What Exercises Can I Do To Improve My Golf?
Regardless of how many times you are told that “Driving is for show, putting is for dough,” it is impossible to ignore the instinctive desire to tee up your Titleist Pro V, get your hands on the that meaty £300 driver and attempt (invariably in vain) to send the ball 350 yards down the fairway.
The Tiger Woods’ of this world may do this in their sleep, but the rest of us have to rely on a force 10 gale behind us and a lot of luck. Our preoccupation with power and distance is marketing heaven and nearly every piece of equipment you buy, from the ball to the club, all come with the promise of “effortless” extra yardage.
Despite the obvious allure of these marketing claims, the importance of your equipment for both accuracy and distance pales into insignificance when you compare it to the potential power and control that can be generated by your body.
Good core strength, Strong buttocks and powerful shoulders will not only help you gain those extra yards but also give you the control of the club head that many golfers lack. Spending £1000 on a set of clubs might make you look like a good golfer but spending a little time and attention to strengthen key muscles, will make you play far better than any club can.
So if you think your golfing muscles need a bit of attention, try these exercises a few times a week and you’ll be amazed at the difference they can make:
Side Leg Raises
This exercise is highly effective at strengthening your buttock (Gluteal) muscles, the powerhouse muscles of the swing.
- Lie flat on your side, with your bottom arm stretched above your head. Rest your head on your arm or hand.
- Bend your bottom leg 90 degrees if you need thew stability, but keep your top leg straight.
- Rotate your top leg from the hip, so that your foot is pointing towards the ground.
- Raise your top leg to about 6 inhes (slightly higher than in the image), then slowly lower it back down.
Repeat this 20 times, eventually progressing to 30 times, or add a weight to the ankle to increase resistance.
Double Leg Raise
This exercise helps to strengthen your oblique muscles (the waist muscles). These muscles provide stability and power to the swing and if they are weak, can produce unbalanced and underpowered shots. The exercise is very similar to the one above, only this time you life both legs up off the ground.
- Lie flat on your side, with your bottom arm stretched above your head. Rest your head on your arm.
- Keeping your legs together, ideally with your ankles touching, slowly raise both legs 6 inches or so off the ground then slowly lower them
- Repeat this 20 times then change sides
If your oblique’s are particularly weak, you may find that lifting your legs 6 inches is difficult, therefore simply lift them to a height which you find challenging.
The Plank
A highly effective exercise at targeting the deep stomach muscles, helping to strengthen the core to maintain pelvic stability through the swing and help to protect the lower back from excessive strain. You can either perform this exercise on the floor, or to make it more challenging, on a stability ball as illustrated.
- Lie on your front and lift your body up resting on your forearms and toes.
- Maintain a straight body position, ensuring your lower back is neither excessively high (reducing the intensity of the exercise) or sunken (placing stress on your lower vertebra)
- Hold the position for 30 seconds, rest and repeat 5 times.
If you experience lower back pain whilst performing this exercise, DO NOT attempt to “grin and bare it.” Stop immediately and try an alternative exercise.
The plank is great at targeting your core muscles, which are arguably the most important muscles you should be aiming to strengthen to improve your game. Because of their importance, i thought it would be helpful for you to have a look at the video below, which demonstrates a selection of exercises which target your core muscles. Luckily for you, due to to the fact that i have a great face for radio, it is not me in the video, but a far more attractive (ish) Amercian fitness instructor.
Reverse Crunch
This exercise is excellent for targeting the lower portion of your abdominal muscles and a popular exercise to help those people with chronic lower back pain. The majority of people who suffer lower back discomfort, golfers or not, are in
credibly weak in this area and would benefit from performing this exercise regularly.
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Lie on your back with your knees bent feet flat on the floor.
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Ensure your lower back is pressed against the ground
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Slowly lift your legs off the floor and extend your knees, so that your legs are now pointing upwards.
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Very slowly, from your hips lower your legs about 10-15 degrees and then return them back to the starting position.
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DO NOT be tempted to lower your legs any further than 15 degrees, or you will place excessive strain on your lower back or risk injuring yourself.
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Perform 20 movements, take a break and repeat another 2 times.
Some people may experience lower back pain during this exercise, in which case is essential that you stop immediately.
There are a number of variations to this exercise, some of which are good, others of which are a first class ticket to severe lower back pain.
To give a visual idea how to perform this exercise effectivley, take a look at the video below. She demonstrates the exercise pretty well and gives you a varirety of ways to intensify the movement, without risking your lower back (though i'd advise you steer clear of the last variation she suggests.
Although the selection is far from comprhensive, there are a few books available which can help give you a selection of exercises and stretches to help improve your game. Have a look at the books below that fitFAQS recommends.