Link Update

A few articles from various parts...

Fun on a course in PA, here and here

Espousing the importance of fitness for golf

Tiger in Men's Fitness (only a preview of the article, you'll need the magazine to get the rest)

Personal Training School in Houston

Last week the Fitness Center signed an agreement with the National Personal Training Institute (NPTI). NPTI offers a diploma program in Personal Training. The curriculum is very comprehensive, 500-hours including 300 in the classroom and 200 in the fitness center.

As with the Vortex Equipment, signing this agreement means we are the first in Texas once again. There are no NPTI Schools in Texas, further evidence we are leaders in the fitness field!

Offering a school for personal trainers ensures confidence amongst membership, trust within the community and consistent access to quality personal trainers. Over time this will positively impact the fitness center.

I'm excited as this is a great opportunity for the Fitness Center. It's also a great opportunity for those living in the Houston area wanting to become Personal Trainers.

The next step is to get approval from the State. Once accomplished, we'll be ready to offer our first class.

Go to the NPTI website for more information on the school.

For those of you wanting updates on our first class, we'll do our best to post those on the blog. However, we'll certainly keep subscribers to our newsletter up-to-date. BSFC Monthly is published the first of each month. It's absolutely free and when you sign up, you'll get a couple of bonus gifts, including a free workout and a copy of my nutrition Ebook, Food & You.

Feel free to also post questions here.

Dr. Brian

If finally happened yesterday,

I got to play golf!

It was the first time since July of last year - way too long. If you recall, in July I suffered the painful and uncomfortable neck impingement. Just when I was fully recovered and ready to play again, the Nationwide Tour Championship headed down here to Houston. Since I gave some golf-fitness talks, I was busy preparing and unable to play.

Then soon after that, I bought the fitness center and really haven't had time play.

Until yesterday.

I played with my brother and some of his buddies at Pecan Grove Country Club. It's a nice, mature layout that puts a premium on accuracy - not exactly what you want when coming back from nearly a year off.

The front 9, not so good: five lost balls, 2 wins, 6 pushes (no carryovers) and a loss in Wolf. I was happy with the way I hit the ball, most shots went straight - no draw or fade action. I was just too handsy and pulled everything left. Shorter irons were the worst - I'd hit wedge from 115 and completely miss the green.

Regroup on the back 9.

It was much better: only 1 lost ball (crushed a drive that went through the dogleg and straight into a backyard!), 2 more wins and 7 pushes in Wolf. Overall Wolf results, net loss of $3 - damn!

But back to my game...

I relaxed my hands and that seemed to alleviate the pulls. Shorter irons still needed some help but I had three legitimate birdie putts - even though I didn't make a single one. I was pleased with the back 9 and shooting a 43, all things considered.

I won't tell you what I shot on the front - it was worse than that :-) but going into the round, given my layoff I told myself that I'd be happy with an 85. Double the back and it's 86, so I'm pretty pleased.

Now, it's Monday morning, 8:30am. I'm at the check-in desk, greeting and talking to members, and watching the rain through the window.

As my mind drifts back to yesterday, I'm thinking it sure would be nice to be playing again.

Even in the rain!

And it continues...

Potential New Target For Type 2 Diabetes Found By Penn Researchers

"We hope that drug companies will look for new ways to modify fat metabolism in type 2 diabetics using these possible targets."

Big Pharma dovetails quite nicely with the tertiary nature of our health care system. You don't visit the doctor before you get sick. Type II diabetes and most chronic cardiovascular conditions are almost completely related to lifestyle. Eat a diet high in nutrient deficient, highly processed foods, do very little physical activity and it doesn't take a rocket scientist to predict glucose metabolic problems in your future.

But the purpose of this post is to shed light on the dependence of federal research monies on Big Pharma. The quote above is taken directly from the article and shows that perfectly. It's as if researchers using federal money are directing the research focus of Big Pharma.

Why do we need more or different drugs when a perfectly acceptable solution is available? Why can't there be a quote like this directed at lifestyle change? It is a perfectly acceptable solution.

I closed a previous post by asking if I was being cynical, maybe I am.

How did they get there in the 1st place?

As a former academic (and fully aware of the importance of scientific publications), there are times when I scratch my head and wonder, "Federal dollars were spent on this!"

