Strength is never a bad thing! Even for a golfer!
The problems occur when strength is built on top of poor foundations and muscle imbalances! This is why all of our programs first start with a detailed movement evaluation. Our assessment looks at general movement capacity, joint health, and everything else a golfer needs to be successful.This is always a great place to start regardless of skill level. Check out a great article written by Dr. Mike Kay on training principles.
Dr. Kay works with many PGA tour players as well as other professional athletes. After the foundations have been established and a good base of movement and mobility skills have been taught the fun can begin! Building power and strength! Thats what this article will focus on our favorite strength, muscle gaining exercises for golfers.
Recently Andrew Hannon a PFS golf specialist, mobility specialist and all around training guru put together a really cool video on his Top 5 Muscle Gaining Exercises For Golfers and thats going to be the focus of this blog article. If you want a great follow for golf fitness, mobility training, strength training and really just smart training check out Andrews Instagram page >>> Ando_PFS.
Andrew also has some great online programs that are amazing for building a foundation, building strength and developing skills that will enhance your golf game. Check out his hip program here and stay on the look out for his new programs coming out soon. >>> Build better hips for golf.
So lets talk about strength and muscle building for golf. A golfer first needs great grounding and lower body power. At Premier fitness systems we talk about grounding as an ability to interact with the ground and use the ground to produce power. We almost always train barefoot because we believe this helps create better grounding and therefore better power and energy transfer. If you interested in this science check out a great book by Katy Bowman called whole body barefoot. This is a great read and provides the science for why we all should spend time barefoot but most are not ready for it.
Once good grounding and joint integrity has been established then power and strength can be built. This still requires the right movement capacity but lets assume you have the general ability to move. If you feel like you need assistance in this please feel free to shoot us a email. We are constantly doing online assessment and building programs for all types of people.
Contact us >>> Online Training & Evaluation
Deadlifts, squats and unilateral exercises are king for building capacity and strength for a golfer. These exercises get a bad rap but if done correctly and safely they are the money maker for a golfer at any level. Again, Im going to emphasize the words correctly and safely! These golf exercises can be your worst enemy or your best friend and the line is pretty fine.
Below are great examples of some of our favorite lower body exercises done right. If you have any questions please feel free to contact us. >>> Drop us a line
If you master these 4 with perfect form and technique I promise your power will increase!
Now on to the Core and upper body! The upper body and core are the same as the lower. First good movement capacity and sequencing must be established. Building muscle and power over poor foundations will create a increase chance for injury and diminish the benefits for being strong. But again lets assume you have the prerequisites for building muscle and strength for golf.
First lets address the core. Many people think the core is all about having a 6 pack but in many ways it has nothing to do with a ripped six pack and everything to do with the ability resist force and transfer energy.
Here are a few of our favorite core exercises.
- Sphinx position head nods
- Half Turkish Get-Ups
- Plank Taps
- T-Spine End Range Lift-Offs
- Advanced Under Switches with Rotary Stability
All of the above drills will build core strength that has direct carry over into your golf swing.
Now lets talk upper body strength. Golfers need upper body strength just like any other athlete. Really golf is closer to powerlifting than to many other sports. You might be thinking really? Yes! If you think about it a golfer needs to be able to produce a big power output then takes a big rest. And then does it again and again. So in many ways golf is closer to powerlifting than say basketball or soccer. So lets focus on the big compound muscle building lifts.
Some of our favorite upper body muscle & strength building exercises for golf!
- Strict Chin/Pull up Done right , Check out bad form here
- Rings Pull-Ups with Shoulder Retraction (Advanced)
- BB Rows (pendlay rows)
- Offset DB Press
- Cable Hinge and Row
These are a few of our favorite upper body strength and muscle building exercises for golfers.
Here is another video of Andrew taking you through 5 of his favorite muscle building exercises for golfers!
The PFS team hopes you find this blog post helpful.
If you have any questions feel free to contact us at >>> Team PFS
Check out the online training options we offer at >>> PFS Online Training Programs
Much Love and Much Movement
Brandon
For Brandon, fitness has been his passion for as long as he can remember. In high school he was a three-sport athlete and received a scholar athlete award in football. Later, he attended Arizona State University on an academic scholarship and received his degree in Kinesiology in 2004. When he was a junior in college, he started Personal Training and has since turned this into his career. Brandon is a natural teacher who is passionate about health, fitness, wellness, and life. Each and every day he feels blessed to be able to do what he loves most…help people achieve a healthier life! Working with his best friend and having clients who he considers to be his family is one of the best jobs he could ever wish for. What he loves most about being a personal trainer is helping his clients achieve what they thought was the “impossible”!
Brandon’s philosophy is that exercise and fitness should be viewed as preventive medicine. If one takes care of his/her body today, he/she will stay healthy for the remainder of his/her life. His main focus is on functional training that incorporates normal daily movements which strengthen core muscle groups and help deliver a functionally fit body. This body will then be efficient with all activities, from athletics to everyday movements.