Unlike other popular sports, golf doesn’t rely on singular muscle movements in a vertical or horizontal plane. As a golfer, you need to reflect that in your strength training. You’re not a bodybuilder, so instead of isolating muscles, build your golf workout in multiple planes of movement. Since the golf swing is extremely rotational, it’s important to develop your muscles to work together in sync. Leave the muscle heads behind, and add these five exercises to improve your golf game immediately.
Deadlift – 4 x 6
The deadlift is a total body exercise that strengthens the glutes and lats along the posterior chain of the body. This is extremely important in the golf swing, because the glutes have to fire to rotate and extend the hips through the hitting zone.
Lunge with Horizontal Rotation – 4 x 8 each leg
Lunges work the glutes and the quads. The horizontal rotation works the obliques. This is also a unilateral exercise because your weight is being shifted from two legs to one in a coordinated way. Sound familiar?
Plank Variations – hold for 60-120 seconds
Planks force your core to create stability, which leads to good posture—in your everyday life and in your golf swing. For a more difficult variation, try lifting one leg off the ground, or try it on an unstable surface like a ball.
Russian Twists – 3 x 20
In seated position, hold a medicine ball in front of your chest. Cross your legs at the ankles and lean back in a balanced position with your feet in the air. Rotate your upper body away from your lower body, left and right. This works your obliques, which supply power to the hips. A strong golf swing depends on strong obliques.
Forearm Curls – 4 x 20 each arm
Strong forearms are important to create club head speed. Strengthen your forearms by doing isolation dumbbell curls over your inner thigh.