With a year and a half behind us at Madison Avenue Strength Lab, we enter our second winter season with focused programming options that addresses the individual needs of our clientele. I have clients who have been with me since day one, providing their quarterly progress reports of how good they feel. That feedback makes waking up at 4:30 in the morning to get to the studio for my early appointments worth it. They are actively pursuing a greater version of themselves, and that dedication carries over to many aspects of their lives.
My golfers, however, require a little more planning, and I have to be a chameleon in ensuring I have the necessary tools to serve their needs in the gym so they can reach their goals on the golf course. Some of them will stay local during the winter, while others will travel back and forth to warm weather climates throughout the offseason (here in New York). The golf fitness strategies we apply will hinge upon each client’s plans between now and spring.
In addition to these existing individuals, I project I’ll get at least 20 new clients during the winter months. Many of the new clients I pick up come from my social media engagement and word-of-mouth chatter among our current community of golfers and athletes from a variety of other sports and many walks of life. Eighty percent of these people will become long-term relationships that will grow with their health and wellness goals in mind. I do not take these objectives lightly and am fully invested in each and every one of my clients.
With rounds of golf not as prevalent during the winter months as they are from spring to fall, our training changes from the in-season work we do together. Most of my clients will play just a few times between now and April. At this time of year, they’re attending holiday parties and family events that might get them off track - we account for these traditions in our efforts together. We’re trying to preserve but also build at this time of year.
The winter allows us to recuperate some of the areas that were somewhat abused by the rigors of thousands of golf swings throughout the season. With such rotational stresses, we want to take some pressure off the stabilizers of the knees and work on more mobility and strength of the hips. We want to rebalance the rounded posture that many golfers have in their game and build strength in these areas while maintaining flexibility. We want them to feel good and take care of the important things that their doctors will look at - heart health, cardiovascular health, joint health, their bones and more. We’ll increase the intensity of their strength training and still work on preserving the functions they need to maintain their golf skills.
Clear communication between coach and client is vital to ensure we’re on the same page. The coach’s plan must jive with the client’s goals for maximum effectiveness. We look at balance and mobility and pursue deeper ranges of motion. We consider what ailed them during the season and strive to rectify those issues. Clients with no obvious problems are more of an open canvas with the details predominantly dictated by their goals for next season - stamina for 18 holes, increased distance off the tee, etc.
I am a huge proponent of cold stretching in preparation for a more intense strength training approach with a recovery day that helps ensure we don’t create problems where there were none before. I’ll see most of my clients about 2-3 times per week more than during the golf season with time in between remaining pivotal. We strive to check as many boxes as possible with the increased time we have available at this time of year. When our efforts feel more like an uninvited task than an inspiring team effort to achieve their goals, it’s important for me to convince them that if they want to play golf pain-free and at a satisfactory level for the long term, they have to actively work on their health and wellness now. We’ll work on golf-specific moves so they can relate their wintertime efforts to their in-season golf goals. This communication helps tailor my efforts to each individual client. There is no cookie-cutter program that meets the needs of every individual.
Matteo Daniele is the Head Athletic Trainer at Madison Avenue Strength Lab in Larchmont, New York and the Founder of Personal Touch Fitness.
