Are you chomping at the bit to get the 2018 golf season going? Trying to shed those last few holiday season pounds and/or build the golf muscles needed for superior performance? I am. A big word of caution for everybody regularly hitting the gym: Be very careful when lifting weights! You can do significant long lasting damage to muscle tissue if you aren’t lifting correctly or a working with too much weight.
Here’s a picture of me during a golf trip to Myrtle Beach in 2009. Notice the big old wrap on my left elbow? That was an injury (tendonitis) that I incurred while lifting weights incorrectly during the preceding winter. I paid for it on that trip and was running through Advil like John Daly downing M&Ms. The whole issue could have been avoided if I had sought professional help with my weight lifting technique. Slowly the injury healed, as I discontinued all workouts and limited the amount of range balls I hit.
Fast forward to 2017. I started a workout regimen on May 1 that only consisted of floor exercises. I was using the force of gravity to provide resistance and no weight. Over the summer, I was very pleased with the increase in strength and muscle development that I had experienced. In October I decided to add weights to my arm workouts. I reviewed some technique videos on bicep and hammer curls and began with the lightest of weights. The progress I made over the next few months was excellent and I slowly and cautiously added more weight. As I got stronger I got more confident and a couple of weeks ago, added a significant amount of weight, but noticed that I was struggling to move the extra weight with the same amount of repetitions. Then yesterday, I experienced the setback. The left elbow tendonitis injury returned. 😦
Please don’t do what I did. If you are working out for golf, it’s about building tone rather than bulk. Get professional help from a trainer before tackling too much weight or the wrong technique. Hopefully with some good drugs and a little time off, it’ll heal before the season starts.
Do you have any off-season workout recommendations?
Play well.
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