ICYMI: Rory Wants You To Know He's In Good Shape

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The Rory McIlroy overload (as the Irish Golf Desk's Brian Keogh is calling it) hit new extremes with the rollout of his Men's Health cover story. This came on top of a very cool Nike video along with another good one from Bose noted by Sam Weinman here. And it all makes you wonder when he finds time to work on his short game.

PGATour.com's Brian Wacker got to tag along for the Men's Health shoot and talked to McIlroy in depth about his workout program...for the photo shoot.

“If you’re going to be seen by millions of people of course you want to look good,” says McIlroy, who admits to putting in a little extra time in the gym the few weeks leading up to the photo shoot for the magazine (on sale April 14). “I’m more surprised how I used to look then than how I do now.”

Oh, and there was this about his golf workout program.

His workout regimen is another story. McIlroy spends between 60 and 90 minutes in the gym, six days a week, focusing on strength, power, speed and endurance. Non-tournament weeks he might spend as much as four hours a day over two sessions working out. But he is also mindful of not getting too buff or too big (he once thought about taking up crossfit but wisely decided against it).

“It’s great to look good,” McIlroy says. “But if you can’t swing the way you need to it doesn’t help."

There is also this Instagramed video posted by the PGA Tour. I would recommend not hitting the play button if you are at work. Unless you work at an Abercrombie & Fitch store, in which case you'll blend right in.

There was a fun discussion about heavy lifting on ESPN's Masters conference call between Paul Azinger and Curtis Strange.

PAUL AZINGER:  Last year when we watched him and called him winning the British Open during the telecast, I made the comment that he's just a common guy that can do uncommon things.  I always saw Rory as maybe a Phil Mickelson‑style career maybe Ernie Els or somebody like that.  He's not Tiger Woods.  He missed eight cuts I think in a two‑year stretch or seven cuts in one year, and Tiger has missed that many in his entire career.

So he's not Tiger Woods.  He's different than Tiger.  He's a normal kind of a walk‑around‑the‑locker room guy.  He's not as revered as Tiger times ten.  He's just a normal guy that can do common things in an uncommon way.  It's unbelievable to watch.  He's not scared of anything, it doesn't appear.

As Curtis said, he can put the pedal to the medal.  But I am concerned about one thing.  It is not a requirement to get in the Hall of Fame or to win all four majors to be as fit as he seems to be striving to be.

His body has changed since I saw him at the British Open.  His arms have gotten a lot bigger and I've recently seen where he's pressing all these giant weights.  I'm wondering what's the motivation behind that.  It's certainly not a requirement to be great.

I just hope that he's not, you know, changing his body to his own detriment, because his body has changed since August or since July of last year.

CURTIS STRANGE: When you're 25 years old, to me, you don't have to lift the first weight because you have the extraordinary flexibility, the best you're ever going to have in your life at 22 to 25.  You have all the strength.  It's not about strength hitting the golf ball.  It's about controlling the golf club, controlling yourself, and you do lift these weights.  And we have all been there and done that.

You do change your body, sometimes for the good, sometimes for the bad.  I just wonder where this all changed ‑‑ that changed ‑‑ Gary Player did it, okay.  Tiger Woods didn't start this.  Gary Player started this.  People don't know that Sam Snead carried the elastic bands to work out a little bit.  That's good and that's fine.

But I just don't understand the big weights.  And I really agree with Paul saying, you know, we'll see one guy go by the wayside because of big biceps.  I think you have to be careful in your training.  I like the training but I don't understand the heavyweights because injury can happen, bulk can happen, and you just don't need it at this stage of your career.
          
PAUL AZINGER:  (Mike) Tirico made a great comment last year about Tiger Woods.  And his greatest impact on the sport Mike thought might have been, as much as anything, bringing this kind of fitness awareness into the game, which is interesting.

I thought and I think Mike Tirico might be dead on.  Everybody now works out at a high level.  I think we see more injuries as a result.  I always say, it's just not a requirement to be a great player to look all ripped and have, you know, ten percent body fat or less.

I don't want to see somebody that can be great with the body that he has change the body.  All that matters, like Curtis said, you control the club.  You become ‑‑ golf is simple.  It's just not easy.  Guys that can control the side spin the best and have the best distance control with a decent short game, they can play.  They give out Player of the Year, not Fitness of the Year, not Best Swing of the Year.  It's Player of the Year.  That's the award.
 
CURTIS STRANGE:  Well he is single, though.  Maybe that's why he's got abs.  (Laughter)
 
PAUL AZINGER:  Well that was spoken like a couch potato for me.  (Laughter).