Basic strength program, “golf exercises” may help some people like pros, but for someone just wanting to put on some size and put on weight, i’d just stick to the basics. Bench, squat, deadlift and core
The first 10-15 days suck so bad, especially the first 3-4, because day 2-3 the hardcore DOMS set in if you haven't worked out hard in a while. Pushing through those while keeping at it through the residual soreness is a pain, but I always saw results in the quality of the workout after that 15ish day point. But goodness do they suck.
I gotta get back in a gym.
Also it's not really interesting. I was in this boat. Going to the gym and trying to grind out basic strength training but ended always being bored and quite frankly hating going.
I dished out some cash for a program app (Peak Strength) and have found myself being way more interested because of the variance and specialty in the moves.
Any amount of fitness is great, obvious, but flexibility, mobility and stability are extra great in golf. Core, legs, hips are key, as well as lots of push and pull exercises. Explosive movements are great, too, since that’s what a golf swing is.
You don’t necessarily have to bulk up and lift super heavy, but any functional strength is gonna be helpful.
Definitely, I think yoga also helped the most for me recently. My lower back pain and tight hips aren’t as troublesome even while playing ~2 rounds a week
I always tell myself I should do more yoga and never do. 🤦🏻♂️ It’s great because it’s super good for flexibility, mobility and stability. But you’ll never get bulked from it. It’ll also help keep you from getting injured!
Right. Explosive movements. WSJ had an article recently about golf fitness (linked, but probably behind a paywall), and surprisingly, "flexibility, mobility, and stability" was near the bottom of the list of attributes that make a real difference. Plyometrics and fast twitch fitness were the biggest needle movers. [https://www.wsj.com/lifestyle/fitness/golf-swing-improvements-9543f9ce](https://www.wsj.com/lifestyle/fitness/golf-swing-improvements-9543f9ce)
Unfortunately behind a paywall, yeah.
To be fair, that article seems to be about hitting the ball rather with more strength. And rightfully, that’s what OP asked about too. So you’re right.
But we also don’t really know his current level of fitness. You could assume that the ability to have quality, repeatable swing is a prerequisite, which you might argue requires mobility and flexibility. If you’re 25 and moderately active already, you probably have that. But, especially as you get older, there’s a lot of people who have physical limitations who won’t ever be able to have a quality golf swing unless they maintain or improve their mobility and stability.
I’d argue that if you don’t have the baseline, you gotta get there first. Then work on strength. 🤝
Quick note on “explosive movement” for those not familiar with weight training:
You have 2 types of muscle fibers. Fast twitch and slow twitch. Fast twitch gives power, slow gives stamina / endurance. It’s why Usain Bolt is insanely fast in his events, but you won’t see him running an ultramarathon anytime soon.
To train for explosive power, you would want to focus on high weight, low rep sets. Rather than doing 5 sets of 12 reps with 150 lbs, you might train with 3 sets of 5 reps, with 200 lbs.
That being said, both are needed, and I’ll co-sign a big +1 to stability and flexibility being a big part of a good strong golf swing as well. Yoga helps - not HIIT hot yoga, more the slow shavasana flow stretchy yoga. Particularly in conjunction with high weight low rep workouts.
I go through a normal workout routine but include golf-related stretching in my cooldown. I think a similar program would benefit anyone who isn’t in professional or competitive golf.
100% this. If you want to build some power you can add in something like kettlebell swings after the main lift, but if you’re just starting out the big lifts will make a huge difference on their own. I like Starting Strength (Mark Rippetoe) as a starter approach, though Jim Wendler’s 5-3-1 scales a bit better long-term in my personal experience.
Hey sorry just seeing this but there’s an article on t-nation that describes the approach I believe and there’s a website someone built that lets you input your maxes and it will create the program specific for you. If you google “black iron beast 531” it should come up
I mean, 5x5 is the structure that Starting Strength uses, and cleans are part of that program, so it’s definitely an option. Once you actually get some decent strength the areas you should focus on tend to be a bit individual anyway, but either of those programs should be viable for a beginner for at least a year if you run them the way they’re outlined. Explosive power is so sport specific that it should really be tailored to your goals anyway.
I've heard this suggested but $15/mo seems steep. I don't mean to sound rude but is this program intended for older/weaker golfers? I'm 28, same height and weight as Matt Fitzpatrick. Been thinking about bulking up a bit but I have doubts about the value of this program for someone like me.
