Overspeed Training +P90X

Rumor has it that Tony "Doc" Horton has the follow-up to P90X in the can. As a certified TPI Golf Fitness professional I have done my share of research on golf specific fitness. I wish he would produce a program for golfers that would integrate Oversoeed Training into his P90X program. As many of you knowI have undergone two major back surgeries since 2000. In 2004 I had left elbow surgery for re-occurring tendinitis. Carpal Tunnel surgery on BOTH hands and an operation for a torn labrum in my right shoulder. Not to mention an inner-ocular lens replacement for a cataract in my right eye AND oral surgery to remove all four wisdom teeth- which by the way was the most painful by a long shot. So, long story short I'm a lemon. But I guess what I'm trying to say is that there are not too many golf pro's in America that have been through what I have in such a short amount of time.  This also means that since I have been in the presence of so many surgeons, therapists, and fitness trainers, I have a pretty good idea of what's available for golfers in terms of fitness programs. The problem with TPI is that they believe that swing faults are directly related to physical deficiencies. I don't necessarily disagree with this thinking but it's not that simple. One of their big physical screens is the full deep squat test that says of you can't squat all the way to the ground with your arms above your shoulders holding a stick or golf club and keep your heels on the ground, you are highly likely to early- extend. This means in simple terms that your pelvis area thrusts into the area where your hands should be at impact. This is also known as humping the shaft ;-) At any rate, I know lots of golfers that can't perform the deep squat test but don't early extend. Sorry to get off task here, but TPI puts you through a series of physical tests and screens to determine where you are deficient in strength and mobility and then prescribes exercises to improve those specific areas. Great in theory, but very tedious and in many cases unnecessary. TPI is a wonderful concept with some very smart guys running it. One is Greg Rose, the director of TPI who turned me on to Manual therapy and ART. Active Realease Technique. Had I known about ART in 2004 I would have never had to have the sugery on my left elbow. Dr. Paul Castle here in Palatine performed several sessions on my right elbow (which was worse than my left) and the pain is gone. Sure, it flares up from time to time do to overuse, but Manual Therapy might put some these knife happy orthos out of business.
But his main job is to promote Titleist and it's brand, so I think that TPI is so caught up promoting it's brand that it's misses the point on some things. But I also want to be clear on another point: Any training program is better than nothing. I just think "golf specific" is a term that is used too loosely and in some cases mis-represented.

 As you know I spend an inordinate amount of time on the internet researching the golf swing and one of the big things I have found is that P90X is the arguably the most popular workout program with better players. After 26 days of it I'm inclined to agree. Now I haven't gone 26 days straight through but I have only missed two days in a row twice. P90X in it's purest form is not for everyone. It's just too intense. You need to have a pretty good fitness level to begin with to go 90 days without a day off. Just to be clear, they do have a day called P90 stretch or Stretch X that gives you a break but it's still brutal if you train everyday. Having said all of this I have lost 18 lbs in 6 weeks. The most beneficial  thing I see with P90X is with the yoga, plyometrics, and core workouts. I had never done yoga, but if there is one training program that would benefit the human body the most it has to be yoga. Especially for golf because it hits everything. Flexibility, core, balance, concentration, and yes cardio. After the first series of vinyasa's my heart rate gets up around 115 to 120. It's a killer!  What most people have a hard time with is that the yoga day is over an hour and a half. In today's hustle and bustle with our busy schedules it's hard to find time to workout for 30 minutes much less 1.5 hours. The P90X yoga regimen has been criticised for being too advanced for beginners. I agree but I just do what I can. I also went out and purchased a Yoga for beginners DVD that has two 20 minute sessions called AM/PM yoga. Just Google AM/PM yoga and you'll see it.

As you also know I am big on Overspeed Training. This is where you train using very light equipment to trick your muscles into moving faster than they ever have. I also offer a course that has a structured program very similar to a weight training workout where you do 3 sets of 20 for the first week and 3 set's of 20 alternating between the overspeed club and your regular driver. So go to my website: ronniemartingolf.com and click on the overspeed training tab and check it out. Just a quick testimony, one of my students, Judge Tom Roti who is 67 was swinging his driver at around 67 mph and flying the ball about 140 yards. After three weeks he increased his swing speed to 82 mph on average and hit 87 on a couple of occasions. His distance on the fly or carry distance increased to 170 yards from 140. We also worked on changing his angle of attack from descending to ascending, which made a huge difference. It changed his spin rate and ball speed which is a big deal when you're trying to maximize distance.

Lastly, swinging the club faster is the number one priority for picking up distance. However, and I want to be clear on this point: it's only the key factor if you are making solid contact on the center of the clubface. When you are training to swing faster you are not trying to think about positions, the focus is on how fast can I swing the club and still remain upright on two feet :-) I don't want any of my students falling all over the golf course like we see some of the Re-Max long drive guys do. That's their only goal- to hit it as far as humanly possible regardless of how it looks. I want to see balance throughout the swing. Address, top, impact, and finish. I tell my junior players, especially from age 6 to 12 to swing as hard as they can but not at the expense of a good balanced finish.

Also check out these sites:

Ben Jackson Golf



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