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Sports Performance and Conditioning for Golfers

More Power off the Tee Study shows strength and conditioning program improves driving distance Colorado Springs, CO - (March 30, 2004) - We would all like to drive like Tiger Woods, but what exactly makes his drive better? Is it technique or something more?

Traditionally, improvements in golf performance have focused primarily on technique modification. However, as top golf professionals have begun strength and conditioning programs to improve their performance, so too have amateur golfers. But will a conditioning program alone increase an amateur golfer's performance?

According to a recent study, published in the National Strength and Conditioning Association's (NSCA) journal The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research (Vol.18, No. 1, page 59-62), it does.

Researchers at the University of Luton, in Luton, Bedfordshire, United Kingdom, studied the effects of a combined training program (plyometrics and weight training) on club head speed and driving distance for amateur golfers.

Eleven golfers with a mean handicap of 5.5 participated in the study. Subjects were randomly assigned to either a control group or an experimental group. The control group continued with their current training program, while the experimental group performed combined weight and plyometric training twice a week.

After an eight-week study, the combined training group showed significant changes in both club head speed and driving distance between pre- and post-tests. Mean driving distance increased 4.3% for the combined training group, with mean club head speed increasing 1.5%. Although the authors stress that long term training effects still need to be examined, those looking to improve their distance off the tee may benefit from a program combining weight training and plyometrics.

To get started in a weight training program, the NSCA recommends you work with a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist® (CSCS®) or NSCA-Certified Personal Trainer® (NSCA-CPT®) to learn proper lifting technique and maximize your efforts. You can find these strength and conditioning professionals listed by city on the NSCA web site at www.nsca-lift.org/CPTReferrals.

About the NSCA. The National Strength and Conditioning Association is the leading authority on strength and conditioning. For more than 26 years, the NSCA has bridged science and application to provide reliable, research-based, strength and conditioning information to its members and the general public. With nearly 30,000 members worldwide, the NSCA is the largest health and fitness association in the world. For more information on NSCA professional journals, cutting edge conferences, educational text and videos, or other services, visit the website at www.nsca-lift.org.

NOTE: The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research is the official research journal of the National Strength and Conditioning Association, and is available from Alliance Communication Group at 800-627-0932. For a complete copy of the research paper (Vol. 18, No. 1, page 59-62) or to speak with a leading strength and conditioning expert on the topic, you may contact the NSCA Public Relations Department at 800-815-6826.

The Health of Our Great Nation

As of 2000, 32.8 million health club members existed in the United States, according to the International Health, Racquet and Sportsclub Association (IHRSA). Although very impressive and continuing its growth, that number still represents an extremely small percentage of the United States population. Many sectors of the American population are still not participating in regular exercise and physical activity.

As levels of physical activity decrease, obesity is increasing rather quickly. Currently the rate of obesity is over 33% of our population. Chronic diseases, such as heart disease, cancer, and diabetes are at an all-time high. Eighty percent of the population complains of lower back pain. Musculoskeletal impairment and chronic pain are common complaints among many American citizens.

With the huge increase in our technological sophistication, the percentage of white collar workers has grown. Also, the population over 50 years of age and the age of retirement are both steadily increasing. This gives way for more sedentary baby boomers, and more health problems. Unfortunately, for most white collar workers, physical activity has been basically removed from activities of normal life. No more is manual labor needed for anything- at work or at home.

The increase of many health crises in the U.S. call for regular exercise instruction as a need, rather than the luxury it was 20 years ago. Today's citizens are older, more sedentary, and much more sophisticated, and they realize that fitness goes way beyond the benefits of cosmetic appearance alone. Baby boomers these days are concerned with chronic health issues, such as, fibromyalgia, osteoporosis, chronic fatigue syndrome, diabetes, arthritis, obesity, cardiovascular disease, and cancer.

More and more of these individuals are relying on fitness professionals to help them decrease their risk of disease instead of treating it when it appears. There is much more of a demand for a more educated fitness trainer to assess the individual goals, needs, and abilities of each client and develop an appropriate strategy to help them to attain total wellness and to protect their health. The "body building" mentality of personal training is quickly being replaced by a more scientifically educated, biomechanically fluent personal trainer.

Over the past decade, there has been a huge paradigm shift in the needs of the personal training and fitness client, which calls a new breed of fitness professionals to lead the industry. One of the goals of the Core Conditioning Clinic is to have one of the largest concentrations of these leading fitness professionals, with a unique combination of talents and strengths, seen across the nation.