Golf Course Flag 1

No matter where you live in the world, you are bound to encounter some form of harsh weather condition which will make practicing golf or playing for that matter almost impossible. So, rather than wasting this down time procrastinating, you can use it to help improve sections of your game that you may not get around to during the main season time.

One of the most important things that a golfer can do is ensure that their body is functioning at a level which helps aid their golf game. Not only this, but it can help reduce the chance of injury time and help keep your body healthy.

If you are going to keep up your fitness and have it make an impact to your golf game then you need to focus on the following three categories:

  • Strength
  • Power
  • Mobility

I am going to explain below why each of these exercises benefits you and how you should execute it.

Mobility
If you don’t have the correct about of mobility in certain areas of your body, then it can make the swing you are trying to achieve almost impossible. With many people I have seen round the course and online, complaining that their mobility is limiting their swing performance. There are three primary areas which are most important to mobility, these are the spine, hips and shoulders.

The 3 exercises below will help target each of these areas. You should ideally try to complete 2-3 sets doing between 10 to 20 reps.

Quadruped Spinal Flexion & Extension
Being able to have as much spinal mobility as possible is essential and definitely an area where some people are lacking. If your spine becomes even slight immobile it can have a huge effect on both the hips and shoulder mobility, which means it’s bad news for your swing!
Primary Focus: Spine

Hip Drops
Having been in the golf game a good few years now, I often see that players are limited with their swing due to the rotation in their hips. With a lower internal hip rotation, it can lead to a higher chance of a back injury, early extension, sway and even slide. It can also reduce the amount of power output you have, so having a good hip rotation is essential!
Primary Focus: Hips

Half Kneeling Shoulder Circle
Ensuring that every golfer has a good amount of spinal, hip and shoulder mobility, can help to provide them with an efficient, quality and powerful golf swing. Having already gone through the exercises to help increase mobility in your spine and hips, this shoulder exercise will complete the three big areas required to have the perfect golf swing.
Primary Focus: Shoulders

Strength
Strength is at the core of a powerful swing, think of it like the horsepower in your car. The more you have, usually means the more powerful your car is, the same can be said for your golf swing. Increasing your strength levels usually means that you can transfer this increased strength into a better clubhead speed.

Ideally you should aim to complete 2-3 sets with around 3-8 reps per exercise. It is important to note that you should do both sides when it comes to the split squat. When doing each exercise choose a weight which will make the last 2 reps slightly more difficult. Each time you complete a workout, try to increase either your weight or the number of reps you do.

Split Squat
These are a great exercise for your lower body strength, whilst still challenging your stability and mobility also. Doing these exercises slowly, will help you to get the correct form for the future. One of the best things about working one side at a time, is that we can identify and work on any imbalances we see arise. Either on the right or left side of our body.
Primary Focus: Quads & Glutes, As Well As Hamstrings.

Cable Rotation
One of the main let downs for many workouts, is the fact that they only focus on vertical exercises and you don’t get a well rounded increase in your rotation or lateral movement. All these things are optimal if you want to have that perfect training for your golf game. If you have a weak core then you will notice that you have a power leak. This is usually due to the transferring of force from your lower body to your upper. This limits both power and your efficiency.
Primary Focus: Obliques.

Pull Ups & Chin Ups
If you are unsure of what the difference between a pull up and a chin up is, don’t worry I will explain. A chin up is when you have an underhand grip with your palms facing towards you whereas, a pull up is when you have an overhand grip with your palms facing away from you.

You will often find that many pull up bars have handles which a designed for both pull ups and chin ups.
Primary Focus: Lats & Biceps

Power
The best way to think about power is that it sits between speed and strength. With many people referring to it as the explosiveness of a shot! The idea is that the more we increase our strength, the more we will begin to build up power for our shots.

In a similar way to the strength section above, the main exercises in this section are for the lower and upper body. I am extremely positive in the fact that if you increase your power output, you will see a high clubhead speed when striking the ball. When you do start to train for power, it is important to remember that you express out as much force as you can during these specific power exercises. Almost imagine that you are trying to break through a solid wall.

Ideally you should complete 3-5 sets of 3-5 reps on each side, ensuring that you put in the maximum amount of explosiveness!

Alternate Lateral Jump
A great way to develop your lower body power is through a lateral fashion. This can be extremely beneficial to improving how your feet interact with the ground whilst you are in your swinging action. Although you won’t be able to see with the naked eye the amount of pressure the clubhead speed players apply into the ground with their feet. But I promise you that it does make such a huge difference!
Primary Focus: Lower Body Power 

Rotational Medicine Ball Throw
If you’d like to increase your clubhead speed, then this is definitely the exercise for you. It works great to improve your ground force and help us develop those muscles we need to get the rotational power into our swing. Doing these exercises alongside the general strength program is a great way to get power into our golf swing.
Primary Focus: Rotational Power 

Single Arm Medicine Ball Chest Throw W/ Rotation
Many golfers don’t give the time of day to upper body strength and power, with them only really caring about their core. Well the upper body contributes a lot of power when it comes to your golf swing. This is why I love this exercise so much, It helps to enhance your body’s ability to work as a single unit, helping you to achieve a much stronger and powerful result.
Primary Focus: Upper Body Power

These Exercises Are A Great Breakthrough, But…
The exercises I have gone through in this post are just the beginning and there is so much more you could do to work on your golf fitness. Both for your overall performance and longevity. Whether you’re a beginner or a professional golfer, these exercises will start you on the track to supreme golf fitness.


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