The King
For many years, lifting weights was taboo for professional golfers. The idea was that big muscles would have a negative impact on your swing, and throw off your rhythm and timing.
So, most tour players back in the day might do a little bit of light weight lifting, or just some pushups and situps.
Gary Player was probably the most fanatical about his fitness among the tour pros back in the 1970s and earlier.
Still, it was clear that many of these golfers still maintained decent condition. Just look at that pic of Arnold Palmer and you can see he was pretty fit, with broad shoulders and strong arms.
The first PGA Tour golfer that I remember who embraced real strength training was Keith Clearwater, who won his only two events on tour in his rookie season back in 1987.
The second tour player I remember to start hitting the weights was Bill Glasson, who had a somewhat better career than Clearwater, but suffered from quite a few injuries during his career.
It wasn’t really until Tiger Woods added a bunch of muscle when he was at the very top of the sport did anyone start to think much differently about hitting the gym.
Photo courtesy of Belfast Telegraph
Now we have players like Rory McIlroy, Brooks Koepka and Dustin Johnson, along with Tiger, training like other professional athletes. And now Bryson DeChambeau has taken it to another level completely.
At first I was a bit skeptical when Rory started hitting the gym and had some back issues.
I never felt Tiger’s back issues were a result of his weight training, but more about a particular swing change he started to make in 2010.
But, Rory seemed to struggle with his game a bit for a few years, so I was a bit skeptical.
That’s no longer the case. I now believe that EVERY golfer should add weight lifting to their fitness regimen…with one caveat.
I don’t think you want to be built like a NFL linebacker. I have yet to see someone with that type of build who plays good golf.
With that said, you can definitely train hard like Tiger, Rory and Brooks, and play at an elite level.
If they have embraced this type of fitness, so should you.
A strength training program for golfers
In a previous post I’ve discussed the key muscles used in the golf swing.
Here are some key exercises for training those muscle groups…
- Bench press
- Seated Dumbbell Press
- Lat Pulldown
- Dead lift
- Bulgarian Split Squats
These are just a few included in the program, which also includes a routine specifically for the core.
Single Progressive System
If you are absolute newbie to strength training, you may want to start with this single progressive system. Admittedly, my Golf Fitness Program is far more detailed and a bit tougher than this, but it will get you great results more quickly.
With this very basic single progressive system you perform a single set of each exercise. On Day 1, you perform six reps at a weight that is comfortable… not too light, not too heavy.
You then rest for a day, and then on Day 2, you perform seven reps at the same weight you started with on Day 1.
You rest for a day, and then on Day 3, you perform eight reps.
You then take two days off, and start again, building up to 12 reps for each exercise. Once you’ve performed 12 reps for each exercise, you add weight, and drop back down to six reps the next day you train.
In general, you would want to add about 10 pounds for lifts such as bench press, squats and deadlifts, and maybe just five pounds for the other exercises.
A typical week would involve working out on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, with days off in between, and the weekend off.
I generally recommend this weight lifting program if you are an absolute beginner and just want to test the waters a bit.
From there, you can move on to a more intense routine.
How to perform some of the basic exercises
With each exercise, form is critical. What I recommend is a two-count, one-count system, where you lower the bar, or body (depending on the exercise) for a count of two, then perform the exertion for a count of one.
Bench Press
The bench press is an excellent upper body exercise that engages the pectoral muscles, front of shoulders and the triceps. It is an essential exercise for any beginner weight lifting program.
You’ll want to grab the bar at a little bit wider than shoulder width.
The exercise starts with the arms extended above your chest. You lower the bar on a count of two until the bar touches your chest, then push the bar up on a count of one. Repeat.
As you begin to add more weight, be careful not to get into the habit of bouncing the bar off your chest. That creates momentum that carries into the difficult part of the exercise, which defeats the purpose.
Barbell Overhead Press
The barbell overhead press is another excellent upper body exercise. This one targets the shoulders, upper back and triceps.
You’ll want to grab the bar about shoulder width, palms facing out. Stand with your feet a little wider than shoulder width for stability.