In nearly all cases, outcomes are predictable within an expected range. It's called the scientific method. With no desire to get into a discussion of the scientific method, a recent study looked at the role of diet on recovery from colon cancer.

You can read the summary. Here is the first paragraph:
"Patients with stage III colon cancer who have undergone surgery and chemotherapy with the goal of cure may have a higher risk of relapsing and dying early if they follow a predominantly "Western" diet of red meat, fatty foods, refined grains, and desserts, according to research led by investigators at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston."

As I read this summary, all I could think was, "What type of diet do you think got them there in the first place?" I'm sure this research was needed somewhere, after all, if a study doen'st prove it, how do you know it's true.

But there is some good news...we know now the answer to the question and a "prudent" diet has made some headlines.

Am I just being cynical?

Can a daily dose of sunlight prevent cancer?

According to this summary and proponents of vitamin D, yes your risk of cancer (and many other diseases) can be significantly reduced with normal levels of vitamin D.

But what does that have to do with sunlight, you ask?

Good question. After all, cancer institutes, dermatological societies and even sunscreen manufacturers extoll the benefits of sunscreen and limited exposure for skin health. Skin cancer is dangerous and can be fatal. So if sunlight is the main culprit, how can it be helpful?

Our bodies make vitamin D when exposed to the sun. In fact, significant rises can be seen in as little as 15-20 minutes.

But there is a catch...

Get a daily dose without sunscreen...it blocks vitamin D production.

How much exposure? At least 15 minutes and some say up to 1 hr. Any more than that and you will need the sunscreen.

Why do they do this?

"Scientists in Indiana are reporting progress toward development of low glycemic and slowly digestible starch, a form of starch that would be less apt to cause the spike in blood sugar - and perhaps sharp hunger pangs - that many individuals experience after eating bread, baked goods, and other high-carbohydrate foods."

The rest of the summary can be read here.

My only question is why?

I can understand the need for people to consume healthier foods - particularly than those listed in the quote above. But what if we just ate less of that food and more fruits and vegetables, healthier meats and drank more water? What if we just ate grains as they grow in the field?

Look in your pantry. Foods in plastic bags and carboard boxes are loaded with things that used to be good, healthy foods. Take enriched white flour for example. Out in the field, its a perfectly healthy and natural food.

To end up as a cake, bread or other food, it gets processed. The problem with processing is that it removes the good stuff, mainly the fiber, vitamins and minerals. As the end-product food stuff, it's a plain-old, bland, quickly digesting starch.

Now, based on the objectives of these scientists, a new, more slowly digesting starch is being manufactured. And they're making progress. I don't know if I should jump for joy or just ask the question: "What is wrong with this picture?"

If we have a perfectly healthy food, process it and turn it into something that is not good for our digestive system, why do we want to further alter it so that it is better for our digestive system? Before you answer, think about the steps being taken to make the food better.

Is this coming full circle or am I just missing something completely obvious here? Please enlighten me!

Is your testosterone low?

A recent study presented at the Endocrine Society Annual meeting suggested that males over 50 with low testosterone had a 33% greater risk of all-cause mortality than those who had higher levels of testerone. Low testosterone was identified as the lower-limit found in healthy young males.

The study followed 800 men for 18 years on average, a large sample size for a very long period of time. The low testosterone group had the following characteristics:

• higher levels of inflammation markers, which contribute to several forms of cardiovascular disease
• larger waist measurement (greater than 40 inches)
• metabolic syndrome - low HDL cholesterol, high triglycerides, high blood sugars and hypertension.

Over the 18-year period, men in the low-testosterone group had a 33% greater risk from all-cause mortality than the normal / high testosterone group. This is a stout finding given the characteristics of the study, indicating that even if problems exist in methodology the results are likely portable in more controlled studies.

So what does this mean for you? If you are male, over 50 and taking prescription medication for hypertension, high cholesterol, diabetes and have a waist over 40 inches, get your testosterone levels checked. If you aren't taking medication for anything listed above but have any of the symptoms below, get them checked too. Preferably by an MD trained in Natural Hormone Replacement Therapy. The synthetic hormones cranked out by big pharma just don't seem to work as well.

