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Golf Fitness
Article 1: Four Simple Exercises to Improve Your Golf Game
Some golfers believe that muscle-strengthening exercises, particularly weight lifting,
will hurt their golf game. That's a myth; you should train as the Pros do. Pros recognize
that a stronger and more flexible body will help keep their scores down.
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Perform each exercise in three sets of 10 repetitions each, at least three times a week.
Gradually work up to three sets of 15 repetitions. Hold each exercise for 2 seconds.
Once the exercises become easy, add resistance by shortening the tubing or doubling it over.
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Stretch the rubber tubing with a slow, steady motion, and release the tubing with a similar motion.
Always keep tension in the tubing.
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Figure 1:
Wrist strength is very important during the impact
phase of the golf swing. To strengthen wrist rotation,
sit in a chair with the rubber tubing under your left
foot and running alond the insure of your left leg.
Hold the tubing in a fist with your thumb facing up
as shown. SLowly turn your hand and wrist until
your palm is facing upward, then slowly return to
the starting position. Then, with the tubing along the outside
of of your leg and your hand in the same thumb-up position, turn
your hand and write until the palm faces down (not shown).
Repeat with your right arm.
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Figure 2:
To build strength for bending your wrist, stand on one end of the tubing and
grasp the other end with your thumb pointing down as shown. Bend your wrist up
toward your thumb, then back to the starting point. Next, bend your wrist back
toward the little finger as shown. Repeat with the other wrist.
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Figure 3:
Stength in rotating the upper arms in either direction is important throughout
the golf swing. Tie the ends of the tubing to a solid object at about waist height
(like the knob of a closed door). Grasp the middle of the tubing with your elbow
firmly at your side and bent 90 deg across your body. Keeping your upper
arm at your side, slowly rotate your arm away from your boday. While still holding
the tubing, turn to face the opposite direction and bring your arm in across your
body (not shown). Repeat with the other arm.
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Figure 4:
To improve form and strength in your golf swing, keep the tubing secured as in
figure 3. Then loop the tubing around a golf club just below the grip. Begin
with the club parallel to the ground (about a half backswing), and slowly
swign while concentrating on using your abdominal and back muscles.
Hold for 2 seconds at follow-through.
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THE BOTTOM LINE
Stronger, more flexible, muscles translate into longer shots, improved endurance, and a lower score.
Reference: THE PHYSICIAN AND SPORTSMEDICINE - VOL 24 - NO. 4 - APRIL 96
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