In the past few years, workouts and strength training have become a significant topic among professional and amateur golfers. many top players worldwide have turned to exercise as a competitive edge to drive the ball further.
Golf-related exercise is really for the pros and beginners, and amateur golfers.
Physical Activity
The World Health Organization (WHO) defines physical activity or exercise as any bodily movement which defines physical activity as any bodily movement produced by skeletal muscles that requires energy expenditure. Physical activity refers to all movement including during leisure time for transport to get to and from places or as part of a person’s work; Both moderate and vigorous-intensity physical activity improve health.
Recommendations
The Department of Health and Human Services recommends that healthy habits include aerobics activity and training Department of Health and Human Services recommends that healthy habits have both aerobic exercise and strength training. in their fitness plans specifically. At least 150 minutes of moderate aerobics activity or 75 minutes of vigorous aerobics activity a week, or an equivalent combination of moderate and vigorous aerobic activity. Strength training exercises of all the major muscle groups at least twice a week.
Immediate and Long term benefits
1. Improve Sleep Quality
2. Reducing feelings of anxiety
3. reduce blood pressure
4. reduce risks of developing dementia (including Alzheimer’s disease) and reduce the risk of depression.
5. Lowers risk of heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes.
6. Lower risks of eight cancers, bladder, breast, colon, endometrium, esophagus, Kidney, lung, and stomach.
7. Reduces risk of weight gain.
8. Improves bone health
9. reduces risks of falls.
As a golfer, you will always want to do better. from experience, I have noticed a significant improvement in my game through golf workouts for about three years today. You will make significant lifestyle changes by starting to exercise regularly. in turn, you will lose fat, gain muscle and flexibility, and strengthen your body where it counts on the golf course.
Golf workouts can also help your mental game to be in better shape on the golf course. This also will help your confidence in your abilities and help your mental attitude toward the game going gets tough. a golf workout routine can help your swing and improve your health.
Core Strength
Your core workout exercise puts power into the rotational aspects of your swing., This directly contributes to more club head speed or more distance. Your core midsection development can give you more power in your swing and more stability and balance over the ball. So you see, strengthening your body core makes your swing much more effective and improved.
Flexibility
Flexibility means you want to do stretching exercises for your joints and muscles. Warming up is very important before every play of golf by stretching, which can improve your flexibility both in the gym and during your warm-up to make your blood system flow in your body.
Leg Strength
Your legs are the backbone of your swing, and your legs play an essential part in the stability of your stance and power behind your swing. So it’s natural that you build and strengthen your legs to improve your hip stability, leading to better body rotation.
At the beginning of any stretching exercise, your body would be sore, as it’s being said, “No pain, no gain,” so this would improve your posture and prevent injuries to your back and knees.
Your Body Arms
The strength of your arms and wrists is critical to develop in exercise and weight training because this will help to prevent elbow and wrist pain. You are also exercising your shoulder, biceps, triceps, and wrists to strengthen these areas of your body to make your overall body stronger.
Warmup
“Warming up” is a part of stretching and preparation for the physical exertion of a performance by exercising or practicing gently beforehand, usually undertaken before an implementation or practice. Golfers warm up before stressing their muscles. it is widely believed to prepare the muscles for vigorous actions and prevent muscle cramps and injury due to overexertion.
A warm-up generally consists of a gradual increase in the intensity of physical activity (a “pulse raiser”),
, joint mobility exercise, and stretching, followed by the activity. For example, before running or playing an intensive sport, Golfers might slowly jog to warm their muscles and increase their heart rate. Warm-ups must be specific to the activity so that the powers to be used are activated. The risks and benefits of combining stretching with warming up are disputable, although it is generally believed that warming up prepares the athlete mentally and physically.
stretching
Stretching is part of some warm-up routines, although a study in 2013 indicates that it weakens muscles in that situation. There are three types of stretches: ballistic, dynamic, and static:
- Ballistic Stretches involve bouncing or jerking. It is purported to help extend limbs during exercise, promoting agility and flexibility.
- Static Stretches involve flexing the muscles. This may help prevent injury and permit greater flexibility and agility. Note that static stretching for too long may weaken the muscles.
- Dynamic Stretching involves moving the body part in the desired way until reaching the full range of motion to improve performance.
Weight Training Program For Golfers
Comprehensive training for individual sports “periodized” to provide a progressive and interactive training program. This means the programs are broken up into three or four phases during the year, with each step focusing on a particular area of body fitness.
For golfers, each phase will have different objectives, and each step builds on the previous one.
For travel professionals, golf is a little different. Moving from country to country, you could play all year round. Wherever you go, a training program is an essential part of your season.
How each training step work
Early pre-season
Players are preparing for the golf season and building up after the break. Start building your body strength and some muscle bulk.
Late pre-season
Players are working up to the start of the season. The emphasis is on building maximum power.
