Exercises to Strengthen Your Golf Swing
Leave a Comment“If I just got into the weightroom four times a week and lifted a bunch of weights, I’d be driving the ball 300 yards like the pros!” Raise your hand if you have ever had that thought run through your head. The funny thing about the best drivers and ball strikers on the PGA tour is that some of them look like they haven’t seen the inside of a weightroom in years, yet they still hit it straight and far. The reason is that brute strength is far less important than timing and control in the golf swing. Thankfully, you don’t need bumper plates and kettlebells to get another few yards.
Timing
Assuming you have a full and pain-free range of motion through your swing, improving your timing and control is the next and most valuable step to increasing your power. Any golf magazine will have millions of articles about timing and control drills, but what if you can’t move your hips before starting your downswing? What if your wrists release too early because you can’t quite time them with your torso? These are areas where many golfers lose power or get frustrated with lessons and videos preaching something that they just can’t quite do consistently.
Hip/shoulders timing
Waist/torso timing
Wrist Strengthening
Strengthening
The hips and shoulders are the two joints where strengthening will pay off the best in the golf swing. If you have the timing down and have maxed out your range of motion to a comfortable level, then upping the strengthening is the final step to achieving your full swing potential. Below are a few isolated exercises than can be done to help with your timing and control training, and then a few higher-level multi-joint movements to increase your overall power.
Isolated strengthening
Compound Lifts
A sign that you need to start Physical Therapy
As with anything painful, it’s a sign that a part of your body cannot meet the demand of the movement. If you get pain during any of these phases, you need to see a physical therapist to make sure you aren’t causing further harm to an existing injury. If you have pain or want a more personalized plan to increase performance and avoid pain in your training, stop in for a free assessment at your local Athletico today.
*Per federal guidelines, beneficiaries of plans such as Medicare, Medicaid, Tricare, VHA and other federally funded plans are not eligible for free assessments.
The Athletico blog is an educational resource written by Athletico employees. Athletico bloggers are licensed professionals who abide by the code of ethics outlined by their respective professional associations. The content published in this blog is for informational purposes only, does not constitute medical advice and should not be relied on for making personal health decisions.
