You dont have to be at the peak of your physical fitness to enjoy golf. But if you want to play competitively or if your goal is to achieve the lowest score possible, then having a fit body helps greatly. The mistake that most golfers make when they hit the gym is build the wrong kind of muscles for golf. Dont fall into that trap! Instead, read on and find some low impact golf exercises that will have you feeling healthier and scoring better.
Low Impact Golf Exercises
Hip Internal Rotation - Sit on a chair with your knees pointed straight in front of you. Rotate your ankles outward keeping your knees and thighs pointed straight ahead.
Hip External Rotation - Same position. Now, cross the left ankle in front of the right and, keeping the thighs and knees pointed straight, hold for one second. Repeat, reversing ankles.
Hip Abduction - On your left side bend the left knee slightly and straighten your right. Raise your right leg straight up, keeping it in the plane of your body. Hold for one second and count to two as you lower the leg. Repeat on the other side.
Hamstring - Extend your left leg, knee straight on a low bench. Keep your back straight and chin up as you slowly reach toward the toes. Hold for two seconds, then repeat on your right leg.
Lower Back - Sit with head erect, shoulders squared on a low bench. Slowly turn to your left, to slightly less than maximum. Reach hands around as if reaching for a seat back. Remember to keep your feet nearly flat on the floor. Hold for two seconds, then repeat on right side.
Forearms - Extending your left arm straight out with the palm face-up, use your right hand to pull back the fingers of your left hand. Then turn your palm down and again use your right hand to gently pull back the fingers of your left. Hold each position for 10 to 20 seconds, then repeat, switching arms.
As the weeks progress and you feel yourself getting stronger, feel free to add some weights on your angles and wrists. They will help provide more resistance and a tougher workout.
Those are some golf exercises you can do to strengthen and tone your muscles to achieve better golf fitness. But whats also important is stretching and warming up before the game to avoid injury.
Stretching
Good putting requires relaxed concentration and a good drive strength and limber joints. So start your stretches by rotating all the 'golf' joints. This means your hands and fingers, wrists, elbows, shoulders, hips, knees and ankles. Once youre done with the minor parts of your body, loosen up the main area, your neck and spine, by rotating the head gently counter then clockwise. Remember, the following instructions are just general golf exercises you can use. Keep in mind of your age and fitness before trying out awkward angles and extensions.
Starting slowly, stretch yourself just less than the maximum possible. Hold each stretch for several seconds and repeat until you work smoothly out to the maximum extension.
Standing straight, stretch the arms straight up, rotate the forearms, then wrists, then flex the finger joints. Follow by rotating the entire arm, first one then the other then both together. Reverse directions and repeat.
With elbows bent and hands clasped above the head, use the right hand to pull the body right, followed by the left hand to pull the body left. That stretches those major muscles called the latissimus dorsi. (The long ones running from the shoulder blades down to the waist.)
Separate the feet to about shoulder width and bend side to side, front to back. Remember to keep pressure off the lower back, by keeping the angles shallow until you've achieved athletic golf fitness. |
