Thursday, April 10, 2008

100 Year Old Golfer Celebrates Birthday:

Golfing enthusiast Keith Schumacher celebrated his 100th birthday yesterday! An avid golfer, Schumacher played his first round in 1928 in Idaho. He plans on celebrating his birthday with a party after his round of golf.

Schumacher carried his bag for 18 holes, three times a week, until he was 90. Now he rides in a cart. He has been active all his life and regularly walks at least a mile a day.

If you think his longevity is due to his genetics, neither of his parents lived past the age of 56. He suffered the first of 3 heart attacks in '71, at which time his doctors told him he needed to give up smoking, and he did.

No doubt, his active lifestyle has contributed greatly to his long life. This should serve as an incentive for the rest of us to not just live longer, but to be active in your senior years in order to keep your mobility.

Here are a couple of articles that might help in fighting the aging process:

Chasing Life


Resistance Training Is The Fountain of Youth

Wednesday, April 09, 2008

Golf Fitness and Power Plate:

As the Master's golf tournament is set to get under way, golfers everywhere are preparing to get back onto the courses, especially in colder climates. After a long Winter here in Iowa, the temps are slowly climbing.

If you are a golfer itching to swing the clubs again, make sure that your body is ready for the demands of golf and don't just play the game to get in shape.

The Power Plate whole body vibration platforms are a great fitness tool that is perfect for golf fitness as they address strength, flexibility, and core stability in a very short session. In fact, they are quickly becoming widespread among the pro golfing community.

Check out this recent press release from Power Plate North America:

NORTHBROOK, IL, April 1, 2008 – Power Plate North America announced today that its
innovative Acceleration TrainingTM (a.k.a. “vibration training”) products will be used on the PGA TOUR and Champions Tour health and fitness trailers.

Rory Sabbatini, Colin Montgomerie, Jesper Parnevik, Chip Beck, Mike Weir and Jerry Kelly are just a handful among a growing list of PGA TOUR and Champions Tour professionals turning to Acceleration Training with Power Plate products for its unique array of physical fitness and game-improvement benefits. Use by touring professionals underscores Power Plate’s distinction as a legitimate golf-fitness and game-improvement product.

“The PGA TOUR’s decision to make our products available to professionals on its Fitness
Trailers throughout the season, and to avid golfers at retail, affirms our long-standing belief in
Acceleration TrainingTM as a legitimate game-improvement tool for golfers,” said Brian Dillman,
President, Power Plate North America. “The support we’ve enjoyed from TOUR professionals,
elite swing coaches and golf strength & conditioning coaches, has been invaluable to
establishing Power Plate in golf, and we’re thankful for that and look forward to continuing to
help golfers of every level improve their games through Acceleration TrainingTM.”

In addition, Power Plate products will also be featured at PGA TOUR Superstores, a retail chain
licensed by the PGA TOUR, serving die-hard golf enthusiasts with 13 locations throughout the
country.

The most critical physical aspects to consistency on the golf course – balance, flexibility and
range of motion, explosive strength, injury prevention and rehabilitation, are among the primary
benefits achieved through Acceleration Training. Yet it’s the time-efficient and low-impact
nature of Acceleration TrainingTM that sets it apart from other training methods, allowing its
variety of benefits to be achieved in shorter, 15-30-minute training sessions and without the
rigors and potentially damaging effects to joints and tendons of higher-impact conventional
training methods.

Furthermore, the Power Plate has illustrated significant pain-reduction
benefits to individuals dealing with back-related ailments, also common among golfers.

“I’ve experienced wonderful results using Power Plate products within my personal training
regimen in the off-season and between TOUR events, and I was thrilled to learn that the PGA
TOUR was going to offer them on the TOUR Fitness Trailer this season,” said Jerry Kelly. “I
have no doubt that other TOUR pros will become believers through the chance to experience
Acceleration TrainingTM first hand at TOUR stops this season.”

“About six months ago, under the guidance of my friend (golf fitness expert) Sean Cochran, I
committed to an exercise program centered on a 15-minute Power Plate® routine,” said renown
golf teacher and short-game guru, Dave Pelz. “To date I’m pleased to report a loss of over 50
pounds, stronger legs, increased flexibility, and feeling better than I have in 20 years.”

Check out this article on improving flexibility with the Power Plate.