Strength Training for Golfers: Swing Into Shape With These Exercises & Training Program

It wasn’t long ago that strength training was strongly discouraged for golfers. Golfers assumed that it would make them too bulky, robbing them of their flexibility and impeding their technique. But then, a new generation of pro golfers emerged in the 90s. With Swedish powerhouse Annika Sorenstam at the helm, they proved that each of those assumptions was false and that strength training will make you a more powerful, agile, and efficient golfer. Today, strength training is recognized as essential for golfers to perform at their best.

In this article, we’ll delve into the benefits of strength training for golfers. We’ll then lay out a complete strength training program that you can use to improve your driving distance and swing speed.

Benefits of Strength Training for Golfers

Strength training has had to prove itself to athletes over the last few decades. The few pioneer golfers, led by Tiger, who included weight training as part of their off-the-course training, quickly changed perceptions. Rather than slowing them down and making them bulky, strength training made them stronger, more agile, and faster. Strength training can help you become a better golfer in three key ways:

More Power

The main muscles used in the golf swing — the glutes, hamstrings, core, and lats — are all made stronger with strength training. Golfers who have stronger muscles can make their swing more powerful and swift.

Strength training can also help build muscle endurance, which enables golfers to maintain proper swing mechanics and produce more power during a round. Long rounds or multi-day competitions rely on muscle endurance.

Strength training can help the muscles engaged in the golf swing to have better neuromuscular synchronization. The swing’s power and precision may increase due to better overall movement patterns and more effective muscle activation. [1][2]

Symmetrical Development

Several golfers have one side of the body that is stronger than the other. This can lead to strength and flexibility imbalances that negatively impact their swing technique. You can correct these imbalances with strength training exercises that work both sides of the body. 

Another benefit of improving muscle balance is that it lowers your injury risk. Doing unilateral strength training, where you work each limb separately, is the best way to ensure symmetrical development. 

Improved Balance and Stability

Stability when swinging a golf club relies heavily on the core muscles. Targeted strength exercises can increase the strength and flexibility of the abs, obliques, and erector spinae.

Strength training workouts will also improve joint stability. The more stable your joints are, the less likely you are to injure yourself on the golf course. Doing exercises that target the muscles surrounding the hip and shoulder joints is the best way to improve joint stability. [3]

Strength Training Principles for Golfers

Combining smart work with hard work is the key to improving your golf performance through strength training. Too many people go to the gym without a plan, throw a few weights around and then wonder why they’re not improving. Here are three principles that should lay the foundation for your strength training golf workouts.

Progression

If a muscle is accustomed to using the same resistance level, it will not grow after a particular point. 

It’s only when you introduce a level of resistance that the muscle isn’t used to that gains occur. This is consistent with the general adaptation syndrome, or GAS. 

Dr. Hans Seyle, a medical researcher, developed GAS in the 1930s. He distinguished three phases that the body goes through under a stressful situation:

• Alarm
• Resistance
• Exhaustion

During resistance training, you force a muscle to do some work. If your muscle is used to lifting that weight, it will do the job quite easily, and that will be the end of the matter.

However, when the weight lifted is more than the muscle is used to, the body is forced to adapt. This is in line with the general adaptation syndrome. This syndrome governs how our bodies react to all types of stress. [4]

During the alarm stage, blood and nutrients rush to the working muscle. There may also be tiny tears in the muscle fiber. Then comes the resistance stage, where the body prepares itself to handle a similar stress level in the future. The tiny tears in the muscle are repaired through protein synthesis. The muscle will become bigger and stronger than it was before to deal with any future stress.

If you keep lifting the same weight, your muscle will not get enough stress for the GAS response to kick in. So, to get constant strength and muscle growth improvement, you should gradually increase the intensity of your workout.

Here’s an example of how you could progress an exercise over weeks, using the example of the barbell curl:

1. Select a resistance that will allow you to perform 10 repetitions. The last two reps should be challenging but not limiting. You should have at least one rep in the tank at the end of the set. Do three sets with a 60-second rest between sets.
2. As you get stronger, increase your rep count until you can do 12 reps on each set.
3. Increase the resistance slightly and drop back to 10 reps per set.
4. Continue this pattern to make constant gains. 

