I had the pleasure of being asked to come onto the 18STRONG Podcast recently.

It’s not lost on me I was asked to appear on a show focusing on golf. I mean, I can count on one hand the total number of times I’ve actually played a round.¹

It’s analogous to me being asked to come onto a show discussing French cuisine, or, I don’t know, knife fighting skills.

Tony Gentilcore? Golf? Hahahahaha.

 

I may not be able to sniff par, but I do know how to train rotational athletes. And, while my strong suit is in baseball, you’d be surprised how many parallels there are between that and golf in terms of movement, the unique demands placed on and required by the body, and wanting to light your face on fire from frustration.

For what it’s worth I do train a fair share of recreational golfers here in Boston. Almost all of them need to work on improving T-spine and hip mobility, core stability, in addition to just getting stronger in general.

Correct movement from the right areas + Strength + Improved force production = 40 yds on your opening drive, easy…..;o)

Show Highlights:

• Tony’s thoughts on the deadlift. There is a lot of conflicting information about whether deadlifts are good or bad for you, which we get into.
• Some dos and don’ts of deadlifts that everyone should be taking into account. There are a number of ways to approach it, and every person is going to be different depending on their skill, age, available equipment etc.
• Why back pain is most often not related to your back. It is more likely to be a problem with another part of the body not ‘doing its job’, and the back has to pick up the slack.
• The importance of lifting heavy. Getting stronger is going to help with a lot of problems to do with injuries and overall fitness. Lifting big weights may cause injury if done incorrectly, but being weak can be more problematic. This absolutely applies to golf, as 18 holes can cause a fair amount of strain on the body.
• Some of the crossovers between baseball players and golfers, from a training perspective. There are some surprising similarities which we get into.
• Some tips for people with poor posture and how to fix them. The really important parts to train for posture, are your backside muscles. Glutes, erectors, hamstrings etc. These are the muscles that are most affected from sitting down all day.
• How much time people should be spending in the gym each week. Tip: at least 3 days/week of strength training. Consistency is key.

Episode 148: Why Golfers Should Lift Heavy Things

Listen below or you can also download on iTunes HERE.