What 14.4 minutes a day gets you

It’s not a lot of time: 14.4 minutes makes up exactly 1% of your day.

Do you think you could set aside just 1% of each day – or even every other day – to change your game – and your life?

Actually, it’s even easier than that. You can keep watching TV, or minding the kids, or chatting with the spouse, or waiting for the microwave. You don’t have to leave the house or change clothes. A few minutes here, a few minutes there, and you’re done. It folds right into your day – 14.4 minutes you’ll never miss.

So, what does that 1% get you? Muscle tone, strength, flexibility, durability, fitness, health, and more to the point, a longer drive, longer irons, and lower scores.  

Easy as this routine may sound – and it really, truly is super easy – there is one obstacle that snags many a hopeful follower (myself included on too many days).

The big sticking point is this (and the importance of this cannot be overstated): for this particular routine, it is essential for the participant to begin with the extraordinary step of rising up off their ass. That first step can be very difficult for many.

And, once up off one’s ass, it is also necessary to stretch or exercise or lift things. This also seems to be a common stumbling block for millions of aspirants who never realize their up-off-their-aspirations.

But once engaged, it doesn’t take much. You can set up your own routine. Mine is basic. On a good day, I’ll do:

• 25 – 30 pushups. 1 minute.
• 2 -3 sets of curls. 3 minutes
• Back and hip stretching. 4 minutes
• Focused strength resistance training using the Exer-Genie. 6 minutes
• Shoulder and upper body stretching. 24 seconds
• Total: 14.4 minutes

You could substitute other exercises for the Exer-Genie or even the curls or pushups. The key is to fill that time with some strength and lifting exercises that suit you – along with a few minutes of stretching.

The combination of increased strength and improved flexibility should ultimately result in longer drives and better irons.

Is that enough?

Professional trainers may quibble over how much time is necessary for routine daily strength and flexibility maintenance, but 14 minutes would certainly be on the low side. Except for these two factors:

1) Even a 14.4-minutes-a-day strength routine is more than about 95 percent of the adult population does; and

2) If you’re at this site, you’re a golfer, and, during the season, you may be spending four to five hours warming up and playing each round two or three times a week (give or take).

CDC recommendation for adults:

 2.5 hours per week of moderate exercise (Three rounds of golf per week, including warm-ups, would equal 15 hours – six times the CDC recommendation. Even if you’re riding a cart, you would likely still be well beyond the recommendation in as little as a round or two.)

1.25 hours per week of vigorous exercise (Hitting two or three buckets of balls – during warmups or between rounds – should get you there. Add in your 1 percent routine three or four days a week, and you’re well beyond the recommendation.)

But really, is that enough?

Yes. If you get in 1.25 hours of vigorous exercise and at least a round or two of golf (or practice) each week, you should be very proud of yourself. Your game will improve. And you’ll like the image you see in the mirror.

But seriously, is it really?

It depends entirely on your goals. If you want to stay fit and maintain your golf game at a nice level, the routine discussed above will do it for you.

But if you’re serious about making a quantum leap, let’s be honest. A few rounds of golf and 15 minutes of strength and flexibility training every day or two will only get you so far. If you’re competitive, and you rather enjoy taking it to your buddies, you may need a little more muscle work to get you over the hump.

Now, personally, I’m not the least bit competitive. I don’t feel the need to beat my fellow golfers and hurt their feelings when we play. Problem is, there’s nothing I hate more than losing to those cocky, low-life duffers, and then having to dish out as much as two to three dollars of my hard earned cash to cover our wagers.

So, because my buddies are so competitive, and always trying to take my money, they’ve forced me to implement two secret weapons and two not-so-secret weapons beyond the usual 1 percent routine in order to elevate my game (and, subsequently, kick their deserving butts).

Golfers use lots of gear and gadgetry to increase their power and score. My methods are a little different; two are obvious and readily available to any and all, and the other two are far from the mainstream golf fitness world – yet incredibly effective. First the secret weapons:

Lap swimming. Great exercise. It’s not for everyone, but I was a competitive swimmer as a kid, so it’s natural for me. Although the benefits of swimming are hard to replicate, rowing, aerobics, and yoga (especially yoga) would all make very suitable replacements. Swimming is particularly good for golf because it strengthens the shoulders, chest, arms, legs, heart, and lungs, as well as one’s endurance, and it increases flexibility. I try to swim two or three times a week year round.

Exer-genie. This is a strength resistance device that I repurposed to replicate a golf swing, providing stiff resistance from top through follow-through. Because this exercise focuses on the exact muscles used in a golf swing by providing intense resistance as you pull your arms through the full swing motion, it accelerates and amplifies the strengthening process for those specific swing muscles.

As for the obvious and readily available weapons:

First, hit a bucket or two at least a couple times a week. Try to do it as much for strength training as general practice, going steadily through the bucket with only an occasional brief rest to catch your breath. If you have enough energy for a second bucket, go for it.  

Second, after hitting practice balls, drag yourself over to the chipping green and practice chipping from all angles and distances for at least 10 minutes, then go putt for 10 more. That won’t necessarily improve your strength or fitness, but it’s the surest way to lower your score.

There will be off weeks. Life happens outside of golf, I’m told, and apparently that can interfere with one’s fitness routine. Or, from personal experience, sometimes you just want to blow it off for a day or two and take a nap. No worries. You’ll get back to your 1 percent routine as soon as the image in the mirror tells you you’re overdue. And if that doesn’t do it, your diminishing driving distance will.