Its Not About The Bicep Curl When It Comes To Golf Fitness Training

How many of you have read, "It's Not About The Bike" by Lance Armstrong? What we learned about Lance's life is that his mission is all about survival, digging deep from within, honoring your goals and commitments, and following your dreams in spite of the often difficult road to the top.

Following an interview I did recently with Annika Sorenstam's trainer, he made me think about golf fitness training at the elite level and what it was really about. That is when it hit me, "it's not about the bicep curl". You see the bicep curl is one of many vehicles to display strength to a specific part of the front of your arm. It is a vehicle in the same way that the bike was the vehicle for Lance Armstrong to show his dedication, intensity, desire to win, and tremendous fortitude.

So, if it is not about the bicep curl, then what is it about? It is about setting up to perform the exercise. It is about feeling the ground beneath you providing a solid base of support, as in golf. It's about making sure that your posture is correct so you don't place stress on your body unnecessarily. It's about engaging your abdominal muscles so that your low back is protected when your body begins to move. It's about knowing which part of your body has responsibility for stability while the other body parts are producing force. The bicep curl is also about understanding that strength not only comes from those body parts, but a much deeper resource like your brain sending positive thoughts and messages throughout the movement like "I know you can do two more and feel the strength from within" instead of "I've never liked this exercise, I feel weak when I lift".

Are you with me? The bicep curl like every other exercise we do is about all of the elements that come together to develop true strength. These same elements are used when we set up for our golf swing knowing which part of our body is taking care of stability while the other parts are producing movement.

You see, in the end, the golf swing is not about the swing anymore than the bicep curl is about growing that popular section of the arm. Golf is about learning what to feel with your body and mind and letting the swing happen as a result.

Next time you go to the gym or perform those exercises at home, remember this. It's not about the equipment. Fully engage your mind, your body and your attention to all of the details that come along with it. This should make a big difference in your results!

Susan Hill is a CHEK Golf Biomechanic, golf fitness columnist for Golf Illustrated and President of Fitness for Golf. For exercises targeted to lower your handicap and give you a competitive edge every time you play, then visit http://www.fitnessforgolf.com

Latest News


GolfDigest.com

Kim, Villegas lead charge for PGA Tour's young stars
USA Today - 6 hours ago
Actually, Garcia arrived on golf's grand stage at 19 when he nearly chased down Tiger Woods at the 1999 PGA Championship and a month later was 3-1-1 as the ...
Golf-Singh to miss next four Tour events due to knee surgery Reuters.uk
PGA Tour Commissioner Finchem to appear on Golf Channel tonight Examiner.com
Golf Channel HD Kicks Off With PGA Tour Television Week
Channel News Asia - PR Newswire (press release)
all 455 news articles

Slippery Brick

How Can a GPS Help Your Golf Game? Ask Garmin
PC Magazine - 14 hours ago
The only thing caddies have to do is carry the bag. by Craig Ellison LAS VEGAS—If you want to slice a few strokes off of your golf game, Garmin's new ...
New Garmin GPS unit helps your golf game Slippery Brick
Garmin® Goes Golfing with Approach™ G5, New Touchscreen GPS Device ... WELT ONLINE
all 43 news articles

Disc golf referendum might face legal question
MSNBC - 11 hours ago
CHICO -- A referendum seeking to keep disc golf courses in upper Bidwell Park faces a legal issue that could potentially allow the Chico City Council to ...
City Council Changes Mind About Disc Golf Newstalk1290 KPAY
City Council Votes To Restore Disc Golf In Upper Bidwell Park KHSL
Council takes on disc golf again Enterprise-Record
KHSL - Enterprise-Record
all 9 news articles

Xerox Golf Classic Won’t Run This Year
13WHAM-TV, NY - 7 hours ago
(Rochester, NY) – Xerox has decided to drop its sponsorship of the PGA this year, and move those marketing dollars into other areas. ...
Xerox Classic golf tournament goes on hiatus Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
Xerox Classic goes on hiatus for lack of sponsor The Associated Press
all 94 news articles

Area golf calendar
Dallas Morning News, TX - 1 hour ago
To submit tournaments for the area golf calendar, send the information to texasgolf@dallasnews.com or via facsimile machine to 214-651-0580. ...

Times Online

Palmer, 79, is still the King
San Jose Mercury News,  USA - 1 hour ago
By Eric Pinkela Even at 79, more than 20 years removed from his last victory on any tour, nobody can justly claim that the game of golf has passed Arnold ...
The Long Shot Conde Nast Portfolio
Rough Putting: Five Things To Watch In 2009 FanHouse
Tiger may defend Match Play title in Tucson Tucson Citizen
About - News & Issues - GolfDigest.com
all 26 news articles

GolfDigest.com

Golf-Recovering Seve targets return as Royal Trophy captain
Reuters.uk, UK - 16 hours ago
BANGKOK, Jan 7 (Reuters) - Seve Ballesteros is planning to return to golf next year as captain of Europe's Royal Trophy team after starting rehabilitation ...
Olazabal: European skipper SkySports
Olazabal wary of Asian threat in golf showpiece Golfonline
Europe urged to win for Seve The Times
European Tour - guardian.co.uk
all 228 news articles

Troubled Collins Hill Golf Club open, but with ‘skeleton crew’
Atlanta Journal Constitution,  USA - 6 hours ago
By PATRICK FOX The Collins Hill Golf Club is still open, but things are no better than they were last month when the governing board asked the county to ...

Arizona Republic

16th Hole to be "Stadium Golf Hole"
KTAR.com, AZ - 1 hour ago
This year the hole will have a different look, as it will become the sport's first "stadium golf hole". There are now an additional 3000 general admission ...
FBR officials watch closely to see if recession affects golf fans YourWestValley.com
The 16th Hole At TPC Scottsdale To Be Fully Enclosed For FBR Open SportsBusiness Daily (subscription)
PGA Tour Schedule eTaiwan News
Today's Golfer - AZ Central.com
all 15 news articles

Man found dead in Grover Beach near Pismo State Beach golf course ...
San Luis Obispo Tribune, CA - 1 hour ago
Bickford’s body was found just after 5 am Wednesday near the golf coursen entrance at the end of Grand Avenue near the beach, according to the Sheriff’s ...
Body Found Near Golf Course KEYT
Body discovered on the Pismo Beach State Golf Course KSBY
Dead body found near Pismo Beach State Golf Course San Luis Obispo Tribune
all 4 news articles

Resources