Instruction
5 exercises to avoid during the golf season
In a previous story, I explained my reasoning behind developing an improved approach to training during the season. A transitional approach gives you the best opportunity to avoiding overtraining while potentially maintaining performance gains made in the off-season.
As I mentioned earlier, you want to maintain the gains you made during a well-developed off-season program. However, you should understand that you will likely lose some strength and power during the season. For the most part this is inevitable, because your focus has shifted from making performance gains to making technical changes to lower your scores.
Why should you avoid some movements in your training regimen during the season?
First is the risk of injury. During the season, you ultimately want to score the best you can. However, if you injure yourself in the gym, then you run the risk of not competing the remainder of the season. Injuries usually don’t heal themselves. They require R.I.C.E. (rest, ice, compression and elevation) in some cases. Regardless, you will need to rehab to strengthen the affected area to ensure you avoid the recurrence of injury.
Another issue is fatigue. Ideally, your goal in the gym is to maintain flexibility and strength. During the season, you can continue to make stability and flexibility gains. However, pushing too hard to increase strength leads to the risk overreaching and overtraining. Both situations affect your game negatively. Over-fatigued muscles can become inhibited or restricted. In no regards is this good for your swing.
Here’s five strength or power-based movements that you should avoid during the season.
Back Squat
Reason: Its intended purpose is a heavy-weighted power movement.
Alternative: Use a sumo kettlebell squat (above).
Sit Up
You should avoid the sit-up at all costs!
Consider this: Golfers need thoracic rotational strength. Increasing strength here requires training of all core muscles. A better option would be a circuit of crunches, oblique kettlebell crunches and swiss ball back extensions. I also like oblique side crunches (above).
Shoulder Press
Heavy weight shoulder presses risk overuse and can decrease rotational flexibility if injured.
Alternative:Pendular movement (above). You can add a band once you’ve achieved a high level of flexibility.
Chest Press
Again, heavy chest presses are counterproductive during the season. Hypertrophy has a tendency to decrease flexibility.
Alternative: Band trunk rotation (above). This exercise is an eccentric, isometric chest activator. You use your pec muscles to assist in stabilization while you’re focusing on increasing rotational flexibility and maintaining strength.
Dead Lift
While a great off-season powerbuilder, the deadlift increases probability of injury, especially when fatigued from matches. I’m not willing to risk that with my athletes.
Alternative: You can modify this movement by eliminating weight, focusing on the movement form and adding a band for appropriate resistance or Romanian deadlifts (RDLs). Single leg Romanian dead lifts (above) are also a great option.
There may be no more painful affliction in golf than the “yips” – those uncontrollable and maddening little nervous twitches that prevent you from making a decent stroke on short putts. If you’ve never had them, consider yourself very fortunate (or possibly just very young). But I can assure you that when your most treacherous and feared golf shot is not the 195 yard approach over water with a quartering headwind…not the extra tight fairway with water left and sand right…not the soft bunker shot to a downhill pin with water on the other side…No, when your most feared shot is the remaining 2- 4-foot putt after hitting a great approach, recovery or lag putt, it makes the game almost painful.
And I’ve been fighting the yips (again) for a while now. It’s a recurring nightmare that has haunted me most of my adult life. I even had the yips when I was in my 20s, but I’ve beat them into submission off and on most of my adult life. But just recently, that nasty virus came to life once again. My lag putting has been very good, but when I get over one of those “you should make this” length putts, the entire nervous system seems to go haywire. I make great practice strokes, and then the most pitiful short-stroke or jab at the ball you can imagine. Sheesh.
But I’m a traditionalist, and do not look toward the long putter, belly putter, cross-hand, claw or other variation as the solution. My approach is to beat those damn yips into submission some other way. Here’s what I’m doing that is working pretty well, and I offer it to all of you who might have a similar affliction on the greens.
When you are over a short putt, forget the practice strokes…you want your natural eye-hand coordination to be unhindered by mechanics. Address your putt and take a good look at the hole, and back to the putter to ensure good alignment. Lighten your right hand grip on the putter and make sure that only the fingertips are in contact with the grip, to prevent you from getting to tight.
