The 18STRONG Podcast

Today I am especially excited to have on our special guest Matt Palazzolo from Golf and Body NYC. When looking at the differences and similarities of training junior and professional, as well as younger and older athletes, Matt is the perfect guest to have on with his background and experience. In this episode, Matt dives into several different ways of training and methodologies, quality over quantity, and his 3 cores he works with golfers on the technical, the physical, and the mental game. I also relate with Matt on the pros and cons of being a practitioner working with golfers, yet he hasn’t logged as many hours on the course. Matt Palazzolo’s Background Hailing from Orlando, Florida, Matt recently joined the team at Golf and Body NYC with a strong background in fitness for golf. As a certified personal trainer, Matt’s foray into golf began in 2013 after completing an NG360 certification from Nike for Golf Performance. With a passion for the biomechanics of the golf swing, Matt worked as the Director of Fitness at prominent golf academies. And has trained players of all levels, ranging from beginners to professionals on the LPGA and Symmetra Tour. Highlights from this Episode His transition to Golf and Body NYC and both how the facility operates with all specialists under one roof and the mix of demographics in both skill and reason for being there be it for performance or pain management.His 3 cores of fitness and how it translates to a better golf game: technical, physical, and mental. He also touches on pain and movement quality and the correlation between the two.Quality over Quantity when it comes to working out and the importance of being present for your workout in a world where we can always feel distracted and scattered. The 3 things that he looks at in swing with his clients:Weight in Lead side Maintaining the radius of their swingHow quick they get out of their posturePros and Cons to being a practitioner working with golfers, yet hasn’t logged many hours on the course himself.   Parting Questions Caddy Shack or Happy Gilmore?Happy Gilmore If you could pick a walk-up song to the first teebox, what would it be?  Lose Yourself by Eminem If you could play 18 holes of golf with anyone, who would it be and where would you play? My fiancé somewhere in Scotland or Ireland Any last piece of advice?  Make sure your training has a direct effect on the component of your swing/game that you want it to. Follow along with Matt Palazzolo and Golf and Body NYC at: Website Instagram Episode Sponsors: SuperSpeed Golf: Use the code “18STRONG” at SuperSpeedGolf.com LINKSOUL: For your 20% discount on LINKSOUL gear, go to 18strong.com/linksoul or click the logo below.

Highlights from this Episode We start out with a Superbowl wrap-up and highlights, from our favorite food and beer to Patrick Mahomes and speculating on his future, to one last PGA show comment we forgot to mention last week on the use of nets when trying out clubs and how it can skew what you think your performance will be.“Enter the Kettlebell” on Amazon Prime: The amazing (albeit slightly dated in production value) resource to instituting and adjusting using kettlebells in your workout.Tiger Wood’s intricate gift to the presidents’ team and our thoughts on what we would give as a gift to the team that has everything, the kid who was stealing booze at the Waste Management, and the upcoming Draft Kings tourney we are setting up for the Players Championship and the four Majors championships.Mid-round interviews: what benefit do they offer and why are players like Brooks Koepka starting to stray away and decline them. Shouts From the Crowd “On the course, I like to eat nuts, jerky, and/or peanut butter and banana sandwiches. Good?” – Jason“If I buy one golf training or fitness aid in 2020, what should it be?” – Aaron“Do you think we will see more muscular golfers on tour in the future?” – Adam“What would be your go-to mobility exercises for the shoulders, t-spine, and hips for golfers who have typical restrictions associated with sitting at a desk all day?” – ChrisCould we institute a cap bill fixing policy? People with flat bills can be “helped” by a friendly bending patron. Flat bills just are… strange Mentioned in this Episode: Enter the Kettle Bell Streaker at the Waste Management Phoenix Open 2018 Videos from our YouTube Channel: 3 Easy Moves for Better Hips3 Drills for a Better BackswingWhy Your Stretches AREN’T working: Hamstrings3 Quick Shoulder Exercises for Golfers to Strengthen Your Rotator Cuff Episode Sponsors SuperSpeed Golf: Use the code “18STRONG” at SuperSpeedGolf.com LINKSOUL: For your 20% discount on LINKSOUL gear, go to 18strong.com/linksoul or click the logo below.

