GOLF FITNESS POWER

GOLF FITNESS POWER

Power and explosiveness within full range of motion

In steps 1 and 2 we covered flexibility and stability respectfully. Step 3 takes us into the development of power through periodized programming and plyometrics. However, if you haven’t read and implemented steps 1 and 2 stop now.

Read Golf Fitness Flexibility and start implementing a regular stretching routine.

Then read Golf Fitness Stability and start incorporating those exercises to build a strong foundation.

Now back to power development for golf performance.

Step 3 is where you can separate yourself from others on the course. Top end, professional athletes are using this step to take their performance to the next level. So if you, like professional athletes, are looking to increase distance and swing speeds keep reading.

Full Range of Motion

This is the foundation of healthy movement for everything. Golf is no exception.

Being able to move through the entire ROM in a golf swing simply means the ability to develop speed. And speed means distance. We all want distance.

Along with speed another huge benefit of full ROM is pain free movement. In many cases people who have limited ROM will also have pain. This pain can be anywhere in their body. It is caused by the body continuously trying to compensate for the lack of ROM.

In golf we repetitively swing the club. If our ROM is limited in that movement patter – anywhere from you shoulders to your hips, your body will compensate. You will still create movement, but your body will load and fire incorrectly. Stress will be put on areas that should not be feeling it. The end results will be pain and if it is not address quickly, chronic pain. For a golfer this limited ROM presents most commonly as chronic low back pain.

So it’s simple, achieve full range of motion and increase speed and play pain free. Who wouldn’t want to do that?!

Not sure how to achieve full range of motion. Well, go read step 1 like I said at the start.

Power

Power within full ROM is the third step in the process of taking your game to the next level.

Remember Step 1 ROM, Step 2 Stability.

In a power development phase l periodize your training program to build and peak at specific times. This process optimizes your performance and translates the work in the gym to the speed and distance on the course.

Yes, I just told you that simply having full ROM will give you speed, but this step is where people separate themselves.

It is imperative that this power phase is focused on training and strengthening the FULL ROM and not just parts of it. In order to maximize your results your body needs to build strength throughout the entire movement pattern (s). Otherwise, you just wasted the time you spent on step 1 and step 2 and you will limit your potential.

This phase is also a good time to incorporate training under unstable conditions for the purpose of power development. I use a bosu ball and stability pad with my clients.

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Explosiveness

Explosiveness often gets interchanged with power and they are quite different. Both can give you the same end result but by training different physiological adaptations. Both are important to golf performance. And when used synergistically will get you the best results.

Power is strengthening the muscle itself, where explosiveness is teaching the body how to use it. Properly training some for explosiveness means teaching their body how to use stored elastic energy. Taking advantage of the stretch reflex component and golgi tendon organ (GTI).

The easiest way to do this is through plyometrics, when done correctly. Often plyometric exercises turn into cardio sessions. Simply put, thats a waste of time. It takes zero advantage of the training modality.

Quality over quantity always takes precedent in plyometrics. Iv’e said it in other articles, but I’ll say it again. Quality fast movement throughout the entire ROM is the key. Teach the body how to use stored elastic energy and train it properly and you just took your full ROM and created a monster off the tee box.

Periodization

I think it’s important to quickly talk about periodization as power and explosiveness require it in order to ensure maximum results.

Just going into the gym and doing the same rep counts with the same weights won’t maximize your full potential. Through proper periodization you can and will maximize top end strength to peak when you want it to. Which will give you that club speed and distance we have been talking about.

Periodization also allows your muscles to hypertrophy over a period of time without going through phases of overreaching (the precursor to over training) which would cause a loss in strength. And we want hypertrophy because it is what allows us to build strength to be used as explosive power.

On paper, periodization is simple. Following a progressive cycle of 6-12 weeks in length that adjusts intensity and volume to maximize top end strength at a specific time. However, many people don’t know how to properly periodize an individual, or more importantly don’t know when to make the appropriate adjustments during the training cycle. There is a scientific approach to periodization and if you don’t follow it, you are wasting your time.

Also an important note for readers who want to follow this style of program is that you have to be on a consistent schedule 3-5 days per week. You cannot train for a week and then take one off, or two weeks and then take a week off. These are the types of programs that you need to be all in on in order to reach your highest potential.

You can read about my number one power exercise to increase distance in this article.

Put it all together

Now you know our 3 step PureForged Method.

  1. Flexibility and Range of Motion
  2. Stability and Balance
  3. Power and Explosiveness

Follow this system step by step and watch your game sky rocket. Reach out to us for an assessment, programming or one-on-one training.

Fit Finds: The Ultimate 2023 Fitness Gift Guide

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The Number 1 Exercise for Club Speed and Distance

The Number 1 Exercise for Club Speed and Distance

To II used If you have just found our website you might have missed my recent post. Top 5 Exercises for Increasing Your Distance. If you haven’t read it, take a minute and hop over there. It will best set you up to value and understand the below information.

