Core Exercises - Page 2

Just an update on my training program. I have been using the bands now for going on 3 weeks. The result has been very surprising,when I started playing again I could only hit my 4 iron 150 yds. Now a lot of that was probably my swing mechanics needing honing again but I had lost power and I have passed middle age in years recently. Knew I had issues when I could only hit the 5 iron 150 yds. This was a 170 yd club for me 3 years ago.

Anyway after formulating a few exercises went to the range today and was pinging 6 irons out beyond the 150 marker. The easy power was there where before I felt I was having to work really hard to maintain all my angles through the swing. Getting into position was easier and the acceleration through impact which used to pull me up through impact meant I stayed down longer. I still think there is more to come and coupled with daily practice my ballstriking is getting better fast.

I would recommend anyone on here who doesn't combine golf specific exercise with their technical training to do so.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jhwarren 


Congrats on the improvements. That's awesome.

What exercises are you doing with the bands?

I went on to youtube to see a range of exercises. There was some isometric exercises for 4 positions in the golf swing. Top of the swing hold for 10 seconds using roughly 60% of your strength. This took a little experimenting to find. Halfway down hold for 10 seconds,impact,and just past impact.

I also found a guy in canada with a whole bunch of videos under the name  Athletic Golf Training. I've mixed in some of his speed training and strength training. Stuff for the core mainly,one brilliant exercise is the pull punch drill with tubing. My lower back hurt like hell for the first couple of weeks, obviously wasn't strong enough. I had trouble in the transition from the top in my swing felt that's where it all went wrong for me on a bad swing.

Practice can groove a motion but I feel because of the training that my body can now do what I'm asking it to do. Including a warm-up and and main program I can do all my training in about 15mins. I do 5 days a week couple of days off depending on my schedule during the week.

Here's the link http://www.youtube.com/user/athleticgolftraining

I have tried these these recommended exercises and they're pretty useful for core strength. am going to try the resistance bands too.

  I own a chain of personal training studios in PA and Nj and we have alot of our golfers doing kettlebell exercises. The core is involved the whole time while working the other muscle groups. You can pick the ones that should be used for golf vs. the ones that are overall fitness although all will help. On my site we have a blog segment, scroll through past artiles and you will see the kettlebell link.  Here is our site http://www.vtrainersinc.com

  Also remember that the rectus abdominis, or the abs in the front of the body do very little in a golf swing. They help to stabilize the body during the swing, but do nothing in terms of force generation. For that stick to transverse ab movements and obliques ( the twisting core muscles).

Yes, obliques should be a part of one's routine for golf.  I'm not sure how best to work them other than just holding a free weight in one hand and bending sideways.  Is there something better than that?

I'm finding that using free weights has greatly increased my wrist and forearm strength as a kind of secondary effect.  This seems to have reduced my tendency to overswing and to break down at the top (including regripping) - a very serious problem of course.

Obliques do the following movements

Lateral Flexion (standing upright, tilting your upper body to oneside or the other)

Spine Rotation (if your sitting down, with out moving your legs, rotate your body around your spine)

Flexion (The standard crunch motion)

Obliques work more in the first two, but since they run diagonally across the midsection, there motion is in bending forward and backward, and side to side, as well as rotation because they wrap around our core which is elliptical. 

So basically to work out these muscles you must move in how they move with resistance

Lateral Flexion - Side Bend, Side Plank

Spine Rotation - Russian Twist, Mountain Climbers (right knee to left elbow, and vice versa)

Flexion - Crunch, Plank, sit-ups

For me, i like to do Russian Twists with a 30lb weight, 20 times each side. I also use the cable, were i will put the pulley at navel height, keeping my arms extended from my body, taking an athletic stance, i will rotate my core. 

Ouch those cable moves VJ does in the link above are brutal, he really goes at it. The machine I have at home only has cable attachments from just above head level and at the feet so I can't do all of them unless I go to the gym but I have been doing similar stuff. Doesn't take much resistance to tear me up pretty good. For the middle moves I just twist with a medicine ball. I don't do any of it on a day I am going to play, makes my swing too stiff.

I love to just do situps till failure on a decline bench, another good one is get an tricep rope and attach it to the bottom of a cable machine and do weighted situps on an exercise ball.  

Great thread.  Congrats on sticking with your routine.  Not sure if you are doing this or if its been mentioned, but with every workout routine you should also incorporate STRETCHING.  There are simple back stretches, arm/shoulder joint stretches, wrist stretches, hip flexor stretches, hamstring, etc. all of which will improve your flexibilty.  The end result is a making easier turns back and through the golf swing.  When you build muscle, they tend to tighten.  I always end my workouts with stretching.

Also, be sure to check out the Titleist Performance Institute website.  They have a series of golf swing specific exercises and stretching routines.