The starting position is with the bar resting lightly on the front of your shoulders.
You then push the bar straight over head until the arms are straight. Your elbows will finish about in line with your ears.
Lower the bar to a count of two to the starting position, then repeat.
For older golfers, I recommend the seated dumbbell press as a replacement for this exercise, which can put a little pressure on the low back.
Bent Over Row
The bent over row targets the muscles in the middle to upper back, and the biceps and forearms also get some work as well.
The starting position is with the feet a little wider than shoulder width for stability. You bend over at the hips until the upper body is parallel to the floor.
The knees are bent somewhat, and the arms are hanging below the shoulders as you are holding the bar.
Pull the bar up to the chest on a count of one, then lower the bar to a count of two.
As a replacement exercise, I prefer the seated cable row.
Barbell Curl
The barbell curl is included here since the only compound exercise above that hits the biceps is the bent over row.
The barbell curl works the biceps and the forearms.
The starting position is with the hands holding the bar about shoulder width apart, palms facing away from the body, and the bar hanging down in front of the hips.
On a count of one, curl the bar up to your chest with your biceps and forearms doing the work. Then lower the bar again at a count of two. Repeat.
That’s it for the upper body exercises. Now lets have a look at the lower body exercises.
Dead Lift
The dead lift may be the most important exercise you can perform.
It is a total body exercise that hits the quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, lower back, forearms, shoulders and upper back.
With that said, form is crucial with this exercise, since injuries can easily occur if performed incorrectly.
The starting position is with the barbell on the floor. You want to squat down and grab the bar a little wider than shoulder width, and with the feet right about shoulder width, toes pointed forward.
You grab the bar with an overhand grip. Your back should be straight and your chest up.
With this lift, I recommend doing the lifting part more slowly than the upper body exercises.
Slowly begin to lift the bar from the floor, using only your legs and hips. The barbell should be brushing your shins as you are rising up.
The finish position is with the legs complete straight and the hips slightly pushed forward, as seen in the photo.
Barbell Squat
The barbell squat is another excellent strength building exercise that engages multiple muscle groups.
The main target of the exercise is the quadriceps, but the glutes, hamstrings and lower back will also get considerable work in this exercise.
The squat is a complicated exercise, and it can put significant stress on the back if performed incorrectly.
I have found that the traditional method of performing the squat, with eyes forward and chest up, puts too much stress on my lower back, where I have an issue.
The methodology I found in this video has worked better for me, and I believe it will be more helpful to beginner lifters as well. Now, however, I do Bulgarian Split Squats to target the thighs and glutes.
Barbell Calf Raises
The calves are a difficult muscle for many people to do develop if they do not perform other workouts, such as jogging or plyometrics.
The basic lift used for developing the calf muscles is the barbell toe raise.
It can be performed simply by standing tall with a barbell resting on your shoulders behind your neck. You then simply stand up on your toes, then lower the heels back down to the floor.
To get a greater range of motion, you can start with your toes and balls of your feet resting on a board, heels on the floor. You then rise up on your toes from that starting position, then lower the heels back down to the floor.
This exercise will work the calves and achilles tendon.
Straight Leg Dead Lift
The last exercise is the straight leg dead lift.
This exercise is somewhat similar to the standard dead lift, except you will use a much lighter weight, as the exercise is performed with the legs straight the entire time.
This exercise targets the middle hamstrings, glutes and lower back.
I recommend performing the reps slowly in both directions. This is not an exercise that is focused on pure strength, as it targets smaller muscles that are critical for overall stability and mobility.
Final Thoughts
Now you have a pretty solid strength training program that will not only improve your overall fitness, but will also help with preventing injury.
The golf swing can be pretty tough on the body, and these exercises will not only help you build muscle, but will also help improve your overall mobility and make you more durable.
Again, if you are interested in a more complete Golf Fitness Program, check out my Complete Program.
Also, if you prefer to workout at home, rather than head to the gym, here are some pieces of equipment I recommend.
Now get to work!