After I released my Top 5 Exercises for Increasing Your Distance I sat back and did some more thinking. I share conversations with our trainers and ultimately decided that I should share my absolute, no questions ask, Number 1 Exercise for Club Speed and Distance.

WHAT EXERCISE?

I have spent many years training golfers to obtain this attribute. To achieve faster club speeds thus to improve distance. I have worked with some high-level golfers in which I controlled their off-season and in-season programs. Through those experiences I have developed a favorite to answer this question of what is the best exercise.

Without a doubt the number one exercise is the back squat.

WHY?

A proper cycled back squat program. Designed to peak at the right time. Has shown to increase club speed within 4-6 weeks by a substantial number. It didn’t happen once, or twice. It happens every time. If I get to truly get cycle and adapt a golfer’s squat program, they will drive the ball further. Every time.

To be clear,  the exercise MUST be done correctly to get the right results. The golfer (client) must be programmed correctly, making adjustments as needed throughout the program.

You simply can’t just do a back squat at minimal weight or with improper technique and expect large increases in speed.

RESULTS

Here is a quick program breakdown of two top level players I have trained for the last 7 years.  I  have controlled everything they do from a strength training program intently:

  • I cycled them every 6-10 weeks, adjusting their intensity and volume throughout.
  • To maximize strength gains, I selected auxiliaries that work synergistically. Especially with the back squat.
  • I changed exercises and adapted the program as the cycle progressed to respond to their body.
  • Limitations with flexibilities were identified and monitored to ensure progress.
  • I established stability and maintained it through the entire program with proper exercise selection.

Over seven years their club speeds/ball speed were most impacted during cycles that included the back squat. No other program could come close to replicating the same results in the same time frame. 

It is without a doubt that the back squat has yielded the largest results in club speed thus allowing further distance, which is why it is my number one exercise. That being said, I certainly have seen golfers that the back squat is not appropriate for due to orthopedic limitations. I cannot stress this enough. Strength training is NOT one size fits all. The program must meet the client where they are and then be applied to get them where they want to go. 

WHERE TO START

If you are familiar with the back squat or perhaps you are already working with a trainer adding in the back squat might be easy for you. Talk to your trainer about different ways to incorporate it into your weekly training program. Remember, maximizing results from the back squat requires appropriate programing and adjustments. Just tossing it in modestly will not yield high results. 

In the event that you don’t know how to back squat or how to properly include it in your program, reach out to us for an appointment. We are eager to help you develop the distance you have always dreamed of. We work both face-to-face and in online training formats.  

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GOLF: TOP 5 EXERCISES FOR INCREASING YOUR SWING SPEED

GOLF: TOP 5 EXERCISES FOR INCREASING YOUR SWING SPEED

People that love the game of golf regardless of how good they are all wish for one thing, more distance. Why? Because distance matters. More distance, when controlled, can mean less strokes to get to the green. Which cans clearly mean a lower score. (If you can putt.) And to get more distance you need to improve your swing speed.

HOW DO YOU INCREASE GOLF SWING SPEED?

Thats the million dollar questions. And I have a free answer for you. You are going to be shocked because it is simple. 

Strength. 

You need to have more strength to be able to produce more power to be able to drive the ball further. A, B, C. That’s it. 

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WHAT’S THE CATCH?

But if it was really that simple wouldn’t we all have incredible golf swing speed and driving distance. Logic serves that if we all just get stronger we can all have more distance. Well you are right. Go ahead get stronger. 

Here is the catch.

Educated and experienced personal trainers, like myself, exist not just to be a therapist or make sure you show up to your workout. We have specific training & knowledge that allows us to increase your strength and translate it to sport performance. That’s why the guy that can squat 400 pounds and bicep curl 50s isn’t necessarily the best golfer. Sometimes that guy is all show and no go.

This process WILL look different depending on your health history and current physical fitness. After all, if there was just one exact way to get stronger and hit the ball further that applied to every person, I wouldn’t have a job or a leg to stand on.

BUT, every person has to go through the same progression to get to strength and power. In previous posts we touched on our approach that we use with every golfer – flexibility/range of motion, stability and then power. If you try to do 2 before 1 or 3 before 2 you won’t get the results you are looking for. Which is where we come in as personal trainers. Follow the right progression based on where your body and you get the right results. Simple.

TOP 5 STRENGTH EXERCISES FOR SWING SPEED IN GOLF

If you already follow an exercise program or like to work out here are a list of my top 5 exercises to improve your golf swing speed. How they are implemented within the program obviously make a difference, as mentioned above. But just implementing them into your routine in any manner will help immediately. You will notice that 3 of the 5 exercises are lower body, this is because the stronger and more stable you are in your legs will allow you to swing harder without a loss in stability which will give you speed immediately.

