TST Staff Gets "Fit for Golf" (App) With Mike Carroll

[iacas]

So, myself and a few other staff members are going to be partaking in and doing Mike Carroll's ("Irish Mike's) Fit for Golf program. You can read more about it here: https://fitforgolf.blog/app/

 

Fit For Golf App

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The Fit For Golf App https://videos.files.wordpress.com/snca4L8p/joined_video_531c0feeb6cb450f953d848fab13bea9_hd.mp4 The Fit For Golf App enables you to...

The app is a self-paced thing that you can do at home or at the gym. At home, you just need a slam ball or resistance bands, some floor sliders, dumb bells (or, again, resistance bands), a broom handle, and a pull-up bar. You can get all of these for about $70.

Getting Started:

Fit For Golf App Guide / FAQ

But basically, you choose your own workouts, and then follow this plan:

This is the sequence you would follow for 12 weeks  (regardless of which program you are using):

Weeks 1-4, Phase 1:

• Monday - Phase 1 Workout A
• Wednesday - Phase 1 Workout B
• Friday - Phase 1 Workout C  

Weeks 5-8, Phase 2:

• Monday - Phase 2 Workout A
• Wednesday - Phase 2 Workout B
• Friday - Phase 2 Workout C  

Weeks 9-12, Phase 3:

• Monday - Phase 3 Workout A
• Wednesday - Phase 3 Workout B
• Friday - Phase 3 Workout C  

App FAQs:

Fit For Golf App Guide / FAQ

Training at Home Without a Gym:

Home Workout for Golf: How to Train Without a Gym

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Equipment & Workouts To Get Fit For Golf & Fit For Life From Home

Speed Tracking Spreadsheets:

FFG Premium Speed Tracking Sheets - Google Drive

 

[Bonvivant]

I am interested to hear what you guys think about the program. Maybe do check ups when finished with each phase if you can, if not an overall would be great. I listen to the "Chasing Scratch" podcast (for entertainment mostly), and "Irish Mike" (what they call Mike Carroll) has been their friend and a small part of the pod since 2019. Mike Carroll made a huge leap in handicap, and I have no doubt that his fitness plays a big role in that. He seems like a very smart guy that understands his trade (how fitness plays into golf and how to improve fitness specifically for golf) extremely well. Gonna be following this topic to hear more when it comes in.

Edited October 11, 2021 by Bonvivant
spelling

[boogielicious]

1 hour ago, Bonvivant said:

I am interested to hear what you guys think about the program. Maybe do check ups when finished with each phase if you can, if not an overall would be great. I listen to the "Chasing Scratch" podcast (for entertainment mostly), and "Irish Mike" (what they call Mike Carroll) has been their friend and a small part of the pod since 2019. Mike Carroll made a huge leap in handicap, and I have no doubt that his fitness plays a big role in that. He seems like a very smart guy that understands his trade (how fitness plays into golf and how to improve fitness specifically for golf) extremely well. Gonna be following this topic to hear more when it comes in.

I plan on posting regularly in this thread.

[Bonvivant]

IIRC from the pod, there was a decent amount of jumping stuff for explosive movements, which is quite interesting, and watching LD players and some others with active feet, it get where it could be very useful

[Chris Brooks]

I subscribed for a month or so. I think there’s quality stuff there, but as an Apple Fitness+ user I found it lacking in comparison. I gave Mike some feedback - he needs to provide text summaries of the workouts (so you don’t have to rewatch after you’ve been through one), and the app feels a bit dated. I think I’m getting similar quality and emphasis with a mix of yoga, strength training, and the HIIT workouts in the Apple world. Plus a lot of variety as new content shows up every week.

It helps that I have the “family plan” so my son, daughter-in-law, sister, and wife all share the same Fitness+ plan.

[iacas]

1 hour ago, Chris Brooks said:

It helps that I have the “family plan” so my son, daughter-in-law, sister, and wife all share the same Fitness+ plan.

I too have Apple One (TV+, Fitness+, etc.).

[Chris Brooks]

10 hours ago, iacas said:

I too have Apple One (TV+, Fitness+, etc.).

I’ll be curious to follow your thoughts after a few weeks with Fit for Golf. Maybe I bailed too early! 🤷‍♂️ 

[iacas]

2 minutes ago, Chris Brooks said:

I’ll be curious to follow your thoughts after a few weeks with Fit for Golf. Maybe I bailed too early! 🤷‍♂️ 

I'll start after my college team's done with their conference championship.

[phillyk]

I’ll be starting it eventually. There’s a lot on my plate for next couple weeks. After that, I’ll post regularly on my progress. 

[boogielicious]

I am starting it today. Just downloaded the app. I will report back.

[boogielicious]

I did 101-Phase 1 Workout A today. There were five groups of exercises done in supersets.

1. First group was lower back stretches using extension and rotation
2. Second group was balance and core exercises.
3. Third was squat, medicine ball throw (I did resistance bands) and press.
4. Fourth was more squat, more rotation (controlled) and push ups
5. last was calf, quad and chest stretches.

I really liked this set up. It is similar to exercises I’ve done on other programs like the Sklz Golf I reviewed for the site and Joey D’s book, which we have a book review in the Reading room. The grouping works different areas and uses supersets which is more efficient. You can review future workouts before hand, which I recommend.

