Why Exercise For Seniors? The game of golf may look easy as a physical sport compared to other sports such as football, basketball and the like, but don’t kid yourself – a good golfer has a high degree of Golf Fitness, both physically and mentally.
It can be challenging to achieve a good level of fitness in both physical and mental aspects as a ‘Mature Player’. As a Senior Golfer, we normally do not possess the agility and flexibility of younger players.
To offset that problem, I believe it is vital that we as Senior Golfers, engage in a regular golf fitness program that incorporates exercise for seniors.
Yeah, it means getting off our duff, watching less television, and making fewer trips to the refrigerator!
I should tell you a bit about myself, so you know I’ve been there, or at the same place you are now!
I was 73 years old as of 2/3/12 and am in fairly decent shape for my age. I can still hit my drives around 230 yards with my 25 year old driver, and play at a 10 handicap.
But I’m not happy with my level of golf fitness, and my goal is to shoot my age this year! Dangit! – I AM DETERMINED TO BE A SCRATCH GOLFER! OK, I got that off my chest!
I’ve experienced my share of physical and medical problems. I have had a broken leg playing football, been in an automobile accident resulting in spine and neck injuries, a dangerous bout of Pericarditis (inflammation of the pericardium – the fibrous sac surrounding the heart), severe kidney stones, Pneumonia, two near fatal incidences of Pulmonary Embolisms (blood clots in the lungs), a very serious go-around with Type 2 Diabetes, and Prostrate Cancer. Those are just the highlights!
Exercise for seniors is an important subject for me. My last Pulmonary Embolism was just two weeks ago. (God must be saving me for something special, because I’ve had more than the proverbial ‘nine lives of a cat’!)
I am healthier at this time than I have been in years. I am 6-1 and 204 lbs. (I used to be 6-2 at 250 lbs. – I’ve Shrunk!)
My doctor tells me I should be around 190 lbs. and get more exercise! OK, OK I got it!
I am starting to get my strength back since being released from the hospital last week. I am beginning to walk about 20 minutes a day now, and am anxious to get on a regular exercise schedule. I have been researching golf fitness programs for Senior Golfers,and am now putting together a plan to be a fit and healthier golfer!
I would like to challenge you to take this Exercise-For-Seniors journey with me.
I am going to first assemble a series of “Fitness Tests” to determine my existing level of fitness. After performing the fitness tests, I will then develop an Exercise For Seniors Plan to reach predetermined fitness goals.
Many of the fitness tests I found in my research require specialized equipment or training, but I want it simple, inexpensive, and something I can do at home.
There are some tests which can be performed at home with minimal equipment found around the house to facilitate testing for fitness, and exercise for seniors.
Fitness tests allow us to identify physical strengths and weaknesses. They act as a basis upon which a suitable golf fitness program can be developed. There are several reasons why fitness tests should form an integral part of the overall conditioning plan:
Benchmarking
A series of suitably selected tests builds a physical profile for us when pursuing this Exercise For Seniors program. A benchmark can be set for each element of fitness. By comparing where we are now to established norms and standards, any major areas of weakness can be clearly identified.
Most of us as a Senior Golfer have neither the time nor resources to spend unlimited hours training every day. For us it’s important that our training focuses on the 20% of golf exercises that will make 80% of the difference.
This is a more efficient method than determining all the demands within the sport of golf and dividing training time equally among each one.
Goal Setting
It is important to set specific and measurable goals in this Exercise For Seniors program, as it is a vital part of an overall fitness plan. You can only set realistic and attainable goals if you know where you are starting from. We need to be Fit For Golfwith a plan!
Feedback
Golfers at any level of fitness, who are dedicated enough to spend time training, want to spend their time as efficiently as possible. The only way to establish whether a Fitness For Seniors training program is achieving the desired results and reaching the goals previously set is to test regularly.
Motivation
Taking objective measurements before and after a period of training can show us how far we have progressed. It’s one thing to feel more fit as a Senior Golfer, but seeing specific results in chart form is much more encouraging.
Let’s put this Exercise For Seniors program in gear!
Whatever fitness level we perform to, we cannot overlook the importance and necessity of fitness testing. If we take the time to plan our training then we should take time to complete a battery of fitness tests.
The following tests are designed to quickly gauge a person’s general fitness level and to act as a basis for future testing. My plan is to “Chart” my progress.
After taking each test, I will record the results and then take the tests once per month during this Exercise For Seniors fitness training from then on.
Following are some essential fitness tests:
General Health Tests: (Blood pressure and resting heart rate) Should be included in an exercise for senior’s fitness plan.
Anthropometry Tests: (a set of noninvasive, quantitative techniques for determining an individual’s body fat composition by measuring, recording, and analyzing specific dimensions of the body, such as height and weight; skin-fold thickness; and bodily circumference at the waist, hip, and chest.)
Speed/Power tests: These power tests are usually performed first, followed by speed, agility, strength, muscle endurance and, finally, cardio-respiratory or repeat sprint tests. A thorough warm-up should precede any speed and power test. The vertical jump test may be performed prior to the sprint test.
Flexibility Tests: Depending on whether the test protocol requires a warm up or not, the flexibility tests should be scheduled early in the session prior to any activity, or after a thorough warm up or after the speed tests.
Muscle Strength Tests: These tests should always be completed prior to muscle endurance tests, but after the speed and power tests.
Muscular Endurance Tests: A minimum break of five minutes is recommended between muscle strength and muscle endurance tests. If there are several muscular strength and endurance tests in one session, you must allow plenty of time for recovery between tests.
Aerobic Fitness Tests: Many of these aerobic tests are based on a heart rate response, and may be affected by previous tests or by the mental state of the athlete, and should be scheduled accordingly. Fatiguing maximal exercise tests should always be scheduled at the end of a session. If the protocol includes both a repeat sprint test and a maximal aerobic test, it is usually wise to have these in separate sessions.
We hope you have enjoyed this section on Exercise For Seniors! May you be a happier and healthier Golfer!
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