This week Tony and I are catching up on the current world of golf and my thoughts post-PGA show before diving into the “Shouts From The Crowd” questions from our listeners. Highlights from this Episode The insanity that is the PGA Show, what new technology looks like it is going to pave the way for the golf landscape in 2020, what just fell flat, and how almost everything has some variation of CBD oil in it. Tony and I talk about the longevity of CBD: is it here to stay or a passing fad?Tony’s arm wrestling tournament in Pocahontas, Illinois and what he is taking away from his progress.My experience playing the beautiful Isleworth Golf Club while out at the PGA show.Soaib Metrics: Tony’s handicapping system and different scenarios that Tony throws out at me to help understand the handicap. Tony also brings up another “Words Have Meanings” diving into adversity and how he feels it has been muddled down to minor inconvenience.Kicking off our Shouts from the Crowd questions, we talk about should golfers focus on training arms (biceps, triceps) or are you better served working out the full body.Balancing and managing diet and meal planning when partners have different performance/aesthetic goals.Tony’s opinion on pulley exercises and the importance of balancing your workout to not omit the necessary exercises for the ones you want to do. Our thoughts on the best warm-up/cool-down exercises for golf.Tony wants to know what the deal with golf gloves is: why do they wear it on one hand and why are they different than baseball gloves. Mentioned in the show: Pics from Isleworth Country Club Rapsodo Bomar Putters Arm-Wrestling Video (Roman Gromov- this guy is an animal) Episode Sponsors SuperSpeed Golf: Use the code “18STRONG” at SuperSpeedGolf.com LINKSOUL: For your 20% discount on LINKSOUL gear, go to 18strong.com/linksoul or click the logo below.

Dr. Joe LaCaze is a retired Navy Seal and Seal instructor and after his retirement from the Navy Seals, Joe got his degree in chiropractic as well as many other certifications and specializations in learning about the body, how it works, and how to improve people’s ability to move, heal, and train. He is the inventor of ROTEXMotion which is the culmination of his experience of years and thousands of athletic assessments that he has done over the years working with professional athletes, golfers, and the general population. He designed it to be a tool for helping with the prevention of injury, correction of postural and muscle imbalances, and a way to program better performance for your body to move and train optimally. Dr. Joe LaCaze’s Background Since Dr. LaCaze’s retirement from the Navy SEALs in 1992, his passion has been discovering how to repair the body when injured, but also to find ways to help the body move more efficiently and powerfully.He has performed thousands of comprehensive athletic assessments over the years and designed effective prevention, correction, and performance program that has been used with thousands of athletes and clients.ROTEXMotion is the product of his combined learning and experience.The ROTEXMotion company was founded in 2008 and is headquartered in Lafayette, Louisiana. Highlights from this Episode How he discovered the ROTEXMotion in 2007 and his background and subsequent lower back injury in the Navy Seals that led to him getting his doctorate as a chiropractic physician.The problems that ROTEXMotion was founded on and the improvements that Dr. Joe has seen so far. He paints a picture on what his range of motion routines look like on a muscular level (positioning the short tight muscles in a relaxed position and firing the weak muscles) and how he accomplishes this through his machines.How this differs from the typical stretching techniques that we have tried or seen from other practitioners and how when we understand the three planes of motion that the body moves in, we can optimize the stretching of multiple muscle groups.The biggest issues that Joe sees golfers present with and what he tries to tackle first and prevention of injury through understanding how your hips, pelvis and torso relate to each other and work independently of each other. Parting Questions Caddy Shack or Happy Gilmore?Caddy Shack  If you could pick a walk-up song to the first teebox, what would it be? In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida by Bill Murray If you could play 18 holes of golf with anyone, who would it be and where would you play? My Mother-in-Law or Raymond, Ernie, and Lorena at Augusta Any last piece of advice?  Understand what your hips, pelvis, lower back, and torso do in your golf swing and have something to work and train those areas. Resources Mentioned: ROTEXMotion Video Follow along with Dr. Joe LaCaze and ROTEXMotion at: Website BodyROM App (iOS) BodyROM App (GooglePlay) Episode Sponsor: LINKSOUL: For your 20% discount on LINKSOUL gear, go to 18strong.com/linksoul or click the logo below.