Other symptoms of low testosterone include:

• reduced quality of sleep
• easier to lose your temper
• lack of drive
• reduced sex drive
• significant decrease in muscle mass
• significant increase in body fat

The symptoms above can happen from time-to-time but persistent appearances indicate something beyond the natural aging process.

If you notice these symptoms, the best thing you can do is, again, have your testosterone levels checked, start an exercise program and modify your diet.

Article Updates

Here are some links to a few golf-fitness articles I found while doing some reading. Hope you enjoy.

Brian

7 Fitness tips to optimize golf performance

The Golf-gym workout

For you guys with bad thoughts in your head: a day in the life: Natalie Gulbis

Answering this research question

Reading this summary, I felt an urge to blurt out: "No blank, Sherlock!"

A recent study published in JAMA, a leading pillar of medical research dissemination, compared low GI diets with low-fat diets on insulin secretion in high insulin secreters.

On the surface, this appears to be a legitimate research question. Insulin is related to glucose metabolism and given the current state of obesity and type II diabetes in America, this might be something we should know.

However, most people in the medical fields should intuitively know this. The glycemic index of any food indicates the level it raises blood sugar when consumed. The higher the glycemic index, the higher the blood sugar response. For example, twinkies rate rather high on the glycemic index. Consume two or three of them and your blood sugar will spike.

At least for a while. In response, your body will release (secrete) insulin to bring it back down to normal.

If you are a high insulin secreter, you're either type II diabetic, pre-diabetic or have a non-lifestyle related condition effecting your ability to metabolize blood sugar. You have to secrete more because the insulin you do release is becoming more and more insensitive to blood sugar. When this starts happening, the amount you secrete increases just to get your blood sugar back to normal. Over time your ability to regulate blood sugar becomes difficult and you become type II diabetic. For more info, go here.

But back to the study...

All markers of cardiovascular health were improved following low GI diet when compared to a low-fat diet. Again, this makes perfect sense. You're not obese or diabetic because you eat a low-fat diet of whole, natural foods. You're obese or diabetic (even if you eat a low-fat diet) because you are consuming overly-processed foods - cardboard boxes and plastics bags. The fat they contain is not healthy (trans fat) and to increase palatability (here) and shelf-life, sugars and preservatives are added.

The end result is a low-fat food that has a high GI, which increases insulin secretion when consumed. And the cycle continues...

I'll conclude by saying that as a former academic, I'm well aware the importance peer-reviewed publications play in the tenure process. So in some ways, I understand why this paper was published. Without knowing all the details, I can only hope this paper was part of a larger study with these data points already collected, making the question easy to answer.

Until next time...

Training online!

On Monday, May 21, 2007, we'll debut the beta version of our online Golf-Fitness Boot Camp. For several reasons, this is great news for you!

First, even though it's the beta version, all features of the full-blown online Golf-Fitness Boot Camp will be fully tested and in working order before we complete beta testing. If you ever considered improving your golf game through a fitness program, this is your best opportunity to do so.

Why? Because while in beta test mode, the online Golf Fitness Boot Camp will be absolutely FREE! All you will have to do is register and we'll take care of the rest. To stay abreast of the updates, sign up for Brian's Report.

Second, you can't get a workout like this anywhere else - all for FREE! So sign-up for the trial period and use it to your advantage.

Third, by the time beta testing is complete, you'll be able to hit the ground running with your workouts. In other words, the learning curve associated with getting started won't eat into your monthly (or annual) payment.

That's it. Those are three good reasons to get started. Now, sign-up for Brian's Report and don't miss this opportunity!

Finally back to posting!

It's good to be back!

I know, it's been a while but I have a good excuse - I bought a fitness center.

Unfortunately, that kept me from finishing my journey. But in case you were wondering, I've fully recovered and have no ill effects! Now, if I could just find the time to get out on the course.

I'm still deciding on how to best utilize my blog. There certainly will be fitness center updates, videos of workouts and camps and more. You can subscribe to the feed for updates - just use the Atom Syndication below and to your right. Alternatively, you can sign up for Brian's Report, my golf-fitness newsetter.

One idea I've been thinking about are health related posts. I subscribe to several medical news alert services. Nearly everyday I see a headline that makes me scratch my head or simply say "Duh!" I'm thinking about publishing these to the blog 3-4 times per week. Hopefully it will be entertaining and educational for you.

