Golf Fitness

Today’s post is another in our line of golf fitness tips. These are brought to us by Mike Pedersen, of Perform Better Golf.

Today’s tip is about exercises that create added distance. One of the 7 Deadly Desires of golfers everywhere.

These exercises are a unique in that they don’t require exercise machines, nor do you lift heavy weights. You can do simple power golf exercises right in your home with minimal equipment.

You see…to improve the power in your golf swing, you need to look at the mechanics that create the power.

It’s not your arms swinging the club as hard as you can! It’s not your legs driving your body through the swing! And it’s not swinging some funky 50 inch shaft with a 600cc titanium head either.

It’s actually quite simple !

The power in your golf swing is your CORE!

Your core is the engine of your swing. If your core is weak or inflexible, you will never be able to hit a powerful tee shot. This is harsh…but very true!

The modern power golf swing is one of being “connected” with your upper body. Not letting your letting your arms get separated from your body. Rotating your upper body as a whole, over a somewhat stable lower body will produce maximum power at impact.

So the perfect power golf exercises involve rotational movements with resistance in your core area. The are many exercises you can do that will dramatically improve your driving distance and power…and no gym required!

A simple power golf exercise for your core is my Seated Twist w/Dumbbell:

-Sit upright in your chair.
-Hold a single dumbbell straight out from your chest with arms fully extended.
-While keeping your head focused straight ahead, rotate your arms to the right, then to the left as far as you can go both ways.
-Do this non-stop for 20 total rotations.
-Pause for 15 seconds and repeat 2 more times.

At first you will feel very restricted in your midsection. That’s a sign of how limited your rotational flexibility really is. But do this exercise daily and you will see improvement quickly.

The next time you step out onto the course, you’ll blast your drives up to 20 yards further !

As you can see…the key is ROTATIONAL exercises with resistance, whether it be a single dumbbell, exercise tubing or even a weighted golf club.

Doesn’t matter what you use, as long as it is up to 5 pounds in weight and you can handle it easily in both hands. If you’re already in good shape go for 10-15 pounds and increase your rate of speed. This will both improve your “fast-twitch” core muscles and also your range of motion for a bigger backswing and a complete follow through.

So you see…I wasn’t lying ! It doesn’t take a gym or fancy equipment to do effective, efficient and proven power golf exercises!

Today we’ll continue our weekly series that’s provided to us by Mike Pedersen, of Perform Better Golf.

Your best golf swing is achievable. If you’re like most golfers, you’ve been on the hunt for your best golf swing for a long time. The key question is…have you found it yet? If not, it’s time to take a different approach towards achieving it.

We know having great swing mechanics is very high on the list. And to achieve this, it takes a general understanding of the golf swing. You don’t have to become a fanatic to learn proper swing mechanics, but if you don’t have a clue, you might want to get a book or take a lesson from a credible teaching pro.

When it comes to accomplishing your best golf swing, equipment doesn’t even play a role. Remember…we are talking about your golf swing, not distance or power.

The approach you need to take to finally get your best golf swing is one that is focused on “your machine”. You! Your body dictates how effective your swing mechanics will be.

Don’t you agree?

When you have physical limitations such as lack of core strength or tight hamstrings, it will be virtually impossible to make your best golf swing on the course. You may hit a good one every 10 or so swings, but you won’t be able to consistently repeat it for 18 holes.

Every golfer has his/her own limitations they need to figure out. One person could be very tight from a golf flexibility standpoint, and the next person could have weak shoulder muscles and can’t control the club at the top of the backswing.

Getting a physical assessment specific to golf is your first step in achieving your best golf swing. Once you recognize what your limitations are, you can devise a program to improve them.

Now you’re on your way to a repeatable swing that holds up for 18 holes and under pressure too! The minute you decide to work on “your machine”, you won’t look back. You will become a powerful and very accurate golfer, who is beating the pants off the rest of the players in your foursome.

Golf will become enjoyable again!

