Take your swing to the next level with BFS

Take your golf swing to the next level with BFS BY DR. GREG SHEPARD, FOUNDER/CEO BFS Should golfers get involved in a strength and conditioning program? Of course – if they are serious about improving their game. And what kind of a strength and conditioning program is best for a golfer? Unquestionably, the BFS Program. f you can power clean 300 pounds, great – but that does not guarantee that you will be able to drive a ball farther than a 15year-old kid of 140 pounds who can only power clean 125.

The objective of golf conditioning is not to build the massive strength that is required in throwing the shot put or playing on the offensive line but to become measurably stronger and more powerful and to gain greater balance and flexibility. I first became serious about golf conditioning when my youngest son, Mark, was 12 years old. We went through many learning stages. As we struggled in our progression, I began to realize that golf has much in common with other sports. The BFS Six Absolutes not only will help an athlete learn perfect lifting technique but also apply to learning how to hit a golf ball correctly.

If you study the three golfing photos that accompany this article you will see how the Six Absolutes apply, specifically how the transfer of power is the same as in other athletic activities such as throwing a baseball or a discus.

IShowing proper technique is Austin Anderson, a professional golfer from Salt Lake City, Utah.

The setup: Athletic Stance, Be Tall, Spread the Chest, Toes and Knees Aligned, Knees over Toes and the Eyes on Target (the ball).

For these reasons, a modified BFS strength and conditioning program is the ultimate approach for all golfers regardless of their level of experience: from Tiger Woods to the up-and-coming junior high school golfer to the aging senior golfer.

The BFS Way to Better Golf Weight training can improve strength and power in the legs and hips, improvements that will increase the distance you can drive the ball with any club and also will increase your accuracy because you can be more relaxed when you swing. The best exercises for improving strength and power are squats, box squats, power snatches and power cleans. www.bigger fasterstronger.com The transfer of power: The weight shifts to the front foot, the hips turn facing the target and the back foot and ankle turn and extend towards the target (the flag on the green). The golfer continues to be tall, spreading the chest, with eyes on the flag (the target).

Great flexibility, complete range of motion, and suppleness are essential to reach your golfing potential. To increase golf-specific strength, golfers should perform reverse-grip curls and both front and back twists on the BFS glute-ham machine. Other important auxiliary exercises for a golfer include lat pulldowns, straight-leg deadlifts, the glute-ham raise, the bench press and the incline press. And in addition to strength and power, balance is important for a golfer when facing difficult lies.

This objective is met by performing flexibility exercises, lunges and the three BFS power balance drills. With over 30 years training athletes, I believe the standard BFS off-season lifting program, which is performed three days per week and only takes about 45 minutes, would be ideal for a golfer. However, during the season, which can be very long for a golfer, we recommend TRAINING & EQUIPMENT The hip flexor stretch: Austin doing one of his daily 1-2-3-4 BFS Flexibility stretches.

Back twists on the glute-ham machine. lifting only twice a week while still striving to become stronger. Here is a sample in-season lifting program that would be perfect for a golfer: MONDAY. Core lifts: parallel squat, power clean. Auxiliary lifts: lat pulls, reverse-grip curls, lunges, glute-ham raise, glute-ham twists (front and back), bench press, the power balance drills, straight-leg deadlift. WEDNESDAY OR THURSDAY. Core lifts: box squat, power snatch. Auxiliary lifts: same as Monday, except substitute the incline bench press for the bench press. Prior to any workout it’s important to warm up, and the most practical and effective way to warm up is with the BFS Dot Drill.

Obviously a golfer does not have to have quick feet or agility to play the sport, but the Dot Drill does get the blood temperature elevated, producing a little sweat. Getting your body warmed up is important before you stretch, lift or play golf so as to prevent injury. You may perform the entire Dot Drill series or a modified version instead. Austin Anderson, the professional golfer featured in the photos that accompany this article, does a modified version in which Austin doing lunges for power balance.

Austin doing one of the three power balance drills.

Tiger, Phil and Fred have been fascinated as I watch Tiger Ifrom a BFS perspective. Everything about Tiger exudes straightness. I love to watch him walk to his next shot. His toes are straight, his legs are straight, and his arms and hands are rotating in perfect rhythm and straightness. Even Steve, Tiger’s caddy, walks like Tiger does. Tiger hits the golf ball in the same way: everything is straight. If I may offer one critical observation, I think that Tiger probably has overtrained in the weightroom with too many upper-body exercises; and his swing, at times, is too hard and jerky Austin doing a 65-pound power clean. as a result.

But, wow, Tiger is certainly a true Eleven and is featured as such in our Be an Eleven Guidebook for Success. Phil Mickelson is just as fun to watch because he is such a great golfer and everything is crooked. He walks with a nonathletic stride with his toes pointed out. When he hits an iron shot, his back foot never fully rotates. Personally, I believe that a guy like Phil would benefit from the BFS Ultimate Golf Conditioning Program more than Tiger because we could build more improvement in him. Just think if Phil could improve just one stroke or two over a four-day tournament. Fred Funk is so likable.

He is almost Austin doing a perfect parallel squat: Eyes on target, with an athletic golf driving stance, toes and knees aligned, knees over toes while being tall and spreading the chest. fifty and ready to join the senior tour. straight and that the Six Absolutes are meticulously followed. The same philosophy exists with our golf program as with our other sports. Golfers are athletes, and to fulfill their athletic potential they need to get into the weightroom and train not only hard but also smart! he does not perform the right and left foot drills. Great flexibility, complete range of motion, and suppleness are essential to reach your golfing potential.

The BFS 1-2-3-4 BFS Flexibility Program is perfect for a golfer and should be performed every day after workouts or playing golf. Great care should be taken to make sure every joint is perfectly www.bigger fasterstronger.com The amazing thing is that Fred is still right in the thick of things with the ing Fred. He is so smooth and still flexible. Fred makes it look so easy; but the next time you watch him, analyze him using the Six Absolutes: Everything, and I mean everything, is perfect: especially having every joint and limb straight. He walks just like Tiger. Everything is straight. He is a joy to watch.

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From BFS Magazine — July/August 2006. Part of the BFS Magazine Archive (1980–2014).