Roger Schiffman
Managing Editor
Golf Digest
Here's Ron: An often forgotten aspect of strength training is injury prevention. It's great to have a rock-hard abdomen or be strong enough to lift 100 pounds over your head, but your first goal in the gym should be to improve your physical condition to avoid getting hurt. This is especially important for golfers, because the twisting/torquing/explosive action required in swinging a club often leads to pain and injury.
Talk with any of the top fitness trainers in golf, and they
will tell you that injury prevention is No. 1 on their priority list. Let's
face it: If it weren't, and one of their clients got hurt, they wouldn't be in
the fitness business very long.
Strength coach Ben Shear (@benshear on Twitter), who trains Luke Donald,
Jason Day and Webb Simpson, among others, loves exercises that not only will
make you stronger, but also will help you reduce the chance of getting hurt
while playing. From his training
center--Athletic Edge in Scotch Plains, N.J.--Shear shows you two great exercises to not only strengthen your lower body, but also give your body some
stability as it rotates during the golf swing.
If you're a golfer and you're
about to start a training program with a qualified professional, ask
for exercises that will give you better rotational stability. It's paramount to
playing the game healthy.
Click on the video below to see Ben's great new
exercises using SuperFlex Bands from fellow PGA Tour trainer Dave Herman. And get
2012 off to a great start.
Ron Kaspriske, Fitness Editor
Golf Digest
