Best Exercises for Golfers
With all the talk about the players
on tour getting stronger and more flexible, we hear a lot
about exercising for golf from television commentators and
read about it in the golf publications. But what exactly are
the best exercises for the amateur golfer?
A great question that has a good answer, but before we give
you the answer let us provide some background so the answer
makes a little more sense to you. First of all, discussing
the golf swing for the time being will get us rolling.
What exactly is the golf swing? The golf swing is an athletic
movement that requires using of the entire body from “feet
to fingertips” in order to complete the swing. Realize that
the golf swing is not about the club, not just about your
grip, or where your head is during the swing. The golf swing
is a movement that requires your entire body to move through
a sequence of movements with the correct timing. To perform
the “athletic movement” of the golf swing requires the body
to begin at address, move through the actual phases of the
golf swing and complete it with the follow through. In order
to perform this activity with efficiency and repetitively,
the body must have certain physical parameters.
These parameters, as I call them, are actual physical categories
of the body that need to be developed to a certain level.
These categories of the body are the platform from which the
body is able to perform the athletic movement of a golf swing
efficiently. The categories are probably familiar to many
of you, but for the purpose of this article let us briefly
run through them.
The body is required to have certain levels of flexibility,
balance, endurance, strength, and power to complete a golf
swing. If the body lacks in any of the above categories, then
the results will be seen in the golf swing. The results are
usually in the form of poor mechanics, bad shots, or poor
scores on the course. So, now that we know what the connection
is between the “body” and the “swing” let us address the question
about the best exercises for golf.
The Best Exercises for Golf
Let’s say you walk into your local health club and see all
the fancy machines and aerobic machines at the facility to
get you shape. What ones would choose? Would you choose running
on the treadmill for 30 minutes, or would it be better to
push out a couple sets of bench presses? Well, the answer
to our question really lies within the connection between
your swing and your body.
I will tell you that exercises meant to “pump you up!” or
give you that “six pack” are not necessarily the correct exercises
for your golf game. Neither is that weight training program
you used back in high school. So, with those thoughts in mind
what do you think the best exercises for golf are?
Right now we know, in general terms about the golf swing,
what is required of the body for the golf swing and what exercises
are not good for the swing. Armed with that knowledge we can
decipher what the best exercises for golf are for you.
Beginning with flexibility, we know that the entire body must
move through certain ranges of motion to perform an effective
golf swing. And what happens if your body is not able to move
through the required ranges of motion of the golf swing? The
answer: the golf swing will mechanically suffer resulting
in shots that are less than optimal. So part of the exercises
that are good for golfers are flexibility exercises and, even
more so, flexibility exercises that work the muscles used
in the golf swing through the movements involved in the golf
swing. So first and foremost flexibility exercises should
be on the top of your list.
The second category of exercises that would be conducive to
the golf swing would have to do with balance. We hear about
balance in reference to the golf swing all the time. “Stay
balanced through the swing; transfer your weight to maintain
balance during the swing…” But what does balance exactly mean?
Balance is the ability to control your body through a specific
movement pattern. The movement pattern we are discussing just
happens to be the golf swing. We know the importance of balance
in relation to the golf swing, so how do we train our body
for better balance in the golf swing? Before we answer that
question we need to know a little more about balance. Balance
in relation to the body has to do with the connection between
your nerves and muscles. Essentially your nervous system,
as a result of messages sent from your brain, tells your muscles
how to move to maintain the body’s balance. The more efficient
your nerves and muscles are to these messages the greater
balance abilities the body develops. So balance exercises
train both the nervous system and muscular system to become
more efficient at this function. Summing it all up, balance
is the second category of exercises that will assist your
golf game.
The third category of exercises that are beneficial to golf
have to do with your muscles. The golf swing requires the
muscles of your body to move through a specific range of motion
(flexibility) and help with your balance capacities. In order
to perform these actions and others, your body needs certain
levels of strength and endurance. The definition of strength
is the ability of the muscles to exert force for the given
“athletic action” (simplified definition but a good working
definition for us). Endurance is the ability of your muscles
to do the same activity over and over again for a specific
amount of time.
First off, let us discuss strength. The golf swing has one
intention of developing club head speed while maintaining
balance through the swing. The muscles in your body must have
enough strength in them to do both. Now, when we discuss building
strength for the golf swing it is NOT the type of strength
needed to bench press 250 lbs. Or squat 500! It is strength
geared towards the improvement of your swing. I refer to this
type of strength as “golf strength.” So when you get to the
gym, performing strength exercises like bench press will not
help your swing. Exercises that train the body in the positions
and through the movements of the golf swing will help your
swing.
In addition to strength, we need to develop endurance in your
muscles. Think of how many swings you may take over the course
of 18 holes. In order for you to be able to swing the club
the same way on the 18th hole as you did on the 1st hole.
Your body has to have high levels of endurance. This will
allow your body to perform the golf swing without getting
tired. You develop endurance similar to how you develop “golf
strength.” Utilize exercises that train the body in the positions
and through the movements of the golf swing. Lighter loads
with higher repetitions will be used for these exercises.
The end result will be the development of “golf endurance.”
The final segment of exercises beneficial to your golf swing
is power training. Power training is geared towards the ability
of your body to generate high levels of club head speed. Power
development by the body is what allows for greater distance
on your shots. Clubs help, golf balls help, but it really
comes down to the piece of machinery, your body, swinging
those club and hitting those golf balls. Development of power
for the golf swing is very similar to the development of “golf
strength and endurance.” It is the utilization of exercises
that place your body in the positions and move you through
movements similar to the golf swing.
Summary
So there you have it, the answer to the types of exercises
best for the improvement of your golf swing. I think you now
realize it is not one exercise, but a group of exercises that
incorporate flexibility, balance, endurance, strength, and
power. A combination of these exercises is what will enhance
your golf swing. Looking for specific exercises? Take a look
at our website www.bioforcegolf.com
Sean Cochran is one of the most recognized golf fitness instructors
in the world today. He travels the PGA Tour regularly with
2004 Masters Champion Phil Mickelson. He has made many of
his golf tips, golf instruction and golf swing improvement
techniques available to amateur golfers on the website www.bioforcegolf.com.
|
Site
Map