What do you think?

Any ideas?

Day 10, October 27: Workout and Food Diary

Day 10 on the journey. Here is what I did and what I ate.

Workout:
20 minutes interval training on stationary bike
1 hour Boot Camp

Unless otherwise stated, each exercise was done with 3 sets of 15 repetitions.

• Spine Extensions, Hip Extensions, Walk out pushups all on stability ball.
• Alternating DB Flys, pullovers and crunches on the stability ball.
• Rolling stability ball squats – side, straight leg dead lifts. Straight leg dead lifts were done with 10-pound medicine ball.
• Bent over DB Rows, bicep curls and shoulder shrugs.
• Russian twists for power, alternating flys and ball toss with 8-pound medicine ball.
• Roll-ins with progressives.
• Regular extended planks – 3 sets of 30 seconds, obliques on ball.
• Walking lunges (still no fancy add-ons to the walking lunges) down and down back twice. One trip down (or back) is about 20 yards.

Cool down: Golf-specific stretch focusing on hips, hamstrings, shoulders, chest and torso – about 10 minutes.

Comments:
Food Diary
I haven’t eaten dinner yet, it’s just before 4pm Friday. I was done with this post so I decided to put it up. I’ll add dinner and snack tomorrow.

Breakfast, 5:15 AM: Two pieces of whole wheat toast with organic peanut butter
Snack, 9:00 AM: 1 Pear.
Lunch, 11:30 AM: Grilled chicken salad with balsamic vinegar dressing.
Snack, 3:00 PM: 5 strawberries and handful of almonds.
Dinner, 6:00 PM:
Snack, 9:00 PM:

Fluids: Throughout the day, at least 3.0 L of water, 1 diet coke and 1 cup of green tea.

That’s day ten, your thoughts????

PHOTOS
There are 3 photos below for the Russian twists, starting position and right and left sides. You may have notices that in my workouts, I perform these in one of two ways: power development and dynamic flexibility. For power development, perform the side-to-side movements as rapidly as you can. For dynamic flexibility, slow down and little bit, lock your hips in place and allow the weight of the medicine ball to stretch your torso on both sides.

You too can get in better shape, feel better and (most importantly), play better golf by purchasing a copy of The BKS Golf Fitness Boot Camp ^TM. To see how your game will improve, read testimonials, endorsements, and to get started today – go here!

Day 9, October 26: Workout and Food Diary

Day 9 on the journey. Here is what I did and what I ate.

Workout:
20 minutes interval training on stationary bike (disclaimer: including 2 minute cool-down, this is actually 22 minutes).
1 hour Boot Camp

Unless otherwise stated, each exercise was done with 3 sets of 15 repetitions.

• Spine Extensions, Hip Extensions, Walk out pushups all on stability ball.
• Russian Twists focusing on dynamic flexibility, ball throws and crunches (center, right and left) on the stability ball with 10-pound medicine ball.
• Rolling stability ball squats – side, straight leg dead lifts. Straight leg dead lifts were done with 10-pound medicine ball.
• Alternating DB flys, nosebreakers, and shoulder shrugs.
• Bent-over alternating DB rows and bicep curls with 15-pound DBs.
• Roll-ins with progressives.
• Regular extended planks – 3 sets of 30 seconds, obliques on ball.
• Walking lunges (still no fancy add-ons to the walking lunges) down, back and down. One trip about 30 yards, so about 90 yards of walking lunges.
• Balance on the ball.

Cool down: Golf-specific stretch focusing on hips, hamstrings, shoulders, chest and torso – about 10 minutes.

Comments:
After a 2-minute warm-up on the bike, I went straight into the 120 rpm and 100 rpm 1-minute intervals. I added a fifth interval at 130 rpm today; by tomorrow, all higher intensity intervals will be at 130 rpm. Based on today (and previous workouts), I don’t anticipate any problem with this. To view the interval training protocol I’ve been using, click here. Overall, this was an 8 on the 0-10 scale.

I didn’t do Boot Camp yesterday so I couldn’t add the progressives to the roll-ins. But I did it today. The shoulder and neck held up well – no ill effects. Overall, this was an 8 on the 0-10 scale.

