One thing I’ve learned from training thousands of golfers over the years—professional golfers don’t really care how they look. It’s all about performance. Recreational golfers, on the other hand, do care. A lot of them are still chasing the ripped physiques they see online, thinking they need a completely different style of training to get there.
I won’t go into a full comparison here, but stacking golfer physiques against fitness models on social media isn’t exactly apples to apples. Influencers often post their best-looking, post-workout selfies—complete with a pump, perfect lighting, and months or even years of strict food tracking. In many cases, their look is also enhanced by supraphysiological doses of testosterone, commonly known as anabolic steroids.
But here’s the reality—you don’t have to follow a physique-focused program to look good. I’ve built a body I’m happy with while training purely for performance. Here’s how:
Focus on Performance
When I’m in the gym, my goal is to improve my performance on the course and life. That means bringing intensity to every session. When we practice or play, we try hard, right? The same should apply in the gym. No exercise is just a box to check—we hit it hard to get better. And when you train hard consistently, the physique will take care of itself (as long as you follow the rest of these steps).
Consistency
I’ve been training in the gym for 24 years. Some years have been better than others, but I’ve worked out at least three days a week, every week, for over two decades. Sure, I’ve taken a week off here and there, but not many. Too many people start training without realizing this is a lifelong process. If you want to see real results, you have to keep showing up—every week, every year, every decade.
Nutrition
When it comes to physique, this is the toughest and most important piece. If you don’t get serious about your nutrition, you simply don’t want it bad enough. You can improve performance without being absolutely dialed in (still plays a massive role however), but if you want to look great, there’s no way around it. You can train seven days a week, twice a day, and still get nowhere if your diet is garbage. Personally, I track my macros—if you want to know more on how to do it, check out our eBook. It’s not the only way, but it’s the way that works best for me.
Sleep
If you want to maximize your progress, you need seven to nine hours of sleep. That’s when your body actually recovers and grows. I get that not everyone has the same schedule—I don’t have kids, and I work for myself, so this is easier for me. But if you’re staying up watching Netflix for an hour or two every night and only getting six hours of sleep, try cutting that down and see what happens.
Rest Days
“You don’t get big and strong from lifting weights, you get big and strong from recovering from lifting weights.” – Mark Rippetoe
If you’re constantly burned out, it’s impossible to train hard like you need to. If you don’t take rest days, it’s not a matter of if you’ll burn out—it’s when. And when that happens, everything else falls apart. Your training intensity drops, your nutrition slips because you’re starving all the time, and your sleep suffers because your nervous system is fried. Recovery isn’t the enemy—it’s what allows you to keep making progress.
The Bottom Line
The best part? You don’t need a physique-specific program to build a great body. Train for performance, stay consistent, eat well, sleep, and recover—your physique will take care of itself.
