There are several reasons why golfer workouts and golf fitness are an important part of any golfer’s lifestyle, especially at the GPC where physical fitness and nutrition are one of our 5 Elements of Success. In developing the ideal golf workout, women golfers need to pay attention to strengthening particular parts of their body, in addition to working on flexibility and conditioning to meet their golf fitness goals.
Workouts for golf are important in a number of ways. To start, strengthening certain parts of your body like your legs is key for increasing power in your swing and other aspects of your game. Second, they can improve your range of motion and spinal rotation, which is especially important in golf. Finally, maintaining good golf fitness through golf strength training can play a huge role in preventing injury.
In developing the best golf workouts for women, it’s important to focus on the following parts of the body:
- Core
- Back
- Legs
- Chest
- Arms
Each of these areas plays a significant role on the golf course and developing strength in these areas will have you at the top of your game.
Best Golf Strength Exercises for Women
Golf Core Workout
Having a strong core is vital for stability and good posture. If you want to stay stabilized during a golf swing, your core strength will be your biggest asset. When choosing core exercises for your golf workout program, make sure you’re hitting your obliques, upper and lower abdominals, as each of these muscle groups work together.
In addition to the classic core exercises like sit ups, crunches and planks, a trainer can recommend more in-depth exercises that will hit parts of your core you may not be able to strengthen as well with your current set of favorite exercises.
Golf Back Workout
Don’t forget to strengthen your back! Having a strong back is particularly important when it comes to thoracic spine rotation, which plays a big role in your golf swing.
Having the right thoracic spine mobility is key for several reasons. For one, it helps you to generate more power. It also helps you to lessen the pressure on other parts of your body, like your shoulders and arms.
Windmills and windshield wipers are great exercises for spinal rotation. For general back strength, you can’t go wrong with swimmers and supermans. Your back and your spine are definitely sensitive parts of your body you don’t want to injure, so it’s always best to consult a trainer to spot you during these exercises and ensure proper form.
Golf Legs Workout
As we’ve mentioned, strong legs are an essential tool in the arsenal of every female golfer. It’s important for this reason to make sure you’re hitting your legs with weighted and body weight exercises during a golf workout.
Choose leg exercises for your golf workout program so you hit each of the parts of your legs: calves, quads, hamstrings and glutes. To start, performing exercises like calf raises, split squats, deadlifts and donkey kicks target each of these areas. Adding weights to each of these will also improve strength. But trainers at the GPC are able to put together a comprehensive golf legs workout.
Golf Chest Workout
Strengthening your chest is another important part of improving your swing, which is something every female golfer wants to do. Not to mention, working out your chest helps with your posture.
Pushing and pressing exercises, like pushups, are key here. Shoulder taps in a plank or bear plank are also a way to hit your chest and your core at the same time.
Golf Arms Workout
Like your golf leg workout, you need to ensure you’re hitting each muscle group in your arms as each of these muscles will be engaged on the golf course.
When it comes to arm workouts, many women want to improve strength without bulking up. For lean muscles, using light weights for double or triple the reps will give you a satisfying burnout and lead to svelte arms. Think of tricep kickbacks, overhead presses, bicep curls and shoulder raises with 1-3lb weights performed for a minute straight.
Key Considerations for Women’s Golf Workouts
Women golfers developing a golf workout program should keep a few things in mind, in particular. While men and women golfers will likely be doing the same types of exercises for golf strength training, some key differences in musculature and body type will influence the way women golfers perform.
For example, women tend to be more flexible than men. To give an example, it’s very common for women to find touching their toes and getting their fingers closer to the ground much easier than men simply because of the difference in hip shape. When it comes to stretching and flexibility, women golfers should consider working with a trainer to analyze their mobility to avoid hypermobility issues in the future.
In terms of performance, women golfers training to play in college are no doubt focused on distance, since golf courses get longer in college. Additionally, leg strength and stability is key for women golfers who have a powerful stance with a lower center of gravity. With a bigger hip turn, this wider stance can also create more resistance during a swing. Maintaining balance and strength in the legs is essential.
