Since Bryson DeChambeau's 423-yard drive at the Memorial tournament, we have been bombarded with questions about fitness & getting more distance. Please find below the top 5 questions and answers:
Q: Do I need to be drinking 8 protein shakes a day to get me more distance?
Absolutely not. While drinking protein shakes will increase your mass (based on the amount of caloric intake), it does not necessarily translate to speed. Just because you are bigger, doesn't mean you are faster. There are different strength qualities such as strength-speed vs speed-strength. However, having more lean muscle mass will definitely give you a better foundation for having more clubhead speed.
Q: Will gaining 20 lbs of muscle mass let me hit it further?
Yes and no. Strength is the mother of all qualities, so the more muscle mass & stronger you are, the easier it becomes to transfer it to speed. However, it must be paired with proper exercises. If you only did slow-moving exercises, you may get slower.
Q: If I swing harder, will that make it go further?
Harder does not mean faster. There is a big difference. Given that your swing is consistent, the secret to increasing your clubhead speed is to train explosively. There are two ways to do this. The easiest way is to just swing faster (using the proper biomechanics). By swinging with maximal effort, you will activate higher threshold motor units, which will then transfer into faster swing speeds over time. The other method is to leverage weights and do explosive movements to transfer the power (such as power cleans to activate those motor units).
Q: I see really skinny people that can generate so much power, what gives?
Some people are born with speed (more fast twitch type IIX muscle fibres), and others have to work hard at it to develop it. Regardless of your body composition, those who have to work hard for it can train properly to attain these speeds. A great example would be Tony Finau vs Bryson DeChambeau, or long drive champions Maurice Allen vs Jamie Sadlowski.
Q: What exercises should I be doing to get more speed?
We have a saying in the gym, "legs feed the wolf". Power, speed, and force come from the bottom-up, and that is also how the kinetic energy is transferred. When you have stronger legs, you'll have better balance and more force production. The key is to do exercises with speed in mind. If you were squatting, squat with speed, if you are benching, bench with speed, if you are doing chin-ups, chin up with speed. That means you control on the way down, and as fast as possible on the way up. These will activate the proper motor units. By far, the best way to do this is by using Olympic lifting exercises such as snatches and cleans, but if you don't have access to that, then do exercises with the intent of speed.
It's no secret that the top 50 players on the PGA Tour all have an in-season and off-season strength training regiment.
Getting more distance, while being in more control and balance will only give you more advantages, and anyone, regardless of age (Fast Eddie, 43), can get more stability, more clubhead speed with the proper training.
If the entire field has a much longer distance than you, you are playing with a handicap. To illustrate that, check out what Jeff Hart, a 60-year-old PGA Tour player who only drives it 240 yards, has to say about playing the PGA Championship.
You are either born with talent and speed, or you have to do what the rest of us have to do: acquire it.
It's no coincidence that the top players in golf are all athletic, and all have an off-season plan because the game of golf has changed and will continue to evolve.
Play well on Thursday,
Jeremy Choi
Tour Player & Tour Partner
125 Martin Ross Avenue, Unit 12, North York, ON
+1 416 720 7677
ABOUT LPS ATHLETIC CENTRE
WE BUILD ATHLETES TO DOMINATE. Our athletes become world-class versions of themselves on the ice, on the field, on the court, or in the boardroom. We relentlessly create unfair advantages for our athletes so that they can dominate.
Become so good, they can't ignore you.