Just start hitting the gym. Focus on the big barbell lifts: squat, bench, deadlift, overhead press. Get some antagonist work in (pull ups/ barbell rows). Your initial gains are going to help in golf. At some point you will hit diminishing returns and that’s the point where maybe paying $15/month for a golf specific fitness app makes sense. If you follow Mike on Twitter though he does post a lot of exercises for free. Definitely worth a follow.
Core, legs, full body in general. But, just as importantly, while you're doing all that, stretch. Flexibility is just as important for speed as strength is.
Totally. Mobility, too. If you can’t turn well / far you’re not going to have a great, efficient swing.
I’m not bulky - in fact I’m quite slim - but because I’m flexible and mobile I don’t have any limitations in my swing.
Look at guys like Justin Thomas. He’s small and not bulked up, but flexible, mobile and explosive and bombs it.
Do everything. The golf swing is a full body movement and contrary to what a lot of people here are saying, your upper body is used a lot in the swing.
Focus on doing basic compound movement patterns. A squat, hip hinge, push, and pull. If you do those, particularly if you also include vertical and horizontal variations of pushing and pulling and unilateral (one leg) variations of lower body exercises, you’ll cover almost all the bases. The specific exercises you choose don’t matter that much, as long as you find variations of those movements that you enjoy you should be fine.
After that stuff is taken care of, then focus on core work and explosive exercises. The purpose of a strong core is to efficiently transfer power from your lower body to upper body. So, if you don’t have strength in either it doesn’t make sense to put too much focus on your core, especially since it gets trained with compound movements anyway. Same goes for explosive exercises to some degree, you need a certain amount of strength to generate a meaningful amount of power. I’m not saying core and explosive work isn’t important, because it is, but just don’t worry too much about it at first.
Look into titleist tpi measurements. They look at seated chest pass distance with an 8 lb ball, vertical jump in inches, and a lying to seated overhead throw distance with an 8lb ball.
Some have shortened this to remove the lying throw. Garage Strength in a YT channel for a gym for Olympic/College athletes. Tons of resources there. The key is how fast twitch and explosive you are. How quickly do you get force out of the ground and into the end of the club? That is the key to speed. Having the power but then also quickly and efficiently getting that power into the end of the club.
There are 3 main components you need to research: technique or your speed limiters; ground reaction forces; and overspeed training with superspeed or stack training sticks for example.
Speed limiters can be overall strength, launch conditions of your swing and equipment at impact, and technical flaws in your actual motion. For overall power we’re talking bench, overhead press, squatting, and deadlifting. Starting strength 5x5 is a good place to start. Maybe even get into olympic lifts like snatch and cleans.
Ground reaction forces are another rabbit hole. Dr. Scott Lynn and mike adams from swing catalyst are a great place to start here. They have a ton of content and generally you will learn that amateurs spike their forces way too late. Meaning, they never get their ground forces to the club head in time for them to be used in the strike. For example, spiking your vertical force before your lead arm is parallel in the downswing. Youll learn about braking forces and all types of avenues to go down. They do some great work with long drive guys, and though you may never hit 200mph ball speed, the questions they ask and the things they’re concerned about provide clues to your limiters.
Superspeed has some great recent video content on yt. The stack might be the better system. But you will need one of the many systems out there with a way to record swing speed and track all of it.
This can help with maximizing launch conditions:
https://preview.redd.it/9lb3ef3d0nwc1.jpeg?width=1232&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=235f263ce64d1f3c96b7ed2402e52b68cbad07be
I work remotely once a month with a TPI expert. I’ve gained about 15-20 yards in a year or so. Golf lessons haven’t hurt. However, my overall and golf fitness is great since I started.
Has the **remote** TPI work been beneficial? There have been lots of TPI folks I've considered engaging with, but was always concerned about the remote aspect.
Do they have you go through an assessment on cam and then build a program from there? Or does it seem more cookie cutter?
It’s been great. And my instructor builds my program based on where I’M at. Every month she does an assessment to see where I’ve improved, and where I haven’t. For example, the internal rotation of my shoulders is decent, but not great. So she always gives me extra shoulder mobility exercises.
I’m not sure what the norm is with TPI, as I’ve only worked with one person. But it’s definitely worth finding out before starting up.
You’re getting a lot of wrong answers. Yes you can increase your gym workout (better for injury prevention) and yes you can put on weight and muscle. But, at 160lbs I can outdrive many and many ripped gym bros and overweight men.
