Gary Player – Golf’s Original Mr. Fitness Part 1
We have been focusing on diet and exercise in our last few blogs. Now it is time to hear from golf’s original golf “Mr. Fitness” Gary Player. At a time when fitness was not emphasized Gary was very focused on exercise and attributes much of his success to his workout regimen.
In Gary’s own words, from www.GaryPlayer.com, Gary discuses his views on fitness. Because of the length we have decided to break it into several blogs.
Sit back, relax and learn from “Mr. Fitness”.
“Reporters have often referred to me as the Jack Lalane of golf. I consider that a huge compliment as I know Jack personally and there is no one who looks after himself better than he. From the time I was a young man and my brother Iain literally kicked me in the butt for not being able to finish a race against him, I was determined to become as strong and fit as I could possibly be. When I first competed against the likes of Palmer and Nicklaus, I realized that due to my small stature, my only hope of gaining an edge was to out work them. So I became obsessed with exercise and diet. I was going to be sure that my body would not let me down.
You will have to remember that in the late fifties, early sixties, and even the seventies for that matter, weightlifting was thought to be taboo for golfers. At the time, I was ridiculed and told that weight lifting would ruin my game. Of course, today we know that not to be the case – that is when weights are applied appropriately to the golf swing. I even remember one very famous golf course architect who was quoted in the paper under big headlines after I won the ‘61 Masters saying “Gary Player will never last.” I am pleased to say he might be fidgeting a bit in his grave to this day for that statement! People like that only fueled my obsession and drove me to prove them wrong.
I am often asked what I do in my workouts and how often I do it. Due to my heavy travel schedule, my workout frequency varies on a week to week basis. Some weeks, I am only able to work out three times, while other weeks I may get 5 or 6 workouts in. The fact of the matter is that I know that the gym is the key to my quality of life and ability to continue playing the game that is so enjoyable for me. As far as a routine goes, routines can be very dangerous. The human body is an amazing computer. In order to push it to its limits physically, one needs to vary workouts regularly in order to surprise the body and get it to respond to the workout stimulus. Having said this, for a golfer, there are some fundamental biomechanics that need to be stimulated in order to perform optimally. These fundamentals are included in every one of my workouts.”
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