Isolate the Working Muscle

You need to work it in isolation to bring about an adaptive stress response in a muscle. The biceps, for example, won’t receive the stress they require to grow if another area of the body, such as the back muscles, takes some of the burden. 

We can infer a couple of things from this:

• You should do exercises that isolate the working muscle.
• Maintain good form to avoid cheating or using other muscles to lift the weight.

Focusing on the amount of weight lifted is a common error many people make. Remember, though, that the muscle being worked doesn’t know how heavy the weight is; all it knows is how intensely it is being stressed. 

If you lift a weight that is too heavy, you will be forced to adopt poor form. As a result, the target muscle will experience less stress. That’s why using momentum to perform the barbell curls will never produce the intended results.

Recovery

It takes time for the stress adaption response to start working. Negative effects will occur if additional stress is introduced before the body has had a chance to respond. You should, therefore, pay close attention to how well you recover from your workout.

Establishing a regular sleep schedule can help you achieve proper post-workout recovery. Try to get 7-8 hours of uninterrupted sleep each night. While you’re sleeping, the body does most of its muscle rebuilding and repair work.

You also need to give your muscles the nourishment they need to power the workout before you hit the gym floor. Have a meal or post-workout shake that provides the body with a 50:50 blend of protein and quick-acting carbs within a few hours of your workout.

Related: 8 Ways to Speed Up Recovery After Training

Periodization Training for Golfers

The term periodization in regard to golfers refers to the manipulation of training variables over the year to promote optimal performance and decrease the risk of overtraining. There are two key reasons why it’s important:

1. Building strength takes time. Once you’ve attained your goal strength level, you can only maintain that level for a limited period, perhaps six to eight weeks. To avoid overtraining and injury, you should start to let off and give your body some downtime. After a 1-2 week rest period, you can start on your next strength-building phase.
2. If you play competitive golf and have a tournament season, you should decide when you want to peak. Then, you should design your exercise program so that the power phase will end one to two weeks before the peak and be followed by the in-season phase. This is important because it would require too much energy to be training in your most intense workout phase during the height of your competition season.

Here’s what a periodization schedule typically looks like for a professional golfer:

• Mid-November to end of January: Building and learning phase 
• February to mid-April: Strength phase 
• Mid-April to end of May: Power phase 
• June to September: In-season phase 
• October to mid-November: Rest phase

Muscles Used in the Golf Swing

The golf swing is a complicated full-body movement. However, there are five main muscles involved in the movement:

• Glutes: The glutes are the largest muscle in your body and are the seat of your power. They are heavily involved in the downward swing and power transfer from the lower to the upper body.
• Quads: Strong quads help protect your knees while also providing strength on the downward swing, down the shaft to the ball.
• Core: The core is the center of your body’s power. The muscles of your lower back, obliques, intercostals, and abs combine to transfer power from the lower to the upper body.
• Lats: The lats are heavily involved in the downward swing. Strong lats generate more swing power and help transfer that power to the head of the golf club.
• Forearms: Your forearms help produce speed and control the club.

11 Strength Exercises for Golfers

Here are the key strength training exercises for a stronger golf swing:

1. Elevated Pigeon

Steps:

1. Stand side onto a weight bench, putting your bent right leg on the bench. The shin should be resting on the bench pad. Hold a golf club in your left hand, resting the head on the ground with your arms outstretched.
2. Lean towards the club, keeping your core tight and maintaining a neutral spine position. Push down into the club.
3. Now twist your torso towards the bench. Breathe in as you drip the right shoulder and sink into the position.
4. Hold for a two count and then return to the start position.
5. Do 10 reps, holding the last rep for 10 seconds. 

