Darren Clarke, the 2011 Open champion, embarked on a transformative journey to rediscover his best golf. Horrified by a picture of himself at the 2013 Dunhill Links Championship, where he thought, “Christ, I’m fat,” Clarke decided to change his lifestyle. He partnered with Dublin-based fitness guru Jamie Myerscough. Within months, Clarke shed weight and improved his overall fitness. This article delves into the secrets behind Darren Clarke's weight loss and fitness transformation.
Clarke's Initial Goals
Clarke set out to achieve three primary goals: weight loss, improved fitness, concentration, and strength, and better overall health.
The Low Glycemic Index Diet
Myerscough placed Clarke on a low glycemic index (GI) diet. This dietary approach aimed to reduce Clarke's sugar levels, which, in turn, would lower his insulin levels. Reducing insulin levels is crucial for weight loss because insulin is the hormone that signals the body to store fat. Clarke largely eliminated sugar and carbohydrates from his diet but admitted, "I have not gone totally over to the dark side. I am more careful about what I do but I was still able to have a few pints with my mates over Christmas."
The Shift Away From Cardio
A key element of Clarke’s transformation was moving away from cardio exercises. Myerscough advised Clarke to stop doing cardio and start focusing on an overall body programme that involved lifting heavy weights for 20 minutes a day, four to five times a week.
Why No Cardio?
There are a couple of reasons for this approach. First, cardio can create muscle imbalance. Second, research suggests that much of the weight lost through cardio is muscle tissue. Losing muscle tissue is detrimental for golfers as it reduces strength, making it harder to generate power and slowing down metabolism.
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Weightlifting Focus
Clarke's weightlifting routine involved short, intense sessions. Typically, Darren concentrates on his legs one day, his chest and back the next day, and his arms and shoulders the day after that.
The Importance of Legs
When asked about specific areas of the body golfers should focus on, Myerscough emphasized the importance of the legs. Clarke incorporated exercises like squats and deadlifts into his routine. Both exercises are great for golfers as they build up strength in your whole body, but particularly in the hamstrings, quadriceps, glutes and hips, where most of the power in your swing comes from.
Arm Strength
While Rory McIlroy has developed huge arms, Myerscough advises a balanced approach. Strong forearms are very important if you want to power through a ball that is sitting down in the rough, but you need to guard against over-working your biceps, as the more you train the biceps, the more you put the brakes on your triceps. This doesn’t matter in a lot of sports, but in golf the triceps are the power muscles that cause your arms to straighten at impact.
Hip Rotation Speed
Hip rotation speed is vital for generating power in the golf swing. Resistance bands are very good for improving hip rotation. Darren attaches one end to a door handle or piece of gym equipment and then makes a practice golf swing while holding the other end. The resistance in the band helps to improve his rotational strength and increase his speed through the ball.
Fitness Specificity
Myerscough advises amateur golfers to look at golf fitness the right way. People tend to think that being fit means you can run five miles, but that’s not actually the case. Fitness is exercise specific, so being fit for golf is about having balanced levels of energy and being able to get your body into the correct position to make between 30 and 50 good swings a round.
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The Loss of Muscle Mass
Men aged 27 and over and women aged 25 and over lose about 0.5lb of muscle tissue per year. This might not seem like much, but it means that, if they don’t train to regain this lost muscle, men aged 47 and women aged 45 will have 10lb less muscle than they did 20 years previously. Once you appreciate this, it’s easy to understand why people naturally lose distance off the tee when they get older and why lifting weights helps to reverse this decline.
Clarke's Results and Mindset
After two years without a top-10 finish on the European Tour, Clarke reaped the benefits of his fitness regime. "My objectives are getting back to playing some of the golf I know I can play," the 45-year-old said. "I have had a frustrating last couple of years where I have not played that badly but made stupid mistakes."
Clarke also noted the impact of his transformation on his game: "I hit a drive on the 10th today of 300 yards back into the wind and another driver from 285 yards to 12 feet. I couldn't have done that maybe five or six months ago."
Clarke began the USPGA Tour season at the Mercedes Championships this past week at the Kapalua Resort on the Hawaiian island of Maui. He began it as a new man. He's dropped weight, stopped smoking, isn't drinking beer. He decided on New Year's day to give up cigars and beer. But he certainly hasn't given up entirely on the good life. 'I've still been speechless a few times with wine and things like that,' he said. 'Everything hasn't changed. But I'm just trying to do the right thing on a more regular basis.'
Tiger Woods's Perspective
Tiger Woods applauded Clarke wholeheartedly for the way he has gone about losing pounds and gaining strength. 'It's one think to go on a diet and lose weight. A lot of people do that,' said Woods. 'But they don't actually gain strength. Darren is doing it the proper way. He's doing it through nutrition as well as exercise. He's actually gaining some muscle mass, so he's getting stronger. I saw him working with his trainer. He was working pretty hard. It's good to see.'
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Challenges and Adaptations
Losing weight and gaining strength is desirable, but it can be frustrating. As Clarke tried to adapt his swing to his new body last autumn, his performance fell off dramatically. In the unofficial Target World Championship, Tiger Woods' event, Clarke was embarrassingly last. He went home and threw the clubs in the garage, not playing until he came to Hawaii on 2 January. 'The way I played toward the end of November, start of December, you really couldn't describe that as playing,' said Clarke with a smile. 'I participated, is about as far as I would go. I have no big belly to swing around. Imagine, if you have a belly out to here, you have to swing around that.'