Strength Training for Golf: What you Need to Know
If you’ve seen the latest Nike or Adidas golf commercials you may be wondering, is this a golf ad or a CrossFit commercial? Golf companies are now marketing some of the best and brightest stars in the game as athletes – just like in any other sport. While you’ll still spot the occasional John Daly-esque physique on the course, more and more golfers are hitting the gym and look like well-conditioned athletes.
If you want to improve your game this summer, work on getting stronger and more mobile, says Certified Personal Trainer, Oscar Cano.
“In golf, you need to be strong enough to stay stable through the lower body and hips and mobile enough to transfer power through the core into the upper body and eventually the club,” explained Cano. “So golfers can definitely benefit from training in the gym.”
Learning How to Train Golfers
In addition to being a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) Cano is a Certified Titleist Fitness Professional – a fitness certification that is specific to golf.
“I was interested in getting the certification because I saw the potential to help people improve their game during the cold winter months when they can’t be on the course.”
Cano also realized that there was a real misunderstanding on what should be done in terms of training for golf.
“I would see people in the gym doing things that just didn’t make any sense from a golf fitness standpoint.”
During the course, Cano learnt how to perform an 11 step physical assessment that can be used to develop a personalized training program that will help clients develop the mobility and strength for a successful swing.
“I train my clients like athletes because a lot of the same qualities that make a good golfer will make a good hockey player or baseball player,” said Cano. “It’s all about how you’re able to rotate and transfer energy from the ground up.”
Exercises to Improve your Game
According to Cano, a lot of the exercises that he recommends for golfers are the same ones that you see in most gyms every day. Focus on the following exercises in the gym to get stronger and stay injury-free.
Deadlift
The deadlift is great for training the hips, glutes and quads and basically works the entire backside of the body.
Squat
The squat is a total body movement. You need a stable core and the ability to flex through the hips and knees.
Single-Leg Work
Any kind of exercise done on one leg such as a split-squat or step-up is going to be beneficial for golfers because it forces them to stay balanced just like they have to do in the golf swing.
Core
Core work for a golfer is all about rotating through the upper body while maintaining a stable core so it’s not what you would traditionally see people do for core such as crunches. Instead, Cano recommends a lot of planking exercises, which are better at teaching someone to hold a stable core.
Free Weights vs. Machines
You play golf standing up so try and train that way as often as possible. Free weights are going to give you a lot of benefits that machines won’t. They force your body to stabilize during movement and they challenge your balance, which is critical during the golf swing.
Maintaining Strength
If you worked hard this past winter to get stronger for the season, Cano stressed the importance of maintaining that strength over the summer.
“It’s important for golfers to train year round. Once summer arrives, many golfers leave the gym and any strength that they developed will be lost within a month.”
Cano recommends training at least two times per week (emphasizing total body movements) to maintain strength and reduce the risk of injury throughout the golf season.
Oscar Cano is a Certified Personal Trainer at The Basement Fitness (1212 Lasalle Blvd)
Phil Howard
Phil Howard is a Business Communications graduate, avid sports fan and outdoor enthusiast. The New England Patriots are his favourite team and in the summer, he can be found on the baseball field at Terry Fox.
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