Callaway Golf Fitness Tips: Power Golf

Callaway Golf Fitness Tips: Power Golf: Training for more power on the course doesn't have to involve heavy weights or explosive ballistic workouts. For most golfers, a more po...

Power Golf

Training for more power on the course doesn't have to involve heavy weights or explosive ballistic workouts. For most golfers, a more powerful swing can better be achieved through establishing a balance between improved posture, core and extremity strength, balance, functional stability and mobility. 

That's why developing a more powerful swing is more safely and effectively achieved with a combination of golf-specific strengthening exercises that blend the golfer's own body weight against gravity with a gradual progression of free weights plus customized flexibility and functional mobility training directed at critical body regions that are most contributing to the full golf swing motion.

Here are three great examples of 'functional' strengthening exercises that specifically can help build more swing speed and power into your game. Do these  exercises 3 to 5 days a week to strengthen your power muscles and improve your golf-specific joint motion for a stronger swing and more distance off the tee. 

1) Side Split Squat:

• From a standing position on a a firm, flat surface, spread your legs as far apart as you can comfortably. 
• With your arms held straight in front of your chest, shift your weight to one leg and slowly sit back onto your one leg. 
• Emphasize moving your hips backward rather than pressing your knees forward as you squat onto your one leg. 
• Hold this 'side split squat' position for 1-2 breaths, then slowly transfer your weight to your opposite leg.
• Continue moving slowly back and forth from one leg to the other for up to 20 reps, and do 1-3 sets.
• As you get stronger and the exercise becomes easier at slower speeds, gradually increase the speed of your 'side split squats' but make sure that your full squat motion doesn't shorten.  

Purpose: Improves flexibility of your hips, knees and lower back while gaining strength and power in your larger golf muscles ... thighs, buttocks, and calves. 

2) Golf Squat:

• From a standing position with your feet positioned wider than shoulder-width apart on a firm, flat surface, hold a 5-10 pound dumbbell with a hand-over-hand grip. 
• Slowly bend your hips and knees and lower your body into a full squat position (as deep as comfortably possible).
• Hold the full squat for 1 breath then slowly rise your body up and twist your upper torso to the right while bending your elbows and raising the weight in your hands over your right shoulder.
• At the top of your twist, your hips should be facing to the right, with your weight over your right foot and your left heel off the floor. 
• Hold this full list and twist to the right for 1 breath, then slowly return to the starting position and repeat the 'golf squat' to the opposite side.
• Repeat up to 1-3 sets of 20 reps.
• As you get stronger and the exercise becomes easier at slower speeds, gradually increase the speed of your 'golf squats' and increase the dumbbell weight as you are able.

Purpose: Improves flexibility of your shoulders, spine, hips, knees and lower back while gaining strength and power in your larger golf muscles ... chest, shoulders, thighs, buttocks, and calves ... and promotes greater club control from the top of the full swing through impact.

3) Power Rotation with Clap:

• Stand in your proper golf-address posture with your arms hanging vertically down from your shoulders and your palms touching together (like you're praying)
• Keep your left arm pointing straight down toward the ground as you bend your right elbow and slowly rotate your upper torso to the full backswing position.
• Then swing your right arm down as fast as possible, clapping your right hand with left your left to make the loudest 'clap' sound that you can make with your open hands.
• Do 20 reps and repeat the exercise in the opposite direction.

• Then, from your golf address posture, bend both elbows in front of your chest so your elbows and shoulders are bent to the 90/90 degree position in front of your chest.
• Slowly begin to rotate your upper torso right and left keeping your arms 'in front' of your chest as you rotate.
• Repeat 20 upper body twists gaining speed gradually until you are rotating as fast as you can by the 20th rep. 

Purpose:  Increases explosive power from trunk (core) rotation muscles.

2010 Illinois Boys State Golf Champion!

Congratulations to Thomas O'Byan from Waubonsie High School for winning this year's Illinois High School Boys Golf 3A Championship! Thomas is a wonderful young man and deserves the title after working so hard these past several years on his total game.

I have had the pleasure of working with Thomas, along with his professional golf instructor, Connie Demattia, at the Cantigny Golf Academy for the past several years to help Thomas develop his golf-specific physical strength and conditioning program.

