10*6*11 Q&A general training

Hey man just read your blog keep it up man it's a great read. I agree with your truing for purpose even though I don't play any sport to the level that you do I like to train for general functional/athletic strength. My question is do you include any rotational ( lifts, chops, cable rotations) hip stability ( single leg exercises, glut max/ med training) core ( plank, side plank, superman) and plyometrics ( box jumps rotational box jumps lateral/diagonal jumps) My interest is mainly with truing for golf swing which correlates a lot with throwing ( motions and muscle activity ) in which these things I have mentioned have an important part in. Just wanted to give you something to think about adding to your routine.


-JP


OK I will try and go through this point by point. 


My question is do you include any rotational ( lifts, chops, cable rotations) hip stability ( single leg exercises, glut max/ med training) core ( plank, side plank, superman) and plyometrics ( box jumps rotational box jumps lateral/diagonal jumps)?


As far as rotational lifts are concerned the only thing I do is Russian twists.  (Barbell on the back and turn and turn back.)  This is really it.  All of my "rotational strength" comes from sport specific training.  Throwing the events takes care of anything I need.  I think the rotational stuff is more a factor of flexibility.  The more flexible you are the more separation you can create between upper and lower body thus creating torque for power.


In regards to hip stability.  I think Squatting, Dead lifting, and Overhead Pressing take care of this.  Doing these heavy compound movements build strength and force you to stabilize everything.  I think there is a place for single leg stuff mostly for flexibility, injury rehab, or muscle isolation like body building.  I have never done anything for aesthetic purposes like body building so I really don't know.  I just look at the sport that I play and I am never needing to do anything off of just one leg.  Therefore I will be training off of both legs.


"Core"-  I hate this word.  It is definitely important, but to much emphasis is put on it.  If you are squatting, pulling, and pressing heavy then your core has to be strong.  There is no way to squat 500 x 10 without a strong core.  With that said doing some accessory work is always good.  Just remember it is an accessory.


Plyometrics are great.  I try and do something like this a couple times a week.  There is an old saying "If you want to be strong SQUAT, if you want to be fast JUMP."  This stuff is important for any sport.  I can't think of any sport that you would not benefit form having a stronger back, legs, hips, and shoulders.  Now people also get out of hand with box jumps.  You see videos of guys jumping on a 60" box and this is not as much a show of how high they can jump but how quickly they can get there feet up and hip mobility.  You would benefit just as much from exploding up and lading on a 24" box and save yourself the chance of injury.  
      Rotational jumping I personally can't think why I would do this.  I can think of a couple of applications, but the risk of injury to the knees and ankles seems to out weight the possible rewards.  Now doing speed work on the ground for agility is great stuff.


My interest is mainly with truing for golf swing which correlates a lot with throwing ( motions and muscle activity ) in which these things I have mentioned have an important part in. Just wanted to give you something to think about adding to your routine.


The golf swing generates power the same way the throw does.  So base training would be relatively similar. The important things would be flexibility in the lower back so that the shoulders could get behind the hips.  The more separation that is created here will have the greatest impact on generating club head speed. 


But you have to remember that no amount of time in the weight room, flexibility, explosiveness, or speed will make you a good golfer.  You have to spend time playing golf and practicing golf so that the time you spend training will affect your game in a positive way.  They key thing is that weight Training is GPP (general physical preparedness) for the athlete.  If what you want is to improve at your sport I recommend spending the majority of your time actually practicing the sport.  For example hitting a thousand range balls a week will make a bigger impact on your game than doing a 500# squat or a 400# bench.  This is no different than if you played basketball taking a 1000 shots a week is better for you then lifting in the gym.  


Keep your focus on what it is you want to accomplish.  Set some goals. And test yourself and be accountable.  Hope this helps.