2. Active Hamstring Extension

Steps:

1. Lie supine on the floor with one leg extended toward the ceiling. You can use a power rack upright in the gym or a doorway opening at home. Adjust until you feel a slight stretch in the hamstring.
2. Maintain a slight bend in the knee and keep your back pressed into the floor. Now pull your leg away from the upright position until your heel is about eight inches away.
3. Hold for a second and then return to the upright supported position.
4. Do 10 reps on each leg. On the last rep, hold for 10 seconds. 

3. Hamstring Bridge

Steps:

1. Lie on the floor on your back and bend your knees to a 45-degree angle. Your hands should be at your sides, on the floor. Push your heels into the floor and lift your toes.
2. Now push your lower back into the floor for a second before lifting your hips into the air.
3. Next, lift your left foot off the floor about six inches. Hold for a two-second count.
4. Repeat with the right leg.
5. Do 10 reps on each leg.

4. Knee-Up Reverse Lunge

Steps:

1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and arms by your sides.
2. Drive your left knee up to hip level and kick it back to a full extension until your foot touches the floor.
3. Drop your rear knee until it is around two inches from the floor.
4. Drive through the front knee to return to the start position.
5. Do 15 reps on each leg.

5. Upper Body Push / Pull

Steps:

1. For this exercise, you will need a functional trainer with adjustable arms.
2. Adjust the arms on the cable machine so that the right arm is at its highest position and the left arm is at its lowest position.  
3. Stand between the two arms, facing away from the machine with your feet shoulder-width apart. Bend your knees slightly and maintain a neutral back position.
4. Grab the handles with a neutral grip.
5. Being a push/pull rowing action, simultaneously pushing with the right hand and pulling with the left hand. Engage your core and keep your lower body static throughout the movement. 
6. Do 10 reps and then adjust the cable arm heights to switch sides.

6. Cable Wood Chop

Steps:

1. Adjust the pulley on a cable weight machine to its highest setting. 
2. Stand about three feet in front of the machine, facing away from it.  
3. Your feet should be shoulder-width apart.
4. Grab the cable handle with both hands above your right shoulder. Both arms should be straight.
5. Without bending your elbows, drive the cable down and across your body. It should end up at your left hip.
6. Perform the movement in a fast, explosive manner. Be sure, though, to control the return.
7. Do 15 reps on each side. 

7. Cable Lawn Mower Pull

Steps:

1. Adjust the pulley on a cable weight machine to its lowest setting.
2. Stand about five feet in front of the machine, facing it.
3. Assume a staggered stance, with your weight on the front foot. Now grab the cable with your lead arm. Adjust so the arm is fully extended.
4. Rotate the hips as you push into the floor and pull the cable toward your hip. 
5. Perform the exercise explosively but control the return.
6. Do 12 reps on each side.

8. Deadlift

Steps:

1. Load an Olympic bar with the appropriate weight to perform 10 reps. 
2. Stand behind the bar with your mid-foot under it. Your feet should be shoulder-width apart.
3. Maintaining a neutral spine, bend your knees to grab the bar with a double overhand grip at shoulder width. Push the hips back and tighten your core.
4. Drive your heels into the floor as you pull the bar directly up. Tighten your glutes as the bar comes up your legs.
5. Come up to a fully upright position. 
6. Return the bar to the floor.
7. Do 10 reps.

9. Barbell Squat

Steps:

1. Load an Olympic on a squat rack with the appropriate weight to do 15 reps.
2. Stand in front of the bar with your feet shoulder-width apart.
3. Step under the bar with it resting across your mid-trapezius. Step back to unrack the bar.
4. Bend at the knees and hips as if you were sitting in a chair. Maintain a natural back arch and keep your chest up as you descend to a parallel thigh position. 
5. Be sure to maintain an upright torso position.
6. Push through the heels to return to the start position. 

10. One-Arm Lat Pull-In

Steps:

1. Adjust the pulley on a cable weight machine to its highest setting. 
2. Kneel on the floor about three feet to the left of the cable and two feet back from it. Reach up and grab the cable with your right hand. Your arm should be extended at a 45-degree angle.
3. Pull down and in toward your right hip from the fully extended arm position. Focus on feeling the contraction and stretch through the latissimus dorsi muscle.
4. Slowly return to the start position.
5. Do 15 reps on each arm.

