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How to Correctly Weight Train for Golf Like Tiger, Vijay, and Phil
I often hear from amateur golfers about how training with
weights makes them feel "tight" and it ruin's their golf swing.
Traveling on the PGA Tour I disagree with this point of view
completely. It is well known that the top players on the PGA
Tour; Tiger, Vijay, and Phil workout regularly. They praise the
benefits of their workouts in the development of their golf
swing. I am a first hand observer of what they do in the gym on
the days they play.
As a result, I see the reasons why amateurs do not workout as
excuses rather than legitimate reasons. I would guess that the
difficulty amateurs have with weight training or working out in
relation to the game of golf is how to do it correctly. This
article will discuss how to properly workout to improve your
golf game.
Weight training is not bad for the golfer if done correctly.
Weight training done incorrectly is bad for the golfer.
This is where the amateur gets sidetracked, frustrated, and ends
up thinking weight training is bad for golf. A typical weight
training program found at many health clubs can be detrimental
to the golf swing. These types of programs can make you feel
"tight", adversely affect your golf game, and leave you
frustrated.
The reason why these "generic" training programs are counter
productive to golf is their inability take into account what is
required of the body in relation to the golf swing.
Golfers need to be very aware of a few important concepts when
weight training in relation to the golf swing. First and
foremost, any training program for golf needs to be
cross-specific. A cross-specific training program develops the
body to the positions, movements, and requirements of the sport
you participate in.
Granted everyone's swing is slightly different but the base
components are the same. All golfers rotate around a fixed spine
angle, transfer weight forward and back during the swing,
generate clubhead speed, attempt to square the club at impact,
and complete the swing in a balanced finish position.
The main goal of a cross-specific training program is develop
your body physically around the golf swing. This induces what is
termed a transfer of training effect onto the golf course.
Simplified this states that the training you do in the gym pays
off on the course in a positive manner.
Designing a weight training program for golf is a simple process
if done correctly. The best place to start is with flexibility.
Golfers need to be flexible. The golf swing requires you to move
the club through a long range of motion, thus requiring your
body to be very flexible. Areas of the body that typically
require large amounts of flexibility for golf are; the
hamstrings, lower back, hips, and shoulders. Oftentimes the
amateur's swing can improve from just adding flexibility
exercises to their training program.
Another aspect of a cross-specific training program for golf is
balance training. Balance is the ability of the body to control
its' center of gravity and body parts efficiently. Balance
exercises address both the nervous and muscular systems of the
body creating greater efficiency in its ability to control body
movements and center of gravity.
After you have looked at the flexibility and balance components
of a training program for golf, it is time to shift gears to the
"weight training" side of the equation.
The golf swing requires
the development of strength within the muscles of the body. You
need muscular strength to maintain a fixed spine angle, create
an efficient weight transfer, and develop clubhead speed.
The development of strength in the muscular system is where the
amateur commonly makes mistakes. Remember all the exercises in a
cross-specific training program for golf must revolve around the
movements of the swing, and create a benefit to your play on the
course.
Typically, strength training is thought of as a group of
exercises that create "bulk" and build the "beach muscles".
Bench pressing 300 and developing biceps like Arnold does not
mean you'll drive the golf ball 300 yards.
Developing strength for the golf swing is very different from
"football" or "bodybuilding" strength exercises. The golf swing
uses the whole the body, from feet to fingertips. As a result,
golfers need to strengthen the entire body cross-specifically to
the movements of the golf swing. A key to strength training
exercises for golf is to integrate the entire body into the
exercise patterns, rather than isolating a specific muscle
(a.k.a. bicep curls and bench press).
For example, bicep curls may make you look great for the beach
or fill out your golf shirt, but you do not swing the golf club
with your biceps only. You use your entire body, and as a result
the strength training part of your program, must incorporate the
entire body. Exercises such as ball crunches, Russian twists,
single leg squats are beneficial strength training exercises for
golf.
Completing the template of a golf specific training program is
endurance training. The golf swing is a repetitive movement. In
a single round of golf the swing is repeated numerous times. A
week on Tour might find players swinging the golf club well over
1000's times. As a result, it is necessary to develop the
endurance capacities of your muscular system.
Developing endurance in your muscular system allows you to
repeat a movement over and over again without getting tired, a
key component of the golf swing. Once the body becomes tired,
the ability to swing the golf club properly becomes impeded
resulting in miss hits, lost distance, and poor shots. Bottom
line, you need to make the same swing consistently to score
consistently. Endurance training assists in this process.
To summarize; weight training and working out is beneficial to
the golfer, if and only if it is done correctly. The wrong
choice in the type of training program, exercise selection, or
even exercise sequence can hinder your golf game. Choosing a
training program that is cross-specific to the golf swing and
induces a transfer of training effect onto the golf course is
best. This type of program incorporates; flexibility, balance,
strength, endurance, and power exercises relative to the golf
swing providing benefits to your body and golf game.
Sean Cochran
About the author:
About the Author Sean Cochran is one of the most recognized golf
fitness instructors in the world today. He travels the PGA Tour
regularly with 2005 PGA & 2004 Masters Champion Phil Mickelson.
He has made many of his golf tips, golf instruction and golf
swing improvement techniques available to amateur golfers on the
website www.bioforcegolf.com. To contact Sean, you can email him
at support@bioforcegolf.com.
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