Ah, the happiest time of the year (sorry, Christmas), where big dreams of lowering our handicap, winning the club championship, or nailing that one shot that makes this silly game all worthwhile fill our minds.
We've put in the WORK this Off-Season, grinding through lengthy workouts, focusing on eccentrics, isometrics, drop sets, and partials. All in preparation for the next phase of Lift Heavy, Swing Fast - IN SEASON TRAINING.
In-Season training presents the toughest challenge for coaches. We must exercise restraint, carefully selecting the best exercises, sets, reps, rest periods, and intensity levels.
This isn't a time to merely "maintain" – we're planning to be on the course for at least the next six months! I don’t know about you, but settling for improvement for only half of the year isn't my style. If you know what to do, you can make progress AND be primed and ready to play at any moment. Be prepared for that call from your friend with the exclusive country club membership!
In the inaugural cycle of our 2024 In-Season training, we'll be delving into complex training techniques.
Complex Training Techniques
Complex training, sometimes known as “Contrast Training,” involves pairing two exercises in a superset: a heavy strength exercise with a high-intensity power/speed exercise.
For instance, pairing a squat with a jump. You load up the muscles with a squat and then, after a prescribed rest period, give max effort to an unweighted jump.
This technique capitalizes on “Post Activation Potentiation,” improving our ability to produce force in explosive movements after recruiting high-threshold motor units in the strength exercise. While I won’t delve into the nitty-gritty and start citing sources, feel free to explore studies on this topic – there’s a wealth of articles available.
Intensity, Volume, and Load Selection
As mentioned earlier, one of the key factors in a successful in-season program is intensity, alongside restraint. This isn't the time for soul-crushing workouts; we're not aiming to barely walk out of the gym. We want to leave the gym and head straight to the golf course, whether it's later that day or the next, without feeling exhausted or sore.
However, this isn’t a time for low intensity either; the intensity and load should be HIGH, but the volume lower. For example, in our strength and power exercises in this first three-week cycle, we won't exceed 5 reps. In the next cycle, we'll go down to 3 reps. We're aiming for a load roughly 80–85% of a 1 rep max. If you're unsure of your one rep max, don’t fret; aim for an 8 out of 10 on the rate of perceived exertion.
This approach will stimulate our bodies and central nervous system to stay strong and powerful, without causing excessive fatigue. The reps for the explosive exercises will be low – again, we want the intensity to be high!
Rest Periods
This is where you'll need to exercise the most restraint and trust the process. Rest periods after compound lifts will be 3 minutes before the explosive exercise. In all the literature I've read on this training method, this is the absolute minimum rest period (feel free to rest longer). For this to work, you have to rest. Again – this isn't about being drenched in sweat, bragging about how hard the workout was; this is training. We care about how EFFECTIVE it is, not how hard it makes you work.
Since the rest period is long, there's absolutely no excuse not to go all out on the explosive exercise and give it your all.
Accessory
In this cycle, we're introducing something brand new to Lift Heavy, Swing Fast: the option to choose your accessory piece.
You'll have the option of a “Golf” or “Pump” accessory. If you're a competitive golfer with tournaments and rounds ahead, choose the Golf option. If you prioritize looking good as much as your golf game, you have that choice too.
Please remember, “Looking Good” mainly depends on your nutrition.
Notes from Coach Cody
I'm thrilled to kick off the In-Season cycle with you all. If you've never trained this way, be prepared for some amazing performance results. Let me be clear, if you're accustomed to long, high-rep, grueling workouts, this cycle isn't that. That's exercising for the sake of exercising. This is TRAINING.
If you're serious about PERFORMANCE, fully commit to this training. Don’t just go through the motions and then do your own thing. I spent over a month and countless hours fine-tuning this cycle for you. It will deliver the results you desire, I guarantee it.