Then, take a long, long look at the hole to fill your entire mind and senses with the target. When you bring your head/eyes back to the ball, try to make a smooth, immediate move right into your backstroke — not even a second pause — and then let your hands and putter track right back together right back to where you were looking — the HOLE! Seeing the putter make contact with the ball, preferably even the forward edge of the ball – the side near the hole.
For me, this is working, but I am asking all of you to chime in with your own “home remedies” for the most aggravating and senseless of all golf maladies. It never hurts to have more to fall back on!
Over the last couple of decades, golf has become much more science-based. We measure swing speed, smash factor, angle of attack, strokes gained, and many other metrics that can really help golfers improve. But I often wonder if the advancement of golf’s “hard” sciences comes at the expense of the “soft” sciences.
Take, for example, golf instruction. Good golf instruction requires understanding swing mechanics and ball flight. But let’s take that as a given for PGA instructors. The other factors that make an instructor effective can be evaluated by social science, rather than launch monitors.
If you are a recreational golfer looking for a golf instructor, here are my top three points to consider.
1. Cultural mindset
What is “cultural mindset? To social scientists, it means whether a culture of genius or a culture of learning exists. In a golf instruction context, that may mean whether the teacher communicates a message that golf ability is something innate (you either have it or you don’t), or whether golf ability is something that can be learned. You want the latter!
It may sound obvious to suggest that you find a golf instructor who thinks you can improve, but my research suggests that it isn’t a given. In a large sample study of golf instructors, I found that when it came to recreational golfers, there was a wide range of belief systems. Some instructors strongly believed recreational golfers could improve through lessons. while others strongly believed they could not. And those beliefs manifested in the instructor’s feedback given to a student and the culture created for players.
2. Coping and self-modeling can beat role-modeling
Swing analysis technology is often preloaded with swings of PGA and LPGA Tour players. The swings of elite players are intended to be used for comparative purposes with golfers taking lessons. What social science tells us is that for novice and non-expert golfers, comparing swings to tour professionals can have the opposite effect of that intended. If you fit into the novice or non-expert category of golfer, you will learn more and be more motivated to change if you see yourself making a ‘better’ swing (self-modeling) or seeing your swing compared to a similar other (a coping model). Stay away from instructors who want to compare your swing with that of a tour player.
3. Learning theory basics
It is not a sexy selling point, but learning is a process, and that process is incremental – particularly for recreational adult players. Social science helps us understand this element of golf instruction. A good instructor will take learning slowly. He or she will give you just about enough information that challenges you, but is still manageable. The artful instructor will take time to decide what that one or two learning points are before jumping in to make full-scale swing changes. If the instructor moves too fast, you will probably leave the lesson with an arm’s length of swing thoughts and not really know which to focus on.
As an instructor, I develop a priority list of changes I want to make in a player’s technique. We then patiently and gradually work through that list. Beware of instructors who give you more than you can chew.
So if you are in the market for golf instruction, I encourage you to look beyond the X’s and O’s to find the right match!
Most pros take months, even years, to win their first tournament. Lottie Woad needed exactly four days.
The 21-year-old from Surrey shot 21-under 267 at Dundonald Links to win the ISPS Handa Women’s Scottish Open by three shots — in her very first event as a professional. She’s only the third player in LPGA history to accomplish this feat, joining Rose Zhang (2023) and Beverly Hanson (1951).
But here’s what caught my attention as a coach: Woad didn’t win through miraculous putting or bombing 300-yard drives. She won through relentless precision and unshakeable composure. After watching her performance unfold, I’m convinced every golfer — from weekend warriors to scratch players — can steal pages from her playbook.
Precision Beats Power (And It’s Not Even Close)
Forget the driving contests. Woad proved that finding greens matters more than finding distance.
What Woad did:
• Hit it straight, hit it solid, give yourself chances
• Aimed for the fat parts of greens instead of chasing pins
• Let her putting do the talking after hitting safe targets
• As she said, “Everyone was chasing me today, and managed to maintain the lead and played really nicely down the stretch and hit a lot of good shots”
Why most golfers mess this up:
• They see a pin tucked behind a bunker and grab one more club to “go right at it”
• Distance becomes more important than accuracy
• They try to be heroic instead of smart
ACTION ITEM: For your next 10 rounds, aim for the center of every green regardless of pin position. Track your greens in regulation and watch your scores drop before your swing changes.
