Perfect Your Golf Swing With a Personal Trainer
If you’re looking to improve your golf game, one of the surest routes is also one of the most overlooked – get fitter. For some reason many golfers completely ignore the physical aspect of their game, to the detriment of both their scores and, ultimately, their health.
At the top level, most pros now work hard at their conditioning, aware that greater strength, endurance and flexibility will lengthen not only their drives, but also their careers. Why is conditioning so important? Just analyse a golf swing – a good golf swing requires a combination of flexibility, power and speed, all servicing the ultimate aim of a technically smooth swing.
Improving Your Swing with Training
If you are keen to improve your golf fitness, one of the best ways is to find a personal trainer who can design a programme for you. There are thousands of trainers out there, but it’s important to find one who has experience designing individual conditioning programmes for athletes, rather than just general fitness programmes.
When you meet a trainer, they will physically assess you and discuss what you want to achieve, in order to design a customized programme that takes into account both your needs (i.e. to improve your golf game), and also any history you may have of illnesses or injuries. If you haven’t worked-out for a while, or have any medical history that could impede your training, be sure to consult a doctor before you start.
A Golf Training Programme?
A golf fitness programme will usually focus on the following:
Flexibility
Golf requires good flexibility, particularly through the shoulders, low back and legs. Keeping these areas flexible can improve your game, reduce the risk of injuries, and alleviate the symptoms of minor injuries, particularly to the low back.
Strength training
Increased functional strength can dramatically improve your performance – just think, every time you swing a club you require the body to propel it to a speed of between 80-100 mph in less than a second! It makes sense that increasing your strength will not only improve your ability to do this, but also provide a measure of protection against the extreme forces involved in such a motion.
Cardiovascular training
Cardio (or aerobic) training will help in two ways. Firstly, it’s likely to reduce your weight, which has benefits in many areas of your life. Secondly, it will improve your endurance, making it much more likely that you’ll play the 18th hole as well as you played the first.
What Gym Equipment Will I Need?
If you want to work-out between sessions or want your trainer to come to your home to train you, you’ll need a few things to get you going. To perform golf fitness workouts at home you’ll need equipment such as:
- Weighted clubs
- Stability balls
- Exercise bands
- Dumbbells
- Medicine balls
None of these are expensive, and none takes up much room.
In Summary
So talk to a trainer – you have nothing to lose except a few strokes per round and a few unwanted pounds around your waist!
