Strength Training For Golf

from StrengthFit.com

Strength training has changed the nature of golf. It is no longer just a game of skill and finesse, but also of strength. Tiger Woods has revolutionized golf with his combined skill and strength. Over a year of weight training Woods added 20 pounds of muscle to his lean muscular frame. With this added muscle he had raised the level of golf to the point where par-5s are obsolete.

Strength training in the form of athletic-type lifting can do the following:

1) increase driving distance by adding power of your swing
2) provide greater control and consistency in all aspects of your game
3) provide for greater stamina for playing the final 9 holes
(Strong muscles are more fatigue resistant then weak ones.)
4) Develop mind/body coordination for executing complex golf skills
as required for playing championship golf.

Click here for the results a of study entitled Effects of Strength and Flexibility Training on Golf Performance

Torso rotational power. A mechanical analysis of the driving swing shows that torso rotational power is generated by the bodys power zone, which is comprised of the large muscle groups of the thighs, hips, buttocks, lower back, and abdominals. It stands to reason that your strength training should focus on developing the power zone utilizing athletic-type lifts. Strengthen the power zone and youll increase your driving distance and overall control in all other facets of your game from tee to green. Bodybuilding and machine training are very limited in their ability to optimize dynamic strength in the power zone.

Athletic-type lifting - power snatch, power clean, high pull, push press, and front and back parallel squat - optimize dynamic strength through a full-range of multi-body joint movement. It develops explosive-reactive-ballistic power as required for long-ball driving. Athletic-type lifting develops mind/body coordination as required for executing high complex golf skills. Skills that change from one club to another and one lie to another.

Trunk rotational forces. The key to a powerful swing lies in the trunk rotational forces that can be generated in the bodys power zone. In analyzing the swing for driving, a summation of forces is involved starting with the large muscles groups of the thighs and buttocks, hips and lower back, abdominals, then flowing to smaller muscle groups of the upper back, shoulder, and finally ending with the forearms (See illustration). Athletic-type lifts are the core exercises most conducive to maximizing trunk rotational forces and developing a strong lower back that in the long-term stand up to the stress of long-ball driving.

The primary purpose of athletic-type lifting is to make you a better golfer/athlete, not a bodybuilder or competitive weightlifter.

Click here for for Strength Training for Golf (video) by Wayne Westcott Easy-to-understand explanation of strength training for golf. Covers basic principles, resistance exercise recommendations, total package design and more. 1999, 47 Minutes

Click here for The Fitness Approach to Power Golf: How to Build Strength, Increase Flexibility, and Improve Your Swing by Making Your Body Part of Your Equipment

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