fitness friday
Stronger glutes and longer drives in four easy steps
It’s common to think of training muscles or muscle groups individually. You do dumbbell arm curls with the intent of getting bigger or toner biceps, right? Squats are for the glutes. Use the leg-extension machine to make the quadriceps firm.
There’s nothing wrong with this mind-set, especially if you have very specific goals in the gym. However, golfers might want to change their thinking if their visits to the gym are performance-oriented for the golf course.
Pam Owens, a Golf Digest Certified Fitness Trainer and one of the 50 Best Trainers in America, says muscle activation and activity in relation to the golf swing is very much a group effort, so training for this coordinated action makes sense.
If power is on your mind (it’s on every golfer’s mind), working on the muscles of the pelvis region as a group is a smart approach to picking up yards, she says. Just playing a lot of golf isn’t going to provide you with a power boost, especially in the aging-golfer population.
“Without exercise, even those playing a lot of golf are likely to experience a gradual decline of overall strength and mobility, especially in the hips,” says Owens, who trains golfers at Royal Oaks Country Club in Houston. “Maintaining strength in your hips is a lifelong pursuit for golfers that is well worth your effort. Strong hips are the greatest and first source of power needed to then transfer speed to the core, arms, wrists and finally the clubhead.”
Back to the over-arching topic, by traininig the hips, she means all the muscles in the pelvic region. The glutes should obviously come to mind, and always be active during a round.
“We know world-class golfers have strong hips because they can deep squat with heavier loads and jump higher in testing," Owens says. "They do so by loading and unloading their hips through deep ranges of mobility and strength. Every time you climb stairs, stand up from a chair, get in and out of your golf cart, you are loading and unloading your hips through flexion, extension and/or rotation. And when we strengthen our glutes using these movements, it transfers directly into our swing for potential increases in distance.”
Owens has four simple exercises anyone can do with the intent of giving this region of your body a turbo boost, so to speak. All you need, she says, is a looped resistance band, some hand weights and a sturdy platform or box.
Hip thrusts: “These will activate and strengthen your glutes and hamstrings,” she says.
Lie down on your back and place your feet on top of a box, bench or stability ball (the stability ball makes it more challenging). While keeping your knees bent, use your legs and hips to lift your glutes off the floor as high as possible without feeling any strain or discomfort in your back. Hold for as long as you can without it becomming painful, and then return to the starting position. You can repeat this as many times as you want provided your form doesn’t suffer or you start to feel pain.
Wall deadlifts: “These strengthen your glutes and back and improve your golf posture.”
Position your feet slightly wider than your hips and stand one foot-length from a wall. While holding dumbbells close to your legs, hinge your hips back to tap the wall with your butt, then return to the standing position. Be mindful to keep your knees soft and your spine in a neutral position. Hinge only from the hips. Do a few sets of 8-10 reps (or less if your form begins to deteriorate).
Sumo banded hip openers (seated or standing): “These activate the glute-medius muscles, which are heavily involved in the lateral and rotary motions of a golf swing.”
Place a looped band around your legs, just above the knees. Start with your feet wider than your hips, which stretches the band. While keeping your feet flat on the ground, move your knees laterally inside and outside the position of the feet. Do as many as you can until you feel a strong burn in these lower-body muscles.
Dumbbell step-ups: “These strengthen your legs and hips for more vertical thrust in the swing, which is key to achieve faster speeds.”
Grab a pair of medium-weight or heavy dumbbells and a box or sturdy platform that is no higher than just below knee height. Step up on the box to extend your knee and hip, then softly land on the opposite leg into a soft squat. Repeat on the same leg several times, then switch leg positions and repeat for several more reps.
Interested in becomming a fitness trainer endorsed by Golf Digest? Click on this link to learn more about Golf Digest's Certified Fitness Trainer Curriculum.