Work Out Routine (Exercise for Golf)

[TinCupTampa]

That study may or may not be true (too many intangibles that werent answered)... but... it will definately help warm up your muscles. I have a weight that I use purely for that reason. I also slide it up close to the grip and warm up that way. I never could draw the ball until I bought it. It helps teach me to turn my wrists over at the proper point in the swing.

[Surefire]

Going to the gym definately helps. Theres no one thing I would say do though, you need to work on flexibility, balance and strength. They are all equally important.

I also have deep tissue massage done at least weekly, I find it has a great effect on flexibility, and helps me avoid injury.

[NeedATeeTime]

Just a heads-up: Weighted clubs (doughnuts, etc.) are actually bad for your swing. The extra weight messes up the timing of your swing.

There's always a critic...

I use the doughnut as I said, when I had to wait a long time on the tee to loosen up shoulder muscles and stretch. I never use it during a swing motion. And even if I did, it would only be for 3 or 4 swings. Then several swings without the doughnut to regain rhythem. This is not brain surgery here. If a person is asking about exercises for golf then one can assume that they are fairly new to the game. Using a weighted doughnut is the least of their worries.

[Harry Longshanks]

There's always a critic...

A critic with testing to back up his opinion.

[NeedATeeTime]

One would think that a visit to a golf board would not deterioriate into who knows what and how they know it.

Sorry I stepped on your ego.

[DJYoshi]

There's always a critic...

umm the op's an 8 handicap. i know people that have played for years and don't exercise or do golf-specific exercises. i've been in it for almost 2 years and i do golf specific exercises at the gym during 1 of my 4 sessions in the week.

[Harry Longshanks]

One would think that a visit to a golf board would not deterioriate into who knows what and how they know it.

My ego is not the problem. Your attitude is.

I politely (i.e., "Just a heads-up") provided some (what I thought was) valuable information that might, or might not, make someone want to reconsider their routine. And you responded with a smart-ass remark. Next time, try a " Thanks for the info, I'll check it out. " or a " Hmmm, that's interesting, * but it never seemed to mess with my timing. Here's what I do. " Notice how the suggested responses are polite and still add another perspective to the discussion instead of lowering it to the level of a personal attack? Take a cue from what TinCupTampa posted on the subject - he managed to state his (contrary) opinion quite articulately and without being an arse. As for future comments directed at me, don't bother. I've already added you to my ignore list. Technology is a wonderful thing. *not that you actually took the time to watch the video I posted. . . . . And Julie, my apologies for the direction this thread took. I hope you were/are able to get the information you needed. I really do think mytpi and "Golf Fitness Academy" have some interesting stuff that may be what you are looking for. In particular, there was a "Golf Fitness Academy" episode with Laura Diaz that had a number of simple exercises. It may be archived on mytpi in the video section. . . .

[julie_m]

One would think that a visit to a golf board would not deterioriate into who knows what and how they know it.

"Golf" and "ego?" I've never heard those two words in the same sentence!

[NeedATeeTime]

My ego is not the problem. Your attitude is.

Wow! Time to come down on the new guy, huh? Your little club here isn't so attractive afer all.

My response was to you Longshanks. And if you felt the advice I gave was in error then let's have those stats you talked about. Getting up on your high horse about this is just silly. My attitude is just fine. I'm not in the habbit of casually correcting individuals unless I can back up my claims. But " Thanks for the info, I'll check it out. " "That's interesting."

[joshtpa]

Wow! Time to come down on the new guy, huh? Your little club here isn't so attractive afer all.

Actually, it has nothing to do with you being a "new guy". It has more to do with your little sarcastic remarks like "THERES ALWAYS A CRITIC". This board is full of great people and great information and when threads deteriorate into nonsense like this, it leads to absolutely nothing. If thats the way you do it (weight), fine. But if you search on this board, and google, you will see what Mr Longshanks was speaking about. He did it in a straight forward and rather mundane manner. And he apologized to the OP. You then decided to take it to the next level and get into a war of words with something that is not even on topic. Let it go and we can get back to our regularly scheduled programming.

[mruseless]

I'm 40 and in fairly good shape, but there were 3 things I did that really helped my game.
1. core stability exercises.
2. rotator cuff exercises (I did these because I have some shoulder pain)
3. lots and lots of stretching, especially torso stretches.

