Whether amateur or professional, golf fitness is essential to playing good golf; it requires being injury free, having strength & power, flexibility and focus. The drive off the tee and long shots in between each hole produces immense forces along the length of body, affecting especially the hips, lower back, shoulders, arms and wrists. This means that for many, golf is not the gentle leisurely sport that it first appears. In fact, it can be a tough game both physically and mentally. And although it’s not like contact sports of football or rugby, golf can be the cause of many injuries, especially to the unfit and the unprepared. Some major causes for injury are 1) poor physical conditioning. 2) Overuse due to excessive play or practice. 3) Inadequate or improper warm-up. 4) Poor swing technique. Thus it goes without saying that golf fitness is something every golfer should give some serious consideration to.Tiger Woods, of course, is an example of someone who many would dub “the best pro on tour.” Tiger is such a powerful and complete athlete because he has adopted a fitness regimen that promotes total body physical conditioning and not just golf specific. Though we don’t know exactly what his fitness program looks like, a golfer seeking performance enhancement should plan for a focused workout routine that includes in-season and off-season training. Here is an example of a performance-enhancing, year-round golf fitness program:
Total Body Golf-Specific Warm-Up: Prepare your body for the demands of the golf swing to prevent injury and to increase power and performance. Examples include arm circles, overhead extension/side bends and rotations with your golf club, good mornings, partial squats and side lunges.
Post Game or Workout Cool-Down: A proper cool down does not necessarily involve a beer. Allow your body a gradual decline in movement intensity in order to prepare you for recovery from possible muscle soreness. Stretching and light cardiovascular exercise will help by increasing circulation to the trained areas. Proper nutrition including hydration and carbohydrates is also essential.
Post Game or Workout Static Stretching: Static stretching is best done after a workout because the stretching can help to calm the nervous system and signal to your body that the workout is over. Be sure to include stretches for hip flexors, hamstrings, low back, shoulders and pecs. Hold these stretches for 20-30 seconds each.
Cardiovascular Work: The work to rest ratio in golf is extremely skewed. You might “work” for one second with very high power output levels and then you may have minutes to rest before swinging again. In order to maintain a high level of energy during your game, general cardiovascular training is necessary. This training will ensure that when you need those bursts of rotational power there is enough gas in the tank to provide it.
Off-Season Basic & Compound Movements: Focus on general strength training during the off-season to give your body, nervous system and mind a break from the intense training demands of the golf swing and season. Longer workouts would be acceptable here due to minimal practice or playing.
In-Season, Golf-Specific Power Exercises: In-season focus will probably be on golf-specific strength, power and flexibility movements. Your training should focus on rotational movements at a higher velocity. Most of the movements would probably also be done in a very golf-specific posture. Workouts should be shorter (less than an hour) and possibly more intense. Complete physical and mental recovery is less likely due to increased play.
Year Round Dynamic Flexibility: Being a powerful golfer requires speed, strength and flexibility so spend time working on your total body mobility. Why not give yoga a try! Not only does yoga improve your general physique but the frame of mind created by yoga, which is calm and concentrated, is perfect for a good game of golf. Yoga will help you control your breathing and can utilize poses such as “warrior,” “extended table” and “twisted straddle” to increase balance, reduce muscle imbalances caused by the repetitive nature of the swing and reduce back ache after a long game!
For additional information or to inquire about golfing exercises or golf stretching routines to do at home email corrinn@fitnessmatters.com today!
Certified through the National Academy of Sports Medicine for over 7 years, Corrinn takes her career and her client’s health and well being very serious. After finishing Providence College with a B.A. in Marketing, Corrinn spent 5 years in a corporate atmosphere before breaking out, full-time into the world of fitness. Her strength as a trainer lays in her capability to see the potential in each of her clients and push them to achieve more then they set out to.
Corrinn knows that the ups and downs of everyday life present a barrier for optimal physical fitness and thus strives to provide workouts that are dynamic, challenging and flexible. She is an avid sports enthusiast herself and loves to ski, jog and take bikram yoga. Her love of all things physical, enable her to develop rewarding and focused exercise plans for her clients and straightforward strategies for eating well.
Corrinn believes that at the end of the day …everyone deserves to feel strong, live healthy and be balanced.
Her fitness tips, "Your Personal Best," will be featured regularly in future issues of Aetherial Living.
If you enjoy this article, or would like to know more about Corrinn, please drop her a comment at corrinn@aetheriaspa.com
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