Outdo the meatheads with a smarter routine.
Birdie Boost Three exercises good for your body and your golf game
oal No. 1 for anyone in the gym should be to get healthier. But if you’re also interested in priming your body to play better golf, it’s time to ditch many traditional exercises and replace them with ones designed to do both, says Ben Shear, Golf Digest Fitness Advisor. Here are three to get you started.
how: Hold two dumbbells in the extended position of the press. Do one rep with one arm while keeping the other still. Then do one rep with the alternate arm while keeping the other in the extended position. Do two to three sets of 10 reps, each arm.
why: In addition to strengthening your chest and arms, leaving one dumbbell extended at all times improves stability in the shoulder joints, which is key to swinging a club safely and powerfully. This exercise also helps correct muscular imbalances.
how: Hold a dumbbell vertically with both hands so the top of the weight is resting against your chest. From a split stance, lower your body to the floor until the knee of the trailing leg touches the ground. Rise and repeat 10 times for four sets, switching leg positions after each set.
why: A barbell split squat puts too much stress on your spine and is difficult to do correctly without good shoulder flexibility. A goblet squat—easy to perform with good technique—strengthens the power generators in your golf swing (hips, legs and butt) and improves thoracic extension so you can swing at maximum width.
how: While resting on your side with your arms crossed, stack your legs on a platform, and use them as leverage to raise most of your body off the ground. Hold this position for 30 to 60 seconds, rest and repeat.
why: A standard side plank offers limited benefit to your abdomen muscles because the shoulder and arm muscles supporting the body get tired before your core does. Using the stronger muscles in your legs to support the body allows you to work the obliques and other core muscles much harder. They’re needed for better swing rotation.