Golf core fitness training is essential to give you maximum power in your swing. You are probably wondering what that core fitness is and how you get it. Well one thing you can be sure of, you don’t get it pumping iron or spending all your time on these machines in the gym.
What you need is what is known as ‘fitness for golf’ and you get that by practicing your golf swing. Massive muscles don’t make you swing better, and hours on the treadmill just let you walk round the golf course a bit faster. You only need to do that if you are driving farther, so concentrate on that more, and less on the walking. Improve your ability to swing that golf club round in a full arc and whack the ball down that fairway straight and long.
Build up Strength by Swinging the Club
Core fitness for golf refers to the strength and flexibility of the joints and muscles used when playing golf, and specifically when swinging the club. In order to build that up, what do think you should be doing? Swinging the club of course, or at least making the rotational swinging movement while you are training. Fitness for golf involves playing golf with a resistance. For example, swinging with a weighted club will improve your core strength. You will achieve the same thing by swinging with a dumbbell in your hands.
When you swing a golf club, the rotational movement you make involves several muscle groups moving in a way that they are not used to. Core golf fitness involves strengthening these muscle groups. You cannot do that by lifting weights or by any other exercise but moving them as they move when swinging the golf club. Even attaching some exercise tubing to a door and holding it while you swing will do the job. I am sure you can think of other ways to make a golf swing movement while holding something that resists that movement. Overcoming the resistance is what builds the strength.
Flexibility is an Essential Part of your Core Fitness
Flexibility is also important. Muscles move in two ways: they contract and they stretch. The faster they can contract the more power you have, and the farther they can stretch the more potential, or stored, energy they have. Much in the same way that an elastic band stores energy when stretched. As soon as you release it, that energy is released – have you ever used a catapult when you were a kid? You must have. You pull the rubber back and then release it. The stone or ball bearing soars out of it with a load of energy that is simply the energy you stored when you pulled it back.
Your muscles are the same. The more flexible they are, the more they can stretch. The more they can stretch the more energy they release. And, like elastic bands, the thicker they are, the more energy they can store. Build the core strength with the swing exercises and build your flexibility with flexibility exercises such as rotating your body holding a weight straight in front of you with your arms extended.
Twist round to the right as far as you can go, then to the left, and repeat several times. Do that every day and you will soon find you can hit that ball a good few yards farther. However, more that that, you feel better and have fewer aches and pains after your round. There are many of such flexibility exercises that you can combine with the rotational strength exercises to improve your core fitness.
A Professional Golf Trainer Could Help You Get Fit for Golf
If you work on your core golf fitness the correct way, even if you need the help of a professional golf trainer, it won’t be long before you are the envy of your foursome.
You will be showing these guys how good core fitness can add yards to your distance, and improve your driving accuracy. The exercises are easy to do, you don’t need a gym membership that you will use only once and you can carry them out at home or in the office. What better way to get fit for golf than that?
About the author: Mike Pedersen is recognized as one of the top golf trainers in the country. His best-selling fitness for golf dvds are helping golfers from all over the world. His just-released golf stretching book is worth a look! |
