Can gym equipment really help you improve your golf game? According to pro trainer Andrew Hannon, the gym is full of great tools for golfers. He recommends regular workouts for anyone who’s looking to dominate on the golf course, to build strength and increase flexibility so you can avoid injury when you’re out on the course. Here are five of his favorite golf exercises using gym equipment.
Watch: 5 Golf Exercises with Gym Equipment
1. Landmine Clean and Press
What you’ll need: A barbell, which you can add weights to for more strength training.
What’s working: Your core muscles and your shoulders.
- Set up your barbell so it’s on the ground with one end secured in a corner where the wall and floor meet.
- Stand in front of the barbell with your left side closer to the wall.
- With your core muscles engaged and your knees slightly bent, hold the barbell in your left hand.
- While lifting and turning your body towards the left, move the barbell from your left to your right hand and lift the end up high. Concentrate on shifting all your weight to your left side as you transfer the barbell to your right hand.
- Do four to six reps on each side to complete a set. Repeat for three sets.
2. Staggered Stance Medicine Ball Slam
What’s working: Your core muscles and your lower body’s stability and rotational power.
What you’ll need: A medicine ball.
- Holding a medicine ball, stand with your knees bent and your feet apart, with the majority of your weight on your front foot.
- Swing the medicine ball up to one side, rotating your upper body.
- Catch the medicine ball after it bounces and repeat the movement.
- Complete four to six reps on each side to make a set. Repeat for three sets.
3. Reciprocal Push-Pull with Cable Machine
What’s working: Your core, especially the obliques, and your overall strength and power.
What you’ll need: A cable machine with adjustable arms and two cable pulls.
- Adjust the arms on the cable machine so one is high and one is low.
- Stand with one side towards the machine and the cable pulls in your hands, with the high arm behind you and the low one in front of you. Your higher arm should be bent at the elbow and your lower arm should be stretched in front of you.
- With your knees bent and your core muscles engaged, push the higher cable forward and down while pulling the lower cable in towards you.
- Twist back into your starting position.
- Complete four to six reps on each side for a set. Repeat for three sets.
4. Lateral Lunge with Hand Switch
What’s working: Your glutes, your legs and your frontal plane range of motion. Hannon recommends this move to improve your golf swing.
What you’ll need: A kettlebell.
- Holding a kettlebell in front of you with your right hand, stand straight with your feet together.
- With the kettlebell still in your right hand, swing your right leg out for a lateral lunge. Bend your right knee and focus on transferring your weight to your right side.
- Hold this position, and use your upper body strength to swing the kettlebell to the opposite hand.
- Return to your starting position.
- Do four to six reps on each side to complete a set. Repeat for three sets.
5. Looped 180° Jumps
What’s working: Your legs and your core, and your ability to leverage the ground for power.
What you’ll need: Resistance bands and a way to securely fasten them to the wall.
- Tie two resistance bands together and secure them to the wall or something else sturdy.
- Loop both resistance bands around one shoulder and turn towards the opposite direction so the band wraps around your body for more resistance.
- With the band around your shoulder, jump up into the air and spin 180 degrees, increasing the resistance from the band.
- Quickly jump back to your starting position.
- Do three to four jumps on each side to complete a set. Repeat for three sets.
“Golf is demanding,” says Hannon, explaining that a single swing at the ball actually works every muscle group in the body. While Hannon usually plays golf about once weekly, he’s in the gym four or five days a week to work his muscles and hone his form. This kind of regular workout routine helps him stay flexible and precise on the course, while conditioning his body for fewer injuries, quicker recoveries, and powerful swings. Looking for more exercises to bring your golf skills to the next level? Check out Hannon’s guide to mobility training for golfers.
Take these instructions with you by downloading this printable PDF.