Food Diary
Breakfast, 5:10 AM: 2 hard-boiled egg whites, 1 yolk and 2 pieces of whole wheat toast.
Snack, 9:30 AM: No snack this morning, I can’t remember why.
Lunch, 12:00 PM: Spaghetti with whole wheat pasta.
Snack, 3:00 PM: Power Crunch bar – chocolate.
Dinner, 6:00 PM: Roasted chicken with avocado and mixed greens salad and balsamic vinegar.
Snack, 9:00 PM: 5 strawberries and handful of almonds

Fluids: Throughout the day, at least 2.0 L of water, 1 diet coke and 1 cup of green tea.

That’s day nine, your thoughts????

PHOTOS The photos below show starting and ending positions for the alternating medicine ball flys. This is a great exercise for front shoulder development, balance (stay on the ball and in place), core training and neuromuscular control (you have to learn how to separate right and left sides). For the ending position, go down as far as you can. Allow the weight of the medicine ball to stretch your chest and the front part of your shoulder.

You too can get in better shape, feel better and (most importantly), play better golf by purchasing a copy of The BKS Golf Fitness Boot Camp TM. To see how your game will improve, read testimonials, endorsements, and to get started today – go here!

Day 8, October 25: Workout and Food Diary

Day 8 on the journey. Here is what I did and what I ate.

Workout:
No workout today. I really wanted to do at least a Boot Camp. I was looking forward to testing myself with the Roll-in progressives. But I was just beat. Hopefully the day off will do me and my body some good.

Comments:
I can’t comment on a workout that didn’t occur. But I will say this.

Looking back over the previous week I am pleased with my progress, although most of it is mental. I wasn’t quite sure how I would respond coming back from the injury. I didn’t know if my neck and shoulder could / would hold up. I didn’t know if I’d suffer a set back. While I have been held back somewhat, there certainly hasn’t been a set back. For example, my right arm and shoulder are extremely weak. Doing bicep curls with a 15-pound dumb bell is difficult. I still can’t put too much pressure on my shoulder and I still can’t lift anything with it but I feel confident that it’s getting better all the time.

So in one word, I’d say the first week back has been a success. Now if I could just cut out the margaritas and coronas, everything would be alright.

Food Diary
Breakfast, 6:00 AM: 3 egg whites (boiled) and 2 pieces of whole what toast.
Snack, 9:30 AM: Power Crunch bar – chocolate.
Lunch, 12:00 PM: Grilled chicken sandwich with lettuce (only) on whole wheat bread.
Snack, 3:00 PM: ½ organic peanut butter sandwich on whole wheat bread, 1 banana.
Dinner, 6:00 PM: Grilled chicken fajitas on whole grain tortillas with avocado and HOT salsa.
Snack, 9:00 PM: Just a banana.

Fluids: Throughout the day, at least 2.0 L of water, 1 diet coke and 1 cup of green tea.

That’s day eight, your thoughts????

PHOTOS
Since I didn’t do a Boot Camp workout (or any workout really), there are no photos. But, if you look through this series, you’ll see plenty of examples my Boot Camp program. You too can get in better shape, feel better and (most importantly), play better golf by purchasing a copy of The BKS Golf Fitness Boot Camp ^TM. To see how your game will improve, read testimonials, endorsements, and to get started today – go here!

Day 7, October 24: Workout and Food Diary

Day 7 on the journey. Here is what I did and what I ate.

Workout:
20 minutes interval training on stationary bike
1 hour Boot Camp

Unless otherwise stated, each exercise was done with 3 sets of 15 repetitions.

• Spine Extensions, Hip Extensions, Walk out pushups all on stability ball.
• Russian Twists focusing on dynamic flexibility, ball throws and crunches (center, right and left) on the stability ball with 10-pound medicine ball.
• Rolling stability ball squats – rear, straight leg dead lifts. Straight leg dead lifts were done with 10-pound medicine ball.
  
• Alternating DB flys, nosebreakers, and shoulder shrugs.
  
• Bent-over alternating DB rows and bicep curls with 15-pound DBs.
  
• Hip Flexions and Lower body rotations on floor.
  
• Roll-ins.
  
• Regular extended planks – 3 sets of 30 seconds, obliques on ball.
  
