From the Magazine
Grab your driver and do these speed-building exercises
Photographs by J.D. Cuban
Getting in better shape isn’t just good for you, it’s good for your golf game. That’s certainly true if you’re lucky enough to spend time with one of Golf Digest’s 50 Best Golf-Fitness Trainers in America. (Disclosure: There were so many good ones, our golf-fitness advisory panel selected 53 for our biennial list.) You can get an in-person workout from any of these trainers including Trevor Anderson, who is swinging the driver (left). He’s going to show you three exercises to increase your clubhead speed—no charge. —Ron Kaspriske
1. Front Lunges With Rotation
With your driver pinned horizontally across your chest, step forward into a lunge position, then rotate your torso toward the forward leg as fast as you can. Alternate leg positions, always rotating toward the front one. This exercise preps your body on how to create speed from a stable platform and how to control the proper body rotation in the swing. Do two sets and 10 reps in each direction.
2. Rotational Squats
With your driver pinned across your chest, feet wider than your shoulders, quickly dip into a full squat while rotating your upper body toward your dominant leg. When you reach the bottom of the squat, rise up as fast as you can and rotate your upper body into the finish position of your golf swing. This exercise trains the proper sequence of the golf swing and how to use the lower body and ground for leverage. Do two sets and 10 reps in each direction.
3. Pelvic Rotations
Bracing your upper body against your driver, rotate your lower body away from an imaginary target feeling it store energy into the trail leg, hip and glute muscles. Now quickly rotate your pelvis toward that target, simulating how the lower body leads the way on the downswing. This trains the proper movement and sequencing of the lower body and how it should be able to function independently of the upper body. Do two sets and 10 reps in each direction.