Thomas has done everything that I have asked him to do in his fitness training program and his total performance improvement has been a tremendous validation to the concept of 'integrated' performance enhancement - the complete, synergistic blend of golf instruction, physical training, mental training and custom golf equipment.

Thomas' parents have fully understood the value of supporting Thomas by providing him with all of the resources offered through the Cantigny Golf Academy http://www.cantignygolf.com/ and the results are evident. Thomas' scores have dropped consistently over the past two years, he has earned a Division-1 college golf scholarship at the University of Wisconsin-Madision and he now is the best high school golfer in the state!

I wish Thomas all the best as he now moves forward into his college golf career and hopefully beyond to his goal of playing professionally on the PGA Tour. I can't think of a more deserving individual than, Thomas O'Bryan. Way to go Thomas!

For more information about developing a total golf performance program for your junior golfer, please contact me directly at Paul@CallawayGolfFitness.com , call me at 630-567-7572, or visit www.CallawayGolfFitness.com .

Free from Joint Pain!

Do your joints and muscles hurt? If so, and your tired of hurting, then you will definitely want learn more about my amazing discovery:

• http://nettrax.myvoffice.com/nikkenusa/ShoppingCart/Shop.cfm?CurrPage=CategoryDetail&NextPage=CategoryDetail&CategoryID=99&lng=eng&shiptocountry=USA&SponID=150043200&pwp=healthyvibrations&OwnerID=150043200

For over 25 years, my ankles, knees and lower back hurt all the time ... every step, every day! It was 'no fun' at all! I was 40 years old and I felt like I was 80 every time I tried to do anything physical.

My problem started when I was just a teenager playing sports. I was at a basketball camp and on the second day of camp, in a scrimmage game, I rolled my left ankle severely! I heard and felt a 'pop'! I tried to keep playing but the pain was so severe and my ankle swelled instantly to the size of a grapefruit. By the next day, I had major bruising all around the outside of my ankle and my participation in camp was over for that week.

Unfortunately, I had registered and pre-paid for another camp the following week. I attended the camp and played all week on my ankle without re-injuring it again BUT never gave it the proper rest and recovery it needed to completely heal. The rest is history. My ankle was never the same. I developed chronic instability in that left ankle and, year after year, no matter what I tried, I kept re-spraining that ankle and arthritis eventually set in.

Worse yet, because of how my body was attempting to compensate for the weakness, instability, pain and dysfunction in my left ankle, all my other joints ... right ankle, both knees, and my lower back took a beating. By the time I was in my mid-20's all of those other joints and the surrounding muscles were hurting as well. I was a mess! I felt like my 'physical' life was over!

Now the good news! Fast forward 20 years, after giving up everything except for playing golf (and having to take a cart whenever I played because of my joint pain), at the age of 40 I was introduced to some amazing, 'natural' (non-prescription) wellness technologies by my doctors that totally changed my life forever. There were a number of wellness products that were suggested to me at the time so I tried them as recommended. After all ... what did I have to lose? I hurt every day, I couldn't even take a walk with my family without hurting, and I had tried everything I knew of to feel better up to then but nothing had really helped.

What I discovered was that these products were extremely safe, so simple to use, and highly effective when used properly and consistently over time. In just 3 weeks I was feeling much better! And, in 3-4 months, my joint problems were GONE! I was amazed at how I felt! My ankles and feet, my knees and my lower back all felt so much better. I could stand, walk, and play golf again ... I could even walk 18 holes and play multiple rounds per week for the first time in years without any discomfort! My joint range of motion, flexibility, strength, balance and total function all improved. It seemed too good to be true!

For several months, I kept expecting my symptoms and dysfunction to all come back again as it had before with other short-term remedies that only addressed the symptoms. But this approach went to the 'source' of the problem. And, now 14 years later, I still have no joint-related challenges!

So, if you are hurting or if you know of someone who hurts, please do yourself/them a big favor and visit this link to learn more about what could just just turn out to be the best decision you ever made for your joints...

