Getting into shape

The latest magazines are always explaining the importance of getting fit for golf. It has been scientifically proven that improving your core stability will enable you to turn faster which will increase your club head speed.

Equally, improving your cardiovascular fitness will help you to be fresher and enable you to play your best golf over the final holes.

However, if you are planning on embarking on a new fitness regimen but (like me) deep down know that you are a bigger fan of bar lunches than bar bells, I implore you heed the following two warnings.

In an effort to prevent any casualties, I’d like to share with you the potential dangers of entering the hazardous arena that is the gym.

For example, be careful of going for one rep too many. I was in university when I first started learning the real keys to improving power in the golf swing.
 
The idea is that turning the big muscles in your lower body very quickly towards the target will eventually pull the smaller muscles in your upper body (and the club head) towards the ball.

Although it might be instinctive to think that working on your biceps is the most effective way to swing the club faster, in theory, improving the strength of the muscles in the lower body will make more of a difference. Therefore, my mate and I took to the gym and headed towards the leg press.

We had been advised to complete four sets of 12 repetitions to begin with and build up the weight over time.

A few weeks into the training programme, I was feeling rather confident and stacked on an extra few kg’s to push myself.
 
At the end of the fourth set, I decided to push for 15 reps which was my first mistake. On the last rep, my muscles failed, I couldn’t lift the weight and I ended up with my knees around my ears, unable to move and feeling pretty foolish.

My friend’s reaction was not to help but rather to run back to the changing room, grab his camera, take a photograph for Facebook and then remove the weights.
 
So, my first gym related learning’s were that trying to move on too quickly can be dangerous and that my friend was a moron.

Secondly, when trying to lose a few pounds, be careful not to lose your dignity. Naturally, if your cardiovascular fitness is good, it will enable you to perform better towards the end of your round, especially in hot conditions. Therefore, it is important to do some sort of exercise that gets your heart rate up.

On Wednesday, I was completing my 5km run on the treadmill when I learned of a new gym related danger … losing concentration.

When I am running on the treadmill, I use my towel to cover up the display so that I am not constantly checking how much longer I have left. On this particular occasion, I must have switched-off and accidently clipped my towel and saw it plummeting towards the belt just in time, giving me a precious moment to try and get my feet out of the way.

What followed was an impromptu performance of the Riverdance that even Michael Flatley would have applauded. I somehow managed to escape the ordeal without any physical injury but the laughs of the other gym-goers have scarred me forever.

Naturally, there are huge benefits of going to the gym. Not just for your golf, but for your health in general. However, before you enter, please consider the dangers.

If I had more space, I would detail some of the other horror stories that I have experienced in the gym. However, the above two are the ones that made the cut!

In my opinion, the golf magazines paint a very rosy picture of the gym with everyone working out with toned muscles and big smiles. I felt compelled to offer an insight into the darker side of the gym. Be careful.