This week I am once again joined by my buddy Tony Soaib for a Q&A episode where we talk about random topics ranging from . . . the importance of deadlines, the golf handicap system (how Tony thinks it’s broken and the 3 options he would like to see implemented that he thinks would be more fair and competitive. We also touch on the topic of bulking up and it’s relation to flexibility. Is it true that if you’re getting bigger and stronger that you must be getting you less flexible? And, on the contrary, the fact that being smaller and weaker does not mean that you are automatically more flexible. Then we get into the question and answer part [“Shouts from the Crowd”] taking questions from the listeners. . . Starting with a follow-up question regarding Tony’s theory on training the lats for increasing swing speed from the last episode, strategies for working on pull-ups, early specialization for golf as compared to other sports, and our favorite post-round drinks. Highlights from this Episode The difference in productivity when working on a deadline, whether self-imposed or in a group/team setting, and how that pressure can help you to succeed.Tony’s issue with the current golf handicap rules like handing out strokes to the lesser players, and his suggestions of changing up the system like having the better player only play with limited club choice or a free mulligan per hole. His emphasis being that instead of giving an edge to the lower player, just make it harder on the better player.How weakness doesn’t mean you are more flexible and how muscle-bound athletes are not less flexible than their leaner counterparts. Tony expands on his theory on training lats for swing speed and why that was the first muscle group he went to when talking about gaining speed, distance, and power.Ways to doing your first or doing more pull-ups and looking at the different factors as to why you can’t do a pull-up in the first place.Avoiding fatigue and increasing volume when trying to push your number of chin-ups.Our thoughts on early specialization in golf, and how opponent independent repetitive motion sports (swimming, golf, diving, gymnastics, etc.) seem to be more effective than team sports without as much repetitive motion. Mentioned in the show: Man’s Search for Meaning Fitzgerald Cocktail Episode Sponsor: SuperSpeed Golf: Use the code “18STRONG” at SuperSpeedGolf.com LINKSOUL: For your 20% discount on LINKSOUL gear, go to 18strong.com/linksoul or click the logo below.

This week we’re talking with Jonathan Avalos, a golf fitness professional from Charlotte, NC. Jonathan is the owner of Athletic Golf Fitness, as you’ll hear in today’s interview, his philosophies and approach to training are very much along the same lines that we have here at 18Strong. Jonathan encourages you to bring more of your natural athletic ability to the golf game in order to get out of your head so much, feel strong over the ball, and use the power and coordination you already have to play the game better. Jonathan has a great Instagram account where he has a lot of videos and talks about different exercises and ways to maximize what you are doing in the gym as opposed to just the old school strength training workouts or static stretching that we see a lot of golfers doing. At Athletic Golf Fitness Jonathan is diligently working on bridging the disconnect many golfers have between athleticism and playing better golf. Jonathan Avalos’ Background After graduating from Texas A&M with a degree in Exercise Science and being certified from the Titleist Performance Institute, Jonathan found his calling for golf and created Athletic Golf Fitness.Athletic Golf Fitness has quickly become one of the most trusted names in golf fitness. Jonathan has helped professional, collegiate, and amateur golfers take their game to the next level. Many golfers have experienced more control over their body and their swing with less effort and fewer thoughts. Highlights from this Episode How he found golf late from a background originally in track and football, and the pros and cons of learning the game and improving the fitness of others when coming from fitness background first and a golf background second by finding a neutral