• http://nettrax.myvoffice.com/nikkenusa/ShoppingCart/Shop.cfm?CurrPage=CategoryDetail&NextPage=CategoryDetail&CategoryID=99&lng=eng&shiptocountry=USA&SponID=150043200&pwp=healthyvibrations&OwnerID=150043200

So let me ask you ... What do you have to lose?  Is improved comfort and functional quality of the rest of your life worth it to you to check this out more completely? I hope so! I'm sure glad that I did!

Your partner in success,

Paul Callaway, PT, PhD

PS - If you have any questions after visiting this site and want any 1-on-1 counseling/advice/support to streamline your information process and accelerate your results, then please contact me directly at (630-567-7572) or emailing me at PaulCallaway@att.net

You Have Nothing to Fear About Total Golf Success

Winston Churchill once said,

"Courage is rightly considered the foremost of the virtues, for upon it, all others depend."

The systematic development of the deep down quality of unflinching courage is one of the fundamental requirements for leadership in any field. Fear, or lack of courage, is more responsible for failure in most areas of life, including total golf performance success, than any other factor. It is always fear that causes people (golfers) to hold back, to sell themselves short, and to settle for far less than they are capable of - both 'on' and 'off' the course!

Eliminate Fear and Doubt

I firmly believe that people can BE, DO and HAVE far more than they now know if they could eliminate the fear, doubts and misgivings that consciously and unconsciously interfere with the realization of their full golf performance potential.

Unlearn Your Fears

If there is anything positive about fears is that they are learned. No one is born with fears. They had to be learned. Therefore, they can be equally unlearned. And, if you want to understand the role of fear in shaping the course of your golf experience, just ask yourself,

"If I had a magic wand that would absolutely guarantee my total golf performance success ... no matter what I attempted ... what goal(s) would I set for myself?"

The Great Question

"What one great thing would you dare to dream if you knew you could not fail?"

If you had no fears 'at all' with regard to setting and achieving any golf performance goal you could dream of, what would you do differently than you've done so far? Most of the golfers I ask this questions to can think of many changes they would or could make in their goals, and in their performance strategy, if they truly had no fears holding them back.

The Origins of Fear

The development of courage with understanding the psychological origins of fear. The newborn child has no fears other than the fear of falling and the fear of lour noises - and those fears, naturally, are for self protection. All other fears as we grow into adulthood are learned, primarily as the result of well-meaning but destructive invalidation and/or criticism from our parents, family, friends and coaches.

How Fears Develop

When a curious child gets into things and makes a mess, the parent scolds and punishes the child, eventually building a pattern of fear connected with trying or getting into anything that is new or different. Pretty soon, as adults, we start behaving in ways, and making choices, to do the 'safe' things in life so we don't have to confront the fear of doing something 'wrong' or failing. For most adults, the fear of failure, taking a risk, making a mistake, or losing is very powerful and paralyzes much of our true potential.

Actions Exercises - Reprogramming Fear into Courage!

Here are two suggested 'action' steps you can immediately take that, when done consistently, will enable 'courage' to dominate 'fear' in your game and in life.

1) Imagine that you have no fears at all. What goals would you set for yourself if you were guaranteed total success?

2) Decide what you want and then act as if it were impossible to fail. You may be surprised at how successful you are!

If you'd like to learn more about how to break free from your fears, set new and exciting goals, and accomplish your dreams, then please visit www.CallawayGolfFitness.com and register for a FREE consultation or call directly at: 630-567-7572.

Setting Your Goals

In my conversations and personal dealings with hundreds of top salespeople, athletes and entrepreneurs over the years, I have found that they all have one thing in common. They have taken the time to sit down and create a clear blueprint for themselves and their future lives. Even if they started the process of goal setting and personal strategic planning with a little skepticism, every one of them has become a true believer.

Becoming a True Believer
Every one of them has been amazed at the incredible power of goal setting and strategic planning. Every one of them has accomplished far more than they ever believed possible in selling and they attribute their success to the deliberate process of thinking through every aspect of their work and their lives, and then developing a detailed, written road map to get them to where they wanted to go.

The Definition of Success
Success and the happiness that comes from being successful has been defined as,

"The progressive realization of a worthy ideal, or goal."

