Want to improve your golfing power and get more out of each round? Your golf fitness is where it’s at. Here’s how it can help you to be a better golfer.
General fitness should be a part of everyday life. After all, the fitter we are, the easier it is to do normal things like walking, bending, lifting things, and breathing.
And then there’s sport-specific fitness. These are the things you work on so you can improve in your particular sport. Golf fitness isn’t going to be the same as swimming fitness, for example!
But speaking of golf fitness, if you’re looking for a way to improve your game, add more power to your swing, and reduce the chance of injury, improving your golf fitness should be your goal.
Here’s what you should be focusing on and why if you’re training to improve your golf game. Whether you’re a beginner wondering how to build a great foundation or an experienced golfer wanting to reduce injury, this is what you should be focusing on.
Core Work
The core is often the most neglected set of muscles, but a strong core is essential for a powerful swing. Dedicating time to training your core on a weekly basis can significantly improve your swing.
A solid core not only helps provide rotational power, but it also stabilizes the body as you swing. This helps to prevent unnecessary and wayward motion that could ruin your shot.
To really build your core to the point where it starts to positively affect your golf swing, you should incorporate core work into your routine at least twice a week.
Once you’ve mastered the basic bodyweight core exercises (crunches, planks, leg raises, Russian twists, dead bugs, etc), you can start to add weight. Ankle weights are great for leg raises, and holding a dumbbell while doing Russian twists or chair crunches is highly effective.
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Make sure to keep your form correct. Going wrong on ab exercises will make them ineffective! Or worse, it can put a strain on your neck, leading to injury.
Be aware that it may take a few months before you start seeing the benefits of doing regular core work!
Here’s a quick 20-minute core workout to give you some ideas!
Strength Work
Golfers are generally slim and not overly muscled. But that doesn’t mean strength training should be left behind.
Golfers like Brooks Koepka and Tiger Woods are making an excellent case for strength training, and you may be shocked at how much your grip and your swing power improve with just a bit of weightlifting.
Weightlifting builds muscle, which helps to anchor the golfer to the ground and provide power. They say power comes from the ground up, so if you can build a strong, muscular set of legs, you’ll always have a superb foundation for your swing.
Of course, the upper body also plays a large role in a golfer’s swing. It’s important that you train every muscle group in order to avoid muscle imbalances and build strength uniformly.
You don’t need to lift heavy, at least in the beginning. Go for a weight you can comfortably lift for 15 to 20 reps and do 3 sets of each exercise.
Incorporate push, pull, hinge, and squat motions in your routine. We suggest breaking up sessions by muscle group so that each muscle group has enough time in between to rest!
Flexibility
Strength and endurance are important. But if your range of motion isn’t as it should be, you won’t get as much benefit out of your training as you could be.
One of the easiest ways to improve your flexibility is to pay more attention to your warm-up before training. Dynamic stretching helps to get your muscles ready for exercise and encourages them to move through their full range of motion.
If you have time in your weekly routine, we highly recommend adding in a couple of flexibility and mobility sessions. Yoga is a super way to do this. Just one day of yoga a week can make a huge difference, or you can do 5 to 10 minutes every day when you wake up or before you go to bed.
Keeping your muscles limber will make for an easier swing, and you should notice that you feel much looser and move more naturally.
Cardio
You may wonder why you need great cardiovascular fitness when you can just jump on a golf cart to get from hole to hole! But it’s about much more than just taking a walk – you need good cardio fitness for stamina as you go through her round too.
Strength training, core work, and flexibility are important. But cardio is also essential. We recommend 3 to 4 sessions a week, a mixture of LISS (low-intensity steady-state) and HIIT (high-intensity interval training).
While it’s always a good idea to choose a form of cardio that you really enjoy, we suggest mixing it up between a few different low-impact types, like rowing, cycling, the elliptical, and the stair stepper, and jumping rope.
Conclusion
Golf may seem like a relatively relaxed sport in comparison to some otters, but that doesn’t mean they need for great fitness is any less!
Maybe you’re a golfer wondering why lifting weights is important or how core work can benefit their swing. It’s hard to imagine, but once you see the results, you won’t be able to look back!
If you’re interested in adding more power to your drive, minimizing injury when you swing, and having more energy to walk the course, start with your golf fitness.
You’ll be surprised at how implementing these tips and tactics into your exercise routine can help. Who knows, you could become the next Bryson Dechambeau!
Lastly, don’t forget to make time for recovery as well. Take a rest day weekly, and a week off every 8 to 12 weeks. Nutrition and hydration are also important parts of effective recovery.
We know that fitting this all in between your actual golf training can be tough. But when you see the progress, you’ll know it’s worth it!