Although golf season will be coming to end soon, that doesn’t mean your training should stop! Golf requires a large amount of mobility, rotation, and strength. We have a lot of golfers at Paragon, so we wanted to share our 3 favorite exercises for those who golf.
- Split Squat
Why we love it: Split squats are a great exercise for everyone, but has particularly awesome benefits for golfers! When doing a split squat, you are training internal rotation on one leg and external rotation on the other. This transfers directly into what movement patterns are needed when swinging your club! Not only that, but it also helps improve your balance. Below is a photo from Prototype Training, which demonstrates the rotation needed from the hips!
How to implement: Try adding split squats in once a week into your training program. We advise starting with body weight, and once that becomes too easy you can add in some dumbbells. You can progress the movement to include pauses and other tempo, then move to a rear foot elevated position. We recommend 3 sets of 8-10 reps.
2. Rotation Throws
Why we love it: Any variation of rotational throws (standing, split squat, kneeling) are great for golfers. Because so much rotation is needed in a good quality golf swing, it is important to train it!
How to implement: At the start of your workouts, you can incorporate plyometrics and medicine ball throws as a warmup. We start with a standing rotation throw, but you can include any of these variations: 1/2 kneeling rotation throw, split squat rotation throw, or rotation slam. The key here is choosing a weight that you can be explosive with! So, don’t worry about finding the heaviest ball out there. We recommend 3 sets of 5 throws per side.
3. Cable Rotations
Why we love it: A strong core is a must for golfing! Not only does a cable rotation train your core, but it also helps mimic a golf swing to perfect the movement. You’ll be working on good quality rotation, weight shift in the legs, and balance.
How to implement: The key here is choosing a weight you can control with great form! Sacrificing form in order to increase the weight removes the benefits of the movement. Once you’ve found a weight that you can control, start by incorporating 3 sets of 10 into your workout!
A few important things to note:
- Movement selection may get more specific the closer to the season/event. You don’t have to do solely golf specific movements throughout the span of a year; it’s preferred to train your whole body outside of season so you’re prepared for anything. So, incorporate a mix of all strength movements to get the best return on investment.
- We recommend including plyometrics year round! Utilize low pogos and single leg hops, any movements that focus on your foot and ankle, which will strengthen your golf performance.