• Walking lunges (no twist or overhead press and no medicine ball – still can’t do them) down and back, three times. One trip about 20 yards.
  
• Swing holds with 6-pound medicine ball.

Cool down: Golf-specific stretch focusing on hips, hamstrings, shoulders, chest and torso – about 10 minutes.

Comments:
After a 2-minute warm-up on the bike, I went straight into the 120 rpm and 100 rpm 1-minute intervals. I jumped the 120 rpm intervals up to 130 rpm over the last four sessions. I’ll continue adding an additional 130-rpm interval each day until all are at 130-rpm. So don’t expect this to change too much over the next few days. Overall, I rate this as an 8 on the 0-10 scale.

I’m still pleased with the progress. I’ve had no ill effects regarding the nerve in my neck. I’m going to try the added progressives to the Roll-ins tomorrow. Overall, this was a 7 on the 0-10 scale.

Food Diary
Breakfast, 6:00 AM: Grilled chicken taco with two slices of avocado.
Snack, 9:30 AM: 1 handful of almonds
Lunch, 12:00 PM: Turkey sandwich with avocado on whole wheat bread.
Snack, 3:00 PM: 1 blueberry yogurt and 1 hard-boiled egg white.
Dinner, 6:00 PM: Grilled Salmon, sweet potato and mixed greens salad with Balsamic vinegar.
Snack, 9:00 PM: 1 pear.

Fluids: Throughout the day, at least 3.0 L of water. One diet coke and one cup of green tea.

That’s day seven, your thoughts????

PHOTOS

The photos below show starting position and one step for walking lunges. These work the entire lower body, promote good balance and help dynamic flexibility of the hips. You can do a couple laps in the gym (or your home) or you can use them as a cardio exercise. Try these for 5-minutes over a 30-yard stretch. I guarantee you’ll be breathing heavy and your legs will be burning!

You too can get in better shape, feel better and (most importantly), play better golf by purchasing a copy of The BKS Golf Fitness Boot Camp ^TM. To see how your game will improve, read testimonials, endorsements, and to get started today – go here!

Day 6, October 23: Workout and Food Diary

Day 6 on the journey. Here is what I did and what I ate.

Workout:
20 minutes interval training on stationary bike
1 hour Boot Camp
Unless otherwise stated, each exercise was done with 3 sets of 15 repetitions.

• Spine Extensions, Hip Extensions, Walk out pushups all on stability ball.
• Russian Twists focusing on power development, ball throws and crunches (center, right and left) on the stability ball with 10-pound medicine ball.
• Rolling stability ball squats – side, straight leg dead lifts. Straight leg dead lifts were done with 10-pound medicine ball.
• Alternating DB flys, nosebreakers, and shoulder shrugs.
• Bent-over alternating DB rows and bicep curls with 15-pound DBs.
• Hip Flexions and Lower body rotations on floor.
• Roll-ins.
• Regular extended planks – 3 sets of 30 seconds, obliques on ball.
• Walking lunges (no twist or overhead press and no medicine ball – still can’t do them) down and back, three times. One trip about 20 yards.

Cool down: Golf-specific stretch focusing on hips, hamstrings, shoulders, chest and torso – about 10 minutes.

Comments:
After a 2-minute warm-up on the bike, I went straight into the 120 rpm and 100 rpm 1-minute intervals. I jumped the 120 rpm intervals up to 130 rpm over the last three sessions. Tomorrow I’ll jump that to the last 4 intervals. Overall, this was a 7 on the 0-10 scale.

The Boot Camp continues to feel good and I continue to be pleased with how my neck and shoulder are responding. While there are exercises I still can’t do, like front and lateral raises and military press, I feel like those will come along soon.

Food Diary
Breakfast, 5:15 AM: 3 hard boiled egg whites (only one yolk).
Snack, 9:30 AM: Power crunch bar - chocolate
Lunch, 12:00 PM: grilled chicken breast and a bell pepper
Snack, 3:00 PM: No snack this afternoon.
Dinner, 6:00 PM: Turkey chili with a mixed greens salad and balsamic vinegar.
Snack, 9:00 PM: Green apple and one raspberry yogurt.

Fluids: Throughout the day, at least 3.0 L of water. 1 diet coke and 1 cup of green tea.

That’s day six, your thoughts????

