Prepping your golf muscles and priming your body will benefit your golf game. It is essential to learn the proper golf techniques, but if the strength of your muscles doesn’t match up, technique won’t help. You need to align your mind and body and make the most of your potential.
Golf and fitness share a synergistic relationship, as golf practice can improve fitness, and a fit body will enhance golf performance. However, to make the most of this link, you must maintain good form while playing and use targeted exercises that will help improve performance. Read on to learn more about getting your body golf-ready.
Improve Endurance with Cardio
Golf requires tremendous stamina, even though to outsiders (non-players), it may not be so obvious. Increase your blood circulation and cardiovascular endurance through low-impact exercises like swimming and biking. Pounding the pavement might not be a good idea if you play lots of golf, as it can lead to chronic injuries. Doing low-impact cardio for about half an hour three to five times a week is advisable.
Boost Your Fitness and Performance with Strength Training
Strength training leads to stronger muscles and more power. If you strength train regularly, your body can recruit muscle fibers more efficiently to increase the force generated by muscles exponentially. You will need muscular endurance for consistency from the first to the 18th hole. You can build this endurance by challenging your muscular system with resistance training. Strength training exercises like dumbbell forward lunge with rotation, dumbbell push-up renegade row, barbell squat, and deadlift are recommended for golfers. You can complement your efforts with a supplement for muscle growth.
Work on Increasing Your Mobility and Flexibility
Work on increasing your flexibility and mobility to improve your swing and lower your scores.
By training to increase your flexibility, you can fine-tune your positioning, motion, and intensity of muscle activation. Flexibility training will also help correct muscle imbalances. Practice dynamic stretching that targets the golf swing muscles. You could consider opting for a yoga class specifically designed for golfers.
For every golfer, it is essential to have mobility in the shoulders, mid-back, and hips. According to a study, the first portion of a downswing relies heavily on hip rotation and the second half on the lumbar spine. Hip rotation restrictions can overstress the lumbar spine. When you have better hip mobility, there will be less pressure on your lower back. To reduce the risk of injuries, it is advisable to include mobility drills in a pre-game workout. Adidas and fitness expert Andrew Hannon recommend mobility exercises like side-lying thoracic rotations and adductor reaches.
Play Better for Longer
Even the most expensive lessons and the latest equipment won’t improve your performance unless you train your body. Lack of training or insufficient training will lead to aching muscles and persistent injuries. No prior preparation will prove bad for your body and your performance in the sport. Tone your body and hone your skills off the golf course, and you will see better results on the course.