Workouts

It’s no secret that low back pain is a common complaint amongst golfers. If your hips and thoracic spine don’t adequately rotate in the swing, your lumbar spine will often take over to give you the rotation those key areas are lacking. This rotation in the lower back — a section of the spine not designed for rotation — often leads to injury over time. In this workout I’ll take you through exercises designed not only to strengthen your abdominals, but also to improve this key hip and mid back mobility to help you avoid low back pain and injuries.

Rest for 90s between sets unless otherwise noted.

In golf, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. What I mean by that is while each section of the body has a critical role in the swing, the entire kinematic sequence (or how those sections move together) is what creates maximum power off the tee. For those of you new to the term kinematic sequence, it refers to the sequential transfer of force respectively from the ground up through the pelvis, trunk, arms and ultimately to the clubhead as it moves through the ball at impact. In this workout I’ll take you through mobility drills and sequencing exercises designed to improve this transfer of force so you can safely create explosive power in your swing.

Rest for 90s between sets unless otherwise noted.

I get asked by golfers all the time for a workout they can do using only a stretch band. It’s no secret that stretch bands are one of my favorite training tools.  But don’t just take my (and Tom Brady’s!) word for it. When used before the round, resistance bands have been proven to increase clubhead speed, ball speed and driving distance. Not only a great tool for warming up, stretch bands also allow you to train no matter where you are. Whether you’re on the road and need a workout you can do with limited equipment or you want to improve your muscle pliability for longer drives, this is the session for you.

Rest for 90s between sets unless otherwise noted.

Golf is an explosive sport. In fact as golfers, we really aren’t that different from sprinters. We play a sport that requires us to generate a huge amount of force through our body in a very short amount of time. But if you haven’t trained and prepared your body for the demands of golf in the gym, it can be difficult to create this maximum speed and power. In this workout, I’ll take you through explosive golf-specific exercises to help you get more explosive in your swing. Expect to sweat in this session!

Rest for 90s between sets unless otherwise noted.

The upper body is vital for a powerful golf swing. It helps you rotate properly, controls the clubface at impact and allows you to generate maximum power off the tee. In fact, it’s well known that the shoulder is responsible for up to 20% of your total clubhead speed! For that reason, improving the mobility and strength of your upper body is essential. In this workout I’ll take you through nine different stretches and exercises to challenge your upper body to help you perform at your best.

Rest for 90s between sets unless otherwise noted.

Most of the golfers I work with sit at a desk for the majority of the day. We all know being sedentary is bad for our health, but many people fail to realize the ways in which sitting for long periods of time can negatively affect their golf performance. When we sit for hours on end, our hips and mid-back often become tight. Then when the afternoon or weekend rolls around and we try to swing a golf club around those restrictions, big misses, loss of distance and even injuries can emerge. This workout is all about increasing rotation in two crucial areas for golf performance — your hips and thoracic spine — so you can get a bigger turn with less effort. Whether you’ve been working long hours or simply want to improve your mobility for a healthier body and swing, this is the session for you.

Rest for 90s between sets unless otherwise noted.

If you watch some of the best players in the world, the lower body leads the downswing. In fact, some of the most powerful muscles in the golf swing are lower body muscles. That’s why we say the glutes are the king of your swing! In this workout I’ll show you some of my favorite lower body exercises for generating maximum power in your swing while reducing your risk of low back, hip and knee injuries. Expect moves to improve your single leg balance, drills to increase your hip mobility and stability and exercises to boost your transfer of power. If you want a stronger lower body to help you hit more fairways, this is the session for you.

Rest for 90s between sets unless otherwise noted.

This is the 100th Tour Fit workout! To celebrate, I wanted to share my greatest hits golf workout with you all. The exercises in this session are some of my go-to drills for golfers looking to improve their mobility, strength and power. In fact, I’ve featured many of these drills in my articles for Golf Digest and the Titleist Performance Institute. If I had to pick one total body golf fitness session as my deserted island workout, this would be it. Here’s to the next 100 Tour Fit workouts and thank you for all of your hard work!

Rest for 90s between sets unless otherwise noted.

Side bend is essential for a powerful golf swing. The ability to side bend properly sets you up for an ideal impact position so you can fully compress the ball. Whether you have a flat shoulder plane or struggle with loss of posture, improving your side bend can help. In this workout I’ll take you through nine stretches and exercises to help improve your thoracic mobility and increase your side bend for more power off the tee. Let’s get started!

Rest for 90s between sets unless otherwise noted.

Core stability is vital for a powerful, consistent golf swing. Your core helps you efficiently transfer energy from the ground up in your swing. Your core also helps you resist unwanted lateral movement in your swing, such as sway and slide. Without a strong core, it’s as if you’re missing a vital link between the lower body and the upper body, and it’s not hard to imagine the power leaks that occur as a result! This workout features nine stretches and exercises designed to train your core for power. Expect to work up a sweat in this session!

Rest for 90s between sets unless otherwise noted.

It was so inspiring watching the Tour pros get maximum power and distance off the tee in the 150th Open at St. Andrews. Part of that tremendous power comes from their highly efficient weight transfer in the swing, stacking up immense energy and delivering it with incredible force to the ball. All too often, golfers struggle with this weight transfer and “hang back” in their swing. We say a golfer hangs back when there’s an obvious lack of weight shift towards the target on the downswing. This issue often results in the golfer’s weight still being on the trail foot at impact. Unfortunately, reduced power is the result. Luckily, there are stretches and exercises you can do in the gym to help you avoid hanging back in your swing. This workout focuses on improving your hip and ankle mobility, strengthening your core and lower body and improving your overall power so you can avoid hanging back and start making solid contact like the pros.

Rest for 90s between sets unless otherwise noted.

The body functions as an alternating chain of stability and mobility. The foot needs to be stable, the ankle needs to be mobile, the knee needs to be stable and the pattern continues up the chain. What does that have to do with low back pain and golf? Well, when we get to the hips and the low back, we need the hips to be mobile so the low back can remain stable. All too often golfers with tight, locked hips overuse their lower back in the swing to compensate for that lack of mobility in the hips. Other times the golfer’s mid-back (a section that needs to be mobile) is so tight that the lower back again compensates. In this workout I’ll teach you the stretches and exercises you can do to prevent these imbalances and safeguard your low back so you can add years to your game.

Rest for 90s between sets unless otherwise noted.