11. Stability Ball Dumbbell Twist

Steps:

1. Lie on a stability ball with a light dumbbell held in both hands. Lift the weight above your chest at arm’s length. 
2. Firmly set your feet on the floor. Push your hips into the ball and brace your core.
3. Slowly lower your straightened arms down to the right side. Continue until your arms are parallel to the floor. Be sure to control the weight throughout the exercise. 
4. Return to the top position. Now lower to the left side. 
5. Do 10 reps on each side.

Choosing the Right Weight for an Exercise

You must overload your muscles to become stronger. This is best accomplished with increased resistance rather than higher repetitions. So, how do you know if a weight is right for you?

Let’s assume an exercise in the program calls for eight repetitions with heavy weight. You should struggle to complete your seventh and eighth rep. If you can perform two or three more reps after completing eight, the weight you were using was too light, and you should increase it for the following set until you find it challenging to accomplish reps seven and eight.

Strength Training For Golfers Workout Program

Here’s a four-day training program designed to maximize strength and explosive power for golfers. You’ll be training your upper body and lower body on different days, with two workouts each. If you want to train on weekdays only, follow this schedule:

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
Upper Body	Lower Body	Rest	Upper Body	Lower Body

This schedule provides 48 hours of rest before working a muscle group again, allowing appropriate time for the recovery and rebuilding needed for strength progression. 

Upper Body Workout

Exercise	Sets	Reps	Rest between Sets
Upper Body Push Pull	4	15/10/8/8	60-90 seconds
Deadlift	4	15/10/8/8	60-90 seconds
One-Arm Lat Pull-In	4	15/10/8/8	60-90 seconds
Cable Wood Chop	3	10	30 seconds
Cable Lawn Mower Pull	3	15	60 seconds
Stability Ball Dumbbell Twist	3	15	60 seconds

Note: On upper body push pulls, deadlifts, and one-arm lat pull-ins, increase the weight slightly as you lower the reps on each succeeding set.

Lower Body Workout

Exercise	Sets	Reps	Rest between Sets
Elevated Pigeon	3	10	30 seconds
Active Hamstring Extension	3	10	30 seconds
Hamstring Bridge	3	10	30 seconds
Squat	5	20/15/10/8/8	60-90 seconds
Knee-Up Reverse Lunge	4	15/10/8/8	60-90 seconds

Note: Increase the weight slightly on squats and knee-up reverse lunges as you lower the reps on each succeeding set.

Summary

Strength training has the potential to transform your golf game. When combined with proper technique, your stronger, more explosive muscles will allow you to hit the ball harder, improve your swing mechanics and reduce your risk of injury. 

Follow the four-day strength training program described above for six weeks, progressively increasing your weights. Then take a week or two off from the weights before heading into your next phase. Do this consistently, and you’ll be hitting that ball further than ever. 

References

1. Alvarez M, Sedano S, Cuadrado G, Redondo JC. Effects of an 18-week strength training program on low-handicap golfers’ performance. J Strength Cond Res. 2012 Apr;26(4):1110-21. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0b013e31822dfa7d. PMID: 21881530.
2. Ehlert A MS. The effects of strength and conditioning interventions on golf performance: A systematic review. J Sports Sci. 2020 Dec;38(23):2720-2731. doi: 10.1080/02640414.2020.1796470. Epub 2020 Jul 29. PMID: 32723013.
3. Wells GD, Elmi M, Thomas S. Physiological correlates of golf performance. J Strength Cond Res. 2009 May;23(3):741-50. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0b013e3181a07970. PMID: 19387406.
4. SELYE H. Stress and the general adaptation syndrome. Br Med J. 1950 Jun 17;1(4667):1383-92. doi: 10.1136/bmj.1.4667.1383. PMID: 15426759; PMCID: PMC2038162.

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