I'll be writing a more-extensive blog next week about what I learned, but Brad gave me some advice that I felt I should pass on to you as quickly as possible.
When you start to hit balls before your round this weekend, don't stretch. You see lots of golfers with the club behind their back, pivoting back and through, or bending over or doing
sqats. Brad says don't. It's important for your muscles to be
warm so you don't risk injury when you hit those first few balls, but he
doesn't believe in stretched muscles for hitting balls. His personal
trainer, Doug Perron of iGOLFfit
in Barrington, R.I., who was also with Brad yesterday, agrees. "You'd be
better off running a couple of 50-yard sprints rather than stretching,"
he says.
A personal trainer and Pilates teacher I visit often in Weston, CT, Dr. Vadim Mejerson, has told me the same thing. "It's much better to warm your muscles by taking a hot shower, then doing 15 minutes on an exercise bike, or doing 50 jumping jacks, to get the blood flowing," Mejerson says. "But stretching cold muscles is a recipe for injury."
So take a tip from Brad Faxon and these two personal trainers this weekend: make sure your body is nice and warmed up before you play, but if you feel you need to stretch, only do it after your round.
Roger Schiffman
Managing Editor
Golf Digest
Twitter @RogerSchiffman
A personal trainer and Pilates teacher I visit often in Weston, CT, Dr. Vadim Mejerson, has told me the same thing. "It's much better to warm your muscles by taking a hot shower, then doing 15 minutes on an exercise bike, or doing 50 jumping jacks, to get the blood flowing," Mejerson says. "But stretching cold muscles is a recipe for injury."
So take a tip from Brad Faxon and these two personal trainers this weekend: make sure your body is nice and warmed up before you play, but if you feel you need to stretch, only do it after your round.
Roger Schiffman
Managing Editor
Golf Digest
Twitter @RogerSchiffman