ground with his clients.What he personally had to start implementing in his fitness and workout routines by either adding in or taking out, and how he transitioned from the more traditional “Meat-head” workouts with the sole intent of loading himself up more and more to working on different planes of motion and rotation and focusing on overall strength from a safety and longevity standpoint.He defines what he means by focusing on stabilization and what stabilization exercises he does to be able to resist, control, and be able to slow down motions.What sparked his decision to put out the consistent content via Instagram and how he manages his time, as well as what his practice and training looks like and how he manages his in-person and online clients.What the PRI (Posture Restoration Institute), how they aim to help positioning and breathing to fix any asymmetry and how he utilizes it in his practice.How being more athletic and focusing on yourself can help get you out of your head and into your game a little more as well as what he is focusing on with his golf game. Parting Questions Caddy Shack or Happy Gilmore?Happy Gilmore  If you could pick a walk-up song to the first tee box, what would it be? Lose Yourself by Eminem. If you could play 18 holes of golf with anyone, who would it be and where would you play?  Augusta with Charles Barkley, Phil Mickelson, and Tony Romo Any last piece of advice?  There’s so much content out there, always look at it from the filter of “What’s the easiest thing I can do to make myself better?” Follow along with Jonathan and Athletic Golf Fitness at: Instagram Website Facebook Episode Sponsors: SuperSpeed Golf: Use the code “18STRONG” at SuperSpeedGolf.com LINKSOUL: For your 20% discount on LINKSOUL gear, go to 18strong.com/linksoul or click the logo below.

This week I am once again joined by my buddy Tony Soaib where we have a bit more of a laid back style chat taking some questions from the audience and social media and hopefully giving some answers. It is the new year so today we talk about resolutions: our thoughts on the idea around resolutions and what are our goals are for the next year. We also talk about realistic and unrealistic expectations: What does that mean when you’re talking about fitness and diet programs because we believe here that words have meanings, so when someone says something is “unrealistic” is that a factual statement or is that something that they don’t want to do. We hit on everything from what media like Netflix shows and books we’re reading to building habits and why I have really started to dig into the process of learning and building habits. Highlights from this Episode Our goals for 2020 and both how Tony got into arm-wrestling and his training and fitness regiment for keeping healthy and fighting the soreness and fatigue from 3 hours of straight arms training. His pet peeve of using “unrealistic” when talking about realistic and unrealistic expectations, diets, and fitness programs and the damage in not choosing your words. A lot of what we do and what the athlete that is reaching the higher levels of performance do boil down to habits. Tony talks about what habits he thinks are imperative to setting yourself up for success like scheduling and planning and preparing ¾ of your meals ahead of time.We also dive into the three levels of building your habits or looking at what you’re changing: the outcome, the process, the identity of who you see yourself to be.The difference between a fat loss program and a strength program and whether or not Tony would consider a HIIT program for fat loss most effective.What our ideal clients look like from an athletic and mindset background and why we enjoy working with them.How to make a food tracking program bearable and how acknowledging how crappy it can be is the first step to raising awareness.One or two things that we regret or would change about our training or fitness path over the years. Resources Mentioned in this Episode Books: Atomic Habits (James Clear) The Power of Habit (Charles Duhigg) Texas Rangers 1821-1900 (Mike Cox) Episode Sponsor LINKSOUL: For your 20% discount on LINKSOUL gear, go to 18strong.com/linksoul or click the logo below.