The Putter That Stayed Cool Under Fire
Woad started the final round two shots clear and immediately applied pressure with birdies at the 2nd and 3rd holes. When South Korea’s Hyo Joo Kim mounted a charge and reached 20-under with a birdie at the 14th, Woad didn’t panic.
How she responded to pressure:
• Fired back with consecutive birdies at the 13th and 14th
• Watched Kim stumble with back-to-back bogeys
• Capped it with her fifth birdie of the day at the par-5 18th
• Stayed patient when others pressed, pressed when others cracked
What amateurs do wrong:
• Get conservative when they should be aggressive
• Try to force magic when steady play would win
• Panic when someone else makes a move
ACTION ITEM: Practice your 3-6 foot putts for 15 minutes after every range session. Woad’s putting wasn’t spectacular—it was reliable. Make the putts you should make.
Course Management 101: Play Your Game, Not the Course’s Game
Woad admitted she couldn’t see many scoreboards during the final round, but it didn’t matter. She stuck to her game plan regardless of what others were doing.
Her mental approach:
• Focused on her process, not the competition
• Drew on past pressure situations (Augusta National Women’s Amateur win)
• As she said, “That was the biggest tournament I played in at the time and was kind of my big win. So definitely felt the pressure of it more there, and I felt like all those experiences helped me with this”
Her physical execution:
• 270-yard drives (nothing flashy)
• Methodical iron play
• Steady putting
• Everything effective, nothing spectacular
ACTION ITEM: Create a yardage book for your home course. Know your distances to every pin, every hazard, every landing area. Stick to your plan no matter what your playing partners are doing.
Mental Toughness Isn’t Born, It’s Built
The most impressive part of Woad’s win? She genuinely didn’t expect it: “I definitely wasn’t expecting to win my first event as a pro, but I knew I was playing well, and I was hoping to contend.”
Her winning mindset:
• Didn’t put winning pressure on herself
• Focused on playing well and contending
• Made winning a byproduct of a good process
• Built confidence through recent experiences:
- Won the Women’s Irish Open as an amateur
- Missed a playoff by one shot at the Evian Championship
- Each experience prepared her for the next
What this means for you:
• Stop trying to shoot career rounds every time you tee up
• Focus on executing your pre-shot routine
• Commit to every shot
• Stay present in the moment
ACTION ITEM: Before each round, set process goals instead of score goals. Example: “I will take three practice swings before every shot” or “I will pick a specific target for every shot.” Let your score be the result, not the focus.
The Real Lesson
Woad collected $300,000 for her first professional victory, but the real prize was proving that fundamentals still work at golf’s highest level. She didn’t reinvent the game — she simply executed the basics better than everyone else that week.
The fundamentals that won:
• Hit more fairways
• Find more greens
• Make the putts you should make
• Stay patient under pressure
That’s something every golfer can do, regardless of handicap. Lottie Woad just showed us it’s still the winning formula.
FINAL ACTION ITEM: Pick one of the four action items above and commit to it for the next month. Master one fundamental before moving to the next. That’s how champions are built.
PGA Professional Brendon Elliott is an award-winning coach and golf writer. You can check out his writing work and learn more about him by visiting BEAGOLFER.golf and OneMoreRollGolf.com. Also, check out “The Starter” on RG.org each Monday.
Editor’s note: Brendon shares his nearly 30 years of experience in the game with GolfWRX readers through his ongoing tip series. He looks forward to providing valuable insights and advice to help golfers improve their game. Stay tuned for more Tips!
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TwoWolvez
Aug 4, 2014 at 2:42 pm
Hi Chris,
First of all I want to say thanks for taking the time to write the article, which does have good and accurate information. I am a GC Am Tour player and beach body coach and am currently doing testing with some specific exercises and see how they help with golf. I have already used done of the exercises you mentioned and have noticed they helped me earlier this year when I did them.
Secondly, I find your responses to the critics very professional. Keep up the good work, and if possible I would like to discuss with you about my findings once my 2 month program is over.