You will no longer be in search of your best golf swing!

A big thanks to Mike and he’ll be back next week with more swing thoughts and golf fitness tips for us.

For more info about learning how to dust your playing partners, click over to Mike’s Ultimate Golf Fitness Guide.

Some of the things you’ll find out are :

Why most golfers will never reach their potential and how you can quickly transform your game and leave them in your dust! (This concept is very simple and you’ll be shocked at the results!)…

Learn the secret of training your muscles to consistently hit the ball near to perfection every time. I’ll share with you the biggest secret to conditioning your muscles to do what
you want them to do - one sweet killer swing after another.

How to make your body as limber as those rubber band punks you see belting the golf ball a country mile… even though they weigh 85 pounds and stand 5 feet tall. (You’ll never be disgusted off the tee ever again)…

The simple exercise you can do to make your balance rock-solid. This is the well guarded secret to avoid those slices and hooks that send your ball wildly flying into the rough, sand traps and water hazards. Imagine that ball sailing down the middle of the fairway time after time.

Here’s Mike Pedersen, of Perform Better Golf, with some info on how we can get those winter golf workouts in without having to change our routines that much.

Here’s Mike with todays tips :

In home golf fitness can be more effective than belonging to a gym, paying monthly dues, and dealing with all the “muscle-heads”. Many golfers think they need fancy golf fitness equipment or a gym membership to be successful with their golf improvement program.

Not so!

I have designed all the programs in my membership sites, dvds, manual and ebook to utilize minimal equipment in the convenience of your home. Many of my customers and members have been shocked at their results with in home golf fitness equipment as simple as exercise tubing, a stability ball and hand weights.

That’s it!

For all of a “one-time” cost of under $60 you can have your total “in home” golf fitness gym. I’ve now eliminated the reason (excuse) that you need to belong to a gym or spend hundreds of dollars in equipment.

I’ve also eliminated the reason (excuse) that you have no time. All the programs I’m referring to are to be done in the convenience of your home saving you hours per week. This includes the time it takes to commute the gym, getting showered, and the time it takes to get back to where you need to be.

Coming up with golf fitness programs using just the above equipment can be fun, challenging and reduce boredom. The programs I design incorporate both strength and stretching within the same program, saving you even more time and killing two birds with one stone.

More and more golfers are realizing they can do almost as much with in home golf fitness programs as they can in a crowded gym…with all the privacy they want.

I have always said that exercises done on a machine in a gym that isolate one muscle group while sitting is the farthest thing from a golf-specific exercise. Golf utilizes every major muscle group in the body, and in a sequential movement pattern. Sitting in a machine will not improve your body for golf.

The beauty of hand weights, tubing and balls is the ability to put your body in the exact same positions you’re in for your golf swing. The more exercises you can do that simulate your golf swing, the bigger the benefit will be.

You will also be more apt to stick with it when you realize it will definitely improve your golf swing power and distance. Linking golf and fitness creates a commitment level that’s not there with general (gym) fitness programs. Knowing your in home golf fitness program will help you play better and also feel better is a motivating factor.

When you get that itch to improve your game through fitness, don’t think you need to join a gym. All you need is a little bit of space in your living room to start your in home golf fitness program.

Thanks Mike, and I’ll be the first to attest to the power of being in shape and how it helps your game. I used hand weights and bodyweight exercise last winter and they improved my game immensely.

I can now hit it hard for all 18 holes and am better able to control the clubface angle for all the shots I want to try.

I’m looking forward to using Mike’s methods over this winter nad getting my handicap down form 6 to 2 or so.

I’m not interested in being a scratch golfer, ’cause then I’d never want to work !

For more golf fitness tips, see Mike’s Ultimate Golf Fitness Guide !

It’s time for another post from our favorite golf swing and fitness trainer, Mike Pedersen of Perform Better Golf.

Today’s info is about how your winter workouts can improve your golf game come spring.

