Muscle bulging bench-press that makes your muscles smile and the ladies gape are great for some of us, but here at CGP we can help you look good but make sure it carries over to the links with a collaboration of core training and muscle memory exercises that can facilitate power and consistency in your swing. Working out for college golf has become a crucial part of modern golf training; in other words, to improve your game, you better hit the gym because the days of John Daly are long gone.
Although working out for golf is now the norm for tour players, it is still a mystery for many of us. I find it very rare to meet a player knowledgeable in golf fitness who is not part of an exclusive division 1 college golf program. I myself had no idea until my friend Andrew Mcgill allowed me to start working out with him in high school. The first day we worked out together, he showed me a side of golf that I had never witnessed. Following the routine, I was sore in places I didn’t know you could be sore in. As Andrew’s game continued to progress, his workout routine advanced as well. Now, as a member of the division 1 Loyola University college golf team, he is an expert in terms of golf fitness. Below he has allowed the NCCGA team to share this weekly workout routine to all of you! After regularly doing the routine in Madrid for four months and only playing golf once while abroad, I can attest to the effectiveness of the exercises. I returned to the US this summer with no expectations, yet have had crisper ball striking than ever before.
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Andrew got this specific workout from a University of Maryland alumna who is now a TPI certified trainer that excels when it comes to power training. The workouts are spread out over four days and are broken into two days of upper body and two days of lower body. Overall, they develop speed, power, stability and the core muscles, which Andrew stresses are the most important muscles for a golfer. When we played together for the first time this summer, the results did not lie. Andrew was hitting most of the par 5’s in two with a 4-iron. He also claims that he no longer gets back pains from over-use during the summer or long sessions on the putting green, meaning his stamina on the course has never been better. Correctly exercising will not only improve your game, but it is also the best way to prolong a career and keep your body durable.
Overall, the main thing I notice about Andrew as he continues to practice golf fitness daily is that it is not a chore for him. Truthfully, it probably is one of the best parts of his day. Most mornings, when I am complaining about my workout hangover, Andrew is singing a different tune about what his soreness represents. Not just a stiff body, but the symbol of hard work.
Monday
Rear Foot Elevated Split Squat (beginning at 1:10, feel free to watch the whole thing)
Shoulder W’s (pin the pencil between the shoulder blades, abs tight glutes tight)
Trap Bar Dead-lift (drive thru the heels!!, stand up straight, squeeze the glutes at
the top)
Half Kneeling Paloff Press Iso Hold
KB Swings (hip drive!!)
Tuesday
TRX suspended Pushups (make sure to keep the chin tucked, eyes on the floor, abs
tight glutes tight)
Neutral Grip Pull-Up (think upper back, not arms, just back)
Cable Single Arm Split stance Chest Press (abs tight, glute tight on the trail leg)
TRX Single Arm Row (abs tight, glutes tight)
Side Lying External Rotation – arm abducted 30 degrees
One Arm Doorway Pec Stretch
Thursday
Split Squat with RNT (reactive neuromuscular training) – band wrapped around the
outer thigh, below or above the knee, pulling the knee inward)
TRX Kneeling Rollout (you can use a mat or pad to rest your knees on)
Bowler Squats (think balance, grip the floor with your feet for balance, abs tight!)
Rotary Stability Planks (abs tight glutes tight!)
Wide Stance Chops
Cook Hip Lift
Lying Hip Abduction
Piriformis Stretch
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxz9VPTc9WA
Split Stance Adductor Mobilization
Friday
Spiderman Pushups (alternating on each side)
TRX Row (with elevated feet- abs tight glutes tight!)
Stability Ball Single Arm Chest Press (glutes tight hips up!)
Single Arm Cable Low Row
Serratus Slides (abs tight glutes tight!)
Cable External Rotation at 90 degrees (scapular plane) – find a weight for the
machine that doesn’t exhaust the shoulder, remember we don’t want to train until
failure. If the weight is to heavy, you can do this with a dumbbell, preferably around
5 lbs
One Arm Doorway Pec Stretch
