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Want to cut a few
strokes off your golf game? Or thinking about
trying golf for the first time? Whether you're
new or experienced on the greens, a sport-specific
conditioning program can give you an edge.
Even if a training program doesn’t help
your score, it could keep you on the course
rather than on the |
sidelines with a nagging injury, says Dawn Norman,
MA, ACT, athletic trainer and golfer.
A good golf conditioning program
emphasizes strength and flexibility, according
to exercise researcher Wayne Westcott, PhD. The
conditioning goal for golfers is a strong and
flexible musculoskeletal system that maximizes
swinging power and minimizes injury risk. The
golf swing is one of the most complex and unnatural
actions in sports, so it's difficult to design
sport-specific exercises. However, research has
found that improved muscle strength and joint
flexibility can increase swinging speed and enhance
driving power.
The best way to begin conditioning
for golf is to ask your trainer to design a program
or recommend someone who can. The following guidelines
will help your understand the rationale for the
program your trainer designs, and enable you to
do your part in the conditioning process:
1. Define Your Season. Your sports
training program should be divided into preseason,
in-season and postseason (or late season) training,
according to Norman. Another option is to use
a simple three-by-three schedule, changing your
conditioning program every three months. If you
forego formal training sessions during the season
to maximize your course time, make sure you still
follow an at-home program.
2. Avoid Common Injuries. The explosive
action of the golf swing places significant stress
on the shoulder joints and also produces high
torque on the low-back structures, says Westcott.
Hence golfers have a high injury rate in the shoulders
and back, as well as the hips, elbows and wrists.
You can reduce your injury potential by paying
close attention to these areas in your conditioning
program and by practicing proper swing mechanics
with a golf professional.
3. Watch Your Rotators. You should
do rotator cuff stretches on the golf course before
you start playing, says Norman, since the injury-sensitive
rotator cuffs do a considerable amount of work
during the golf swing. Ask your trainer for a
good exercise to use before your game.
4. Keep Up Your Cardio Work. Although
cardiovascular endurance plays only a minor role
in golf performance, it plays a major role in
your health. Strive for at least three 30-minute
sessions per week, every week.
5. Get Strong. Westcott recommends three strength
workouts per week during off-season months and
two sessions per week during the playing season.
Each session should include 25 minutes of strength
training and 10 minutes of stretching.
6. Train Progressively. For example,
your trainer might recommend the following progression:
preseason: 12 repetitions of 8 strength
exercises at 70% of maximum resistance, with 2
minutes rest between exercises
early season: 10 reps of 10 exercises
at 75% of max, with 90 seconds rest between exercises
late season: 8 reps of 12 exercises
at 80% of max with 1 minute's rest between exercises
Changing your routine will enhance the effectiveness
of your program.
7. Include All Your Muscle Groups.
Your leg muscles are responsible for producing
power and initiating your swing; your midsection
muscles transfer force from your legs to your
torso to accelerate your swing; your torso muscles
produce the actual swinging action and are critical
for club head speed; and your arm muscles help
to determine both club control and club head accuracy.
Make sure your conditioning program is complete.
8. Select the Right Exercises. Your
trainer can help create the right program for
you. A sample program might start with the leg
press, chest cross-over, pull-over, lateral raise,
biceps curl, triceps extension, low back and abdominal
curl. Your trainer might add neck extension and
flexion, and forearm supination and pronation
in the second three months; and the leg extension
and leg curl in the third three months.
9. Never Underestimate Stretching.
Stretches for the hamstrings, lower back, upper
back and shoulders are particularly relevant to
golfers.
10. Be Careful With Weighted Swings.
Westcott explains that performing with a weighted
golf club or trying to duplicate the golf swing
with resistance equipment can be more harmful
than helpful. He warns that the best practice
drill for improving this highly skilled movement
is done at the driving range under the direction
of a qualified golf professional.*
Reprinted with permission
of IDEA Health & Fitness Assoaciation,www.IDEAfit.com |
