Like most terrible ideas, it happened after midnight. I was on a business trip in January, I kept up with emails when I came across a note from Golf Digest editorial director Max Adler asking for the presentation of an “Editors Trying Crazy Stuff” package for the magazine . The highlights of the European Tour’s Dubai Desert Classic were on TV and it looked like Godzilla was treading on the fairways. After putting on the glasses, I realized that this was not a prehistoric beast, but Bryson DeChambeau (although those terms are now synonymous). The former American and NCAA champion announced in the fall that he was undergoing a physical transformation in search of a greater distance, and only three months later, the sight of DeChambeau, who had turned from a man into a mountain, was shaking. It is also stimulating.
“Hey, shot in the dark,” I wrote, “But once a year it seems, there are some small controversies involving a player’s bulk and its perceived negative consequences on performance. I wonder if it is worth someone try to get caught and see what the correlation, if any, is in their game. “
That “someone” ended up being me.
Starting in February, I did my best to move up to the DeChambeau level, raising hopes for big earnings with the big stick. The piece, which is in this month’s issue of Golf Digest, has been acclaimed worldwide. “A triumph of the human spirit”, “Profound; a gift of words “and” Thanks for making us still believe in journalism “, are only three reviews that I imagine are in my mailbox as we speak. Even my editors – tough crowd, editors – loved the article, sending praises like “Wait, did you go on in that stupid tone?” And “I guess this explains your lack of productivity.”
In order to promote this month’s issue and our Bryson piece, which can be found here, I have been asked to answer a few questions about what our commitment has entailed, how it has unfolded and what you can learn. From it. (The short answers: “Idiozia”, ”Kind of!,” And “Never reply to emails after midnight.”) Here are my takeaways to try to become as big as Bryson.
It did, in the sense that the real experiment was the friends I made along the way.
The feat had three original ambitions: 1) Earn 30 lbs. in three months to 2) collect at least 20 meters away and above all 3) improve my golf game. We worked out a game plan, started it up and, due to the coronavirus block, we had to review everything a month. Despite Brandon’s obstacle to the pandemic, I saw the experiment. Without giving the third goal (seriously, read the piece, it’s not bad, I promise), I gained almost 20 pounds. (166 lbs to 184 lbs) and I got my average drive from 286 yards to 296.
There was a slight sense of pride for these goals. “It was” to be the key word. After seeing Bryson in person at the Traveler Championship last week, which included driving a 389-yard green and using a cart path to hit a 428-yard, now I feel like what I did is getting a kindergarten drawing pinned on the fridge while Bryson’s presentation was put in the Louvre.
No fake news, I promise. The highlight is a round I recently played with colleagues Mike Stachura and Mike Johnson at Rock Ridge Country Club in Newtown, Conn., Which featured five over 300 units, including a 340-yard pop at the first hole. No word if my driver passed the CT test, however.
I want more distance, how did you do it?
I collaborated with Brandon Gaydorus, the author of “The Ultimate In-Home Golf Fitness Program” and founder of Warm Heart Life in Greenwich, Connecticut. Gaydorus worked at the Florida Performance Institute, training alongside Brooks Koepka, Michelle Wie, Daniel Berger and other golf stars, so he has an intimate knowledge of a professional athlete’s regime. Gaydorus came up with a personalized plan that included four formal workouts a week, along with two that I did alone. Also daily yoga, as well as a SuperSpeed program. And I renewed my diet, eating 5,000 calories a day, which sounds tough but was actually worse, because the diet included a beer ban. It was hell.
I don’t have access to a gym. Are there ways to get around that route and do it at home?
Listen, as any high school coach will tell you, “Success is not owned. It is rented and the rent is due every day. “But yes, there is a path. And I got it.
A month in our COVID-19 program blocked my area, which meant I couldn’t go to the gym. This could have been mine out. Alas, I’m a stubborn mule and I wouldn’t fly the white flag. Also, let’s be honest, there weren’t many things at the time. Since most of the online weight sets ran out quickly, Gaydorus came up with a “Rocky IV” routine that I could do with household items. No, I wasn’t climbing mountains or lifting tractors or ending the Cold War. But I used water cases, book bags full of bricks and firewood as actual weights. In this way it was not at all efficient (as I explain in the piece), but it achieved some results.
Excellent, I’m in. Any warnings?
It sounds basic, but if you want to try it for yourself, be sure to hit the balls a few times a week. During the blockade I was able to swing in my yard but I didn’t have access to a beam. My first two weeks back has involved more strokes than all my 33 years. Furthermore, yoga was the key. I did it to make sure my back didn’t split in two, but it also kept my flexibility and prevented my swing from getting stiff. Make sure to add it to your routine.
Easy on protein. I don’t care what DeChambeau says, the colon can only take so much.
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