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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 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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