PHOTOS
The photos below show side stability squats. These are great for your lower body, hips and balance. Some key points when doing these are: try to keep knee of foot on floor above your ankle, in the starting position, place foot on highest point of stability ball and try to roll the ball directly to your side – not in front of or behind you. Go down as far as you can and really stretch the groin of the leg on the ball.

You too can get in better shape, feel better and (most importantly), play better golf by purchasing a copy of The BKS Golf Fitness Boot Camp TM. To see how your game will improve, read testimonials, endorsements, and to get started today – go here!

Day 5, October 22: Workout and Food Diary

Day 5 on the journey. Here is what I did and what I ate.

Workout:
No boot camp today!
I did a “Field” workout. See below for details.

Cool down: No stretching, just about 10 minutes of walking.

Comments:
Here’s the lowdown on the “Field” workout. I started doing these about twice a month a while back. I got tired of being in the gym all day. The entire workout takes about an hour, including 5-10 minutes of warm-up and 10-15 minutes of walking as a cool-down.

I start by walking 40-yards. After the first one, I walk faster on each successive one until I’m nearly jogging. It takes about 3 or 4 40-yard distances to get to this point. Then, I jog the distance and work up to a full sprint. When I can run a full sprint, I run 10, 40-yard dashes as fast as I can. Although today, I didn’t work up to a full sprint. I didn’t want to test cranking my shoulder like that just yet.

After the sprints, I went through some plyometric drills, including long and quick jumps over a 25-yard distance. The long jumps entailed covering the 25-yards in as few jumps as possible. On these, I get a good, deep knee bend and really engage the glutes. The quick jumps are simply bounces over the 25-yards. I limit knee bend while concentrating on being light on my feet.

Next I did a sprint-jump combination for 50-yards which included a 10-yard sprint with 5 vertical jumps every 10-yards. After this, I was tired. But I did some drills specific to opening up and clearing my hips. These were sideways running drills that involved rotating the hips forward and backward while doing the same with my feet.

I usually run a few 40-yard sprints after this, but I was really worn out. So I didn’t. I rate this workout a solid 10 on the 0-10 scale.

Food Diary
Breakfast, 6:00 AM: 3 scrambled eggs and two pieces of whole wheat toast.
Snack, 9:30 AM: Power Crunch bar – chocolate.
Lunch, 12:00 PM: Turkey sandwich on whole wheat bread.
Snack, 3:00 PM: No snack – yard work.
Dinner, 6:00 PM: Ground beef taco salad.
Snack, 9:00 PM: Green apple and one blueberry yogurt.

Fluids: Throughout the day, at least 4.0 L of water. I was drenched after the “Field” workout. No green tea and 1 diet coke. Two coronas with dinner.

That’s day five, your thoughts????

PHOTOS
Since I didn’t do a Boot Camp workout, there are no photos. But, if you look through this series, you’ll see plenty of examples my Boot Camp program. You too can get in better shape, feel better and (most importantly), play better golf by purchasing a copy of The BKS Golf Fitness Boot Camp ^TM. To see how your game will improve, read testimonials, endorsements, and to get started today – go here!

Day 4, October 21: Workout and Food Diary

Day 4 on the journey. Here is what I did and what I ate.

Workout:
40 minutes of cardio, including stationary bike and treadmill for 20 minutes each.
No boot camp today!

Cool down: General lower body stretch focusing on hips, legs and calves – about 10 minutes.

Comments:
I started on the treadmill. After walking for 5 minutes, I started the intervals with a 2-minute run at 6.0 mph followed by a 2-minute walk at 4.0 mph. The next running interval was also at 6.0 mph. The final two running intervals were at 6.5 and 7.0 mph, respectively. Each running interval was followed by a 2-minute walking interval at 4.0 mph. This was pretty tough, particularly the last interval. I’d rate this as a 9 on the 0-10 scale.

I went straight to the bike after the treadmill. After a 2 minute warm-up, the intervals started. I followed the same protocol as yesterday, although I didn’t increase the intensity at the end. The treadmill wore me out a little too much for that. Overall, this was a solid 8 on the 0-10 scale.


