Golf Fitness and Flexibility

Sats

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I do yoga for flexibility and gym it 4-5 times a week. I do a lot of power based moves that transfers well into golf - Snatches, Cleans, Medicine Ball Slams, Kettlebell swings and it has helped greatly.
 

Jigger

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The room temp is 28 degrees and high humidity. The muscles feel supple and you sweat like no tomorrow.
That relates to a podcast I’ve been listening to with Phil Richards about sweating toxins out to enable performance improvement in strength training. Mind you he also went in about the importance of blood analysis which he charges £1k for on his website!
 

RangeMonkey

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I thought Yoga meant unite breathe and body.

No, that’s what modern yoga teachers tell you, because they do t like the fact that yoga is an entire system of spiritual development. The postures are a tiny part of what yoga is. Many traditions of yoga don’t even include the physical posture work!
 

Jigger

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No, that’s what modern yoga teachers tell you, because they do t like the fact that yoga is an entire system of spiritual development. The postures are a tiny part of what yoga is. Many traditions of yoga don’t even include the physical posture work!
Like washing your nose out with a teapot.
 

Dibby

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For most people, the answer is to do what you enjoy in terms of exercise. The average golfer is generally not in shape, so rather than worrying about the best program out there, just getting moving, and doing anything that might build strength, endurance, mobility etc.. will be a benefit. Just like buying brand new kit every release won't drop you from 20 to scratch overnight, the same applies to fitness. There is no secret or magic routine, just consistency. Being fitter and healthier will benefit both golf and life. Unless you're planning to be out on tour general fitness should come first, and then golf-specific stuff can be built on that foundation.

Also, what works for others, may not work for you. As an example, the snatch is mentioned as a good exercise to develop power in this thread. No argument on that, but most people won't have the mobility or technical skill to perform one correctly, and even those that can perform them may still not have the capabilities to truly benefit from them. For the average golfer, the effort in learning a technical lift to a proficiency that will start to deliver benefits would be better used for other things.

In short, most people should move more and eat and drink less, the specifics of the movements and food whilst not unimportant are (especially to beginners) less important than a lot of poeple make out.
 

Jensen

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No, that’s what modern yoga teachers tell you, because they do t like the fact that yoga is an entire system of spiritual development. The postures are a tiny part of what yoga is. Many traditions of yoga don’t even include the physical posture work!
No, that’s what modern yoga teachers tell you, because they do t like the fact that yoga is an entire system of spiritual development. The postures are a tiny part of what yoga is. Many traditions of yoga don’t even include the physical posture work!

ALL the classes I've been to are based on physical posture work!
Spiritual reference relates to positive energy
o
 

Swinglowandslow

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Great thread this. Helpful for a man with bad heels and shocking tightness in the piriformis area (ass and hips)

Shan't ask if it's because if those wonderful meat and potatoe pies you can get.
Good job there aren't any near me. I'd be really unfit?
 
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RangeMonkey

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ALL the classes I've been to are based on physical posture work!
Spiritual reference relates to positive energy
o

Almost all classes will be exclusively about physical work. Even the British Wheel of Yoga (kind of equivalent to Golf England) don’t include any real spiritual stuff in their teaching training anymore. And other “ruling bodies” even less so.

Most teachers don’t even know that physical work is only a small percentage of the full world of yoga.
 

stefanovic

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I doubt if yoga will lower your handicap, but it may help you to play it for longer in your life along with other good lifestyle choices.
However going to yoga class can result in injury. I found this myself and instead starting doing the 5 Tibetan Rites for free at home. They keep your body flexible and condense yoga into under 10 minutes. If you want to check this out go to the Wiki page or pick out a video on Youtube.
 

Wolf

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For most people, the answer is to do what you enjoy in terms of exercise. The average golfer is generally not in shape, so rather than worrying about the best program out there, just getting moving, and doing anything that might build strength, endurance, mobility etc.. will be a benefit. Just like buying brand new kit every release won't drop you from 20 to scratch overnight, the same applies to fitness. There is no secret or magic routine, just consistency. Being fitter and healthier will benefit both golf and life. Unless you're planning to be out on tour general fitness should come first, and then golf-specific stuff can be built on that foundation.

Also, what works for others, may not work for you. As an example, the snatch is mentioned as a good exercise to develop power in this thread. No argument on that, but most people won't have the mobility or technical skill to perform one correctly, and even those that can perform them may still not have the capabilities to truly benefit from them. For the average golfer, the effort in learning a technical lift to a proficiency that will start to deliver benefits would be better used for other things.

In short, most people should move more and eat and drink less, the specifics of the movements and food whilst not unimportant are (especially to beginners) less important than a lot of poeple make out.
This sums it up perfectly for me especially that last little paragraph. In my professional opinion of years working in strength, conditioning and even sports specific training. People at recreational level of sport shouldn't be sport specific training.