I have greatly increased the range of motion in my swing, and its helped me gain distance and consistency.

[Octuple Bogey]

Never intended to do a specific exercise for golf. It might sound rather nuerotic but I've been doing a set of over 200 consecutive standard push-ups on at least a semi-daily basis for the last five years. I can't help but think it has somehow had an effect on my golf game. I seem to hit the ball substantially farther now than I did ten years ago -- enough that I hit my three iron at least as far on average as I used to hit my driver. I don't think arm strength really has as much an effect on driving distance as people think it does, but maintaining the push-up position does work the core muscles and those are the muscles that I've heard not only generate power in the swing but help maintain stability and control. I've also heard that good strength actually helps players develop a better sense of distance control in the short game shots, i.e. pitching and chipping.

Until about five years ago I never broke 80 on a standard par 72 and since then I've done it many times and I generally have driven the ball off of the tee on most holes with a three-iron and I rarely, if ever go to the driving range anymore. I've played the game for 18 years and I used to spend every summer hitting hundreds of balls at the range in a week and spending countless hours on the practice green as well as reading about swing tips and mechanics all of the time. I scoff at most swing tips now, preferring to go by feel and intuition alone. I still like to practice putting and the short game. Yet my game has flourished in the last five years. I can't help but think that this form of exercise has somehow been very beneficial to my game. But I suppose it's not for everybody because it is a lot of hard work and it may take months to build up the endurance to do that many in one set.

[Augusta Hacker]

I know for me, I have spent the 7 months on a mission to lose some weight and "tone" up a little. By getting into better shape my golf game has improved. The one thing I have noticed the most, I am able to be more consistent over the entire 18 rather than getting "lazy" on the back 9 and having a decent round go to pot. But, I have had some bad back problems and surgeries to overcome as well.

With that said, I have noticed by strengthening my core and legs, I am much more consistent with my swing....and with consistency comes scoring and more distance.

[julie_m]

Harry - I AM getting the info I need, and bunches of it! Thanks for your concern. I'll have to watch the show if I can figure out when it's on.

Octuple - 200 push ups? DAMN! You go!

Augusta - You have the best icon I've seen on here. Is that your dog? Mine is a Pug. Hurray snub-nosed breeds!

Everyone - What do you think about "directional training?" That's what my pro suggested when I asked him last night. Is there a way to do this without a machine? Maybe a cheap device?

[biscuity]

I watched that video about swinging a heavier club. Inetersting information, but I'm skeptical. Although it seemed like they tried to do it scientifically, either their sample data was too small or something else was wrong. To do the test properly you would have to use several players, do the same test on different days and compile a lot of data.

A couple of points. First, almost all pro baseball players still use heavy bats to warm up. If weighted bats are as negative as the video claims then the coaches and trainers would not allow them.

Second, for a pro golfer to consistently lose 30 yards by swinging a few times with a weighted clubs is difficult for me to believe. That is a huge difference, much too big to be justified by a few swings with a weighted club.

I can't imagine why the video was so skewed, but I think something was seriously wrong.

Back to the question ... I do 20 crunches a few times a day. It builds up my stomach and back, core strength. I think Gary Player used to do 1000 a day? Even if it doesn't improve my golf game it has eliminated sore necks and sore backs for me. I also mix in push-ups for arm strength. And I always walk the course if I can.

[MtGolfer]

One of the best things I've found for golf and general fitness is a good yoga class. You get core strength, balance, and flexibility. Not to speak of breathing control and a more relaxed mindset.

[Nick88]

Ive just joined my local gym again and ive been thinking of doing flexibility and strength training!

I was just wondering what you guys work on most and what weights etc as i feel it could improve my overall game?!


Thanks guys!

[AmenCorner]

www.crossfit.com

This is an entire form of exercise that is simply characterized by one thing. The one thing being broad based exercises as opposed to very specific isolation. The philosophy is, do practical movements (push-ups, sit-ups, pull-ups, etc...) that you would use in everyday life/exercise instead of getting on a machine that tends to isolate.

I'm a big believer in cross fit. You will get a lot of exercises that hit your core muscles among other things. This training is used by a number of special forces and is designed to mimic the regimen of gymnasts, who are generally considered to be the fittest athletes on the planet.