Back Squat

Power from the swing starts from the ground up, if you know how to use force from the ground up and understand how to load properly you will hit the ball further. This is why the back squat is so beneficial for distance.

  • TIP: the back squat is a technical lift, start light and master the mechanics to get the best results in the long run.

DB Deadlift

Again, same reasoning as the back squat, however, it is an easier exercise to accomplish. And arguably easier place to start with all golfers. The drawback is that it is not quite as efficient as the back squat. It can’t be loaded as much because you are restricted by the weight of the dumbbell. In our gym that goes up to 100 pounds. It also works the muscles in a different capacity than the back squat because the load is below your waist instead of on your back. This differentiates it from the back squat, giving it a place in your training program. 

  • TIP: form is of the highest concern. Poor form can lead to low back aggravation and tightness. Maintaining core bracing is and a flat back is essential.

High to Low Core Rotator

This movement teaches the appropriate kinematic sequence while mimicking the downswing. This allows us to train the translation of power from ground through core and to the club. 

  • TIP: your arms are the lever in this exercise. The further away from your body line you can keep them the more load you place on your core. The more load you place on your core the stronger it can get.

Single Leg RDL

Again, teaching the body how to load properly is the foundation of power in the swing. This exercise helps give you stability while also being able to focus on power and speed.

  • TIP: your range of motion will be limited backs on hamstring flexibility. Tight hamstrings will impact your ability to balance, or be stable. If this exercise is difficult you likely need to implement a stretching routine. Check out our golf specific stretching routine here.

Eccentric Core Rotator

This teaches the body how to isolate the eccentric muscle contraction phase and will help increase force production right away. Not an easy way to isolate the muscle but gives a fantastic output for speed and power.

  • TIP: proper eccentric load is all above maximizing the time spent in the muscle lengthening phase. Perform this exercise with even more control than usual to get the maximal results.

WHERE TO START

If you are familiar with the exercises or perhaps you are already working with a trainer. Find a way to incorporate these into your weekly training program. In the event that you don’t know how to add these exercises to your workout, reach out to us for an appointment. We are eager to help you develop the distance you have always dreamed of. We work both face-to-face and in online training formats. 

And if that is not possible, the safest place, with the largest impact would be flexibility. I didn’t talk much about it here because I have an entire article dedicated to the topic. Go read Golf Flexibility now. Implement those stretches and you will feel better, move better and play better.

Sign-up for our newsletter and we will send you 5 golf mobility exercises that will have you feeling better and playing better in just a few minutes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fit Finds: The Ultimate 2023 Fitness Gift Guide

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In the world of personal training, where trust and credibility play pivotal roles, the concept of social proof functions as an authentic way to connect with your audience. Social proof, the influence created when individuals see others engaging in a particular...

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Pain Free Golf

The Importance of Core Strength & Flexibility

We have all been on the course and seen people with the elbow straps for tendonitis. Or halfway through the round someone in your group is in agonizing back pain that they say is always there when they play. You can watch people on the tee box, and they have a half or quarter swing because anything more hurts their body. Which, as a result effects their game and scorecard. Maybe this is even be you on the course. Let’s learn why and how you can fix it. 

Golf is a sport that ranges from youth to the elderly. It can be a great way to get some exercise in, enjoy being outside with friends and be competitive. Whether you’re a youth player learning, a highly competitive pro trying to make it, or an amateur who just loves the game, the answer is the same. Core strength and flexibility is what allows you to be pain free and perform better. Doing the right, simple and easy things will allow you to be pain free and improve your game at the same time. 

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Impact of flexibility on swing ROM and chronic pain associated to it

One of the most common complaints in golf is low back discomfort and/or pain. Your golf swing is your unique Range of Motion (ROM). Flexibility has a massive impact on swing ROM. Which means flexibility can also be the main component to relieving chronic low back pain in the golf swing.

The human body is amazing. Even though flexibility may be lacking, the body will do its best to find a way to still complete a task. Speaking specifically about the golf swing. If you lack hamstring flexibility you will not be able to complete a full turn in the golf swing. Which in return your low back will have to do much more. This is because instead of rotating you will start to extend during your back swing. Your low back will take the complete & constant load of the movement.

The low back and muscles in that area are not designed to take that constant load and as a result of poor hamstring flexibility you now have low back pain. Unfortunately, you also have a weaker swing because it is not efficient. This is the most common example of chronic pain in golfers we see, but there are several others. This example really shows why flexibility plays such a massive role in pain free golf. 

By prioritizing a flexibility routine you will:

  1. Improve your comfort while playing your favorite sport,
  2. Improve your golf performance
  3. Increase the amount of time and length of time you can play golf.

Check out our video on flexibility for golfers here.

Read more about golf flexibility here. 

