What Most Golfers are Missing in their Workouts!

Over the last five years we are continuing to see a trend in golfers getting into the gym to improve their games. This is no longer a "hack" that can be used to get ahead of your competitors, but is part of the entire process of playing at the highest level. And if you're not already working out consistently, you are going to get left behind.

But when it comes to the type of workouts for golfers to perform, there is not an overall consensus on what is the best (and I don't think there ever will be). In reality there is not a "magic" workout that will be best for everyone, but going through an assessment with a professional can help guide you in the proper direction for what areas you may need to focus on.

But one area that I commonly see being overlooked, especially at the club golfer level is POWER! And when we are talking about power the formula we use is Force X Velocity = Power.  A common misconception is just grabbing the Stack or Speed Sticks and calling that your power training. When that is actually something else entirely on its' own - overspeed training. Albeit it is still important, but not working on power production.

Now, some of you all may be thinking you are working on power exercises, but if the weight is too heavy where you can't move it quickly or it's too light where you are underloaded you might actually not be improving your power production (hints the formula that we mentioned above!).

When you are working on power exercises, I always tell people to chose a weight that is moderately heavy but you can still move quickly.

Power exercises can vary from medicine ball slams, throws, jumps, and even some olympic lifts.

For my juniors, when they are doing medicine ball slams or throws this will generally be in the 6-8 lb range. And if they are a little younger, we may even move down to a 4 lb ball so that they can still complete the movement with good form and at an appropriate speed.

For my adults, this will generally be in the 8-10 lb range. When I see a weight being used that is heavier than that during these movements, the player usually slows down too much for the desired effects. Remember, the key here is the combination of force and velocity, not strength. So using that heavier ball is not necessary for our desired effects here.

Now when it comes to using olympic lifting for power, we will obviously be using more weight than just 10 lbs. But again the key is to choose a weight where the movement can be explosive. When we are looking to build strength, we will go heavier and slower with the movements.

When it comes to sets and repetitions for power, in my practice we generally stay around 4 sets of 5 repetitions. This keeps our overall load down and allows my players to use max effort during each rep. Ideally, we would like a few minutes of rest between exercises as well as sets to allow for our body to have some recovery. If you are working out on your own, this is easier to control, but in group or public settings where items are shared this can be more tricky.

When it comes to training, I like utilizing the small group setting, especially for my Juniors. What I have seen in this setting, is an increase in competition where each athlete wil push themselves with weight and effort to try and top their friends. I have even seen this some in my adult group that has some high level amateur/club players.

And one last thing I want to leave you with is this. Although we are working on power production for the golf swing, these gym exercises do not have to necessarily mimic the swing (although some will get closer to that motion).

The next article that is coming out will address this more specifically, but our goal with power exercises in the gym is to improve your overall "horse-power" as well as work on some feels from how you can push against the ground more to increase speed.

That is one that you won't want to miss!

If you have any specific questions please reach out! I will be happy to help!