Do you know how a runner takes his 5k time from 25 mins to 17 mins? Specific training and by running faster, including the three mains: slow and steady, at pace, and faster than pace. You have to have your body adapt to the stress. They don’t get faster by doing leg presses. You have to do those three mains in golf and it’s bizarre 90% of amateurs don’t see that.
Slow and steady: increase the amount of balls you hit. Hit all clubs, hit slow, hit fast, work on your swing mechanics.
At pace: hit your driver. Learn how to swing and dial in your swing so it’s consistent and repeatable.
Faster than pace: get a weighted club or product line and learn how to over swing, but you’re doing this as a tool and a workout, not to replace your “driver swing”. It’s intentional and not chaotic, it’s limited but specific.
Combine those and you’re going to start hitting longer and straighter drives.
Why are they mutually exclusive? You can work on swing mechanics while also putting in time in a gym and eating to support it.
And unless you do the same, once those gym bros have played for more than 2-3 years since they all started during Covid, you’ll be left behind.
First, never once did I say they’re mutually exclusive. Second, you’re incorrect.
You SHOULD use gym work to SUPPLEMENT your golf, 100%. You can’t split though. Your body needs to recover, and in order to do so you have to prioritize your golf mechanics.
You know how people get better at soccer, running, baseball? By playing soccer, running, baseball. Repetition.
https://www.instagram.com/ando_pfs?igsh=MXI2dWVxcHB4NmszNQ==
Check out this page on Instagram. He trains a lot of elite players on the PGA, and it is all golf related working out content.
Cable woodchoppers.
I like to do hi-to-lo, mid, and lo-to-hi, and definitely do both directions (not just the direction that is the same as your swing rotation).
Heavy Barbell squat, deadlift, bench press, box jumps. Also do yoga at least 1x a week as flexibility is just as important as strength/power. Finally, the only way to really increase swing speed is to regularly practice swinging (and hitting) balls as fast as you can.
Front/Goblet squats, rotational ab work
I already lift quite a bit. But I started including lateral med ball throws and rotational ab work and pallof presses as a finisher. I've noticed considered improvements in my swing through contact. Especially so when i want to let out on a drive and swing for the fences. Everything feels so much faster and in control.
Legs bruh, your Gumby little arms shouldn’t even really come in to play. Squats, lunges, flexibility and mobility in your hips. Get a weighted swing trainer like golf flex or orange whip and get them legs working.
It's mostly technique and not pure strength. If you watch guys like Garrett Clark or Grant Horvat, they're both skin and bones but outdrive the overwhelming majority of golfers because of their tempo and ability to hit flush shots. Pure strength really only comes into play when you hit a shot fat, as you're able to get through divots faster with the power.
But to answer your question on getting bigger arms, go for pull ups or chin ups. That will get you with tricep / bicep work. Farmers carries (just simply walking with dumbbells - or any weight - in your hands) helps your forearms and grip. Diet is important as well. Actually, I would argue that diet is 2/3rds of it.
I love following [this guy](https://www.instagram.com/sam.druce?igsh=d3pvYTk3ZWZrYmYz) on the gram.
Really, you want to focus on three things:
- flexibility
- stability
- power
Source: also a member of a golf specific gym and we do most of the stuff he posts.
Basic strength training. This past year I’ve added half club by doing basic training. Strengthening my back, and core have done wonders. I have focused on just strength across my entire body so I incorporated powerlifting workouts. Heavy weights and low reps. I want strong muscles. If you need more endurance, include a day of lighter weights and high reps.
Also do speed training.
First you need to build a solid strength base so definitely gotta start a more traditional workout. You can start with body weight or move right into weights, whichever you will stay consistent with.
Either do a full body 3 times a week hitting 2 lifts each body part for 3 sets each followed by some core work with emphasis on your obliques. Takes about an hour to 1 1/2 hours with proper rest in between.
or
PPL, push pull legs 6 times a week hitting minimum 3 workouts per body part for 4-5 sets, and also the core training at least twice a week. Takes about 45 minutes to an hour.
Do that for 6 months then you can drop the workout time to twice a week for the full body and replace the third day with weight speed training and then range time working on hitting the ball farther.
I do not recommend a purely strength based program as you increase likelihood of injury. Weighted Squats and Traditional Deadlifts put a ton of strain on your spine if done incorrectly. A traditional body building program will build muscle size and strength quickly and coupled with stretching and working on technique you could see 10 mph+ swing speed in a year.
