Fore
Fitness
Weight Training
PGA Seniors' Champion Hale
Irwin
Establishing new fitness standards
for golf
by
Randy
Myers
Hale Irwin looks very much like a football player.
You know the type... muscles on top of muscles. In fact, most serious
golfers are aware that he was a starting defensive back at the
University of Colorado. That was long ago. However, Hale still looks
like a football player.
As recently as the early 1990's, being built like
Hale Irwin was thought to be detrimental to your golf game. Golfers
actually believed that being muscular was a serious disadvantage.
According to fable, in the early 1970's, Johnny Miller spent his off
months chopping a great deal of wood with an ax. His silky smooth
swing suddenly disintegrated and a story was born - "Johnny Miller,
too bulked-up to play golf."
What Johnny Miller really did was severely
over-develop some muscles that need to remain flexible for golf. He
made a big mistake, and suddenly fit golfers everywhere were told,
"You're too bulky to play golf."
Hale Irwin didn't believe the concept. Hale has
always been a golfer with a football mentality. His on course record
is a testament to this philosophy. Last spring, Hale captured his
first senior major tournament, the PGA Seniors' Championship. It was
one in many during a career that set new standards for fit athletes
who play golf for a living.
The following is a brief look at Hale Irwin's workout
program. I would bet that it remains fairly similar to those in the
Buffalo weightroom thirty years ago:
Be sure to take a look at the
pictures of Hale working out below!
Flat bench press: 3 sets-increase weights in 2nd
and 3rd set
Incline dumbbell flys: 2 sets-keep a full range of
motion
Isolation curls: 2 sets-preacher curls and 1 arm
dumbbells
Leg press: 3 to 4 sets with calf raises on each
set
Leg extensions: 2 sets-keep full range of
motion
Squats: 3 sets on a Smith machine or squat
rack
Shoulders: 2 sets of side and front deltoid
raises
Front lap pulldowns: 2 sets plus 1 arm dumbbell
rows
Abdominal crunches: 4 to 5 sets of 20 reps plus
knee
The flat bench press keeps
the chest muscles from going south.
The leg press works muscles
in both the front and back of your legs.
How many does Hale do? I bet more than you!
Biceps curls can be done with
dumbbells or on a preacher bench.
Hale uses both exercises to keep his arms pumped up for golf.
An advanced exercise for the
lower abdominals, leg raises can
really isolate muscles you rarely use in everyday life.
Adding abdominal crunches to
your workout intensifies the routine.
Randy Myers, M.LS., is Fitness Director at the
award-winning PGA National Health and Racquet Club in Palm Beach
Gardens, and for the Golden Bear Tour. He is the personal trainer for
many touring pros. Randy can be reached at 561-627-4444.
Randym@floridagolfing.com
