End Chronic Post-Golf Aches & Pains With These 4 Simple Exercises

Every year around the holidays, I tell myself I’m going to “be better” and avoid all of those holiday staples that taste so good, but pack on the pounds.

Every year, it’s a losing battle…

Fortunately, with a new year comes a new chance to get your body in the best golf shape of your life. Working out is important for golfers of all ages for a lot of reasons:

You may not have the reported ten hours a week that Tiger Woods has to work out, you can start doing far less and still notice real results in a short amount of time.

Whether you join a health club or lift weights in your own home, try these 4 simple exercises to improve your stability and muscle coordination:

(Do 3 sets of 12 repetitions per set, and know your personal limits)

1) Alternate-Arm Dumbbell Bench Press

-For higher intensity, replace the bench with a workout ball

The alternate-arm dumbbell bench press strengthens your chest, improves balance, and stabilizes your core. It also increases the range of motion in your shoulders and wrists more than a simple chest press machine. Use an exercise ball if you want to also build core strength for a near-total body workout.

2) Dumbbell Squats

–Stand up straight holding the end of a single dumbbell.

-Straighten up, lifting the dumbbell back to the rest position. Repeat.

This exercise strengthens your legs and helps you build those pesky lower back muscles. Stronger legs and lower back muscles allow your lower body to move properly when swinging, and take some pressure off your vertebrae and discs.

3) Medicine Ball Twist and Throw

–Stand perpendicular to a wall while holding a medicine ball waist-high.

I’m sure you can see how this exercise would be useful for your golf swing: it decreases the torque on your spine while building up those powerful oblique muscles to give your swing more power and explosiveness.

4) One-Legged Romanian Deadlift

–Stand up straight with weights in both hands.

-Reverse sides and repeat.

One-legged deadlifts strengthen your hamstrings, glutes, and hips, and improve balance. You may need to flex your leg slightly to do this exercise properly; that’s totally fine. This exercise replaces machine hamstring curls, with greater range of motion and increased muscle stability.

I know it can be tough to roll yourself off the couch in the dead of winter after feasting on all those great holiday foods, especially if you don’t live in a warm-weather climate. But working out is one of the things you can do no matter the conditions outside to chop strokes off your handicap without taking a single golf lesson, or even setting foot on the golf course.

Not to mention your sides and back will thank you when they aren’t barking after the 14th or 15th hole!