PGA star Rocco Mediate
recharged his career with
revolutionary technology that
could change health and
fitness forever.
BY JIM SCHMALTZ
PHOTOGRAPHY
BY CORY SORENSEN
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Muscle & Body April 2011
a perfect
BALANCe
Before it became an American obsession, golf was considered
little more than a specialty sport, reserved for country clubs and cigar-chomping
executives who roamed the greens in electric carts to avoid any chance of breaking a sweat before hitting the
lounge. Those days are long gone. Today’s golfers are hypercompetitive athletes who bust their guts with
heavy gym work and watch what they eat. In a game that depends on stamina and mental toughness, a disciplined fitness lifestyle provides a significant edge.
Nobody knows that better than PGA veteran Rocco Mediate. Long plagued by a bad back, the former collegiate
standout had watched his weight climb to 250 lb and his energy drain as he advanced in his career. While successful — Mediate’s won six tournaments and been listed in the top 20 of the Official World Golf Rankings — he knew
he needed to upgrade his fitness level to continue to be competitive.
Now 48 years old, Rocco 2.0 is a fit 200-pounder who grinds through agonizing sessions on a VersaClimber
and performs Pilates core work and aerobics. His new regimen has him more energized and focused, even able
to go hole-to-hole with Tiger Woods in a playoff at the 2008 U.S. Open. (Alas, Tiger eventually prevailed.)
While his new fitness lifestyle has brought him benefits on and off the course, Mediate credits a new cuttingedge technology called InBalance for boosting his stamina, energy and fitness level. The InBalance system uses electrical frequencies embedded in clothing and wrist bands to balance the body’s physiological systems. (See “page 52”
for more on InBalance.) Unlike placebo-dependent wrist bands marketed by some, InBalance is supported by
extensive research, including more than 1,300 tests on human subjects.
We caught up with Mediate recently to ask him about his physical revival. Long a favorite on the PGA
circuit, the Pennsylvania-born golfer is one of the most popular personalities on the tour, cut from the same cloth
as Lee Trevino and Sam Snead, icons of the game whose sense of humor and fan outreach
stood out among the more serious, intense players who treat every moment like
they’re in the middle of a 10-foot putt.
MUSCLE & BODY: Are you now in the best shape of your life?
ROCCO MEDIATE: I’m obviously not a fitness model, but I’m in
good enough shape at 48. I’ve hung in there for 26 years now,
so something’s going OK.
M&B: Is endurance the major issue with golf?
RM: Getting tired is what kills us. People don’t think it’s a big
deal, but it is. Golf is a mental and physical battle for five hours
a day. No one’s hitting us or throwing things at us, but it’s a lot
more difficult than it seems. In the early part of my career I
would die at the end of the year. I was carrying an extra 30, 40,
50 lb. That’s hard. I never worked out when I was younger. Do I
wish I would have? Probably. That’s why a guy like Tiger is in
such great shape and has been his whole career. You want to
stay there forever.
M&B: How did you lose all that weight?
RM: I use the VersaClimber almost exclusively. It’s ridiculous
how good it is for me. It doesn’t hurt my back when I do it. It
burns a lot of calories and it can strengthen your whole body. It
just does something for me mentally, too.
M&B: Has the perception of fitness and golf changed?
RM: Yes. You know who changed it is Greg Norman back in the
1990s. He’s still in fantastic shape. Guys like Nick Faildo and
Tiger took it to a new level. Does it necessarily make you swing
better? No, but for longevity, it’s huge.
M&B: How has the InBalance technology helped you?
RM: When I started using it over the last year or so I’ve
seen a difference. Workouts are different. I can go a little bit
longer on the VersaClimber; instead of 50 minutes I can go 63
minutes without really laboring. Once you see it work, you can’t
dispute it.
M&B: Were you skeptical at first?
RM: I’m one of the most skeptical people in the world about
that stuff. I said, “No way this is going to work,” and all of a
sudden, I said, “Holy crap, it works!” I don’t want to believe
in something and just jump on the bandwagon — I’ve never
done that my whole life. When you find out about this
stuff, you’re always leery, but there’s medical proof
eLeCTRIFYING ReSULTS
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Muscle & Body April 2011
the brain to the
body, increasing the
opportunity for optimal
performances.”
InBalance research has been
conducted into treating a
diverse set of conditions.
Recently the Institute on Aging
at the University of Florida,
under the direction of Dr. Susan
Nayfield, has received grants to
study the InBalance technology
and its effects on restless leg
syndrome and sleep.
