UrbanUpdate

There was a time where few people would dare consider using the term “world-class athlete” and “golfer” in the same breath. The sport's conventional wisdom was that time in the weight room meant less time on the driving range, and as aficionados of John Daly’s on-course antics know well, golfers were the guys with whom you might grab a burger and a beer—not perfectionists concerned with executing their next set of dynamic warm-ups.

Thanks to innovations in golf technology and exercise science, however, modern Tour golfers adhere to intricate strength training programs that have been specially designed for their sport. No golfer exemplifies this trend better than Dustin Johnson, who recently became the fifth man in history to hold the top spot in the Official World Golf Rankings for a full calendar year. There are basically no days off for the 32-year-old, who is used to training six days a week—and for whom a "rest day" still means 30 minutes of cardio, at the very least.

“Athletes like Tiger, Dustin, Rory [McIlroy], Brooks [Koepka], and Adam [Scott] have helped us all with the notion that golfers shouldn’t be afraid of overtraining,” says Joey Diovisalvi, Johnson’s trainer. Instead, he says, “The training just needs to be consistent.” We caught up with Johnson during a recent shoot for BodyArmor Lyte sports drink, with whom he maintains a partnership, to discuss his no-days-off approach to training; Tiger Woods’ role in making golf cool; and what steps the sport can take to make itself more appealing and accessible to casual fans everywhere.

GQ: What led to your decision to begin working with Joey?

Dustin Johnson: For me, strength training was an important aspect of being an elite athlete. Before this, I trained, but I might have worked out for three weeks and then taken a month off. It was never consistent. After I finished the year and wasn’t happy with the way my training was going, I felt that getting on a schedule was something I could improve off the golf course.

What were some of the immediate changes you noticed?

With golf, it’s all about consistency—you want to feel the same out there. The more I train, the stronger I feel, and the more mentally tough I become. For me, working out has as much to do with the mental aspect as it does the physical benefits. Working hard in the gym gives me confidence that when I’m on the course, even if it’s been a long day out there, I can know that I’m going to feel the same when I finish as I did when I started.

What is your opinion about those in the older generation who criticize younger golfers for spending too much time in the gym?

If you look back at the last generation, the top five or ten guys all worked out. They might not have talked about it as much, and their training maybe wasn’t as involved as it is now, but the top guys were definitely working. Nowadays, the typical golfer is bigger, stronger, and more athletic. It’s just become a more athletic sport.

I think a lot of that has to do with Tiger. He was the first member of our generation to bring the gym into play. He put golf on the map in a lot of ways, and made it cool for everyone to play. Even when I was growing up, golf was still a nerdy or dorky sport. It started to become a cool towards the end of my high school years, and that’s largely because of him.

During tournament play, do you adjust the intensity level of your workouts?

For me, it doesn’t vary, whether I’m training on the road or at home. The only time it might vary a bit is during offseason workouts—they might get a little more intense, since that’s the time we can try to put on strength. But the actual workouts during the offseason are pretty much the same ones we do during the year.

What do your workouts look like during the week?

It all depends on my tee times, but I’ll usually be in the gym for two hours before I tee off. I’ll do a 20-minute warm-up, and then will train whatever muscle group we’re focused on that day. If I have an afternoon tee time, I’ll train in the morning, but I’ll still go in two hours before I play and do another warm-up, just to get my body loose and ready to go. Afterwards, I’ll stretch.

How did your diet change when you began working with Joey?

I’ve always been good with nutrition, but the more you work out, the more you learn. I hired a chef through the Masters about five years ago, and I really liked her and learned a lot from her—she worked with the Atlanta Falcons, and with a lot of other athletes, too. Now, I have a chef who travels with me about 10 times a year, which helps me get what I need when I need it.

I also started paying more attention to hydration. Given the amount of time I’m working out and on the course, staying hydrated is critical for me. I take in lots of fluids throughout the day—a ton of water, and a few of the BodyArmor Lyte sports drinks, too.

What are you eating during a normal day?

Breakfast is usually oatmeal, and blueberries, raspberries, or strawberries. It can also be an egg white omelet, maybe with some quinoa. Before the golf course, I eat an almond butter-and-jelly sandwich. I have a sports drink on the course, and if I eat out there, it’s usually a protein bar. After golf, if I have my chef with me, I’ll have a bowl of quinoa, veggies, chicken, or fish. That would be my snack afterwards. For dinner, it’s always fish, veggies, and brown rice or quinoa.

What’s a rest day for you?

Usually, my rest days are Sundays, or if I’m traveling, the travel day is the rest day. I still try and get something in, though, whether it’s 30 minutes on the bike, or a little cardio session.

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How do you look out for signs of overtraining?

You have to listen to your body. If you’re too tired in the middle of your workout, stop. I think that’s when you get into overtraining—you get hurt when you try and push through fatigue. I’m really good at listening to what my body is telling me. If I’m not feeling it, we’ll modify a workout accordingly.

Does this generation of more athletic golfers help generate interest from casual fans, especially as they learn more about the preparation it takes for golfers to perform at their best?

I think so. One other thing that will help is if we speed the game up a bit. Right now, when you include the time it takes to warm up, you’re looking at a five-hour day, and most people don’t have four or five hours to spare. If we could get the process down to three hours, maybe more people would go out and play 18 holes. I think time is a big issue right now for casual golfers.

I still feel that we’re in a good place right now, though. Especially with all this young talent, we’re bringing a lot of interest back to the game of golf.