I like using the foam roller with my clients for many reasons. The one thing I know for sure is that foam rolling before your stretching, and mobility work, is awesome for improving your flexibility and overall golf swing. Watch this video for a sequence of foam rolling exercises that you should do before you stretch and/or even before you head to the golf course. Good Luck!
Posted under Exercise Tips, Exercise Videos
This post was written by Mark Tolle on February 8, 2010
JUST HAD TO SHARE THIS VIDEO. HOPE IT INSPIRES!
Posted under Motivational
This post was written by Mark Tolle on February 2, 2010
I recently read an article that used the analogy of a car when describing the maintenance of a healthy body. It totally made sense. Her’s may take, so read on.
What if you were given a car at the age of 16 but was told that this would be the only car you would ever own. Also you were told when the car got old you can switch out a few parts (not many), but the parts would not be the same as the originals.
How would take care of it? pretty good I would think. You would change the oil, feed it good gas, wash it all the time and frequently maintain it. I’m thinking you would also drive it sensibly and not abuse it.
Does the same hold for your body? Do you treat it well so it will last for a long time?
With the current questions in our health care system I think it is pretty scary as to what it may look like in a few years. So you can either be proactive or sit back and wait to see what happens.
The thing is…..we will all eventually spend money and time on our health. It might be an emergency room visit, a total knee replacement or 10 drugs to take every day. It’s going to consume time & money!
However, I think it makes more sense to be proactive and spend the time now to work on your health. Invest the time & money in the nutritionist, the massage therapist and the exercise coach now because I hate to see what the future holds if you don’t. Trying to fix the broken down car in the future will take a lot more time & money than what we realize.
Prevention is key…..develop and implement your plan now.
Good Luck!
Posted under Exercise Tips, Golf Injuries, Weight Loss
This post was written by Mark Tolle on January 26, 2010
Over the years I have come across a lot of smart people in the field of rehabilitation, fitness and sports performance. Of the many things I have learned, I’m always making sure that each of my clients are doing exercises that are specific to their own unique problems and goals. With that being said I want to describe a systematic approach to exercise that will help those that do not have personal coaching.
An interesting concept I have been utilizing for the last year or so, is a joint by joint approach to rehab, fitness and performance of golfers. This concept was first discussed by Mike Boyle and Gray Cook, two leaders in the area of sports performance. The idea is that each major joint (or area of the body) has a tendency to function more as a mobile joint, or as a stable joint. Yes, they all require a certain degree of each, and joint injury plays a role, however, this concept tends to hold true.
This mobility/stability concept occurs in an alternating pattern, and if this pattern is changed then dysfunction and compensation will occur. The normal pattern is shown below.
Foot – Stable
Ankle – Mobile
Knee – Stable
Hip – Mobile
Pelvis/Sacrum/Lumbar Spine – Stable
Thoracic Spine (upper back) – Mobile
Scapulo/Thoracic (shoulder blade) – Stable
Gleno-humeral (shoulder) – Mobile
Elbow – Stable
Wrist – Mobile
Cervical Spine – Stable
Regarding dysfunction in the body, we can use the low back as an example. If you do not have good mobility in the hips and in the upper back (thoracic spine), then the low back will give up some of its stability to obtain more motion when needed in those areas. A tight upper back & hips are big causes of low back pain in golfers.
A training error I see all the time is golfers focusing on strengthening their core in a dynamic and sometimes violent manner. This will not only lead to low back injury, but in fact it’s the hips and upper back that often times need improved mobility. That would not only help prevent injury, but also improve the overall golf swing.
So take a good look at the above table and make sure you have mobility where it is needed and stability in the ares where it is needed. Then let this be a guide in your selection of golf specific exercises.
Good Luck!
Posted under Exercise Tips
This post was written by Mark Tolle on January 11, 2010
There has been a lot of discussion over the past several years regarding interval training. I for one, highly recommend interval training for anyone that wants to improve their health and fitness level. There is plenty of research that points out the benefits of this type of training and often times shows it is more beneficial than the traditional steady state aerobic exercise.
Interval training is basically intermittent bouts of exercise followed by a period of rest/recovery. It is usually high intensity exercise, like sprinting, followed by low intensity exercise such as walking. It can be conducted on various types of traditional cardiovascular equipment. You can also perform an interval program in much less time than the traditional long endurance program. I personally feel that running and cycling, as well as body weight exercises are superior to any other forms of interval training.
