Posted by Mark | in Golf Fitness, Golf Humor, Sports Nutrition | 1 Comment

Do you find yourself getting pooped by the 9^th hole?  Do you find it difficult to concentrate as the round wears on?  If you answered yes to either, the solution just may lie in the types of food you eat prior to and during your round.

What you eat directly before competing in any sport is critical, and this is especially true of golf.  The average round of golf spans roughly four hours, and requires both physical stamina and mental clarity.  To ensure you meet these demands, a pregame meal designed to sustain energy and promote concentration is recommended.

Before we discuss the pregame meal specifically, it’s important to note that one meal will not supply you with all the energy you need.  Eating the right foods on a consistent basis will help supply the muscles with glycogen, a key source of energy for your muscles when competing.  There is no substitute for a well balanced nutrition plan.

The goal of your pregame meal, as is stated above, is to help sustain stamina throughout the round and aid with concentration.  While golf does not necessarily require massive stores of energy, a proper pregame meal will:

• Hydrate the body, supplying water to the cells
• Help to ward off hunger during the round
• Add food energy to support existing stores of glycogen
• Stabilize blood sugar
• Help avoid adverse reactions to problem foods

Naturally, the exact foods you eat should be suited to your own tastes, but there are several things you should consider when planning your pregame meal.  First, you should always allow proper time for digestion.  The last thing you want is to feel full and bloated while you try to negotiate the first few holes.  A general rule of thumb is to eat approximately 3 hours before the contest.

So what should you eat?  What should you avoid?  Let’s take a look:

• Get Starchy! Meals high in starch tend to supply the most energy.  High-energy carbohydrates found in foods like bread, pasta, and potatoes will help provide continuous levels of energy throughout your round.

• Protein? Consume only moderate amounts of protein before playing.  Too many protein rich foods can increase urine production and may lead to dehydration.

• Avoid fatty and oily foods.  While some fat is vital in an overall nutrition plan, it should be avoided directly prior to a game.  It simply takes too long to digest.

• Try to avoid sugary foods.  Too much sugar can result in rapid energy swings that can leave you feeling depleted.

• Avoid caffeine.  I know, I know, you like that morning cup of coffee, but it could do you more harm than good.  Caffeine increases the production of urine and can cause dehydration.  Too much caffeine can also leave you jittery and unfocused.

• Got Gas? Avoid food that can cause uncomfortable gas on the course.  Some raw fruits, vegetables and beans can have this effect.  Try to stay away from the foods that give you problems.

• Lots of water.  If you only follow one rule, this should be the one.  Make sure to stay hydrated on the course.  Water promotes overall health and concentration.  For optimal hydration, strive for ½ of your body weight (pounds) in ounces per day. Drink water in the hours leading up to your game, and replenish it as the round continues.

• Eat a snack during the round to sustain energy.  While a full, heavy lunch at the turn is not recommended, you should eat a small snack about midway through your round.  A small granola bar, for example, would be an excellent choice—just a little something to get you through.

• Within these guidelines, choose foods you enjoy.

A nutritional, sports-specific meal is perhaps the most important tool in your pregame ritual.  Driving distance and putter accuracy are irrelevant without the strength and focus to endure the round.  Eat smart and get the edge you need to survive all eighteen.

Posted by Mark | in Golf Fitness, Golf Fitness Exercises, Sports Nutrition | No Comments

As much as I promote foam rollers and massage sticks to golfers for breaking up unwanted adhesion’s, AKA “Hot Spots” within the muscle tissue, sometimes it just doesn’t do the trick and it’s best to leave it up to the experts in manual therapy. Listen to CoFounder of the Titleist Performance Institute Dave Phillips discuss manual therapy and the significant role it can play in your golf game.

Posted by Mark | in Golf Fitness | No Comments

So with all the hype about golf becomming an olympic sport in 2016, do you think there’s room on the X-Games circuit for “Golf Cart Mahem”?

Posted by Mark | in Golf Fitness | 1 Comment

At first glance the foam roller may appear to be something you find poolside to help you stay afloat in the water. Ever heard of a “noodle”?

In fact, aside from its size and density that’s pretty much what a foam roller is. Made up of a cylindrical piece of densely packed foam, it’s a very simple, inexpensive, highly effective mobility tool. “I like to call it the poor man’s massage therapist.” And when used properly, the foam roller can help address mobility issues that affect posture, imbalanced musculature, and ultimately many swing faults that are unfortunately developed as a result.
It’s no secret that if you’re not mobile and unable move your body freely through its available range of motion, it’s going to be quite the challenge for you to consistently produce an efficient repeatable golf swing. It’s also our mobility that allows us to generate elastic energy and therefore establish a base for efficient power production.

Foam rolling is a great tool that you can add to your golf conditioning program that can help minimize your mobility limitations and increase your chances of developing a more efficient, repeatable golf swing.

Don’t believe me… give me a chance and I’ll prove to you that something as simple as a foam roller can in fact help you improve your golf swing. And with my 30 day money back guarantee, you’ve got nothing to loose?

Posted by Mark | in Golf Fitness, Golf Fitness Exercises, Golf Workouts | No Comments

Well nothing if your looking for one of the least effective ways to get into shape for golf! Think about it for a minute… you sit down in front of a desk at work, sit in the golf cart, sit in your car, sit on the couch in front of the TV. Then you get inspired sitting on your couch watching them talk on the golf channel about the intensity of Tiger Woods workout routine that you jump off the couch, jump into your workout clothes, jump into your car and head out to the gym.

You finally get to the gym and you say to yourself… I don’t know what to do but I can probably figure out how to use those machines. I’ll just sit my ass down and follow the instructions. It can’t be that difficult. And you know… I’m glad I brought my newspaper because I can read it while I sit here between sets.

That’s exactly my point! Workouts are not meant to be easy!! If they’re easy, it probably means your not benefiting much from it anyway, right?  Heck you probably got a better workout jumping off the couch, into your workout clothes, and into your car after getting fired up from hearing about Tiger’s workout on the big screen. Only kidding…

So here’s my beef with exercise machines and why I don’t like golfers to use them.

-Your posture certainly isn’t benefiting from machines because prolonged sitting promotes poor posture. NOT GOOD FOR YOUR GOLF GAME!!

-Your flexibility certainly isn’t benefiting from machines because sitting promotes tightness and adaptive shortening in many muscles throughout the body especially around the hip. NOT GOOD FOR YOUR GOLF GAME!

Read the rest of What’s My Beef With Exercise Machines? »

Posted by Mark | in Cardio, Golf Fitness, Golf Fitness Exercises, Golf Workouts | No Comments