I play a little golf myself whilst working as a fitness specialist and it is interesting to see what kind of workouts golf players are looking for.

I also run a weight loss and fitness website which may be of interest for any budding golfers out there who want to improve their physical performance and trim down. You can check it out here – Extreme Weight Loss

Keep up the good work!

My understanding is, the risk of injury is actually lower, because you’re not moving the full load repeatedly through your range of motion.

One thing I’ve noticed is that I’m not getting the little bouts of minor tendinitis in my shoulders/elbows/etc. that I usually get after I’ve been training steadily for a long period.

As for flexibility, we touch on that in the interview. John is critical of stretching, in general, but also makes the point that stretching is not the only way to have flexibility. The analogy I used in the interview is that while some trainers might ask if you can touch your toes, the question is, do you need to touch your toes?

The key is strengthening the surrounding muscles to allow the joints to move through a full range of motion. I feel like I’m as flexible as I was before I started, and more than flexible enough to swing the club well. Trying to gain additional flexibility can stress out and weaken joint stability which is actually the opposite of what we want, especially for golf. Now, if your swing is restricted, then obviously that’s something that needs work, but strengthening that area will have a positive effect.

There’s an entire chapter in the book about the benefits of strength training for seniors, including a study that was done. We didn’t really touch on it in the interview, but his study showed very positive effects in seniors.

We also touch on weight loss in the interview and it’s in the book. It’s quite interesting actually. Muscle tissue is more calorie-demanding than fat tissue. Adding muscle mass, while maintaining the same diet (assuming you’re not eating more than you burn), will actually put you in a calorie deficit, which will cause fat reserves to be used. John’s study on fat loss showed this.

I’m not sure about the hernia, so you’ll probably want to discuss that with your doctor. I don’t know how those work with the risk of re-injury.

Even if you don’t choose a a max-contraction type workout using more weight, instead choosing a traditional approach, the information about longer recovery times is still important.

Strangely, my strength has increased more than double on most exercises that I do, and I’ve clearly added muscle mass, but I don’t feel more bulky. I mean, I do, because I need to trim down a lot more, but not more bulky than I felt a month ago.

Random thoughts as I listen…

It seems that this type of training has more risk for injury.

I’m going to be very interested in your results and how this training relates to your golf improvement.

During my younger years, I worked out with the idea of building mass. I did high weight, low reps, maybe 2-3 times per week alternating muscle groups. I saw great results but with the added mass, I lost range of motion and flexibility (I did do stretching to combat this).

What about older readers? I feel my joints my be a weak point. Is it safe to try max contraction with max weight for older readers?

Weight loss? How does this relate to weight loss?

I had a hernia last year. Again, I’m worried about injury here.

I think I’m going to have to grab the book!

-G