What is a good golf specific workout program?

[jamo]

Jamo

 

This may create some imbalances in your golf swing by over developing them and leaving the rest of your muscles to stay the same. But try it and let us know how it goes.

 

Judging by your avatar I'm not going to doubt you, but if you do it right a medicine ball will work your arms, legs, and hips too.

[NGage]

Jamo

 

This may create some imbalances in your golf swing by over developing them and leaving the rest of your muscles to stay the same. But try it and let us know how it goes.

 

 

NGage,

 

I'm curious where did this fascination with core came from? I never understood why the emphasis on any one muscle group. You use the body as a whole and to single out any one muscle group (and at that such a small group of muscles like your abs that can get in shape so quickly with very little effort), never made sense to me.

Michael

 

Just a bit of a joke....but since you can't over-train your abs/obliques and with all the back issues that golf can lead to the core is essential, IMHO. Also I emphasized it, because so many people have a weak core that leads to other muscles taking over or working in the improper manner/sequences. And, IMHO, the main power sources for the swing are located from roughly your thighs to your chest.

 

 

And obviously flexibility is key too.

[Manavs]

Just a bit of a joke....but since you can't over-train your abs/obliques and with all the back issues that golf can lead to the core is essential, IMHO. Also I emphasized it, because so many people have a weak core that leads to other muscles taking over or working in the improper manner/sequences. And, IMHO, the main power sources for the swing are located from roughly your thighs to your chest.

 

 

And obviously flexibility is key too.

 

I totally get the joke part of it, but seriously i see way too many people stressing the importance of core, when ive never seen the need for more core work.

 

2 points specifically - you can definitely overtrain abs for sure. think about it, if you exercise any muscle group what is the end goal of it? to build it up. i dont know about you but i never wanted a bigger or wider waistline.

 

back when i competed, i only did 21 sets of abs a year, each year i competed, and that was 3 sets every other day during the last 2 weeks before a show. point being diet showed the abs, and they are such a small muscle group that they develop very quickly.

 

its actually an ongoing joke with my clientèle - when are we doing abs? lol..... yet all my clients have ripped crisp abs with a small waist making their lats look bigger

 

IMO the corner stone of a training program should be legs - i loved the line herb brooks would say - "legs feed the wolves"

[caddyjoe77]

IMO the corner stone of a training program should be legs - i loved the line herb brooks would say - "legs feed the wolves"

 

that is a great thing to hear out of a trainer. I noticed that the stronger my legs have become the stronger i get. The last time i was deployed, i did legs regularly...and when i did them i did them all out...once per week. I always noticed the next day that i had to double my protein intake and in the morningi could not stop eating until lunchtime. Also i slept like a champion when i did legs. Anyway, the point of this is to say that i agree completely, as soon as my squat came close to 3 bills, by chest and arms suddenly shot up too. Those are the biggest, most dense muscles in your body correct?

[Manavs]

that is a great thing to hear out of a trainer. I noticed that the stronger my legs have become the stronger i get. The last time i was deployed, i did legs regularly...and when i did them i did them all out...once per week. I always noticed the next day that i had to double my protein intake and in the morningi could not stop eating until lunchtime. Also i slept like a champion when i did legs. Anyway, the point of this is to say that i agree completely, as soon as my squat came close to 3 bills, by chest and arms suddenly shot up too. Those are the biggest, most dense muscles in your body correct?

 

Yes, followed by the back - anybody can have abs (arms and chest too), show me someone with legs and i'll show you someone who went beyond the pain barrier of forced reps to get them. they are the furthest from the heart so bloodflow is an issue. they carry the rest of you around your entire life so they have constant bombardment to some degree making the training requirement to grow them that much greater. and because of their mass the nerves are loud when they're hit.

 

ps - thanks for your service from a grateful American

[OlStick]

So over the past few years I didn't really take into consideration my fitness level. I realized back in November that my weight was getting out of hand...I was topping the scales at 230 lbs and for me that was unacceptable! I took matters into my own hands and since November I have lost 30 lbs to get back down to 200.

 

Now my goal is to tone up and work on my strength and flexibility. What I need is a good golf-specific workout that will help me gain more flexibility along with helping my tone the body up. I have no desire to ripped and huge...just cut and lean.

 

Anyone have any suggestions on where I should start??

 

Thanks in advance for the help!

Well, I did some serious research into strength vs. speed for golf and found that you need both to improve your swing pattern as well as your distance. I found a web site from Mike Pederson, a fitness trainer with a golf regimen -- http://www.performbettergolf.com. It has really changed my game for the better. I did not know he just put me on the page as an example, so this is NOT spam advertising. His program REALLY works. Since the pictures, I have lost 40 pounds of fat, increased my strength such that I move three times the weight I was at the pivture set time. HOWEVER, the range of motion I gained played more into my length than the strength. My ritation is now 96 degrees as of 8/24/2010.

 

I hope it works for you as much as it did for me. If you get the full series and really use it, I believe you will really like the results, both in yor game as well as your life.

[Manavs]

My ritation is now 96 degrees as of 8/24/2010.

 

Can you please explain what your 96 degrees is measuring?

 

thanks

[Sackgolf]

A good golf specific work out that I do is the following. First, let me give you my background: I'm 5'9" tall, 162 lbs, 43 years young, right handed golfer. I grew up playing soccer from age 5 thru college. I attribute alot of my talents to soccer. OK, that said, I stretch EVERYDAY. Sometimes for 30 minutes or longer or sometimes for 10 minutes depending upon my schedule. I am a big believer in stretching to become as flexible as possible. I usually stretch in the shower, touching my toes while the hot water hits my back. Being on the short side, I need to maintain my flexibility in order to generate a full turn and hit the ball as far as I can, without swinging out of my shoes. When I stretch for 30 or more minutes, I am very deliberate on how I stretch. I start by sitting on my mat indian style, legs crossed, then slowly move my torso around to the right and left, VERY IMPORTANT, do not twist quickly as you may pull something. After a few minutes, I turn a little further and hold the position for 10 seconds. I do this until I can fully turn and hold it for 30 seconds. Next I start stretching my legs, from calfs to thighs to quads and hammies. Legs are VERY important when it comes to the golf swing. I also stretch my arms and wrists and neck. When I'm done stretching, I start my workout. I workout with light weights making sure not to bulk up too much. I would rather tone than bulk, like your situation. I start with 10lb. dumbells and do 50 curls in each arm. While recovering from that I stretch by reaching down and touching my toes. After a few minutes, I work my triceps the same way. I do this over and over. Then it's sit up time. I usually do between 100-200 sit ups per session, starting with 25 to start moving to 50. In between these situps, I continue stretching. It's worked for me and hopefully it will help you some.

 

 

 

 

So over the past few years I didn't really take into consideration my fitness level. I realized back in November that my weight was getting out of hand...I was topping the scales at 230 lbs and for me that was unacceptable! I took matters into my own hands and since November I have lost 30 lbs to get back down to 200.

 

Now my goal is to tone up and work on my strength and flexibility. What I need is a good golf-specific workout that will help me gain more flexibility along with helping my tone the body up. I have no desire to ripped and huge...just cut and lean.

 

Anyone have any suggestions on where I should start??

 

Thanks in advance for the help!