A Conversation with Cindy Langer, MSPT

Owner of BodyFitGolf 

Cindy is not only a registered physical therapist, but she is also a TPI** (Titleist Performance Institute) certified physical therapist and a golfer herself.

Cindy, the owner of BodyFit Physical Therapy in Canton. CT (click here) is a concierge-level health and strength studio offering one-on-one physical therapy, chiropractic and personal training services along with regenerative therapy.  Cindy has golf performance programs that will help you play better golf and stay in the game longer.

Cindy and I sat down to chat about mature women in the game of golf and the game of life.

Here is our conversation:

Dame: A lot of the women I know who I play golf with are over the age of 50.  We were not brought up to be strong and flexible.  We wanted to be small… not strong.  

When we took up the game of golf, some of us realized that you needed to be in better shape to be able to 1) play 18 holes of golf and 2) hit the ball farther. Where do you start with a mature woman, say over the age of 50, that comes to your studio looking to improve both fitness-wise and in her golf game.

Cindy: We usually start with a TPI** (Titleist Performance Institute) assessment.  It gives us a baseline of what their mobility and stability is. We want to see how they are moving. The assessment consists of 16 tests and once we complete these, we come up with a ‘golf fitness handicap score’.  From there we can highlight what area or areas of the body we should be working on. It also tells us what might be affecting their swing.

Dame:  I can attest to the fact that the TPI assessment is very comprehensive and will definitely show up any weaknesses in your body that can limit you with your golf swing. Once you’ve done the initial assessment, where do you go from there?

Cindy:  We find women in general are naturally pretty mobile, but the assessment gives us a baseline. Since we are also rehab professionals, we also find out if there were any previous injuries or accidents in the past that we need to tie into that might not show up on their assessment.  We also look at movement patterns that are needed for golf. Once we have all that information, we might then go one step further with a fitness screen for power. I call it the power screen because it does look at strength as it relates to the generation of power. I want to know what their lifting literacy is. I ask if they are familiar with lifting, do they have a good foundation of strength?  If there is no foundation of strength, we will pause there.

Dame:  Do you have women that come to you that can’t lift a can of soup but want to hit the ball farther? In my lifetime, lifting weights meant you would get ‘bulky’.  We didn’t think about how it would support our bodies as we aged.  Now, I understand that the more you move and improve the longer you will be able to stay upright.

Cindy: We have conversations about all the different mindsets about lifting and about getting stronger. I ask what has stopped them in the past, was it limited ability or injury? We need to explore that. I met with one person recently and we didn’t even get to the TPI assessment, we just talked about her body and how had she had been treating it over the past years.  How her body had responded to things in her 20’s was not how it is responding in her 40’s. We went down the road of filtering through her diet, nutrition, sleep, stress.. hitting all the big things. 

Dame:  You made a really good point there about nutrition.  Playing 9 or 18 holes of golf… you need fuel.  I’ve learned that the hard way.  Earlier this year, I was in a competitive round and didn’t bring enough fuel (food) to sustain me and in the last 3 holes I found my mind just starting to wonder and I had lost all focus on my game.  Needless to say, I lost the match.  That was a hard lesson for me.  

Cindy:  Yes, I think women underfeed themselves... going back to the old “I want to be small”.  From elementary school on we would rather be tiny... the focus was always on our size.  When I ask women what they eat, it’s usually not enough for a toddler.  I often ask them what is stopping them from eating a healthier and more sustainable diet... is it  the time it takes for food prep.. or do they just not think it’s important. 

Dame:  You and I have a friend in common that is also a golfer (male) and he is constantly eating on the golf course, because he knows he is burning it and needs to re-fuel.

Cindy:  You’ve got to feed your muscles. Protein, fat and carbs.  I’m not a doctor, but I am a certified nutritionist, and I know that you need fuel to assist your body metabolically.  Don’t let your tank get too low. And having the right foods will help you build muscle, not fat.

Dame:  Since you are a golfer yourself, you understand the swing and how speed and ‘the arc’ of the swing work.  Do you work with Golf pros and/or refer your clients to golf pros for technical help?

Cindy:  Yes, I can take a look at their swing and see how their body is moving from a therapist’s eye… but true swing mechanics should be taught by a professional golf instructor.  I am just going to make sure your body can do the things that you need to do in your swing.

Dame:  I know you’ve done a lot on social media, and you are able to work with your clients through a hybrid model, so this time of year, here in the Northeast people might get to a warmer climate in the winter months. But March isn’t the time to start your golf fitness training.  Start now and by March you will be in your best golf shape.   It’s a wonderful world, isn’t it.  Thank you for letting me share a recommended golf warm-up routine via YouTube.  If only we all did this before a round! WOW… game changer!

Click Here for Cindy's Quick Pre Golf Warm Up video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4wNn5bUsUI

 I want to thank Cindy so much for all her time.  I personally have found her help extremely valuable and hope more mature women take advantage of her skills and knowledge.

**Titleist Performance Institute was created by Dave Phillips and Dr. Greg Rose as the world’s first body-swing connection analyzing how human biomechanics and fitness affect the golf swing.