Take it away, Mike :

Winter golf workouts are a great approach to taking advantage of the time you now have available to improve your golf since you’re not playing as much, if not at all. It’s a way to stay connected to your golf game when you’re not able to play due to the conditions (snow, temperatures, ice, etc.).

Have you ever gone into depression mode when winter hits and you can’t play golf anymore? I know this used to happen to me until I finally moved to a year-round nice climate. The transition from playing golf regularly to not at all can be depressing.

What do you do with all the time you now have since you’re not playing?

The answer? Winter golf workouts ! This is your “off-season” and like most athletes, you have to work on your body to take your game to the next level. This is a time when you evaluate your game and work on your weaknesses.

A common denominator for most golfers, especially senior golfers is their “physical capabilities”. This is your current level of golf-specific strength and flexibility. It’s highly unlikely you have no physical limitations in your golf swing. 80%, or more, of amateur golfers play with an injury during the season.

What better time than winter to workout to greatly improve this situation. There is no excuse. You’ve got the time and hopefully you’ve got the motivation to improve your game. You’ve just got to set up a game plan in regards to your golf workouts this winter.

The first step is to get a physical evaluation done to diagnose your current level of fitness specific to golf. You can hire a local golf fitness trainer or look on the web. Golf workouts are becoming so popular you can’t miss finding out information about them.

Once you’ve gotten your golf fitness evaluation, assess the areas that need the most work and spend the majority of your time on those areas. Most likely this would be flexibility and core strength. These are two very common areas that are lacking and can make the most impact on your golf improvement.

You will be shocked at your progress if you stick with it through the entire winter. The first time you step on the range, you’ll feel like a different golfer. It will be like an “out-of-body” experience. You’ll soon realize this is what you’ve been missing all along.

So when you put those clubs up for the winter and go into depression mode…remember this article and start your golf workouts for winter.

For more info, click over to Mike’s Ultimate Golf Workout Guide !

Here’s another installment from Mike Pedersen, from Perform Better Golf.

Today Mike tells us how to become better golfer’s by doing some work off the course.

Take it away Mike :

To lower your golf score, you’ve got to put some time in. This is the main reason golfers quit the game. Golf is a very challenging game that requires intense concentration, skill, and many physical attributes.

One approach to lowering your golf score is one that is off the course and does not involve swinging a club, taking lessons or buying more gimmicky training aids.

The approach I’m talking about is working on your “machine” to produce a repeatable golf swing for 18 holes. Are you currently capable of maintaining a mechanically sound swing for the entire round? If you are honest in answering that question, I’ll bet your answer is no.

The biggest frustration I hear from golfers all over the world is they hit balls, take lessons and have the latest/greatest equipment and still can’t lower their golf score. In regards to golf improvement, the above scenario has eliminated everything but the MOST important component.

Your BODY!

Golf is an athletic movement that requires strength, flexibility, balance, coordination, stability, timing and many other elements. If your body is physically limited…you’ll have a minimal chance at playing to your potential.

Just think about putting 20 minutes into a golf training routine in your home with minimal equipment. No grunting. No groaning. No pain. Just simple golf exercises that will make a dramatic and almost immediate impact on your golf game and score.

I have seen so many “so-called” fitness books and videos that show golfers using machines in a gym. This is not what I’m talking about. And this is not golf fitness training. Anytime you sit on a machine that isolates one muscle group, you will not improve your game.

What I’m talking about is using hand weights, a stability ball and some exercise tubing with handles. All very inexpensive and perfect for improving your golf game. The only catch is you need the right exercises to go along with this affordable equipment.

I’ve heard horror stories of golfers who have lifted weights and said their game got worse. This is a problem! You’ve got to do exercises that will train your body to make a stable, mechanically sound golf swing for 18 holes.

Once you realize golf is an athletic sport that requires both golf-specific strength and flexibility, you’ll become a believer in training your body off the course to lower your golf score.

Be sure to visit Mike’s website and let him know I sent you.

If you’re gonna play this blasted game, you might as well play as well as you can !