In Season
Competition has started, or regular minor or recreational golf is underway, and you are expected to get your body into peak condition. Maintenance of strength and power is emphasized.
Emphasis is on rest and recovery with cross-training and light gym work.
During this time, a break from serious strength training is often helpful. As pre-season approaches, more regular gym work can resume.
Physically, golf requires a mix of aerobic fitness and strength. You don’t want to get tired in the last few holes in a round of golf because you will be exhausted., which can put can add to your mental and physical performance.
Also, additional cardio on the road or in the gym could work for you.
Your Approach to a Golf Weight Training
This is a four-phase weight training program that should suit most golfers. The first phase is geared towards essential strength and muscle. The second phase builds on power delivery.
If you play all year round, you can continue with the power program once you develop strength and muscles. if you take a break for over a month, start again with the strength and muscle training program.
Consider this training program an all-around training program suited for beginners or casual weight trainers who have yet to gain a prior training program in weight training.
If you’re new to weight training, look up the principle and practice of weight training for beginners before you get started.
A medical clearance is always recommended for exercise at the start of the season.
Phase 1: Pre-Season
Strength and Muscle Phase
During this phase, you will build strength and muscle. The emphasis is on lifting moderately heavy weights to train the nervous system and the power to move more oversized loads.
Hypertrophy, which is building muscle size, does not necessarily imply strength, although, in this foundation phase, some muscle-building will serve you well for strength development. Strength will be the foundation for the next phase, which is power development.
For golf, power means a better tee shot, more control on those tricky approaches, or length on the big par five holes.
Time of Year: Mid pre-season
Duration: 6-8 weeks
Days per week: 2-3, with at least one day between sessions
Reps: 8-10
Sets: 2-4
rest in between sets: 1-2 minutes
Important Points:
Always warm up and cool down before and after a training session. A cooling towel is also great to use after a workout. Adjust the weight so that the final few repetitions are taxing but don’t cause you to fail.
Although the upper body- the swing- is where the action is expressed in golf, the posterior chain of the hips, gluteals (butt) and upper legs, and abdominals are equally crucial in executing the swing. The squats and deadlifts build strength and power in this region.
Don’t work to failure for the upper body exercises such as the dumbbell press, woodchops, and lat pulldown, and do hold good form. keep the forearms in a vertical plane with the upper arms not extending excessively below parallel at the bottom of the movement.
It’s essential to protect the vulnerable shoulder joint when training for sports where the shoulder gets a lot of specific out of gym work- in this case, on the course.
If you cannot recover from a session with only one rest day in between, re-schedule this program to two sessions each week rather than three. Strength training can be physically and mentally demanding-golf is a very demanding and mental game.
You may be sore after these sessions. Muscle soreness or delayed onset muscle soreness, which is normal: joint pain is not. Be sure to monitor your arm and shoulder reactions to this phase. Ease off the training when you feel any joint pain or discomfort in your body.
Phase 2: Late Pre-Season to in Season
Conversion to Power
Power training requires lifting weights at high velocity and with explosive intent. You must rest adequately between repetitions and sets so that each movement is done as fast as possible. The number of sets can be less than in Phase 1. There is no point in training like this when you’re tired.
Time of Year: late pre-season and in-season
Duration: Ongoing
Days per week: 2
Reps: 8-10
Sets: 2-4
Rest between repetitions: 10 to 15 seconds
Rest between sets: At least 1 minute or until recovery
Phase 2 Exercise:
Barbell or dumbbell hang clean
Cable push-pull
Cable wood chop
Medicine ball push press
Medicine ball standing twist with a partner (6-15 repetitions fast, recover between sets)
Important:
In power training, you must be relatively recovered for each repetition and set so that you can maximize the velocity of the movement, so take up to 5 minutes between sets. The weights should be manageable, and the rest periods should be sufficient.
At the same time, you need to push or pull reasonable heavy loads to develop power against reasonable resistance.
With the medicine ball twists, do a full set at maximum, then rest sufficiently before the next one. If you don’t have a partner, use a lighter ball and keep the ball in your hands while twisting from side to side.
Maintenance of Strength and Power.
Alternate phase 1 (Strength and Muscle) and phase 2 (power) for two weekly sessions. Every fifth week, skip weight training to assist recovery.
Important:
Try not to do strength training on the same day as you practice on the course-or; at least separate workouts morning and afternoon. Concentrate on your short game rather than the power drives. Rest entirely from strength training one week in five. Do light gym work.
Please feel free to use your judgment. Don’t sacrifice course technical skills training for weight work if you have less time.
Phase 4: off Season:
If you have an off-season, it’s the time to rest up. You need this time for emotional and physical revival. For several weeks, you can forget about golf and focus on other things. it’s also good to stay fit and active with cross-training or other activities you enjoy.