Core strength and stability for proper loading and muscle firing in the golf swing

Flexibility is half the battle in pain free golf. The other half is core strength and stability to keep you healthy. Stability is turning on the appropriate muscle groups that we want involved and that should “fire” during movements. We call this a proper kinematic sequence. It is our job to teach the body which muscles to fire at the right time during the golf swing. This allows you to play pain free and dramatically increase your performance.

We always like to start from the ground up when working with stability. When you watch the PGA pros play it’s amazing to see their power that they generate from their legs. It is imperative that we give your legs the proper stability training to ensure the proper kinematic sequence for the rest of the golf swing. As we move up the body, we want proper movement and stability in the glutes and hips, and then the core. If we can initiate proper muscle firing in the legs, to the glutes/hips, and then to the core you will be able to play the game of golf pain free. 

It is very important to focus on training these muscles to fire properly. Simply going through the motions of movements doesn’t fix the problem. Flawless technique, mental focus and proper repetition is how your body will learn to do things right and then continue to do them right.

Check out our video on hip stability for golfers here.

Read more about stability for golfers here.

Focusing on the flexibility, stability and core strength is the key to eliminating pain and improving golf performance. How you go about it is a massive component of how successful you will be. Follow our proven PureForged Method and find out for yourself. 

GOLF FITNESS STABILITY

GOLF FITNESS STABILITY

Recently we discussed the importance of Range of Motion (ROM) for the golf swing. Read that article here. Now, we will touch base on how to give stability within this new ROM. It is imperative that once you have ROM you give the muscles the stability required to use this new ROM. Below will outline four simple exercises to give you the next step towards gaining power and speed in your golf swing. 

Stability within Range of Motion

Your legs must be the main power source within your golf swing. They hold your biggest muscle groups and can generate the most power. Stability and strength in your legs will help you to load the posterior chain and be more efficient in the golf swing. By choosing not to focus on the ROM and stability at your legs you are leaving out a very large percentage of power. Which in this situation means DISTANCE.

Read through the exercises, descriptions and recommended repetitions for our four standard lower body stability exercises for golfers. There is a short video included at the end that gives you a visual understanding of these exercises. Enjoy and get to work! The courses in Wisconsin are opening up!

Equipment

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Stability Workout

Lateral Band Walks (20 Steps Each Way) 

Place the Hip Circle right above the knees and get into an athletic stance of shoulder width feet, bent knees, extended hips and flat back. Maintain the athletic stance and take 30 lateral steps one way and then 30 steps back. This exercise will get your glutes firing, which is a key component to loading posterior chain and creating more power in your swing.

Forward & Backward Band Walks (20 Steps Each Way)

Place the Hip Circle right above the knees and get into an athletic stance of shoulder width feet, bent knees, extended hips and flat back. Maintain the athletic stance and take 30 steps forward and then step 30 steps backwards. This exercise will keep your hips as strong as possible again to help with faster club speeds.

Wall Sit with Band Pulses (20 Pulses)

Place Hip Circle right above knees and set yourself against a wall in a squat position where your butt, back, and shoulders are flat on the wall and your knees are bent at 90 degrees. Keep your feet flat on the floor, including your big toe, with the majority of your body weight distributed midfoot/heel and NOT on your toes or balls of your feet. While holding the wall sit position you will drive your legs out into the band, cautious to maintain proper foot and floor contact, and then relax to your starting position. Repeating this pulsing movement 30 times. Again, a great exercise to activate your glutes as a primary muscle group.

Single Leg RDL – Ground and Bosu Ball (10 Reps Each Leg)

Balancing on one leg it is important to keep your weight on your single leg midfoot/heel while taking your opposite hand and reaching and touching just below your knee. Make sure you keep a slight bend in your knee and push your butt straight back while keeping your back nice and flat.

WHAT’S NEXT?

After you have established range of motion, built up the stability at your hips you are ready for step 3. But before you read about step 3 you need to understand that step 1 and 2 never go away. As you build power you must ensure that your maintain proper range of motion (flexibility) and the proper stability within this range of motion. Neglecting any part of the process will negatively impact your results.

 

Fit Finds: The Ultimate 2023 Fitness Gift Guide

Fit Finds: The Ultimate 2023 Fitness Gift Guide

Welcome to the world of fitness and wellness gifting! As we gear up for 2023, it's time to start setting goals and looking for resources to help us succeed. Whether you're a fitness fanatic or seeking the perfect gift for one, our Ultimate 2023 Fitness Gift Guide is...

read more
The Power of Social Proof In Personal Training

The Power of Social Proof In Personal Training

In the world of personal training, where trust and credibility play pivotal roles, the concept of social proof functions as an authentic way to connect with your audience. Social proof, the influence created when individuals see others engaging in a particular...

read more
fitness articles
lifestyle articles
nutrition articles
golf articles

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