Who says exercising has to be all work and no play? Why have we decided that all exercise must be an intense, stressful activity we don’t really look forward to?
Most of us play golf because we love the game. We love going out onto the course with great people and enjoying a day in the sun. But if your body is not in the best shape (especially if you recently retired and you’ve been sitting in an office environment for 40 years), golf can be hard on your body. You might not have the energy to play a full 18 holes while still enjoying the experience.
The good news is, beginner golf workout routines usually don’t involve lifting heavy weights (in fact, many weight lifting exercises can actually hurt your golf game). Most of the beginner exercises we teach at the Joey D Golf Sports Training Center are centered around improving your flexibility and range of motion, while strengthening muscles to perform better and more consistently in your golf swing.
Even complete beginners can slowly and safely build their bodies and enjoy more days out on the golf course while absolutely crushing their old scores.
Traditional Training Programs Focus on Isolated Parts of the Body
When you go to the gym, most of the equipment is designed to work specific muscles. Whether it’s your legs, arms, back, chest or core, each machine serves a purpose. If you don’t know what you’re doing, chances are you’ll either hurt yourself or see very little results. You could spend hundreds of hours in the gym but your body will still feel rigid and weak.
This happens for two reasons:
- You’re not following a program. More specifically, you’re not following a program designed by a professional golf fitness coach. These programs are proven to work because they’ve been tested on thousands of golfers and delivered tremendous improvement to their bodies and golf scores.
- Your body might not be ready for strenuous activity like it would be if you were a teenager, which in turn makes you feel extremely sore after each workout and more prone to common golf injuries.
Here at the Joey D Golf Sports Training Center, we work with a wide range of people, from teens to seniors. From absolute beginners to top PGA pros (including World #1 Dustin Johnson). We always start with an assessment of where you’re at, what you need to be careful with, and a prioritized plan for areas to improve. We’re talking about things like
- Where is my balance?
- Am I strong or am I weak?
- Do I have mobility and flexibility?
In case you don’t have access to a golf fitness trainer who can conduct an assessment, we’ll dive into how you can assess your own body at home.
The biggest mistake beginners make is trying too hard. They work too hard because they want the results to happen RIGHT NOW! That’s not how our bodies work. The human body needs time to heal and adjust. The muscles need time to rebuild after the tearing occurs. Your body needs a chance to get rid of all of that lactic acid.
You think golf-strong players like DJ, Tiger or Brooks were built in a day? Heck no! It was a slow and steady plan that progressed over time -- and they continue to train extensively throughout their entire careers.
Better Golf Fitness = Better Golf Game
If you want to get better at golf, you need to focus on golf fitness. This doesn’t mean traditional bodybuilding methods or powerlifting. Ever see a massive bodybuilder play golf? It’s not pretty. Focus on exercises designed to turn your body into a golfing machine! Let’s look at a few examples.
Flexibility is critical. If you have trouble bending your knees, then you’ll have trouble swinging the golf club properly. A simple exercise to both determine your knee strength and strengthen your muscles at the same time, is air squats.
Raise your arms out directly in front of you. Bend your knees as close to 90 degrees as you can while keeping while keeping your spine in a golf posture. Can you do it? Struggling to reach a minute? Or even 30 seconds? That means you’ve got some work to do.
The same goes for your core strength and upper body strength. Try performing a glute bridge. Are you struggling to get into the top position? Or perform a shoulder turn. Again, are you struggling to perform this exercise? If yes -- you can probably guess what we’re going to say -- your range of motion is limited.
To better understand what we’re talking about, watch this short video with Coach Joey D where he covers some simple exercises. You’ll start to see how you can really improve your golf game when you have the right guidance.
Build Strength and Lower Scores (And Have Fun Too)
Take your time. Results don’t happen immediately. You don’t want to hurt yourself while trying to push yourself too hard in training. You’re trying to build awareness: awareness is an opportunity to discover what you have to do to pick a program that’s right for you. Golf fitness matters and it’s undeniable.
So what can you do now? There are a few things you can do:
#1: Try some of these exercises by yourself at home or in the gym.
#2: Find yourself a personal trainer. Not just any trainer, but someone who understands golf and all of its nuances. Ideally, there is an amazing golf training center in your area (like the Joey D Golf Sports Training Center in Jupiter, FL).
#3: Take advantage of Joey D's free 'No Equipment Workout' at hititgreat.com. No need to set up your own workout routine. Get to work today with one of the game's top experts and feel results in just a couple of weeks.
#4: Work live online with our talented team of experts here in Jupiter, FL or virtually online. Our expert instructors will guide you through the exact same golf fitness training programs we teach here in Jupiter.
Let's get to work!
Team Joey D Golf
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