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 At 42 years old, it’s become painfully obvious that I can no longer eat what I want, drink when I want, excercise if I feel like it and expect my waistline to cooperate. Metabolism has a funny way of letting us know we’re not kids anymore. In my case, it’s beginning to show. I have trouble fitting into my size 38 Dockers. I get a little winded walking up the stairs at home. And I sometimes break a sweat while rushing to get ready for work in the morning. But that’s not what’s troubling me. What really concerns me is that the sorry state of my physical fitness is beginning to affect my golf game in a bad way. My length off the tee is an embarassment, my flexibility on the course is a joke, and my lack of stamina is killing any chance I have of playing well late in the round. With that acknowledged, I’ve embarked on a golf-specific training program. Working with a personal trainer, my goal over the next six months is to improve in those three areas. How much improvement, I’m not really sure. But if I can stick to an exercise plan, follow his nutrition advice and avoid reverting back to old habits it stands to reason there’s a very good chance my golf game will vastly improve. Stay tuned. — ERIC MARSON In search of a healthier physique and, consequently, a better golf game, the magazine’s editor and associate publisher, Eric Marson, will undergo a complete body transformation over the next six months. I get to help and you get to watch. Or at least read about it. After a consultation to find out what changes Marson wanted to make to his body and his game, we got to work. I measured his body fat and the circumference of his arms, waist, chest, hips and legs. I then took him through a flexibility evaluation to find out which muscle groups need the most attention. We skipped a strength test because he hasn’t done much weight training in the past six months. But he’s committed to start, so we’ll test his strength at a later time. We then discussed nutrition and exercise habits, and I told Marson to ease into his upcoming lifestyle changes. We agreed to meet three times a week for an hour exercise session, and I told him to add a meal to his daily dietary routine. Yes, add. Eating four to five meals a day increases a person’s metabolism so more calories can be burned. Marson also agreed to do 20 to 30 minutes of cardiovascular exercises twice a week. Marson’s starting body fat measurement is 25 percent, which is on the high side for someone who is 42 years old. His circumference measurements are: waist (taken at the naval), 43 inches; hips, 45 inches; biceps, 13.5 inches; thighs, 21 inches; and chest, 41.5 inches. Since his waist is bigger than his chest, one of our main goals will be to reduce his waistline. We don’t want to increase his chest size because it could interfere with his golf swing. The first month of weight-training exercises will focus on strengthening the large muscle groups (legs, back, chest, shoulders, biceps and triceps). He’ll perform two to three sets of two to three exercises per muscle group, with 60-90 seconds of rest between sets. As he becomes stronger and his body adapts, I’ll decrease rest periods and increase resistance. Short sprints on the stationary bike will be added after the first month to increase Marson’s heart rate, which will help reduce his body fat. His cardiovascular routine will consist of two 20-minute stints of any type of exercise that will maintain his heart rate between 108 and 179 beats per minute. This is 60 percent to 80 percent of his maximum heart rate. n Mike Hansen is an Irvine-based personal trainer. He can be reached at (949) 375-0277. |
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