Category: Fitness and Nutrition

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Take This Breathing Test

To Make Sure You Are Breathing Maximally!

I know this may sound strange, but I’ve found that the majority of people don’t Breathe Correctly!

Yes, they’re Breathing – but not the way the body designed us to!

A simple look at newborn babies can teach you a lot about the right way nature intended us to Breath – because when you watch them, you’ll see As they INHAL, they’re stomach and abdomen will go OUTWARD – and when they EXHALE, their stomachs and abdomen will go INWARD..

Most people Breathe opposite of this because as they Breathe IN, their stomachs and abdomen will go INWARD and OUT as they EXHALE.  (You’ll notice that as a person gets nervous, they’ll automatically begin to tighten the stomach muscles which in a way, is somewhat holding their Breath.  Again, this is opposite of the way we were designed.

Allowing the stomach muscles to RELAX, will automatically allow the diaphragm to ‘Drop’ and allow Oxygen and Blood Flow to circulate throughout the body. (Ie, counter the Tension that’s building up).

I tell my clients all the time to ‘GET FAT!’ and allow your stomach muscles to go OUTWARD on the INHALE.  When you become conscious of your Breathing pattern, you’re allowing the Blood and Oxygen flow to flow freely throughout your body and up into your brain.

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A GREAT CARDIO EXERCISE WHEN YOU DON’T HAVE MUCH TIME


Our bodies were designed for One Reason: TO MOVE! Yet our sedentary lifestyle of sitting down so much is robbing us of that one crucial activity. The Good News is that Research has proven that MODERATE and Consistent Exercise is far superior to exercises that ‘punish’ the body over ‘Long’ periods of time. If you’re thinking that I’m saying that the body shouldn’t be stressed, I’m not. The body definitely needs to be stressed – BUT, for short bursts, not for hours on end.

This is called HIIT – High Intensity Interval Training. In other words, High Intensity cardio exercises for SHORT DURATIONS, periodically during the day, preferably when you’re going on long walks, is VERY beneficial to your overall health and well being.

One of my personal favorite cardio exercises is Mountain Climbers, which my models Victoria and Keith are demonstrating in today’s video. Just doing a limited number of reps (10 or 20?…your call) of Mountain Climbers periodically throughout the day or on your walks, or in your office or home, will do wonders for increasing your overall fitness and state of well being. Note: Be sure that you do a few stretches before embarking on the Mountain Climbers and especially after.

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GET STRAIGHT WHILE YOU STRETCH & STRENGTHEN


Probably THE most common mistake I see when people stretch and lift weights is that they’re usually out of proper form and posture, which often leads to not properly stretching or strengthening the muscles that the exercise intended. Not only are they ‘perfecting their faults’ and developing poor posture but being ‘out of true’ can over time, lead to injuries.

Along these lines, I somewhat disagree with the adage that “Practice Makes Perfect”’ and feel that a more accurate phrase is “PERFECT Practice Makes Perfect”!

For this reason, I highly encourage people to use Props as I’m demonstrating here; ie. The Slant Board and PostureFit Bar, which will surely Get you STRAIGHT while you STRENGTHEN!

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WHAT IS JOINT CENTRATION?

THIS CAR HAS A DAMAGED WHEEL AND TIRE
WOULD ‘JUST ‘FIXING THE WHEEL GET THE CAR BACK ‘IN SHAPE’?

Let’s Define Centration

Back in my early twenties, I had a professional golf career cut short due to TWO Knee surgeries and TWO  MAJOR wrist surgeries; after which my golf swing was never quite the same.  My story is not unique because for decades, I’ve had people come to me who’ve had multiple surgeries throughout their bodies and limbs – many of them for the SAME injury; and a high percentage of them are still dysfunctional. (On that note, I think the record for the most surgeries I’ve seen was 19 from a guy who came to me last year).  Again, It’s not uncommon for me to see people who’ve had multiple surgeries, and as they’ve gotten older, are in worse shape, often times not being able to play golf anymore.

HEY, WAIT A MINUTE, ISN’T THE REASON THAT PEOPLE HAVE SURGERIES TO BEGIN WITH IS TO ‘FIX’ THE PROBLEM?

Then, why do so many surgeries not ‘Fix’ the problem?  In fact, the last statistics that I’ve heard is that around 30% of Back Surgeries are Re-Do’s.

In My Opinion & Experience, I believe that despite the incredible new procedures in medicine, that the majority of surgeries address the ‘SITE OF THE PAIN’ (and injury) and not the ‘SOURCE OF IT’.

