The Best Workout for Your Golf Game
You want the best workout for your golf game? Then you need the right mix of movements. Just like golfing itself, the best workout requires a mix of skill, coordination, and muscle. You need to start with THIS workout.
Many trainers will argue that improving your golf game simply requires improving your general physical preparedness (GPP), however, what if you can do more than that?
What if the right workout actually enhanced your game by improving body control, proprioception, and overall durability? That is what the BEST workout would do, right?
The good news is that achieving those objectives is achievable. The bad news is that it will take more than a few deadlifts, push ups, and dumbbell curls to achieve. What you need is an unconventional approach that combines fitness with movement skill development.
Unconventional training can give you the right skills, exercises, and programs to fight the real barrier of golfing performance: weakness and inflexibility. Beyond that, ballistic exercises like those done with kettlebell training can help improve swing mechanics, strength, coordination, and durability.
For example, just like the golf swing, kettlebell trianing involves ballistic movements that involve sudden, intense moments of acceleration. Imagine a workout that not only improves your swing, but balances your muscular development on BOTH sides of your body at the same time. That is the best workout for golf.
Here are three key aspects that you need to incorporate into every workout (or at least the ones you want to enhance your golf game):
#1: Full Body Strength & Conditioning
While arm and leg strength and power are vital, what the perfect workout requires is core development. But even more than that, you need a workout that combines the use of the arms, legs, and core into a cohesive system (just like your swing).
Full body exercises like the Kettlebell Swing, Deadlift, Turkish Get Up, Front Squat, and Renegade row can develop the full body strength and conditioning you need.
#2: Movements that Balance the Body
Injuries are caused by body imbalances. Imbalances are caused by repetitive motions on one side of the body. In effect, golfing REQUIRES you to practice imbalance. Despite the physical benefit, very few golfers are going to balance their bodies by swinging from both sides, right?
The best workout will counter the impact of swinging 100+ times each golfing session on one side. Your perfect workout will balance both sides of the body across all axes. Using rotational exercises that cross your centerline, you’ll be able to start enhancing your musculature to protect yourself against imbalances.
Rotational exercises using kettlebells, steel maces, and steel clubs allow for the balance you need. The Lunging Uppercut, Cross Body Pivot, and Rotational Clean fit the bill.
#3: Exercises that Directly Improve Durability
When it comes to golfing skill limitations, most people think of strength, power, and possibly even endurance. What’s really limiting is not being able to play golf because of injury. The skill you really need to drive performance gains is durability. Luckily, the right workout incorporates this aspect of training before, after, or during each session.
Mobility Sticks combine a movement system with a unique training tool that can enhance your flexibility, range of motion, and joint mobility at the same time. There are hundreds of durability-improving
You don’t own a Mobility Stick? Not to worry! The same benefits can be achieved with no equipment at all. Calisthenics-based mobility training has been used to improve performance for thousands of years (ever hear of martial arts?). Don’t believe me? Try this Mobility Workout and see how you feel afterwards.
How to Build the Best Workout for Golf
Rather than giving you an extensive lesson in golf workout program design, we’re going to keep things simple and give you the secret to making the best workout for golf: start training! Here are seven workouts to get you started:
Kettlebell Golf Performance Workout
Single Kettlebell Workout for Golf
