NEWS
ECCO extends its endorsement agreement with Thomas Bjorn.
FITNESS
Fashionably Fit
By Janice Ferguson
GPA Fashion Correspondent
At first glance, the Swing Ab Core golf system looks more like an alien headpiece than something you would use in an exercise routine. But we're not shallow, and since looks aren't everything, we vowed to take a closer peek at its claims.
Core strengthening is getting a ton of attention these days -- not just for golf swing improvement, but as a focus on fitness, in general. Getting stronger and building the muscles that support our body's core makes physical sense, especially if you believe that our species used to walk on all fours and we've managed to evolve, or dissolve, the 'ol fulcrum in half by standing upright.
Our core is more than abdominals -- it's lower back muscles, balance, breathing, improved stability, posture and a host of anatomy/physiology terms that any fitness instructor in the world will tell you is important to preserving good health as well as preventing back injuries.
That's what the folks at Posfit Golf had in mind when they developed the Swing Ab Core (S.A,C) golf system's ergonomic gripping options that enable a wide range of stretches and exercises. In additional to improving your overall strength, flexibility and balance, the S.A.C. allows you to target your core muscles while correctly simulating your golf swing. They have an early release drill for practicing your draw, and a power delay drill for working on your fade.
Additional benefits as they relate to your golf swing are:
Increase core speed and rotational power;
Train to release the club;
Develop a connected swing plan;
Helps prevent golf-related injuries.
At second glance, the S.A.C appears to have some of the same features as a kettlebell - the cannonball looking chuck of cast iron with a suitcase handle on it that Russian society has known as long as vodka. The kettlebell first appeared in a Russian dictionary in 1704. They were so popular in Tsarist Russia that any strongman or weightlifter was referred to as a girevik, or 'a kettlebell man'.
The kettlebell, although it has the look and feel of a weightlifting exercise -- those enormous Olympic athletes in clean and jerk competitions are flashing as a visual -- is more about repetition and touted as delivering all-around fitness. This is probably the reason they are experiencing a revival, and new core strengthening inventions like the S.A.C, tweaked and tailored to a golf swing, are becoming popular.
So how do you know it works? Even if a fitness-training device is invented by a doctor or has testimonials from Jack LaLanne, you should always consult with your physician before starting an exercise program. The main goal of any physical fitness routine is to make you feel stronger, so, in the case of playing sports, you perform better.
And you don't need a kettlebell over the head to figure that out.
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