The fact of the matter is; that if a person’s body is out of proper alignment, there will be friction and load bear pressure applied elsewhere (just like when the misalignment of the chassis of the car blew out the wheel).  When the joints of the body line up, friction is then taken off of the joints which will usually prevent and eliminate the pain. 

Getting your body back into the design that Nature’s gave us will certainly help rehab and restore your body – and get you back on the golf course!

This is why I created THE POSTURE SYSTEM VIDEO SERIES – where you can find out what Posture Type you are; and more importantly, WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT!

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Does the Golf Swing Cause Injuries? Or, Do Your Injuries INJURE Your Golf Swing?

One of the questions one hears a lot is that the Golf Swing Motion is bad for your back? And I can assure you that I’ve been asked that hundreds of times.

The truth is that the human body is one of the most remarkable and durable ‘machines’ ever devised and it’s designed to undergo an incredible amount of abuse that our culture places upon it (which includes the amount of junk we put into it for ‘fuel’).  One would think that swinging a shaft that weighs less than a pound wouldn’t have any effect – and it shouldn’t.

To answer the question;  a person who has a balanced body normally won’t suffer any negative consequences – BUT, the truth is that doing a repetitive motion such as throwing a baseball, swinging a tennis racquet – AND swinging a golf club millions of time with the same right to left motion, WILL over time – develop muscle imbalances.  When one side of a person’s body becomes out of balance with the other, friction is placed  upon the joints, and eventually the wear and tear on the joint occurs.

THE BEST WAY to prevent injuries, is to get on a Customized Posture and Flexibility Program to balance your body FIRST. And, on top of that, wearing an Alignmed Posture Shirt or a Jelly Expander Shoulder Harness will also get you into proper alignment.

This is one of the many reasons why I encourage people to maintain a ‘proper’ flexibility and posture program so as to keep the body balanced – and then be able to enjoy playing golf for a lifetime.

Be sure to watch the Golf, Posture, and Flexibility Videos through my web site (members have access to all these videos).

– Roger

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The Benefits of a Cold Shower – A Sure Way to Feel Great

As I get further along on my life’s journey, it never ceases to amaze me how Mother Nature gives us SO MANY ingenious ways to heal ourselves and solve our problems.  Let’s face it, in life – there are times you feel on top of the world, and times you feel under the weight of it.

It’s no secret by now that the mind and the body directly affect one another and that stress is a factor in over 80% of all illnesses and diseases.  The truth is that ‘Thoughts are Things’ and ‘How’ we think can affect How we ‘Feel’.  For example, when we receive Great news, we’ll tend to feel Great and conversely, when we get Bad news, we’ll tend to feel ‘Bad’ (which will often lead to health problems like ulcers, high blood pressure, headaches, blocked arteries, ad infinitum).  I love the expression, ‘The body is the dumping ground for our mind’.

Put good thoughts into our body, Get Healthy.  Put Bad thoughts in, Get Sick.

I’ve learned that a sure way to feel GREAT (and therefore ‘Think’ Great) is to take a 30-60 second cold shower… Yes, that’s right a Cold Shower!  In fact, a REALLY Cold Shower!  (I can hear you now…”OMG, are you crazy, that’s Nuts?!”)  But, the truth is that taking a cold shower will definitely exhilarate you – sometimes to the point of ecstasy!
 

The following benefits have been proven to have derived from cold showers, or even ice plunges:

  • HELPS RELIVE DEPRESSION  
  • IMPROVE THE RESPIRATORY SYSTEM
  • ‘GREATLY’ REDUCE INFLAMMATION
  • REDUCE STRESS
  • BOOST TESTOSTERONE IN MEN & INCREASES FERTILITY
  • IMPROVE CIRCULATION
  •  IMPROVE SLEEP
  • HELP IN MUSCLE RECOVERY (Do you notice how athletes spend a lot of time in ice baths?)
  • DRAIN LYMPHATIC SYSTEM 
  • STRENGTHEN EMOTIONAL STABILITY AND WILL POWER.
  • And, HAS ACTUALLY HELPED MANY PEOPLE CURE DISEASES BY REMOVING TOXINS THUS ALLOWING THE BODY TO HEAL ITSELF.

I’ve been incorporating taking cold showers daily for some time and can tell you first hand that it makes me feel GREAT!  Starting the day with a cold shower carries over throughout the day and as mentioned, has an amazing number of health benefits.

In case you’re wondering, “Is it hard to do?” – “Is it Scary?” – “Is it Torture?”, etc., I’d be lying if I told you that ‘at first’ it wasn’t easy!  However, you’ll notice that after the initial shock and the first few seconds, the shock wears off and the water doesn’t feel so cold – (i.e., you begin to get ‘used to it’); which is simply because the initial blast forces your abdominal breathing to become more dynamic and actually begins to internally warm you up.  The warmth that comes from within, then settles you down and the initial shock goes away.  In time, I arrived at the point where my initial hesitation of going in the cold shower has been conquered by KNOWING how good I’m going to feel afterward.