The advantage of it is the app. Each exercise has a written and video explanation of the method. Mike Carroll goes into detail on proper posture and what you are supposed to feel. He’s got a nice Irish accent, so it a bit like Rory or Paddy Harrington is coaching you!

The workout took me about 45 minutes because I kept checking the app for rep count. It suggested 39 minutes. It was moderately hard at most, but this is the beginning section. One cool add is when there is a rest time required, they give you a stop watch button. You can also add other exercises to each groups. So for those of you who have other workout exercises, I’m talking to you @billchao, you may be able to integrate them into this app.

There we’re a couple of glitches. Exercises that have weight give you boxes to fill in for reps and weight. But some of the non-weight exercises also had these. I put in 0 lbs there. You get to chose units, so for you metric folks, Kg is an option. If you use resistance bands instead of cable weights, there is no choice for that. I just estimated the weight there.

Also, you can add an activity you did that day, but oddly, golf is not one of the choices. Walking 18 should count for something. There is a feedback section and I will add that.

All in all, I’m pretty pleased. I will post more for each workout.

[boogielicious]

I did 101-Phase 1 Workout B today.  I did the last workout on a practice day and really felt it the next day when I walked 18. There are some tips on the app about in-season versus off season work load. So today I tried playing first in the morning then doing the afternoon workout.

There were 5 supersets again with the focus being on rotation.

1. First superset were pelvic and thoracic warm ups. 2 passes.
2. Second set were isolating exercises for torso in golf posture and lower back strength. 2 passes
3. Third set had single leg power step ups and medicine ball throws, rotational and vertical. I like to call the slams “tantrums”. There’s a 45 second rest between sets. 2 passes.
4. This set did split squats with weight, cable rotation and cable row. I used resistance bands instead of cables. 60 second rest between exercises. 2 passes.
5. Lastly stretches for hamstring, IT Band and hips and lats.

I like that the supersets mixes leg and core work in a set. This takes to load off one area while working another which is efficient. Again, the app has a stopwatch for the rest intervals. I will report back on how I feel tomorrow.

[iacas]

I'm going to try to start this on Monday. College season is done.

[boogielicious]

I did 101-Phase 1 Workout C today. This is the last workout in the introduction phase. I’m now supposed to repeat this for three more weeks. Similar work as the two previous workouts with slightly different exercises. It took me 1:10 to finish it because I was checking the video to make sure I was doing them correctly.

There are mobility workouts you can do in between these workouts. I may try that tomorrow.

[iacas]

I forgot to note that I started yesterday. I did the stuff at home, and though I had planned to write a bit more, I have a few little notes. Though this will sound like nit-picks (and they are), I want to stress that overall I enjoyed the program and found it pretty easy to work with.

Again, these are some nit-picks… and if you see how small these are, and you know how picky I am, you'll see that I've not got much. @boogielicious got the major good things down in his earlier post.

First…

Videos are available for everything, as is a text description. The app hasn't fully been updated to support the iPhone X and other devices with a notch, because… the "play" button is almost near the notch and under the WiFi signal stuff, etc. It made it tougher to start the videos than it should have been.

The actual workouts were nice, and well organized. I wouldn't have minded a "check" system so I could "check off" an exercise when I did it. I also don't know why I'm asked to give "reps" and "pounds" when I'm not using weights. Or why some activities had these, but others didn't.

I'd have appreciated an "equipment list" at the top of the workout sheet so that I could have rounded up all of my equipment before-hand.

Lastly, when you finish…

Yay!

The first workout (Monday) took me about 62 minutes. I too watched the videos at first.

I hope to do my Wednesday workout ("101 B") at the gym tomorrow.

[boogielicious]

Today I did both mobility workouts, Mobility Routine 1 - Movement & Mobility and Mobility Routine 2 - GolfFlex. The app states that you can do the mobility workouts on days between the other workouts.

Mobility Routine 1 - Movement & Mobility Has some of the same stretches and extension work as the warmup in the workouts. Added are some hip dorsiflexion, quad stretches and hip circles along with the pelvic rotation, extension and torso rotation from previous sessions. This was a whole body mobility session.

This session didn’t have the written descriptions of the exercises, which I liked in the Phase 1 workouts. But he does have excellent videos here. There is also the glitch where some exercises had a reps box and a weight box to fill in with no weights. As @iacas pointed out, it would be nice if we could check off each item when completed. 

Mobility Routine 2 - GolfFlex  is a much more golf specific routine, which I am excited about. There are only five routines but they are geared toward increasing hip flexibility, backswing length, shoulder and lead arm flexibility, and hip and shoulder separation angle during transition which he referred to as the X Factor stretch. I need to improve in all these areas.

It is hard to describe each stretch, so I recommend checking the app out for that. He basically isolates each area that needs to increase mobility then gently works the area. It took a few minutes to get them down correctly, but I immediately see the benefit. Both these will be part of my routine.

[iacas]

I did my B workout today. More of the same, but obviously different things. I've used rubber bands instead of medicine balls so far.

[boogielicious]

I did Phase 1 workout A again today. Easier this time and I didn’t really have to look at the videos.