McIlroy flexes muscles in response to Chamblee’s gym criticism
Golf Channel analyst Brandel Chamblee is not much of an advocate of pro golfers hitting the gym hard.
He routinely has criticized Tiger Woods for the time he spent bulking up, and he’s also suggested four-time major winner Rory McIlroy is making the same mistake by committing to so much weight training.
On a media conference call on Tuesday, Chamblee again suggested McIlroy could be negatively affecting his performance with his gym routine.
“I say it with a lot of trepidation, because it’s a different era for sure, and I don’t know the full extent of what he’s doing, but when I see the things he’s doing in the gym, I think of what happened to Tiger Woods,” Chamblee said.
“And I think more than anything of what Tiger Woods did early in his career with his game was just an example of how good a human being can be, what he did towards the middle and end of his career is an example to be wary of. That’s just my opinion. And it does give me a little concern when I see the extensive weightlifting that Rory is doing in the gym.
“Thus far, there’s been no signs that it’s adversely affected his game.”
McIlroy, clearly made aware of what Chamblee said, had a quick, simple response. He took to Twitter to share a video of his weightlifting workout that day.
So, you have McIlroy’s view. There’s also a growing set of research which demonstrates just how much a focused, golf-specific fitness regimen can mean for a golfer’s performance at any skill level. It could mean as much as 20 yards for the average player, perhaps even more for a professional who strikes the ball with more consistency.
Ryan Ballengee is a Yahoo Sports contributor. Find him on Facebook and Twitter.
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