Happy New Year 2020! This week, to celebrate the new year, we have on Nutrition specialist, Jason Phillips from iN3 Nutrition and the founder of the Nutritional Consulting Institute. Jason is a wealth of knowledge, but also has a background in golf from playing some of the mini-tour and working with PGA professionals on not only their nutrition, fitness, and training. He travels the world educating and speaking on nutrition, as well as certifying nutritional coaches and consultants. You’re not only going to hear his incredible story on how he transitioned into becoming a coach and what inspired him to be the world-renowned nutrition expert, but we’re also going to answer some of the nutritional questions you have going into your 2020 resolutions and setting yourself up for success for your long-term changes. Jason Phillip’s Background Jason Phillips has been everywhere and done everything from cover model to professional athlete to founding his companies iN³ Nutrition and the Nutritional Consulting Institute. Jason has written for several publications including Men’s Fitness and his own book, Macros Explained: Your Ultimate Guide to Macronutrient Prescription for Health, Performance, and Aesthetics. His newest book; Macros Applied: Bridging the Gap from Science to Application hit the market in February of 2019.Jason’s journey began with his battle with anorexia. He uses that experience today to help thousands of people achieve their fitness goals. His formal background comes from Florida State University where he majored in exercise science with a concentration in fitness and nutrition. He has consulted for reality weight-loss shows, traveled with the PGA tour, and has helped several functional fitness athletes improve performance.Jason and his team are committed to helping individuals reach their personal best through nutrition counseling, macronutrient coaching, and motivational mentorship. Highlights from this Episode His background in golf and how a pivotal injury he had after taking a college scholarship in golf, as well as body image issues and a battle with anorexia shaped and solidified his future in coaching and nutrition.How his nutritional work and clientele varies from PGA Tour Professionals, players in the NFL, NHL, and celebrities.His thoughts on the mantra of setting these new resolutions and going “ALL IN” on diets, detox, or cleanses and how they have their place in the bigger picture.The Triangle of Awareness and how giving people an idea of what they are actually focusing on is going to really help determine what they should be doing as far as diet.Aesthetics vs. Performance vs. Longevity, the difference in caloric balancing from deficit to surplus and how you can’t balance both simultaneously. He also dives into personal examples of how the weight loss and body building industry builds up a façade of what health should be and the sustainability of that.He breaks down suggestions for tracking calories, when to introduce macros, and other nutrition “buzz words” that we see floating around at this time of year. Caddy Shack or Happy Gilmore?  Happy Gilmore If you could pick a walk-up song to the first teebox, what would it be?  Won’t Back Down by Tom Petty If you could play 18 holes of golf with anyone, who would it be and where would you play?  Gary Vaynerchuck at Augusta What has you most excited for 2020?  I think you’re going to see a return to the golf industry in 2020. Any last piece of advice?  The result is always inside yourself, just triple down on yourself. Follow along with Jason Phillips and iN3 at: Instagram NCI Certifications Facebook iN3 Nutrition Articles mentioned: BACK TO BASICS – UNDERSTANDING MACRONUTRIENT PRESCRIPTION DECONSTRUCTING THE FRAME w/ Jason Phillips Episode Sponsors SuperSpeed Golf: Use the code “18STRONG” at SuperSpeedGolf.com LINKSOUL: For your 20% discount on LINKSOUL gear, go to 18strong.com/linksoul or click the logo below.

This week, we have my buddy Adam Betz, PGA professional and owner of the Family Golf and Learning Center (FGLC) on the show. Adam is changing the face of golf in St. Louis with his renovation of FGLC. What used to be a bit of a run-down old driving range is quickly becoming the premier practice facility in the midwest. In today’s episode, we share some exciting news of a partnership brewing with 18STRONG and Family golf, as well as Adam’s vision for what will soon be a brand new structure and golf performance center. Adam’s passion for the game of golf from the time he was a little boy has lead him to this point where his mission is to give back the same golf community that helped him get to where he is today. Adam Betz’s Background Adam is a PGA Class A Member from St. Louis, Missouri and currently the Owner of Family Golf and Learning Center in St. Louis.  Adam played junior golf in St. Louis and became a Missouri State Champion in 2001.  He competed as an amateur and in college at Spring Hill College in Mobile, Alabama.  A 2004 US Amateur contestant at Winged Foot went on to play professionally on the mini-tours from 2006 to 2010 competing on the Grey Goose Gateway Tour, Minor League Golf Tour and various State Opens and PGA Tour Monday Qualifiers.  