in balance. Balance, as we think of it in the golfing world, is the fine line that exists between mobility and stability in your stance and swing. If you have too much flexibility, or flexibility that you are unable to control during the functional part of the golf swing, it no longer works as an asset. On the opposite side, if you are tight-jointed and stable but don't have enough mobility to produce a functional golf swing, you are unable to preload the muscle, resulting in lack of power. That is why the golf swing requires a good balance between mobility and stability. According to Gray Cook, an orthopedic physical therapy specialist, "Stability is the active muscular control exerted on a joint to redirect force and controlled movement in the presence of normal muscular flexibility and joint mobility." Many questions regarding the effectiveness of stretching in creating this balance between mobility and stability present themselves. How long should the stretch be held? How long does it take to achieve an increase in flexibility? What is the residual effect of increased
	dday39 3/4/2009 2:54:06 PM Mobility Versus Stability The most important aspect of any functional movement is the principle of being in balance. Balance, as we think of it in the golfing world, is the fine line that exists betwflexibility after you have stopped stretching? Other questions concern how frequently to stretch and the most effective time to stretch. The answers to all these questions have a component of individual preference. You'll attain the best results, however, by using a combination of different flexibility activities. This will ensure more comprehensive flexibility and reduce the boredom factor so that stretching will not be the most neglected fitness component in your exercise regime. In recent years specialized flexibility equipment has been developed. A study of 40 golfers compared changes in joint flexibility and club head speed when stretching statically and when using specifically designed flexibility equipment. Several stretching devices are on the market that allow athletes to passively place and hold the body in a stretching position; the BackSystem3, Precor Stretch Trainer, StretchMate, and Prostretch are just a few. The static stretching group improved their relative fle
	dday39 3/4/2009 2:54:06 PM Mobility Versus Stability The most important aspect of any functional movement is the principle of being in balance. Balance, as we think of it in the golfing world, is the fine line that exists betwxibility and increased their club head speed by 120 percent. The group that used specialized stretching equipment did not improve their relative flexibility but increased their club head speed by 170 percent. From this study we conclude that being stabilized at the hips on the specialized stretching equipment may decrease muscle stiffness, as opposed to increasing relative flexibility. This finding has important implications with respect to power production. Improvements in general flexibility apparently might not be as useful as specifically stretching the part of the muscle chain that is tightest. This result also indicates that it might be necessary to swing within the functional framework of your body.
	dday39 3/4/2009 2:54:06 PM Mobility Versus Stability The most important aspect of any functional movement is the principle of being in balance. Balance, as we think of it in the golfing world, is the fine line that exists between mobility and stability in your stance and swing. If you have too much flexibility, or flexibility that you are unable to control during the functional part of the golf swing, it no longer works as an asset. On the opposite side, if you are tight-jointed and stable but don't have enough mobility to produce a functional golf swing, you are unable to preload the muscle, resulting in lack of power. That is why the golf swing requires a good balance between mobility and stability. According to Gray Cook, an orthopedic physical therapy specialist, "Stability is the active muscular control exerted on a joint to redirect force and controlled movement in the presence of normal muscular flexibility and joint mobility." Many questions regarding the effectiveness of stretching in creating this balance between mobility and stability present themselves. How long should the stretch be held? How long does it take to achieve an increase in flexibility? What is the residual effect of increased
	dday39 3/4/2009 2:54:06 PM Mobility Versus Stability The most important aspect of any functional movement is the principle of being in balance. Balance, as we think of it in the golfing world, is the fine line that exists betwflexibility after you have stopped stretching? Other questions concern how frequently to stretch and the most effective time to stretch. The answers to all these questions have a component of individual preference. You'll attain the best results, however, by using a combination of different flexibility activities. This will ensure more comprehensive flexibility and reduce the boredom factor so that stretching will not be the most neglected fitness component in your exercise regime. In recent years specialized flexibility equipment has been developed. A study of 40 golfers compared changes in joint flexibility and club head speed when stretching statically and when using specifically designed flexibility equipment. Several stretching devices are on the market that allow athletes to passively place and hold the body in a stretching position; the BackSystem3, Precor Stretch Trainer, StretchMate, and Prostretch are just a few. The static stretching group improved their relative fle
	dday39 3/4/2009 2:54:06 PM Mobility Versus Stability The most important aspect of any functional movement is the principle of being in balance. Balance, as we think of it in the golfing world, is the fine line that exists betwxibility and increased their club head speed by 120 percent. The group that used specialized stretching equipment did not improve their relative flexibility but increased their club head speed by 170 percent. From this study we conclude that being stabilized at the hips on the specialized stretching equipment may decrease muscle stiffness, as opposed to increasing relative flexibility. This finding has important implications with respect to power production. Improvements in general flexibility apparently might not be as useful as specifically stretching the part of the muscle chain that is tightest. This result also indicates that it might be necessary to swing within the functional framework of your body.

dday39

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