Better to improve quality of health & movement patterns for longevity of life and enjoyment of it than focus of doing certain things for sport. Just being fitter, healthier more flexible for every day life will have a positive impact on sporting performance anyway for the recreational player. Sports specific fitness and strength training goes more hand in hand with working alongside sports technical coaches for example I worked with one lady golfer whose coach laid out the exact patterns in the swing the player needed, which in turn means I could focus solely on improving strength, flexibility and movement patterns to assist each component of the players technique.. This level of scientific training is not at our level of the game. As above eat less move more and get healthy and fit for life not just golf.

As for Yoga, i think its brilliant for posture , flexibility and for me I love the way it helps me mentally on how to clear the mind. But again this is for being healthier in life, it will however help for longevity of playing sports in to an older age rather than being something which cuts handicap..
 

stefanovic

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As for Yoga, i think its brilliant for posture , flexibility and for me I love the way it helps me mentally on how to clear the mind. But again this is for being healthier in life, it will however help for longevity of playing sports in to an older age rather than being something which cuts handicap..
The advantages of yoga are improved flexibility and muscle tone. It may also be good for your mental health which these days is much in the news.
But there are disadvantages. It takes too long. It will cause injury sooner or later. You can easily hurt your back, and it is not be suitable for everybody. It's easier for small boned people.
What I recommend is Chi Kung (Qigong). It's easy and is unlikely to cause injury. In time it raises the Chi (which yoga doesn't). Then you can proceed to the more difficult practice of Tai Chi (Tai = big) which ticks all the boxes.
If you think Chi Kung and Tai Chi look as if they don't do much, just try them. Way more powerful than yoga, and capable of fixing golf injuries.
 

RangeMonkey

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It will cause injury sooner or later. You can easily hurt your back

Only if you are doing it, or being taught it, badly. I admit, there are many bad teachers these days.

and it is not be suitable for everybody. It's easier for small boned people.
Not true. Or at least is only true if you think you have to copy the pictures in the books. A good instructor will help you work to your body shape and flexibility levels. You still get all the benefits.

What I recommend is Chi Kung (Qigong). It's easy and is unlikely to cause injury.
Agreed: qigong teaching hasn’t yet degraded to the same extent as in yoga.

in time it raises the Chi (which yoga doesn't).
Yoga calls it prana, and it has been much more thoroughly investigated in yoga than in qigong, and yoga provides much more thorough and effective techniques for controlling it.

Way more powerful than yoga.
Maybe more so than yoga taught in sports centres, or if you ultimate goal is self defence.

It sounds like you know a lot about the supreme-ultimate, but nothing about yoga.
 

stefanovic

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Only if you are doing it, or being taught it, badly. I admit, there are many bad teachers these days.
Ask them to do the more advanced poses, and very likely they can't. They only teach the ones they can do.

A good instructor will help you work to your body shape and flexibility levels. You still get all the benefits.
The benefits of doing yoga are way overstated. It can't fix or prevent any health problem, and you won't lose weight.

Yoga calls it prana, and it has been much more thoroughly investigated in yoga than in qigong, and yoga provides much more thorough and effective techniques for controlling it.
Prana and chi are different sensations. Yoga has been investigated for longer because Chi Kung was only fairly recently revealed to the West when China opened up to the world, even though it may be 5000 years old.
The long and short forms of Tai Chi, based on Chi Kung were composed in China in the latter half of the last century.

It sounds like you know a lot about the supreme-ultimate, but nothing about yoga.
I've practiced Iyengar yoga, Astanga yoga, and Kum Nye Tibetan yoga over many years.
If I were to recommend just one I'd say Kum Nye, because it's more effective.
As I've said before the yoga that is practiced in class is not true yoga. It is posture or Asana. You might as well go to Pilates. There may be some Pranayama taught but I never came across it and none of the other 8 limbs of yoga were ever mentioned.
 

RangeMonkey

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Ask them to do the more advanced poses, and very likely they can't. They only teach the ones they can do.


The benefits of doing yoga are way overstated. It can't fix or prevent any health problem, and you won't lose weight.


Prana and chi are different sensations. Yoga has been investigated for longer because Chi Kung was only fairly recently revealed to the West when China opened up to the world, even though it may be 5000 years old.
The long and short forms of Tai Chi, based on Chi Kung were composed in China in the latter half of the last century.


I've practiced Iyengar yoga, Astanga yoga, and Kum Nye Tibetan yoga over many years.
If I were to recommend just one I'd say Kum Nye, because it's more effective.
As I've said before the yoga that is practiced in class is not true yoga. It is posture or Asana. You might as well go to Pilates. There may be some Pranayama taught but I never came across it and none of the other 8 limbs of yoga were ever mentioned.

Even the 8 limbs you mention is limited to one particular tradition of yoga. Most traditions don’t acknowledge the 8 limbs

I’m not going to get into a slinging match.

You’re misunderstanding my statements, but I can’t be bothered correcting you.

This isn’t the place to discus these things.
 
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