Golfers tend to be very committed, focused and compliant with practice, fitness, and anything else that will improve their performance. This is one of the reasons I love to work within this golf-specific fitness niche.
The “shadow side” for many of your personalities can be a Obsessive-Compulsive attitude towards golf (and other endeavors), that can actualize as a “More is Always Better” approach.
This mindset can be detrimental to your game, both in terms of practice and your golf workouts.
I’ve yet to meet a swing coach who extols the value in practicing until you are completely exhausted, regardless of form. The last thing you want to do is develop less-than-optimal motor engrams for your golf swing.
The same concept applies to your golf workouts – more is NOT always better, and can actually work against you and your goal of peak performance.
Minimum Effective Dose (MED)
The term Minimum Effective Dose (MED) refers to the idea of only doing the amount of work (in regards to strength training) that will trigger the desired results. What you want to trigger with your golf workouts is an adaptation response in your muscles and in your motor engrams for efficient movement patterns.
Keep in mind that when you are using resistance training in your golf workouts, you’re actually doing damage to your muscle tissues. This is on purpose, of course, in order to force the adaptation response i.e. getting stronger, in preparation for the next anticipated workout.
This system works beautifully, IF you respect the MED principle.
This essentially means that your goal should be to perform your golf workouts with perfect form, and only with the minimal amount of volume and intensity needed to trigger the adaptation response. Any amount of work above and beyond the MED is at best a waste of time, and at worst, can lead to over-training, strength loss, and injury.
So, how do you measure if you are doing the MED for a specific phase of your golf workouts?
Great question! And the answer is simple: Are you getting stronger each time you repeat a particular workout?
“Getting stronger” can be performing an extra rep, adding load (even a small amount), or holding for more time (in the case of static corrective exercises).
It is important to keep in mind the goal of your golf workouts… to perform better on the course. I don’t want my golfers to get confused and think that they are seeking fitness, just for the sake of fitness (as this can lead to unhealthy fitness endeavors – which are quite popular these days).
More is definitely not always better, and often times just the opposite.
Note: The adaptation response works so well because it allows you to intentionally cause damage to your muscles, rest and recover, and come back stronger than you were at the previous workout (called “super-compensation). However, if you cause too much damage and/or don’t fully recuperate, you will actually get WEAKER over time. Not cool.
Bottom Line: Start out your strength training golf workouts with modest volume and frequency. For many golfers this can be 2x week for 40 minutes. Then use the “getting stronger” guideline as your benchmark to determine if you are doing enough in your workouts (along with proper nutrition and sleep) to trigger the adaptation response. You can always add in more sets, reps, or workouts, if needed.
Our latest product The Power Golf Fitness System, is designed with respect for these principles. Not only is it ultra-efficient in terms of time commitment (and can be done at home or a gym), it also gets you the maximum results you want and deserve.
Go high quality and MED for your golf workouts… And Get After Old Man Par!
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