RBT Resistance Band Training

Physical assessments are common across the golf world, but should you waster your time? Let’s dive in.

Bands are an awesome tool. They’re portable. They’re effective. They’re inexpensive. And GOLFERS CAN GREATLY BENEFIT FROM THEM! Learn how…

As a golfer, what should you be doing in the weight room to lift your game? Let’s discuss!

Golf is a GREAT form of exercise and activity.

It gets you outside for 5+ hours.

It’s a physically impactful and powerful movement.

You’re bound to take a bunch of steps whether you’re in a cart of walking the course.

And, I think most golfers would agree with me that, by the middle of the back 9, fatigue normally sets in.

But, can you get “in shape” from it?

I want this game to grow. I want more people to understand the power and importance that the game of golf can have within their lives. There are youth golfers everywhere, with parents and coaches who certainly want the best for them. I’ve had the pleasure of working with hundreds of youth athletes, and have no doubt learned a thing or two along the way. This article will describe what I believe to be “best” in terms of fitness for junior golfers.

When it comes to the golf swing, there are two separate, but at the same time unified pieces of the rotational power puzzle: 

The lower body and its relationship with the ground
The upper body and its ability to load and explode rotationally

The ancient Chinese proverbs had a saying, wu-wei (pronounced ooo-way), which is a framework that helps guide you through your life. 

It refers to the “dynamic, effortless, and unselfconscious state of mind of a person who is optimally active and effective. People in wu-wei feel as if they are doing nothing, while at the same time they might be creating a brilliant work of art, smoothly negotiating a complex social situation, or even bringing the entire world into harmonious order” (1). 

Warming up prior to playing golf is MANDATORY for all of my athletes… it should be for you too! Here’s why and how you should be warming up!

However, one thing I will say with certainty. 

PRIOR TO GOLFING, WARMING UP IS MANDATORY. 

The progressions and the adaptations that we seek in our training, need to parallel the progressions and goals we seek outside of our training. 

Too often strength coaches and weight room meatheads view “progression” as simply the weight being moved.

But, if my goal is to move better, feel better, and play better golf, the weight on the bar means fairly little in the grand scheme of things… it obviously matters, but not as much as you may think.

An argument that rolls through the golf training community is, at what point should we include “golf specific” movements in our training.

How would you describe the ideal athlete? 

Would she be tall? Muscular? Strong? 

Would he have a 6 pack? 

Would she be able to jump high and run fast? 

What sport does he/she play? 

What position? 

.

.

.

These questions are nearly impossible to answer.

The ideal athlete is extremely context dependent. 

Phil Mickelson just won the PGA Championship awhile back. What would happen if you put him at cornerback lined up across from Devante Adams? 

Yuka Saso just won the US Women’s Open a few weeks ago. What would happen if she tried to guard Breanna Stewart on the basketball court?

Are you somebody who finds yourself scoring low on the front nine, and then struggling down the stretch? 

Are you somebody who struggles putting together a complete round of golf? 

Are you somebody who continually feels fatigued throughout the course of a round? 

Way too often our world focuses on reactive mechanisms to problems, as opposed to proactive, and there are many reasons for this. 

It’s easier to spot a problem that has already happened.

It’s easier to judge the success of your intervention… did it solve the problem? 

As of late, I have been viewing the role of strength and conditioning, and physical preparation through two lenses. 
Lens #1: Building Outputs.
Lens #2: Expressing Outputs.
Let’s dive into each lens, highlight its unique importance, and then bring them together to create the ideal athlete. Then, I’ll pose these questions to you: Which side are you on? Which lens do you look through?

Finally! The time has come, golf season is in full swing. If you are a fellow Midwesterner, then I am sure you can echo my happiness. 

With the season officially upon us, it’s crucial that our training adapts to mold to our new lifestyle, continues pushing us towards our goals and complements our higher volumes of playing time, never leaving us feeling to fatigued or ill prepared for a round of golf.

Spring is here.

Finally, that white stuff has disappeared and gave way to the beauty that is green.

I can picture it now, the smell of freshly cut grass and a little dew still on the practice green.

Put yourself there.

It’s time for your first round of the year. Expectations are high and you’re hopeful to pick up right where you left off last fall. The first tee shot is as nerve wracking as they come, no breakfast balls today… you tell yourself.

Is rotation dangerous? Are exercises like the one shown below an injury hazard? 

Let me ask you something, do you play golf? Or tennis? Pickleball? Softball? Basketball? Hockey? Baseball? Football? Do you do yard work? Or garden? Carry things? Shovel? If so, your body is going to rotate. It happens. It is one of the 3 primary planes of movement that we must have proficiency in. 

The golf swing is fueled by both rotation and anti-rotation, although these two items directly oppose one another. A successful golf swing has both, to many differing degrees. In the end, an interdependence needs to be built between the two, in order to produce your most successful swing possible.

Rotation is everywhere. 

Sure, we can look at the major athletic movements that incorporate rotation: Golf, Baseball, Tennis. 

But, it’s found in more than just those three. 

I am a hardcore Cheesehead – GO PACK GO. Because of that, Vince Lombardi is a hero to me. He’s a legend. He’s one of the greatest coaches of all time. Aside from my fandom, I believe many people will be able to relate with me on the fact that I am also a fan of Lombardi simply because he was a great leader. Leaders like him have paved the way for future generations. To start off this article, I want to break down one of his most famous quotes…

“Practice Doesn’t Make Perfect, Perfect Practice Makes Perfect”

When we open the history books, there is a common trait seen amongst all successful people, civilizations, and complex systems – they adapt. During the times of hunters and gatherers, the humans who adapted were the ones that lived. If a hunter lacked the skill of hunting, they were forced to adapt in order to become successful… or else. 

Lucky for them, adaptation may be the strongest, most productive quality of complex systems. 

Welcome to RBT Golf Training. Our mission is to empower your health and performance in the pursuit of greater golfing success and longevity.