As usual, there are certain conditions where I wouldn’t recommend people taking a cold shower, including pregnant women, high blood pressure, etc.  If you have serious health issues, definitely see a physician first.

I’m going to be writing more articles on some of Nature’s RX Remedies which will all be available to Members in the Library.  Members of the Fredericks Golf Instruction & Learning Center can comment in the comment section and let me know their experience.

 “Come on in, the Water’s fine!”

Roger Fredericks

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Functional Strength

Everybody wants to be strong, but the question is:  What does “being strong” really mean?   Without question, nearly everybody would agree that weightlifters are strong because they can lift a lot of weight. 

Everybody wants to be strong, but the question is:  What does “being strong” really mean?   Without question, nearly everybody would agree that weightlifters are strong because they can lift a lot of weight.  But the truth is; that the majority of weightlifters that I’ve seen and taught golf to, can’t hit the ball very far at all, let alone be consistent.  In fact, I have seen very few body builders who are good golfers in the first place!  On the other hand, over a lifetime of golf, I’ve seen legions of “little guys” and even skinny guys, who can hit the ball a mile because of the terrific club head speed they generate.

The question remains, why can’t “most” body builders and weight lifters hit the ball out of their shadow?  The answer is that it’s because they can’t and don’t develop enough speed.

To me, I believe that there are two ways to look at strength. The first perspective is the body builder who can bench a lot of weight, and the second is the person who has a lot of range of motion in their muscles – coupled with ample strength to reciprocate with the muscle. This is Functional Strength.

What happens when a muscle gets overworked and exercised a lot (the body builders), it will begin to shorten, and therefore, not be able to contract and expand very much.  On the other hand, a muscle that is lengthened, creates a lot of range of motion.  Think of the rubber band you want to shoot across the room.  The one that expands the most from your forefinger will go the furthest.  The rubber band that doesn’t expand very much at all will go nowhere. To me, a muscle that can’t move, is a weak muscle, and a muscle that can move freely is a strong one.  Having said that, I certainly don’t want to stand across the line from some of the behemoth linemen that are playing football today, but on the other hand, I would be willing to challenge most of them in a Long Drive Contest.

The bottom line is; that if you really want to improve your game and especially get some more power in your swing, you must have a balance of flexibility- and then strength throughout your body.  Moving flexibility first, and then strength, is a STRONG combination.

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The Site of Pain is Seldom the Source of Pain

For a LOT of years, I’ve been very involved in both the golf profession and also the world of physical training, and I’ve learned that most of the problems encountered in both of these activities, are seldom the genesis of the “actual” problems.

For a LOT of years, I’ve been very involved in both the golf profession and also the world of physical training, and I’ve learned that most of the problems encountered in both of these activities, are seldom the genesis of the “actual” problems. For example, in the golf swing, coming over the top is probably the #1 most common swing fault in golf.  Yet, the truth is; that coming over the top is usually a symptom of poor lower body swing mechanics.  I’ve learned that by just working on the actual “over the top” move itself, usually isn’t effective.  However, by working on – and getting the lower body to work correctly, the over the top move will usually go away. 

I see the same thing in people’s bodies.  For example, I feel that the #1 cause of tight backs and restricted shoulder turns, isn’t necessarily the back itself, but rather tight lower bodies. When people have tightness in their hamstrings and their hips, the upper torso will usually always suffer as well.  Just by doing upper body stretches to increase your shoulder turn, usually won’t be effective. In this case, by loosening up the legs and hips, will usually always increase upper body range of motion.  In fact, in many cases, by freeing up the hips, will sometimes create up to 40 degrees more range of motion in the shoulders! – That without doing any upper body stretches.  

What I’m recommending, is that the next time you have a problem in either the golf swing or your body, take a look around and find WHAT is causing the problem.  Getting to the root cause is usually a permanent cure.

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Why Stretching A Muscle…Doesn’t Always Stretch The Muscle!

“Hey Roger, I don’t get it?  I’ve been stretching my hamstrings for years, and they‘re still tight.  Even when I was a kid, I couldn’t touch my toes and I still can’t!” If I had $10 for every time I’ve heard that, or something similar, I’d be in a considerably higher tax bracket!  The truth is that many people think…

“Hey Roger, I don’t get it?  I’ve been stretching my hamstrings for years, and they‘re still tight.  Even when I was a kid, I couldn’t touch my toes and I still can’t!”

