Interval Training for Golf | Dr. Martin Gibala [#235]

Today I am especially excited to have on our special guest, Dr. Martin Gibala, author of The One-Minute Workout: Science Shows a Way to Get Fit That’s Smarter, Faster, Shorter.

At 18STRONG we believe your body is the greatest piece of golf equipment that you own.  Today’s show falls right in line with this philosophy as we discuss how you as a golfer can optimize what you’re doing off the golf course to make sure that you’re getting the most benefit, but also doing it in a timely and efficient manner.

In past episodes, we’ve examined the concept and practices of interval training and how beneficial it can be. We’ve touched on the science that says you can maximize what you are doing in very short periods of time and truly get as much benefit, if not more, from these short bouts of workouts as compared to the long, slow, cardio style workout.

But today is a special episode, because we have one of the pioneers in the research behind interval training, Dr. Martin Gibala, with us to break down the science behind interval training and to explain how this just might revolutionize the way you approach training for your golf game.

Dr. Martin Gibala’s Background

• Martin is a professor and the chair of the department of kinesiology at McMaster University in Hamilton, Canada, where he studies the beneficial effects of exercise from the molecular level to the whole body in both healthy individuals and those with chronic diseases.
• His research on the physiological adaptation (how our body adapts) to interval training has attracted immense scientific attention and worldwide media coverage.
• He is the author of the best-selling book on interval training: “The One Minute Workout: Science Shows a Way to Get Fit That’s Smarter, Faster, Shorter.”
• While his main interest is the physiology of exercise, including the effects of training and nutrition and application to health and performance, he strives to practice what he preaches and enjoy an active lifestyle, where his go-to workouts are cycling-based interval training and body weight training.

Highlights from this Episode

• How he became one of the worlds foremost experts on the topic of interval training through both his personal athletic background and his professional interest through teaching the integration of human physiology and athletics.
• He defines the terms we see and will hear throughout the episode (HIIT, SPRINT, etc.) and interval training as a whole and the many faces it can have from simple, alternating periods of varying intensity for your average workout or more complex intensities for your professional athlete. He also dives into what he sees as the two main branches: aerobic-style interval training (cycling and running,) and Resistance-style interval training (bodyweight training.)
• How you can utilize interval training to directly affect the different techniques of your golf game and which aspects of interval training work best for which level and age of golfer.
• Weighing HIIT vs. LISS: Pros and cons for both, which should we be focusing on if not both, and which work best for fat-loss. He also talks about the benefits of HIIT at multiple frequencies throughout the week, and how we can best schedule our workouts to get the best results.

Parting Questions

Caddy Shack or Happy Gilmore? Caddy Shack

What’s you’re walk up song? Good Riddance by Green Day

If you could pick one person to play 18 holes of golf with, who would it be and where would you play?
My father at our old course back in Windsor, ON

What has you most excited about your career and what you are doing right now?  I am very much looking forward to devote more time to my research when I pass on my administrative role as chair of the department.

 Any last piece of advice for the 18Strong audience?  Life is an interval exercise, so train accordingly.

Find more information on Dr.Martin Gibala and at:

Twitter

Website

To continue the conversation and ask any questions you may have, head over the 18STRONG Facebook page.

Episode Sponsor

SuperSpeed Golf (SuperSpeedGolf.com)- Use the code “18STRONG”