Food Diary
Breakfast, 6:00 AM: Ground turkey breakfast taco with mushrooms and mixed bell peppers.
Snack, 9:30 AM: No snack.
Lunch, 12:00 PM: Turkey sandwich on whole wheat bread
Snack, 3:00 PM: No snack – too involved with football game (what was Greg Davis thinking?)
Dinner, 6:00 PM: Grilled chicken fajitas, with all the trimmings (basically okay).
Snack, 9:00 PM: No snack – too much for dinner.

Fluids: Throughout the day, at least 3.0 L of water. No green tea and 1 diet coke. Three coronas with dinner.

That’s day four, your thoughts????

PHOTOS
Since I didn’t do a Boot Camp workout, there are no photos. But, if you look through this series, you’ll see plenty of examples my Boot Camp program. You too can get in better shape, feel better and (most importantly), play better golf by purchasing a copy of The BKS Golf Fitness Boot Camp TM. To see how your game will improve, read testimonials, endorsements, and to get started today – go here!

Day 3, October 20: Workout and Food Diary

Day 3 on the journey. Here is what I did and what I ate.

Workout:
15 minute interval training session on the stationary bike.
30 minute Boot Camp
Unless otherwise stated, each exercise was done with 3 sets of 15 repetitions.

• Spine Extensions, Hip Extensions, Walk out pushups all on stability ball.
• Russian Twists focusing on dynamic flexibility, pullovers and crunches (center, right and left) on the stability ball with 10-pound medicine ball.
• Alternating DB flys, nosebreakers, bent-over alternating DB rows and bicep curls with 15-pound DBs.
• Roll-ins.
• Regular planks – 3 sets of 30 seconds, obliques on ball.
• Walking lunges (no twist or overhead press and no medicine ball – still can't do them) down and back, three times. One trip about 20 yards.
• Ball balance on stability ball – 3 sets, 30 seconds each.

Cool down: Golf-specific stretch focusing on hips, hamstrings, shoulders, chest and torso – about 10 minutes.

Comments:
The interval training on the bike felt better today than Wednesday. After about 2 minutes of warm-up, I went straight to 1 minute intervals, alternating between 100 rpm and 120 rpm. Since I felt pretty good, over the last 3 minutes, the higher intensity intervals were at 130 rpm. Overall, this was a solid 7 on the 0-10 scale but the last 3 intervals it was a 9!

This was my third Boot Camp since coming back. It was the shortest one yet, 30 minutes was all I could squeeze in. But I knew that going in so I really moved during the entire session. My neck and shoulder felt good this morning so I decided to keep the roll-ins today. We’ll see what happens tomorrow. My hamstrings weren’t as sore as I thought they would be which helped me push a little harder. Because I was pushing it, this was at least a 9 on the 0-10 scale.

Food Diary
Breakfast, 5:15 AM: No breakfast, running late!
Snack, 9:30 AM:Starving and nothing with me because I was running late! Go to the grocery store and grab 2 Lara bars (Cashew) and a diet coke. I wolfed them down like there was no tomorrow!
Lunch, 12:00 PM: Grilled chicken Caeser salad. .
Snack, 3:00 PM: Power Crunch bar - chocolate
Dinner, 6:00 PM: Chicken fajitas with salsa, jalapenos and avocado.
Snack, 9:00 PM: No snack tonight, too much for dinner.

Fluids: Throughout the day, about 3.5 L of water. One cup of green tea and 1 diet coke. Two frozen margaritas with salt at dinner.

That’s day three, your thoughts????

PHOTOS
The photos below show the beginning and ending position photos for Roll-ins. This is an excellent exercise that promotes core strength and stability while improving strength of the shoulder girdle and increasing balance.

To make this exercise more difficult, try one of these two alternatives. First, when performing the movement phase, rather than bringing your knees toward your shoulders, bring your right knee toward your left shoulder and then do the opposite on the next repetition. Second, you can try doing this with one leg. Simply lift one leg off the stability ball and do the work with the other leg. Caution: I’ve seen only PGA players do it this way!

The boot camp workouts listed above are available in The BKS Golf Fitness Boot Camp ^TM. It has 24 different workouts like the one listed above. You too can get in better shape, feel better and (most importantly), play better golf by purchasing a copy of The BKS Golf Fitness Boot Camp ^TM. To see how your game will improve, read testimonials, endorsements, and to get started today – go here!