If I had $10 for every time I’ve heard that, or something similar, I’d be in a considerably higher tax bracket!  The truth is that many people think that by stretching a particular muscle is going to get that muscle flexible – especially the hamstrings.    However, that usually isn’t the case.  Remember, that muscles work in ‘Chains’ ( much like tile on a roof) and they all run and work together.  Therefore, when one aspect of the chain is tight, other muscles in that chain are apt to be tight as well.  For example, whenever I see a tight upper back and shoulder  (which is becoming epidemic in our culture), I’ll see a tight calf just about every time.  When I see this condition, I’ll usually go to work on their calves and work up the chain and finally get to their upper back.  My Clients are always amazed at how their shoulders are feeling better when I often times don’t even touch them! 

jean swing

Regarding golf,  many people struggle with straightening of their legs in their golf swings, and upon recognizing that they’re hamstrings are tight, will begin feverishly stretching their hamstrings – and as I mentioned – usually don’t get acceptable results.   The reality is that the hamstrings work closely with the Inner thigh muscles – Outer thighs, Quadriceps- Hip flexors and Glutes – and ‘Especially’ The Pelvic Flexors and Extensors.  (All of the programs in my book ‘The Flexible Golf Swing’, and my DVD ‘Secrets of Golf Swing Flexibility’ DVD  are arranged so that you’ll be working ALL of the muscles in their respective chains.

In addition, try working the following stretches: And afterwards try the Runners Stretch again, and you should see a noticeable difference.

And that’s No Stretch!

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There Are Two Ages: YOUR CHRONOLOGICAL AGE & YOUR PHYSIOLOGICAL AGE

“You don’t have to get old the way our society has brainwashed us into believing”, is what my late father Elmer Fredericks (shown below at around 90 years of age) used to always say. 

And, after spending a lifetime with virtually thousands of men and women from every walk of life, I have to wholeheartedly agree!

However, there are unfortunately (in my opinion), too many people who use their age as an excuse for not only their health problems – but also for their declining golf games.  There is NO DOUBT in my mind, that if a person follows nature’s simple rules for good health, a person doesn’t have to break down and become dysfunctional – ON and OFF the course. 

So – what are the rules?

In my opinion, here are NATURE’S RULES

#1) THE NUMBER 1 RULE IS KEEP A POSITIVE ATTITUDE.  Having a positive attitude affects EVERY single aspect of your life.

#2) CONSISTENT AND MODERATE EXERCISE.  My dad was probably the greatest health and fit person I’ve ever seen (and who had a long and beautiful golf swing) who lived to be one month shy of 98 years old.  Virtually every day, he’d do some moderate and consistent exercise.  For example, one day he might swim 20 or so laps in our pool – the next day, he’d go on some vigorous walks in the canyons we lived in – another day, he’d jump rope for about 5-10 minutes – another day, he’d lift some very light dumbbells, etc.  AND, when he played golf (around 2-3 times a week), he ALWAYS walked and took a caddy (he hated carts!). Again, NOTICE I SAID ‘MODERATE AND CONSISTENT EXERCISE’.  Staying in motion and moving around moderately throughout the day is the key.  YOU DON’T HAVE TO BEAT YOUR BRAINS OUT LIKE A 21 YEAR OLD TRYING OUT FOR NFL COMBINE WORKOUTS.

#3) HAVE A PURPOSE EACH DAY – Set goals as often as possible and try to achieve them.  Where your mind goes, your body will follow.

#4) EARLY TO BED, EARLY TO RISE – This old cliché has proven to be true with the discovery of Circadian Rhythm Cycles.  It DOES make a difference!

#5) EAT AND DRINK MODERATELY –  Remember,  if it wasn’t around 2,000 years ago, try not to eat it.  Although this is very tough to do, the closer you can get to following this rule, the better.

#6) STOP BLAMING  – I’ve been blessed to have gotten to get to know virtually thousands of incredibly successful people, and sports legends.  ALL of them take responsibility for their own lives…ALL OF THEM!  You don’t hear winners whining and moaning about the curve balls life’s thrown them.  When you hit a low spot, just KNOW that ‘This Too Shall Pass’ and get up and walk through it.  Or as my friend Gary Player says, “Going through Adversity leads to success”.

If you follow these rules, I can assure you that you’ll definitely retard the aging process, ON and OFF the course.

HAVE A GREAT NEW YEAR!

I’ve been blessed to have known and worked on the bodies and golf swings of virtually thousands of men and women, from virtually every walk of life; including many Super Successful people and Sports Champions. The ones that improve the most, are the ones whose bodies are still fit and especially – flexible!