When you are working progressively, step-by-step toward something that is important to you, you generate within yourself a continuous feeling of success and achievement. You feel more positive and motivated. You feel more in control of your own life. You feel happier and more fulfilled. You feel like a winner, and you soon develop the psychological momentum that enables you to overcome obstacles and plough through adversity as you move toward achieving the goals that are most important to you.

Determine Your Values
Personal strategic planning begins with your determining what it is you believe in and stand for-your values. Your values lie at the very core of everything you are as a human being. Your values are the unifying principles and core beliefs of your personality and your character. The virtues and qualities that you stand for are what constitute the person you have become from the beginning of your life to this moment.

Your values, virtues and inner beliefs are the axle around which the wheel of your life turns. All improvement in your life begins with you clarifying your true values and then committing yourself to live consistent with them.

Fuzzy or Clear?
Successful people are successful because they are very clear about their values. Unsuccessful people are fuzzy or unsure. Complete failures have no real values at all.

Build Self-Confidence and Self-Esteem
Values clarification is the beginning exercise in building self-confidence, self-esteem and personal character. When you take the time to think through your fundamental values, and then commit yourself to living your life consistent with them, you feel a surge of mental strength and well-being. You feel stronger and more capable. You feel more centered in the universe and more competent of accomplishing the goals you set for yourself.

Action Exercises
Here are two things you can do immediately to put these ideas into action.

1) Decide for yourself what makes you truly happy and then organize your life around it. Write down your goals and make plans to achieve them.

2) Begin with your values by deciding what it is you stand for and believe in. Commit yourself to live congruently (consistent with your inner most convictions) - and you'll never make another mistake.

"Don't concern yourself too much with how you are going to achieve your goal - leave that completely to a power greater than yourself. All you have to do is know where you're going. The answers will come to you of their own accord, and at the right time."

Earl Nightingale

1921-1989, Syndicated Radio Announcer and Author

The Parthenon Principle in Golf

The Acropolis of Athens was burned by invading Persian forces during the Persian War which ended in 479 b.c. Following the war, the Athenians began rebuilding their city, which culminated in the construction of the Parthenon, the greatest of all Greek temples of the Classical Age.

Dedicated to Athena, goddess of wisdom and patron deity of the city of Athens, the Parthenon stood more or less intact for some 2,000 years until the middle of the seventeenth century, when it was partly destroyed in a war between the Turks and the Venetians.

The Metaphor

The performance goals you are working toward as a golfer are as important to you as was the Parthenon to the Greeks. It took many years of painstaking planning and excruciatingly hard work to affect this magnificent temple. The same is true of your own golf performance. A level of commitment that was quite extraordinary was essential to the ultimate success of the Athenians' undertaking. No less is required of you. Like the Parthenon, your total golf performance is also supported by pillars, each of which is central to its integrity and its survival. The Parthenon was "built to last." So too, your golf performance achievements must be based on rock-solid principles.

The Principle

Imagine the result of a small increase in the strength of each of the supporting pillars of the Parthenon. As each is strengthened, it will affect the robustness—the durability—of the structure. Clearly, a small change in each pillar will give rise to a large change in the overall structure. The same is true of your golf performance potential. This gives rise to what we call the Parthenon Principle.

Incremental Changes

Golf-specific and customized 'physical' training for your body is now known to be an essential 'pillar' supporting your total golf performance potential - regardless of your level of play. Moreover, within the 'physical pillar' of golf performance, there are the specific physical ingredients including posture, balance, flexibility, strength and conditioning —each of which supports the body as a whole. Improve one and the overall health and physical performance potential of a golfer improves. Improve them all by just a small amount and the golfer will experience a significant increase in health, energy, and performance.

Action Exercise
What improvements could you make in your golf-specific physical ingredients of posture, balance, flexibility, strength or conditioning to make your golf performance goals easier to achieve? How could you alter or improve your physical conditioning to support your golf-specific performance potential? Do you have a golf-specific fitness training professional to help you evaluate your individual physical conditioning needs and to design your customized fitness training program that will meet your needs and keep you safe?

To learn more about golf-specific fitness training or to contact Dr. Paul Callaway directly, please visit www.CallawayGolfFitness.com , email Paul@CallawayGolfFitness.com or call 630-567-7572.