Zoricki says the adaptability
of the technology allows for varied applications beyond the
wristbands, even to sleepwear
and other clothes and acces-
sories. “We’ve treated all kinds of apparel,
as well as foot insoles,
belts and even earrings.”
Deborah Kearney, EdD, an
OSHEA-certified ergonomics
specialist and CEO of Job
ages 18 to 80 were tested,
both genders — the minimum
change in subjects was an
increase in strength of 3-5
pounds and a change in flexibility of motion of 20 degrees.
Subjects displayed increases in
“Subjects displayed increases in balance,
strength, flexibility, endurance and focus.”
Smarts Systems, has performed hundreds of field tests
on InBalance technology in
occupational settings. Her
findings after two years of
study: “We found that irrespective of age or gender —
balance, strength, flexibility,
endurance and focus.”
These are dramatic improvements, she said. “I practice
yoga, and it would take me a
year and a half to increase my
flexibility to that degree.”
GETTY IMAGES
The difference Rocco Mediate
feels in his energy, endurance
and focus didn’t happen by
accident. InBalance technology
has been years in development,
with rigorous testing in multiple
settings. Frank Zoricki, the chief
operating officer of InBalance,
says they wanted to have certifiable scientific research backing the InBalance technology
before making it available.
“We’ve conducted over
1,300 individual tests,” he
explains. “It’s a real scientific
technology, a patent-embedded
process of low-wave electromagnetic frequency. It opens
up the electrical pathways from
M&B: And you use the shirts and bands during tournaments?
RM: Yes. I haven’t taken the bracelet off in I don’t know how
many months.In San Jose when I won last year, the last day
was a really hard day for me because it was cold and rainy, and
I don’t perform great in cold and rain. But during the last four
holes, I still had energy. I wasn’t thinking about it — I was just
playing obviously — but you look back and you say, “It had to
be something.” Would I have lost without it? I don’t know. I
wasn’t feeling that good all day, then all of a sudden I felt really good and it was just fun being under that stress.
that because that’s the way I am. But that day I felt calmer,
more at ease, or really in tune with what was going. It definitely
has its amazing benefits in a lot of ways, just not sports.
M&B: What are your plans in the near future?
RM: Keep working my butt off trying to get in contention to win
golf tournaments, that’s it. I know I still have extra bullets in the
gun because of the InBalance technology and working out, and
that’s fun for me. All I know is I feel different, my body doesn’t
hurt, and that’s huge. My back hasn’t really bothered me at all
in the last couple of years since I’ve worn this stuff. My lumbar
spine is still a mess, so something’s going on and I don’t think
it’s a coincidence.
M&B: Do you find that you have a little bit more focus?
RM: Yes, because if it clears the pathways, your mind is clearer.
M&B: Does it work with younger people?
RM: Yes, it doesn’t matter who it is. We’re just dabbling in this
You’re playing with a quiet mind. Usually my mind is all over
the place. I’m very animated, I talk a lot — I’ll never stop doing
now. There are so many applications. Once the medical industry sees this and how it can help certain things, it could help a
eLeCTRIFYING ReSULTS cont’d
Kearney and her team studied workers in occupations with
physical job demands, such as
warehouse workers who stock
shelves. She performed preand post-testing, and the subjects never knew they were
using InBalance technology, so
as not to bias results.
From her own data and
anecdotal observations, Kearney
has also seen improvements in
people with a wide range of
conditions: elders at risk for falls
can increase their balance; and
those suffering from diabetic
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Muscle & Body April 2011
neuropathy and fibromyalgia
show increases in movement
and reduction of pain.
Kearney says that the
InBalance technology exerts its
effects irrespective of the size
of the material in contact with
a body. “It could be a button, a
pen — any contact with the
technology will work,” she says.
“All of my research would have
come out the same whether it
was a bracelet or a tiara.”
Assisting Kearney in one
demonstration was Mike
Pavuk, thermographer who
works extensively with veterinary and human medicine
research. A thermography
camera use an infra-red light
to gauge temperature without
touching the object. Pavuk met
“Once you see it work,
you can’t dispute it.”
with Kearney one day and took
a thermogram of her hand and
wrist. Then she put an
InBalance wristband on her
wrist and he took another thermogram. He expected to find
no change at all.
“I was skeptical to be blunt,”
he admits.
He was stunned to find that
the temperature of Kearney’s
wrist had dropped two degrees
simply by putting on the wristband. It’s a significant change,
he says.
