The main aim of this article is to guide you on how to lose excess fat, build up your strength and muscle mass, and enhance your body’s overall performance. By following the right nutrition and training regimen, you can make significant strides in your golf potential, overall fitness, and general well-being.
Bad Training and Nutrition
Most of us are carrying excess weight, and it serves no real purpose. There are two main culprits behind this situation: consistently eating too many calories because of poor nutrition and not getting enough physical activity.
Waist Circumference
Here’s a simple way to check your waistline: grab a tape measure and wrap it around the widest part of your midsection.
Regardless of your height or BMI, you should consider losing weight if your waist measurement is:
- 94cm (37in) or more for men
- 80cm (31.5in) or more for women
If your waist measures:
- 102cm (40in) or more for men
- 88cm (34.5in) or more for women
You’re at a very high risk of developing some serious health issues, and it’s a good idea to consult with a GP.
Consider using a digital scale that can track your body composition changes over time. While it might not be spot-on for measuring body fat and muscle mass, it’s quite reliable for tracking your body weight.
Making it a routine to weigh yourself daily, ideally first thing in the morning right after using the bathroom, can be a great practice for those aiming to shed pounds and maintain discipline with their nutrition.
Pro tip: A smart scale can be a great tool for monitoring your weight and body fat. It may not be very accurate, but it will show you the trends and progress over time. I recommend the Renpho Smart Scale, which connects to your phone and helps you stay on track with your nutrition goals.
Stop the Decline
We are facing a collective issue of being physically weaker. Even if we eat well, without giving our muscles a good challenge, they start to wither in terms of size, strength, and power.
This decline begins to kick in around the age of 25 to 30. The loss of muscle mass, strength, and power can have a devastating impact on our physical abilities and overall health.
However, the good news is that, no matter your age, you can take significant steps to reverse this trend through appropriate training coupled with the right nutrition, of course.
Golf
If you don’t maintain your muscle strength, you’ll find it challenging to generate the swing speed you need, and your distance off the tee will suffer. Furthermore, muscle strength plays a vital role in your ability to make a full golf swing with proper mobility.
Fitness
Muscle strength is crucial for everyday tasks we often take for granted, such as getting out of a chair or bed, climbing stairs, walking, lifting groceries, or even playing with the grandkids.
Health
Having low levels of muscle mass has been pinpointed as a contributor to a condition known as Metabolic Syndrome, a combination of health issues that tend to appear together, raising the risk of heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes.
Assessment for Strength
Test for Your Lower Body Strength
Doing ten reps of split squats on each leg should feel like a walk in the park. In an ideal scenario, you’d be able to manage this while holding a dumbbell in each hand, and those dumbbells should weigh around 25% to 50% of your body weight.
Test for Your Upper Body Strength
Performing five push-ups is enough. But you’ll get even better results by aiming for 10. A proper push-up involves keeping your body in a plank-like position, ensuring that it moves as a single unit. In the setup position, your shoulders should align directly over your fingertips.
A Guide to Improve
The framework below can guide you in your journey:
Create Calorie Deficit
Consume enough protein and engage in resistance training while in a calorie deficit to preserve as much muscle mass as possible. A good rule of thumb is to aim for 0.5 to 0.7 grams of protein per pound of body weight per day.
When you’re in a calorie deficit, your body is in a breakdown state.
Now, let’s break down your plan for improvement into two main elements: nutrition and exercise.
Nutrition
Track your calories and protein: Aim for 0.5-0.7 grams of protein per pound of body weight and arrange the rest of your calorie intake to stay within your daily calorie goal.
Meal preparation: Make a grocery list and prepare your meals in advance. Eating your own prepared meals most of the time helps you control your calorie intake.
Prioritize protein, fruits, and vegetables: Protein is essential for maintaining muscle mass during a calorie deficit. It also helps control hunger. Fruits and vegetables are healthy and low in calories, making them great for appetite control.
Limit calorie-containing drinks: Stick to drinks with no or very few calories.
Embrace some hunger: It’s okay to feel hungry occasionally. We’re often conditioned to eat frequently, but gradually extending the time between meals can help reduce snacking and overall calorie intake.
Mindful eating: Before consuming something, ask yourself, “Why am I eating this?” This simple question can help you make better choices and become more aware of your eating habits.
Training
Among all forms of exercise, well-structured, full-body resistance training takes the crown. Resistance training involves working against some form of resistance, making movements more challenging. It can include lifting weights, using resistance bands, bodyweight exercises, or any method that adds resistance to your movements.
So, what does an effective resistance training plan look like for those seeking these benefits? I recommend incorporating three resistance training sessions into your weekly routine. Typically, these workouts consist of three sections:
- Mobility/Dynamic Warm-Up (10 minutes)
- Power and Speed (10-15 minutes)
- Strength (20-30 minutes)
Final Thoughts
If you’re serious about achieving top-tier physical fitness, there are no shortcuts. Physical training should be non-negotiable in your daily schedule.
For those eyeing a lean and healthy physique, meticulous planning and organization of your food and drink intake are paramount. Calories are everywhere, and they often have the upper hand. Proactivity in your nutritional approach is the way to go.
The good news is that once you grasp your calorie needs and have a handle on how to meet them daily, you’ll realize there’s ample room for flexibility and the occasional indulgence.
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