Over the last twenty years or so, numerous personal trainers have entered the golf fitness industry.
Because golf is a difficult game, personal trainers have entered the industry with the idea that you can improve your swing by performing a variety of exercises that mimic the golf swing in one way or another.
Unfortunately, that is hot garbage. Golf specific exercises will not improve your golf swing.
Some exercises WILL increase you ability to create a greater range of motion. However, you must still go to the driving range to improve your swing.
The best way to improve your ability to hit a golf ball further is to increase your overall strength. This was discussed previously in the 2 Factor Approach to Golf Performance.
The best exercises to increase your strength
The best way to improve your overall strength is to incorporate exercises that involve compound movements that can be loaded with heavy weight.
There are four basic barbell exercises that fulfill this prescription… the squat, deadlift, bench press and overhead press.
One more exercise that should also be included in any legitimate strength training program is the chin up.
Let’s take a look at each of these exercises.
Barbell Squat
Low Bar Squat
The squat incorporates the quadriceps, hamstrings, calves, lower back and core. In fact, the squat incorporates more muscle mass than any other exercise.
As a result, it is THE foundational exercise of any legitimate strength training program.
The squat done properly is more of a hip exercise, than just a quad exercise. Thus, it is of particular benefit to golfers, given how the hips are so involved in the golf swing.
When properly trained, the squat can actually drive the performance of the other lifts. A heavy squat sends a strong signal to the central nervous system that the body needs to adapt in order to handle the stress placed on the body.
Unfortunately, this is also why most gym goers avoid the squat. As weight increases on the bar, it gets hard.
It is also a technical exercise, and many things can go wrong. Therefore, it is a good idea to get coaching.
Deadlift
While the squat is the king of all strength training exercises, the deadlift is not far behind.
In fact, for golfers, the deadlift may just be the most important exercise you can train.
The deadlift works the calves, hamstrings, quads, glutes, lower back, core, lats, shoulders and forearms. All of these muscle groups are critical to the golf swing.
It is also the exercise that you can lift the most weight with. The world record for a deadlift is now over 1,100 pounds!
Similar to the squat, as weight is added to the bar, it gets hard. Therefore, many trainees avoid the deadlift in search of easier exercises.
Don’t be one of those people!
Bench Press
While we typically don’t see many golfers with massive pects, at one time Tiger Woods could bench press 300 pounds. And, it’s clear that many long drive competitors can bench heavy weight as well.
The bench press is another compound exercise that works multiple muscle groups, and it is the one upper body lift in which you can lift the most weight.
It is also the upper body exercise that allows you to move the most weight.
The bench press works the muscles of the chest, front of shoulder, upper back, triceps, and forearms.
Overhead Press
The shoulders are clearly engaged in the golf swing, and nothing works the shoulders better than the overhead barbell press.
Do you think Tiger Woods got those shoulders from doing lateral raises with 20 pound dumbbells?
Not only does it work the shoulders, it hits the upper and lower back along with the triceps. You also get some work in the core, glutes, hamstrings and calves to provide stability.
This may be the most difficult exercise of the four barbell exercises listed here, due to the length of the kinetic chain involved… you are standing up right and pressing the bar overhead, so the entire body is involved.
Chin ups
Last, but not least, is the bodyweight chin up.
Unfortunately, most people can’t do one chin up, so they may have to progress to the chin up through other exercises such as lat pulldowns or bodyweight rows.
Ultimately, you’ll want to be able to do chin ups, as they are another great compound exercise that hits the lats, upper back, biceps, forearms and core.
Again, these are all key muscle groups used in the golf swing.
For me, my elbows don’t particularly like chin ups. I still do them about once per week, but you can easily swap out this exercise in favor of lat pulldowns.
You can also change your grip on the lat pulldowns to mimic chin ups and pullups, widen or narrow your grip, or change the angle how you sit to hit the lats from different angles.
Final Thoughts – The best strength exercises for golfers
There you have it… the best exercises for building overall strength.
One of the major frustrations I have with the golf fitness world is the introduction of so many other exercises, particularly those performed with resistance bands, cables and stability balls.
Yes, if you are completely untrained, you will get a little stronger with those exercises.
However, if you are not already reasonably strong, these exercises will do little to help you hit the ball much further.
The fastest way to get strong is by performing these basic compound movements with proper programming.
Thanks for reading!