To all the critics,
Can you please state your degree and area of expertise on the human body and how specific exercises help our hinder an athlete. Other than people doing random internet searches on the topics, I can’t see where anyone could contradict with authority what Chris stated. I train with a top PGA Instructor, and one of the first things we discussed was flexibility and light weight exercises over heavy weight exercises. Also doing functional exercises with bands helped me with functional strength and flexibility more than free weights ever have. There are many exercises needed for golf that are virtually impossible to do with free weights and can only be done with some type of resistance band, whether it be a band or Bowflex.
Over the last year, I personally did functional exercises with bands and my Bowflex and picked up nearly a 10% increase on all of my clubs. I am currently doing further testing on some other functional exercises to see how much more flexibility and distance I can gain, while maintaining good form.
Thanks,
TwoWolvez
TwoWolvez
Aug 4, 2014 at 2:44 pm
Sorry for any misspellings. Auto correct sucks.
Nick
Aug 1, 2014 at 7:05 pm
Woeful recommendations with paper thin justifications based on actually INCORRECT information.
Chest Press – Using a band trunk rotation exercise as a substitute because it is “an eccentric, isometric chest activator”. This is incorrect, using the wrong terminology and missing the point of the exercise completely.
Sit Ups – I agree are not ideal but are actually preferable to what you suggest as an alternative! Crunches are more likely to have a shortening effect on rectus abdomonis and oblique side crunches are possibly the worst suggestion for a uni lateral striking sport where the majority of players get adaptive shortening of the obliques and lats in their dominant side.
Back squat – it’s intended purpose totally depends on the load and volume used. Assuming it’s a heavy weighted power movement is firstly a contradiction (power is generated using light-medium weight and fast bar speed) and secondly a huge presumption. The back squat can have wide reaching benefits including improving stability, neural efficiency and core integration amongst others.
The overall theme of mitigating risk of injury by avoiding these exercise doesn’t even stand up. Performed with good form and appropriate load, the exercises your recommend steering clear of are actually a fantastic injury prevention tool.
Chris I highly recommend you go away and do some research, gain some experience working with golfers and then come back and make some recommendations based on what you read and observe. Right now you are offering advice which will actually inhibit the athletic development of people who choose to act upon it.
Chris Costa
Aug 2, 2014 at 9:03 am
Thanks, Nick. However, I suggest that you do the same, as none of those exercise inhibit development in your average individual. Sit ups are one of the most contraindicated movements in the history of exercise physiology and biomechanics. Yet, you’re sponsorship of spinal compression is more ideal?
Furthermore, neural efficiency can be improve without resistance. Simply completing the movements has the opportunity to facilitate proprioceptive adaptations.
jmichael204
Jul 31, 2014 at 9:44 am
I think what Chris is trying to say here is in every program you need some periodization. All athletes use this in there sports so that they can peak during competition. If you train 4 and 5 day/week “body building” training splits you will not have much left in the tank for the golf course. Now this doesn’t mean you can’t do squats or presses just maybe don’t be maximizing your intensity and volume. But it is also important to realize that putting variety into the mix with sumo squats push-ups etc can help you as well.
I can say this, I changed my routine this year and bought a set of kettlebells and a foam roller for “poor mans” massage and I train twice a week at most during golf season and my game has never been better. I am a +1 handicap now and 30 years old and sit in front of a computer %70 of the time at work.
Do you guys think all those tour pro’s during the peak tournament season are hitting the gym banging out max reps on the squat and deadlift rack in between tournaments?? They do functional movements/exercises related to there sport and ton of flexibility training and massage therapy to keep them in peak form during the season.
Chris Costa
Jul 31, 2014 at 11:33 am
Jmichael,
You’re absolutely correct. It is the method of periodization. Now, I will say that I don’t believe periodization to be the only way to define or develop athletic performance and it’s various attributes. In regards to “keeping athletes healthy”, many of the ideas out there are derivatives of periodization.
We want to supersede the expectations of form and function during the off-season when it is optimal to develop peak performance. Granted, there’s a fine line that exists between peak performance and injury risk, but as you said that is why people need to understand that protocols must change to correlated with lessening fatigue during the season.