Adam participated in the 2008 PGA Qualifying Tournament and advanced to 2nd Stage. He has also worked at many prestigious clubs including Burnt Pine Golf Club in Sandestin, FL, Lost Tree Club in North Palm Beach, FL and most recently at Meadowbrook Country Club in St. Louis before taking over at Family Golf and Learning Center in 2018.  Adam’s ambition at Family Golf and Learning Center is to provide St. Louis’ golfing community a premier practice and training facility along with indoor training offerings, the best junior golf programs and a robust golf fitness program.  Adam’s goal is to change what practice and developing your golf skill looks like in St. Louis and the Midwest.  Adam’s passion is golf instruction and growing the game of golf through instruction and exposing golfers to the best possible instructors and trainers in the world.  Artist’s rendering of the new FGLC Highlights from this Episode His introduction to golf through his dad, his sponsored PGA min-tour run and how he found his love for teaching the game. He also dives into what the transition from player to teacher/instructor looked like for him.He explains some of the challenges in teaching and conveying a high-level professional understanding of the game to lower level and amateur players and some of the techniques he picked up to help get his points across.How being diagnosed with an autoimmune disease led a desire in him to expand his reach and taking on Family Golf and Learning Center. He also talks on what surprised him most in the transition to this project from being a teaching pro full time. How he turned the Family Golf and Learning Center from an old dilapidated building into the amazing facility it is today and what he still has yet in store for the facility moving forward.Breaking the news the 18Stron HQ will be out of the fitness facility that is Adam is creating at Family Golf and Learning Center and why fitness is such an important piece to the puzzle for Adam.Some of the tips he would suggest and what mistakes he would like to prevent people from making when he works with them at his facility before they take it out to the course. Parting Questions for Adam Betz Caddy Shack or Happy Gilmore?  Happy Gilmore How many Golf Balls do you have at the facility? 60,000 If you could pick a walk-up song to the first teebox, what would it be? St. Louie by Nelly If you could play 18 holes of golf with anyone, who would it be and where would you play?  Tiger Woods, my wife, and my dad at Augusta Any last piece of advice?  Stay consistent with your process’: have a set routine and a set goal Follow along with Adam and Family Golf Center at: Instagram Website Twitter Facebook Episode Sponsor: LINKSOUL: For your 20% discount on LINKSOUL gear, go to 18strong.com/linksoul or click the logo below.

This week, we’re going to mix it up with our very first in-person interview with my buddy Tony Soaib. Tony is a world-class Strength Coach and Nutritional Expert that has worked with professionals at the highest level of sport, military, and business. This is Tony’s 2nd time on the show (Episode 140). Tony and I work together on a daily basis and he has been an integral advisor for me and 18STRONG over the years. We thought it would be fun to give you a glimpse of what our daily conversations look like and take some questions from the listeners. , so you can get to know us at 18STRONG a little better. Tony Soaib’s Background Tony is a strength coach and nutrition specialist, who has worked with major league athletes mainly across hockey and baseballHe played college Baseball before he started his consulting and coaching careerHe has presented at national conferences and written for major publications. Highlights from this Episode Tiger Woods picking himself to be captain of the Presidents Cup and the costs and benefits to coaching and playing.Bryson DeChambeau’s bulking and whether or not the mentality is right and are their benefits that translate to the game of golf.The Netflix movie Game Changers based on Plant-based eating and Tony’s thoughts on if diet makes the player.Tony’s new “hobby” sport and both what drew him to it and how it is shaping his workout.Which supplements, like creatine, Tony would suggest for building muscle and when/where to implement it to both use it correctly and get the most out of it based on your workout schedule. He also dives into his thoughts on the post-workout protein shake.Ways to improve squat and deadlift while suffering from an ankle injury.What the best time of the day to exercise is.The balance between strength and flexibility when it comes to the golf swing and the importance of measuring each analyticallyHow to train your swing speed through general strength workouts and lat workouts.How to alter your golf workout through the off-season, pre-season, and in-season. How many days a week should a senior do strength training, and how much upper and lower body? Episode Sponsors SuperSpeed Golf: Use the code “18STRONG” at SuperSpeedGolf.com LINKSOUL: For your 20% discount on LINKSOUL gear, go to 18strong.com/linksoul or click the logo below.