The benefits include, more efficient weight loss, improved heart and lung capacity, prevention of heart disease, lung disease and stroke. The one benefit I find very interesting is that of lung function. As we age our lungpower will decrease unless we exercise and expand our lungs. Needles to say, taking a walk does not expand your lungs! The bottom line is, you need to exercise hard enough to cause heavy breathing/panting, and perform it on a regular basis. That’s how you exercise the lungs, and ensure good lung function as you age. So next time you do some exercise, kick up the intensity a little. And if you are really serious, get some help from a fitness professional to develop a kick butt interval program that is best for you.
Good Luck!
Posted under Exercise Tips, Weight Loss
This post was written by Mark Tolle on November 30, 2009
With all the discussion regarding the health care bill being developed in congress, I have one thing to say…..it’s confusing. We certainly will not have a clear picture until after it is actually implemented. And who knows when that will be!
With that being said, I believe it is more important today than ever before to take responsibility and focus on our own health. I have always been an advocate of preventive medicine, especially after seeing thousands of patients move through the orthopedic physical therapy clinics I have worked in for over 15 years.
I have learned through experience that a lot of the orthopedic typed injuries that occurred on a daily basis could be prevented. In my profession we know this as a fact. So my question here today is, does your fitness program utilize preventive principles? Common sense in training can help with prevention up to a point, but what I am specifically referring to is exercise selection.
Exercise selection should be specific to each individual’s needs. We all function a little bit differently. In other words our body has specific problem areas that need to be addressed with corrective type exercises in order to reach optimum performance, as well as prevent overuse type injuries. For example in the golf swing you need to make sure you have good hip mobility and stability, along with good trunk control as the forces generated in the swing move through the body. Otherwise increased stress can occur in the low back, leading to back injury.
So I believe it is important to have a fitness professional that can asses your current physical capabilities and then prescribe appropriate exercises that will help address any problem areas. Staying healthy and injury free not only keeps you the golf course, but keeps you feeling good. So make sure you are doing the right exercises specific to your body.
Posted under Golf Injuries
This post was written by Mark Tolle on November 10, 2009
Have you ever tried hammering a nail with a screwdriver (maybe you have)? Have you ever tried opening a can without a can opener? Have you ever tried hitting a golf shot from the middle of the fairway with a putter?
Well, whether you believe it or not, if you don’t have the right tools for your exercise program you may also not get the results you want.
I’ve heard many people say, “I know how to exercise, I can do it myself.” This may be true, but how many people do you know that start a fitness program only to let it fall by the wayside?
Many people have told me they have tried exercise but it really didn’t help their golf game.
If you’ve tried a lot of different exercises and nothing seems to be working, maybe it’s time you asked yourself if you have the right tools. Having the right tools can make all the difference in the world.
Grab my free golf fitness report (on the left) now, and begin moving toward improved fitness and a better golf game!
Posted under Exercise Tips
This post was written by Mark Tolle on October 21, 2009
This exercise is great for anyone that can’t touch their toes. Touching your toes is a basic forward bending pattern and gives you information regarding your hamstring flexibility, your hip mobility and posterior weight shifting ability. Problems with toe touching may not be all about hamstring tightness. That is why having a golf fitness professional screen your movement patterns can save you valuable time in finding what works for improving flexibility.
Some key points to remember when doing this exercise are:
- keep your feet together
- start with the arms extended high and return to the extended position
- crush the object between your knees
- if you can’t keep the knees straight then let them bend because it will help re-train the motor pattern
Watch this video several times to make sure you have the correct technique. Also perform 10 reps in each foot position and do it every day. Good luck!
Posted under Exercise Tips, Exercise Videos
This post was written by Mark Tolle on May 4, 2009
Good hip mobility is very important in the golf swing. A golfers ability to rotate around each hip in the swing helps reduce swing fault tendencies. Additionally it helps save the low back from unnecessary forces. Use this low level isometric exercise to help release tightness in the hip and improve stabilty.
Posted under Exercise Tips
This post was written by Mark Tolle on January 18, 2009
Tiger recently made comments about his progress in returning from ACL reconstruction. He reports hitting full shots with his irons and is progressing on schedule. He hopes to play a few tournaments before the Masters.
He notes his legs are stronger an the knee is feeling more stable. In my experience with rehabbing knees, the ability to regain proper stability is very important. With proper rehab, mobility comes back pretty quickly (depending on the athlete) but it is knee stability that is essential in controlling the forces that are imparted on the knee during the golf swing.
Stability is just that, the ability to control the demands and forces that occur at a particular joint during activities. That control needs to happen in all planes of motion, forward/backward, side-to-side and rotational. I am sure he is training this stability in all of these motions.
So keep up the good work Tiger and we hope to see you in action soon!
Posted under Golf Injuries
This post was written by Mark Tolle on December 18, 2008