Bluefan75
Jul 31, 2014 at 8:30 am
Chris, your response to Alex shows as much substance as your article. “Please don’t poison minds”? from the guy telling people to use bands instead of weights? This is the the kind of thing that keeps the infomercial industry alive and well.
But since you asked for research, read up on this:
http://startingstrength.com/articles/2013_strength_science_sullivan.pdf
But thanks for posting the first picture.
Chris Costa
Jul 31, 2014 at 9:05 am
Bluefan75,
What is your personal issue with bands? The shakeweight and selector from bowflex were infomercials as well. They are not in any relation to bands. Physical therapists utilize bands for rehabilitative strength. How can you discount that for the desk jockey or weekend warrior? Are we talking about average joes or pros here? Even pros are asked to work with banded resistance.
Additionally, what you linked is not research. Its a publication that tries to find errors within research studies. In fact, there’s no research within the document that supports their own claim of false information from the research study. Not all research points in the correct direction. However, its someone’s or some groups interpretation of what they found in testing. Hence the reason why there’s constantly new studies published. Still doesn’t validate anything that you or Alex mentioned.
Bluefan75
Aug 1, 2014 at 11:21 am
Um, let’s see here, what kind of strength gain does a band give you? They are fantastic for stretching. Unless you have a very hard time lifting basically anything off the ground, a band is not going to gain you any strength. And rehab? You’re using the fact they are used in rehab to justify them?
As to the topic of research. I did not see any research cited in your article either. You’ll forgive Alex or I if we don’t don’t consider “because Chris said so” to be enough.
You are telling people who are lifting actual weights to stop once the golf season rolls around, because they *might* get hurt, so do these ones instead. Exercises that do basically nothing other than allow someone to check off a box if they are even slightly more than a sedentary blob.
You’d likely have Alex’s support, and you would havce mine, had you said you may want to back off the frequency or the weight during the season. That is sensible and reasoned. But telling people who are lifting or about to lift to do that stuff instead? Of course, like the barbell itself, it’s boring, doesn’t hold attention, doesn’t get an article published, and doesn’t get people to pay you for it.
Fred
Jul 31, 2014 at 5:22 am
What a load of poo. Pretty much EVERY weekend warrior needs more of the above.
Pingback: 5 Workouts to Avoid While Golf Season is On-going - I'd Rather Be Golfing
Rusty Putter
Jul 30, 2014 at 9:46 pm
Chris gotta agree w Alex, you missed the mark.
Kyle Adams
Jul 30, 2014 at 7:44 pm
This is almost universally terrible advice. There is no evidence of injury risk with any movements stated.
Josh
Jul 30, 2014 at 5:53 pm
Yes Alex! Thank you for that. All of that.
Alex
Jul 30, 2014 at 5:15 pm
This is almost completely wrong.
(1) Back squats are one of the best exercises for building power, CNS endurance, core strength, and counter-rotation force. I don’t understand why the fact that squats are a great “heavy-weighted power movement” means that you shouldn’t do them during the golf season.
Do baseball or football players (both analogous to golf because they require rapid force generation followed by periods of relative inactivity) stop squatting/deadlifting during their season? Of course they don’t. Sure, these athletes aren’t going to go for a 1 rep max deadlift after a game, but that’s more common sense and program management than a flaw in the exercise.
(2) I’ll give you situps, though pallof presses, cable crunches, suitcase carries, and other weighted exercises would be far more effective and yield better results.
(3), (4), and (5) all have the same flawed logic: these exercises can injure you if you do them incorrectly. So what? Pretty much every exercise can injure you if you don’t have good form. I would expect a trainer with a client to teach the client proper form for exercise that are demonstrably the most effective movements one can do, not avoid them because the client doesn’t know how to do them properly.
Also, 99.99% of golfers would benefit from an increase in muscle mass. Most are desk jockeys or couch potatoes. The number of golfers who would see an adverse change in their swing from increased muscle mass is minimal, and doing some heavy lifting isn’t going to transform a middle manager into a world’s strongest man competitor. This insinuation reminds me of the oft-repeated (and completely incorrect) belief that lifting small weights gets you “toned” while lifting heavy weights make you “bulky,” which is objectively false.
While I’m a proponent of shifting reps/weight depending on a person’s diet, activity level, and goals, heavy lifting and low rep compound movements is an integral part of any legitimate program to build strength.