“I can’t explain it. I just
know from the empirical evidence that something is going
on there. You don’t want to
draw a whole bunch of conclusions, but it’s measurable and
demonstrable.”
ISTOCKPHOTO
that it actually does something. It clears the electronic paths.
It makes it easier for you to do things. It keeps you balanced.
these extra angles that most of
these new teachers put in. It’s
all about making the most efficient motion that doesn’t put
more stress on your body.
lot of people. If it can help people in any way, that’s all that
matters. The rest is gravy.
M&B: What advice would you
give a young athlete?
RM: Fitness is important for
M&B: How much longer do you
think you can go?
RM: As long as I want. I want to
longevity, but I’m all about efficiency. Most athletic motions
are very unnatural. Golf is
unnatural. A pitcher throwing a
baseball a million times a year
is unnatural. There’s going to
be stress put on your body
somewhere. And if your technique is no good, then you can
hurt yourself. I would teach
kids coming in to become
extremely efficient as far as setting up to the ball. That’s the
first thing. Getting rid of all
go to at least 52 or 53 on the
PGA tour. I still think I have
way more in me. That’s what
I’m looking for: longevity.
everything’s going pretty good
right now. I can’t complain.
Muscle & Body would like to thank
Old Ranch Country Club in Seal
Beach, CA for providing the location for this article.
THe TeSTIMONIeS
Muscle & Body spoke with a
few people who have tried
InBalance technology. Here’s
what they told us.
n Jeff Kushner, PhD, associate
professor at Seton Hill
University, Greensburg, Penn.
Kushner, 59, tried a shirt treated
by InBalance before his standard
workout, but didn’t expect anything different.
“I do the same workout every
time, and my heart-rate readings are always in the 140s,” he
says. “When I used the shirt, it
went down to an average of
125. I also do resistance exercise. I increased my weights by
10% and had no trouble doing
them. I was quite surprised.”
Another time while wearing
the InBalance shirt, he decided
to increase his weight load by
12%, yet he was able to finish
his workout without difficulty.
“I was amazed. I understand
basic physiology and exercise
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Muscle & Body April 2011
physiology very well,” he says.
“There’s no other reason for the
numbers to increase.”.
He still uses the shirt and
would recommend it to others. “If
you’re tired and there’s something you can’t usually do, it
makes it easier.”
n John Imbres, general contractor, Del Rey Beach, Florida.
Imbres, 72, performs heavy physical labor on building sites, even
though he suffers from debilitating arthritis. He says he wouldn’t
be able to do it if he didn’t have
InBalance-treated wristbands,
boot insoles and other apparel.
“I was very skeptical, but my
wife swears by it, so I tried it,” he
says. “I was doing manual labor
and it was painful. But when I put
on the wristbands, I was no
longer in pain. It made me feel so
good I could hardly believe it.”
Imbres has used InBalance
technology for seven months
now, and has no plans to stop. “I
used to get tired on job sites after
an hour and 15 minutes. But now
I can work all day.”
At first he thought it was
psychological, but the transformation in his endurance and
lack of arthritic pain over such a
long time frame has convinced
him it’s real.
“I know my body, I know pain.
Arthritis runs in my family. I
thought you just had to live with
it. It’s a damn good feeling to
know that you don’t have to live
with it.”
He predicts others will reap
the same benefits.
“Positively without a doubt it
works. It’s going to be a big hit.”
n Fred Adams, 57, operations
manager of a textile plant,
Aiken, South Carolina. Adams, a
cycling enthusiast, was, like the
others, extremely skeptical of the
technology. Then he used an
InBalance-treated shirt.
“I do the same workout on the
same elliptical machine every
time I go to the gym,” says
Adams. “I keep notes on how well
I do. My time has never been better than six minutes and 10 seconds per mile. The first time I
wore the shirt, I did a 5:34 mile
quite easily. Previously, I had
never done better than six minutes, even if I pushed myself. I’m
fascinated by the fact that I completely blew my best ever time.”
The Scottish-born Adams
grew up playing rugby and soccer,
and stays active cycling long distances on the weekend. He says
the InBalance technology allows
him to cycle for longer distances
that when he’s not wearing it.
While he can’t explain how it
works, he can’t deny it does.
“I don’t jump into the latest
fads, so I was skeptical of various
bracelet applications,” he
explains, “but I’ve always had
positive results with the shirt. I
definitely use it if I know it’s going
to be a demanding day.”