Smart Golf Fitness with Kyle Pecka | Episode 212

Kyle Pecka is a Golf Fitness Instructor for Smart Golf & Fitness, based out of the Chicago area. Kyle discusses some of the more common ailments that afflicts golfers, including how they negatively impact the golf swing.

Visit Smart Golf Fitness at their website here.

Hack to Hero: Rounding Into Shape

Good day, fellow hacks and duffers! I'm back! Sorry for such a delay -- It's been a busy last 10-14 days for myself and the wife, what with a move, a honeymoon and a wedding in the last two weeks or so. So please, forgive me.

Now -- just because I haven't been blogging much lately doesn't mean I haven't been working. Because of this, I have a few things to tell you about as far as my progress and the plan going forward.

First, I've found my "wellness guru" for the journey. His name is John Murphy, I've known him my entire life and while that may sound like it could be a problem or a crutch going forward, I can guarantee you it won't be. What Murphy lacks in star power, he makes up for in price and knowledge of his client.

You see, Murph and I have known each other since middle school. We played high school baseball together and shared a body type until about 2009 when John made one of the most impressive personal transformations I've ever seen.

In the future, here and at my semi-daily blog, you'll hear and see more from John, including his story, diet plans, recipes and work out routines that he followed for his transformation and ones tailored for my transition from fat hack to fit hero.

That being said, since John has a busy, busy schedule and a life of his own, he won't be able to focus 24/7 on me and my journey, Heather and I decided we need to find another way to keep ourselves on track. The book we settled on was, "The All-Day Fat-Burning Diet" by Yuri Elkaim.

While most of my work will be done with Murphy, Elkaim's work will be used as a bit of maintenance for me. Heather has already been following Elkaim's plans and lifestyle changes for about two months and has seen great results. That was enough for me to decide it may be right for me.

With all of this being said, I would like to reiterate that during this journey, the reformation of my body, lifestyle and eating habit changes are secondary to the golf.

I'll be completely honest -- if I believed that I could reach the 1.4 handicap I need to attempt to qualify for the U.S. Open and improve beyond that threshold without losing a pound and continuing to drink Coke like it's water, than I absolutely would. There's nothing I hate more than dieting, the gym, cutting corners on the food I love and sacrificing things. But because I don't think I can, I need to make an effort to change my eating, work out and lifestyle habits.

Going into this, I'll admit I'm a bit reticent about making massive body changes. Having seen the struggles that tour pros like Jason Dufner and Carl Pettersson went through following their transformations, I'm afraid of falling into the same type of golfing abyss that the two of them suffered through. Obviously, with the 2017 U.S. Open closer than most think, It's imperative that I don't take steps backwards on the course.

Balancing this weight loss and body transformation with the improvement of my golf game will be difficult, but with the correct pace and support from my team, I believe it's something that'll be able to overcome.

Finally, I'm happy to report that I've already lost three pounds with the minor changes I've already implemented. With that in mind, I've -- reluctantly -- included the ubiquitous "mirror selfie 'before'" photo for the project. Not that I'm ashamed of my body, but because I feel bad that ya'll have to look at it:

At least now you'll have a point of reference for this time next year....

Until next time, hacks and duffers!

-Matt

Improve Your Golf Fitness with SKLZ

SKLZ has long been known for offering athletes a wide range of high-quality fitness and training products. Golf fitness cannot be over-stressed as it is something every player should practice. Now that the winter months are upon us, you can use a number of these products to keep your game in line during the offseason.

For example, the Balanz Pad is a foam balance and stability trainer that is both compact and transportable. By performing a number of different golf fitness exercises using the Pad, you can engage your core muscles and leg muscles to maintain and improve your balance, which translates nicely to a golf swing.

Likewise, having strong legs is imperative to generating power in your swing from the ground up. SKLZ's Mini Bands fit securely around your ankles allowing you to perform a series of strengthening exercises in the comfort of your own home or neighborhood gym.

In terms of core strength, the company also offers a Stability Ball that many of us have probably seen in gyms across the nation. In addition to providing a quality method of strengthening your stomach and back muscles, the Ball also serves as a fitting stretch assistant.