This article is one of many that assumes golfers are dainty flowers that will snap if they’re required to lift anything heavier than their own body weight or a pink kettlebell. That assumption is wrong; it leads to inefficient and ineffective training programs, minimal (if any) progress, and may even be counterproductive by increasing localized inflammation due to excessive reps.
You can achieve far better results in far less time using far more effective exercises than the ones suggested above.
Mizzy
Jul 30, 2014 at 6:10 pm
Excellent response.
Workouts that seem easy will net inefficient results.
Aaron
Jul 30, 2014 at 8:25 pm
Well said, Alex. Couldn’t agree more.
cb
Jul 30, 2014 at 10:15 pm
Chris A+ for the first photo but have to give another +1 to Alex. I do agree with you Chris that people can be injured doing some of those power movements but that is almost always do to bad form or trying to lift too much. i agree with alex, with a proper trainer who teaches you the correct form, these exercises will give you effortless power. Now i could see the argument made that if you play multiple times a week, and have never lifted before, then your golf game will be negatively impacted if you start doing the power exercises. because you will for sure have some muscles mad at you for working them. but once you get in a regular routine then that won’t be an issue.
Chris Costa
Jul 31, 2014 at 7:34 am
Alex,
Thank you for your candid response.
Contrary to your beliefs, you have not validated any of your claims with research. If you know what you assume to know about sports performance, then yes you would realize that professional athletes are NOT back squatting during the season. It’s ludicrous that you even presume with false assumption. They don’t 1RM during the season, period.
Why are sit-ups bad? Yet, farmer’s walks (an isometric contraction) do what for golfers? Isometric falls under an energy system utilization that doesn’t even apply to golfers.
ANY EXERCISE CAN CAUSE INJURY. It’s about minimizing risk and player safety.
“tone” and “bulk”?? Geez you sound like a weekend seminar trainer…. Increasing lean body mass hurts NO athlete. Never once did I say that. If you dont gain LBM from a sumo squat, then you are doing something wrong. How is the desk jockey going to oxidize fats?
There’s no assumption here, there’s a shift or transition needing to take place in the thought process here. Excessive repetitions? What are you referencing? Crossfit? You’re out in left field on this one, Alex. In fact, I don’t believe I mentioned anything about a repetition count.
Train yourself however you see fit, but please don’t poison the minds of others with your babbling. You provide little scientific claim to back up any of your own believed legitimate assumptions. Please take your pink kettlebell to the corner. If you follow Alex’s ideas, you’ll likely result in chronic fatigue and injury. But what do I know??
Alex
Jul 31, 2014 at 12:23 pm
I wrote a very lengthy reply earlier today, but it appears that the moderators didn’t approve it or the computer ate it. I’m not really interested in writing another novella, so I’ll write out the cliffnotes version this time.
As a general matter, it’s exceedingly unlikely that any golfer would require substantial amounts of recovery time. “Chronic fatigue” simply isn’t a concern when a golfer’s season consists of riding around in a cart for a few hours–punctuated by the occasional swing. A golf round doesn’t put nearly the amount of wear and tear on a body as a contact sport; that’s so self-evident I don’t believe it requires a citation.
I referenced the (false) “tone” and “bulk” dichotomy because you implicitly endorse it. After all, you say that golfers should avoid “chest presses” because it causes hypertrophy and may reduce flexibility. That sounds a lot like recommending that golfers do “toning” work (aka low weight high reps) rather than “bulk” work (aka effective exercises). You claim that “[i]ncreasing lean body mass hurts NO athlete. Never once did I say that.” Well, hypertrophy is essentially synonymous with lean body mass, so I think you did say that increasing LBM may harm a golfer’s game.
Additionally, it seems that you didn’t read my comment correctly. I didn’t say that golfers should do farmer’s walks (though they’re great for grip work); I said that golfers should do suitcase carries. Suitcase carries help with rotary stability by strengthening the obliques. Strong obliques are great because they help a golfer’s torso stay “quiet” during the swing. Weak obliques may result in a golfer swaying or a “reverse C” move due to the difference between lower body power and the upper body’s ability to resist that power.
