Golf fitness during winter

Why is winter a good time for Golf fitness

Golf is a sport that requires a mix of athletic attributes from speed, power, flexibility, balance and coordination. In recent years the game has developed and strength training for golf has become an important aspect of golf performance. There are various reasons why golfers should include strength training into their workout routine.

Whether golfers are beginners or experienced players, strength training helps golfers lay the foundation to become more powerful. This in turn results in swinging the golf club with speed adding increased distance to their game. Strength training gives all golfers the ability to practice and play with less likelihood of injury, as their body can cope with the demands of the game.

It has become essential in golf to strength train, this will help increase a golfer's ability to produce speed and power. The aim is to hit the ball further, to be able to play more golf and ultimately enjoy the benefits of being fitter to play golf.

During the winter months, we play less golf due to the weather. Therefore , this is the perfect time to strength and power train, as we often need recovery time after this type of training. In the summer months, we play plenty of golf and cannot afford for our bodies to be sore and recovering from gym exercise.

We often find the time to work on our physical conditioning during the summer, but it is wise to train on the basic fundamentals such as balance, flexibility and functional strength as not to distract from our performance on the course.

In summer, we all want to play as much as possible and to the best of our ability. During winter months, when it is often cold and wet outside, it is an excellent opportunity to hit the gym and work on our strength development, adding power to improve our game for next year.

Strength training for golf

Strength training for golf involves the upper and lower body, as well as increasing core strength. To build strength you can hit the gym, do exercises at home, but most importantly you need to do something.

You need to follow and commit to a programme designed for you. We are all unique and have different strength needs, and therefore, your training programme needs to be set out for your body.

The golf swing is a very complex movement, and therefore most golfers need to have strength in all planes of motion. It is essential to train the whole body with compound exercises such as squats or deadlifts because they work on the body as a whole.

These types of exercises also improve coordination between muscles groups, which will encourage golfers to move more efficiently. These compound movements can be complex, so make sure if you are new to these exercises that you lift within your capacity, or get coaching for these movements, just like the golf swing with good practice you will perform the exercises better and with greater gains.

How to build power for golf

Increasing power

To build power and speed into your golf performance, it is important to add explosive and speed exercises to your winter training. This type of training is very physically demanding and requires full effort to achieve good results. To add distance to your swing this is an essential part to any fitness program.

There are many exercises to train explosively and movements with speed such as medicine ball throws, ball slams, box jumps or lateral bounds. This type of training helps develop the stretch-shortening reflex, which is key to producing more power in our golf swing.

Strength platform

Ensure you build your strength platform early in the winter, as this will allow your body to cope better with explosive type of training. Having good strength and being able to apply it quickly means golfers can hit the ball further, taking their golf game to the next level. In the off season, it is a great time to add in explosive exercises, allowing you to use your strength gains to full effect.

Golf Specific Exercises

It is really important to ensure your golf fitness winter training transfers over to your golf game. Golf is a sport that needs fast explosive hips and rotational strength. Therefore, any strength and speed training needs to focus on powerful hip drive and strong rotational patterns. Exercise with purpose and intent to get the best out of your off season.

As much as you train with specific exercises for golf, it is very hard to reproduce the swing speed, forces and movements in the gym or at home. Strength training for golf gives you the basic physiology to be able to swing faster. A great training program in the gym, does not always transfer to the course.

Practice with purpose

To ensure your physical gains carry over it is important to practice fast golf swings, attempting to increase your speed on the range or course. The more faster golf swings you pattern with control in your practice, the more likely carry over of speed and power to your golf swings will develop.

Keep hitting golf balls

Your winter golf training should involve getting out on the golf course or going to the driving range when possible, as the best movement for golf is to swing your club reinforcing good muscle memory.

Even if the weather is bad in winter, you can always go to an indoor driving range to work on your swing. At first it may be best to practice before the gym, but as your body copes better with your off season workouts, you can go to the gym before hitting the driving range.

Remember winter golf exercises are about getting stronger for the next golf season, and that you have to lift heavier to make gains, this may result in post exercise soreness. This may make your swing feel stiff during your winter golf, but after a full warm-up you will find hitting golf balls gets easier.

In Summary

Winter golf is a great time to work on your body! In winter we generally play less golf, winter is the time to hit the gym hard and get stronger for the next few months. Doing this will help your body get the most out of your game, especially being able to swing the club harder and faster.

It is important to practice on the range and get on the course, when the weather allows to practice hitting different distances, and to keep your chipping and putting up to scratch. Winter golf is different to summer, but it s still important to keep your movement patterns for golf. There is nothing worse coming out of winter with no feel for your golf game in the spring months.

Winter is the time to improve your game both on and off the golf course. Focus on your body strength and power using the Elastic Golf App as a great resource for this type of training. Come spring you will feel strong and have more focus for the new golf season.

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