Improve Your Endurance – Improve Your Golf

by Executive Fitness Leaders Staff

Golf may not be the most physically demanding of the sports, but then again how many sports last five hours.  The stress induced on your body over the duration of that time is fairly consistent, depending on your ability to refrain from brawling with the guy who sneezed in your backswing.  Although there is an obvious need for positive muscular balance, it is just as important to train and prepare your cardiovascular health for a day on the course.

Proper endurance means having your muscles successfully repeat a finite movement, such as a golf swing, over an extended period of time with little or no deviation.  This sometimes-overlooked commodity is a contributing reason why we struggle over the last few holes and end up dragging our clubs up the eighteenth fairway.  Even if you decide to take a cart every time you tee up, the need for solid golf endurance still applies.  It is your acute swing mechanics that are in question, not your ability to finish the round with the same energetic gait as when you started.

If you utter the words “lazy” and “swing” in the same sentence on more than one occasion while playing, then it’s time to start training.  Having the ability to perform consistently does not mean you need the lung capacity of a Lance Armstrong, or spend hours in the gym working out.  By taking a smart approach to your training regime and following it religiously you can improve your shot making and therefore your scores in a relatively short amount of time.

With specific regards to stamina and golf, two key areas need to be addressed.  The first, as previously mentioned, is cardiovascular health.  The efficiency of your heart to pump blood through your body, combined with your lungs capacity to saturate that blood with fresh oxygen has the biggest effect on your ability to withstand fatigue.  Muscles work by combining glucose and oxygen, which releases energy for your body to use.  By improving your ability to deliver a consistent supply of oxygen to the muscles associated with the golf swing you will ensure proper muscular performance late into the round.

The second essential aspect that you must address before each round is nutrition.  If you were at home, or at work, you likely wouldn’t go more than a few hours without having food.  For so many of us the idea of bringing something healthy to snack on is an afterthought until hole 6 or 7.  At this point the clubhouse couldn’t be any further away and the beer cart only seems to stock foods high in simple carbohydrates that, if eaten, will make you even more tired by the 11^th or 12th hole.

Failing to prepare before a round could leave you feeling weak and exhausted.  This negative effect will influence your swing mechanics as your body processes begin to slow down in an attempt to conserve energy.  Think of your metabolism like a burning fire inside of you; if you don’t put enough wood (food) on the fire it will begin to fade away, much like your energy.  Also on that note, if you smother the fire with too much wood it will be affected and you will get tired.  In the second scenario you get lethargic because now an excessive amount of blood is sent away from the working muscles and into your digestive system to break apart and absorb the food that you ingested.

Optimally, it would be ideal to eat light throughout the day to keep your energy and blood glucose levels steady.  Depending on your tee time, try and eat a well-balanced meal (containing adequate amounts of carbohydrates, fats and protein) approximately two hours before in order to allow enough time for digestion and absorption into your blood stream.  During your round snacking on things such as bananas and raisins are good, as they will provide adequate energy while not causing your blood glucose levels to rise high and then suddenly drop low again.

The following program is designed to give you a total body workout while maintaining an elevated heart rate in order to improve your cardiovascular endurance.  As you progress you will find that the workouts will become easier as your heart and lungs become more efficient.

Equipment

Fitness Ball  - Excellent for stability, balance and toning

Step Bench – Useful for strength and cardio workouts

Dumbbells – 5 lbs and up

Medicine Ball - 4 to 10 lbs

Routine                                                                                     

Exercise 1 – Push-ups with Feet on Fitness Ball (chest and core)

-          Start with your feet on the ball and hands on the floor

-          Make sure your hips are slightly elevated and your core remains tight

-          Perform as many push-ups as possible

-          Start with your feet on the ground until you progress to the ball

Exercise 2 – Cone Hops (total body)

-          With your knees bent approximately 30 degrees jump off with 2 feet

-          Land soft on your toes and then your heels

-          Keep your knees bent to absorb the shock

-          Turn and head back to the start position

-          Repeat this movement for 60 seconds

Exercise 3 – Step Up to 2 Arm Press (lower body and shoulders)

-          Stand about 12 inches away from the bench and hold two dumbbells that can be shoulder pressed 24-30 times

-          Step up with one foot while bending your opposite knee when your fully upright

-          Once stabilized, press the dumbbells over your head

-          Return the weights back to the start position, then step off the bench

-          Aim for 12-15 times

-          Repeat for opposite leg

Exercise 4 – Fitness Ball Push/Pull (core and stability)

-          Place forearms on the ball with your elbows positioned under your shoulders

-          Get in a plank position with your toes on the ground and hips slightly elevated

-          While drawing in your bellybutton towards your spine, push the ball, using only your arms, forwards and back (only your arms should be moving)

-          Aim for 3-4 inches forwards and back

-          Perform 15-20 reps

Exercise 5 – Cone Hops

Exercise 6 - Axe Chop MB X-Body (strength, power and stability)

-          Hold a medicine ball, or dumbbell, with straight arms

-          Keep your knees slightly bent and hold the weight over one side of your head

-          With a fast but steady pace squat down while bringing the weight towards your opposite foot

-          With the same pace return to the start position and then repeat

-          Continue on this side for 25-30 reps, then repeat on the opposite side

Did You Know?

* Your maximum heart rate should be 220 – your age

* Your target heart rate should be about 60 – 80% of that maximum number        

* Research has shown that eating just two bananas will provide enough energy for a strenuous 90-minute workout