As for citing research, c’mon bro. Your article doesn’t even come close to providing a skeletal justification for what you’re advocating. This is a puff piece on a golf website; I don’t expect peer reviewed papers, and you shouldn’t expect me to provide the same. Sure, I could get paper names from sources like the Journal of Strength and Conditioning, but what’s the point? It’s behind a paywall, so nobody other than subscribers could read the actual article anyway.
Let me make a golf analogy to the non-fitness dudes. This guy is like David Ledbetter or Joe Morgan; he’s wedded to conventional wisdom and refuses to sign the separation papers. The methodology he’s advocating is ineffective and should be disregarded.
If you were pitching me and told me that “you should understand that you will likely lose some strength and power during the season. For the most part this is inevitable, because your focus has shifted from making performance gains to making technical changes to lower your scores,” I’d legit involuntarily scoff. Oh, what stresses I place on my body by playing a round of golf.
I live in Atlanta, so the golf season essentially lasts all year. Does that mean I should never lift heavy? Should I take two months off from golf to make sure I get enough rest from the herculean task of lifting more than my bodyweight? Does the 60+ hours a week I spend sitting down not provide adequate recovery time?
What you’re advocating is simply incorrect. There’s nothing wrong with periodization, but no decent program is going to recommend eliminating (as opposed to reducing) weight while deadlifting or the other misguided ideas you advocate in this article.
Chris Costa
Jul 31, 2014 at 1:17 pm
You could go on and on, but you lost any and all credibility when you mentioned sitting in a chair 60+ hours per week and advocating deadlifts. Not only is that poor advocacy, but it’s a recipe for disaster.
You’re promoting risk to the recreational golfer. That speaks mountains in poor judgement. Feel free to put yourself at risk, but spare others. I advocate health and safety.
Travis
Jul 31, 2014 at 12:00 pm
Yup,I’ll stick with squats, deadlifts, bench press, barbell rows, shoulder presses and 300 yard drives. And leave the bands/pink kettlebells for the guys who bomb it 220.
The combination of strength and speed with good joint mobility has greatly improved my ball striking.
Jafar
Jul 30, 2014 at 4:40 pm
If you want to train year round for golf, when do you phase in a strength building program and for how long? Do you not swing a golf club at all during this time period?
Thanks, good info here.
Chris Costa
Jul 30, 2014 at 8:23 pm
Jafar,
Build maximal strength in “your” off-season, as it seems everyone has different off seasons depending on their climate.
It would be wrong to assume that all technical golf training be avoided during a strength training off-season. You can and should continue to work on techniques in small, acute doses.
Ken
Jul 30, 2014 at 12:42 pm
This is great information. I come from a heavy workout background. The thing I would love to see is a sample in -season workout plan. By this I mean, # days of the week, set and rep plans, etc.
Chris Costa
Jul 30, 2014 at 8:24 pm
Ken,
You can email me directly.
Ronald Montesano
Jul 30, 2014 at 12:03 pm
How do you feel about kettle bells during the season? Which exercises with kettle bells would you prescribe during the season?
Chris Costa
Jul 30, 2014 at 8:27 pm
Ronald,
Kettlebells are great. As you see the girl performing the sumo squat is utilizing a kettlebell for resistance. As with any movement, especially power, anatomical form is paramount. Yours will be different from someone else, but ensuring that you are following patterns that are not conducive to increased risk of injury is key. Basically, if you know how to use them with proper form, avoid overstressing the PCr system, and operate in a safe manner then Im all for kettlebells.
Chris Guy
Jul 30, 2014 at 11:20 am
What are your thoughts on a plyometric based program
Chris Costa
Jul 30, 2014 at 8:34 pm
Chris,
Plyo is to build speed through quick-footed agility. The utility was designed to assist in creating explosive power. For me, its clearly necessary in the off-season. Under supervision, I think its a great in-season tool as well, bearing that you are avoiding other shocks to the PCr energy system. However, current research doesnt give clarity to if it will address maintaining maximal strength, so optimally you’d want to focus majority of your plyo efforts in the off-season. While, utilizing other agility and flexibility drills to facilitate those gains throughout the season. As with anything you could still overtrain while focusing on plyo alone, so just be cautious for the signs of chronic fatigue.