Check out my blog for Golf Specific Exercises

There are 3 weeks until the New Year.  That is plenty of time to get in Golf Shape.  Don’t wait until the New Year to start your golf fitness program.  Start by doing a few exercises every day and you will not only improve your game, but you’ll shape up your body at the same time.

FITNESS FOR GOLF

To maximize your golf performance, the golf athlete needs to do a variety of different exercises and workouts to build and fitness.

The are seven physical performance factors that are crucial to every golf-conditioning program: posture, balance, mobility, stability (the combination of strength and balance), power, coordination, and endurance.  All of these elements are available in my Cardiogolf Challenge.  For more information click here.

When most people think of exercise for golf, they think of doing a few stretches and maybe walking, to build endurance. Flexibility and endurance is important for golf, but these types of exercises don’t work on your core muscles; those muscles that are deep within your abdominals, back and hips.  Neglecting your core muscles can increase your chances of injury if you practice or play a lot of golf.  Due to the repetitive nature of the golf swing, you’ll end up over-using the wrong muscles risking injury.

The American College of Sports Medicine recommends that all adults do some sort of  functional fitness training — core-strengthening exercises that mimic everyday activities, such as bending and lifting — in addition to cardio conditioning.  For golfers, functional fitness should strengthen muscles used in the golf swing as well as mimic golf swing moves.

According to the ACSM ‘functional fitness training” is recommended for two or three days per week. Exercises should involve motor skills (balance, agility, coordination and gait), proprioceptive exercise training and multifaceted activities to improve physical function and prevent falls in older adults.

For golfers, functional fitness involves  integrating the demands of playing golf (not only walking or carrying a bag , but bending to tee up a ball, lunging to get in and out of bunkers, and balancing on unstable surfaces such as in sand or on a sidehill lie) and the movement patterns of the golf swing (rotation, stability, speed and balance).  The golfer is rotating almost every joint and muscle in the body as well as stretching through a full range of motion while maintaining balance along with speed, so you’ll want to incorporate exercises that require you to use several muscle groups in one fluid movement. This will strengthen and develop the muscles in the back, abdomen, pelvis, and hips, and promote stability and flexibility — all essential for swing the golf club more efficiently.

Check out Cardiogolf a golf-specific exercise program.

Take the 30-Day Challenge today

LPGA Teaching Professional Karen Palacios-Jansen was voted 2008 LPGA National and Southeast Section Teacher of the Year. Voted by Golf Digest Magazine as one of America’s “Top 50 Female Instructors” for 11 straight years, Karen has her own golf events company-Swing Blade Enterprises, as well as being a certified personal trainer. Her golf-specific fitness system called Cardiogolf is available on DVD and online. Karen lives in North Carolina with her husband Dan Jansen. Over the years she has helped thousands of golfers improve their golf games. For more information-visit http://www.kpjgolf.com.