(Image credit: golf.com) There are literally 1000s of exercises you can do to target specific areas of your golf fitness. What you chose to do in your exercise routine depends on whether you are targeting flexibility, power, endurance or strength. So in saying that, I’m going to break down the five best exercises I believe in my opinion will help you add power and club heap speed. A quick safety message must be mentioned, if you haven’t done these lifts, get advice from a qualified trainer.
Squat
The squat is probably the king of all exercises. It targets a large number of different muscles around the lower limbs and it works your trunk muscles extensively to keep you stable throughout the movement. The squat also teaches you how to use the ground to create force effectively. You have probably seen Rory drive the golf ball. In his transition, he performs a squat to use the ground so that maximum speed can be created. There many variations of squats you can do, I like the traditional barbell squat or the hack squat is a great variation for those that lack some flexibility.
Lunges
Lunges are a really challenging exercise if done correctly (which is a good thing). Lunges challenge your balance, core stability and leg power all in the one exercise. This sounds similar to the golf swing right? With lunges it's great to do them by either holding dumbbells by your side or having a barbell resting on your shoulders.
Trap bar deadlift
The trap bar deadlift is a staple in my golf fitness programs. It has a very transferrable movement pattern to golf and it also challenges your grip strength. Grip strength is commonly overlooked, and it has a strong correlation to club head speed. For the longest hitters in the world, they place a huge amount of force on the club with their hands. If you have ever done speed training you start to realise how important grip strength is.
The trap bar deadlift is also a great movement because it doesn’t require as much flexibility as a traditional deadlift and you can really target speed development for your swing.
Clean and press
The clean and press is a complex movement, but it is a fantastic exercise for golfers. It encourages sequencing of the lower body and upper body much like a golf swing. It also covers many muscle groups so it is a great whole body exercise. The key is to drive the movement with your legs which gets the bar travelling upwards. You then ‘catch’ the bar and rest it on your shoulders, from there perform the last pressing action. If you are a novice, perform the movement with a golf club alone to get the pattern figured out. Please ensure to get advice from a trainer prior to doing this lift because I see it get done wrong a lot.
Medicine ball throw
The last exercise I love is the medicine ball throw. The medicine ball throw targets a lot of the key areas for power and speed development. From the list of exercises here, it’s movement pattern is the most similar to the golf swing. So for example: 1. You transfer your weight onto your trail side with the medicine ball in right hand (if you are a right hander) 2. Your left heel will step through towards the wall you are throwing towards and you will push this hard into the ground 3. Your right hand will come through towards the wall like you are throwing a punch 4. You release the ball This movement pattern helps train your sequencing, power and anterior core strength.
So in summary, they are my five favourite exercises to help develop power and club head speed. If you want specific advice and if you want to accelerate your progress, book in by clicking the button below.
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