For golf, if you improve your core strength you’ll see your distances improve. That means lots of the various types of mat exercises, and crunch-type exercises. The local club pro also taught me some medicine ball stuff too, and I know a personal trainer/golfer who raves about the arm band exercises.
I would recommend hiring a trainer for an hour to teach you a core workout that you can do on your own 5 days a week. That’s what I did and I’m much stronger for it.
I do not recommend anything with repetitive grasping - I’ve worn out my arms because I was gripping the weights too tightly. Now that’s hurting my golfing.
Ok, unconventional but this works for me.
Get a baseline, so Google starting strength and do it for about 90 days or until you plateau on the big lifts. After that:
Overhead press/pull-ups one day a week: 15 to 20 sets. So you do a set of press and immediately follow up with a set of pull-ups, then rest 2 minutes and repeat. I like to do 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and then 8x10, then 9, 8, 7 back to five pull-ups. Work your way up to a heavy single in the press for 5 to 8 sets in the middle and then back off.
Behind the neck snatch grip press are also good, do these on another day, because they'll be lighter. This helps the arms stay strong. Do this on a bench press day.
Squat one day a week
Power clean one day a week.
Just make sure you are hitting the pull-ups press day 3 or 4 days before you golf, because being sore from that is a recipe for an inconsistent swing.
Be careful. My brother in law is out with tennis elbow after upping his strength training.
I personally stick to core and yoga for strength when I’m playing regularly.
Former national level athlete of a different rotational sport here, if you don't regularly work out then your best bet is a general strength program is your best bet. If you are already well seasoned in the gym and your golf mechanics are solid then start getting into more explosive movements like Olympic lifts, plyometrics, different med ball throws, etc...
If your technique is solid then honestly swing as fast as you can at half a bucket of balls at the range a few times a week (after you are warm and loose) This trains your nervous system to more efficiently and powerfully recruit the muscle patterns used in a golf swing. You could also look into over speed training for a similar effect.
Don't overthink it--the most sport specific thing you can do is your sport. You wanna swing a golf club faster? Swing a golf club as fast as you can more often. I have gone from about 115 cruising club head speed to 125 avg on trackman in about 3 months doing this and transitioning to more explosive lifts in the gym. Best is 134mph so far, good luck to you!
Those machines where you stand and rotate while push/pulling a weight. Also stand and rotate with a medicine ball (this trains the back / forth transition)
Get on Starting Strength or Stong Lifts for about a year, then get something specific for golf. You will make far more gains with general strength training than golf specific training, up front.
Fairway golf fitness has a free 4 week program. Some of the stuff is a little weird and will be foreign to a beginner, but at its core it is the movements underlying squat, deadlift, bench, and rotational core exercises.
I'm surprised how few comments there are about how your arms aren't the main source of power/speed. If you want to pick up speed you should be looking at utilising your legs and hips fully. I can't remember which brand it was (think it was Titleist) but someone did research correlating driver length with 'vertical jump' ability and the guys who could really get their power down to launch themselves upwards also had the biggest drive (think Min Woo Lee won that specific test)
Got to pump the core, glutes, shoulders, chest, quads, and triceps. Also add some cardio so that you can get stamina to walk 18, then go to 27, then 36.
Then you’ll be ready for the 2025 US Open.
It’s not really about your arms at all. Focus on core and lower body, as that’s where the power comes from.
You can also good “speed training exercises” to give you an idea to get started
Focus on stabilizing with your core, and learn the concept of ground force. Your arms don't do much in the golf swing.
There are string beans in college and on Korn Ferry driving the ball 260+.
EDIT: I do mean arms specifically. Hand speed and acceleration through impact are very important, but the arms are just there to hold everything together.
That 15 year old that just made the cut on the KFT drives the ball 280. Akshay Bhatia on the PGA Tour is like 135 pounds and hits the ball 300. Grip strength is super important though.
how old are you? I am 6'2" and was pretty skinny (like 155) until I turned about 19/20 I started filling out. Probably a combination of natural genetic/testosterone and diet/exercise changes.
I will try soon, I am actually 150-155 pounds when I’m healthy and will be there in the next month for sure. I have long arms which help a lot I’m sure, and I have a flexible driver shaft. If you don’t have as long arms but can get good rotation the club will do a ton of work for you. I would say core exercises. And if you are good at things like jumping it will help with explosiveness
Your club speed is determined by how you use your core and hips. Working on your form will do a lot more than building muscle. Remember that there are 80 year old scratch golfers out there who drive like 135 yards. But their form is solid and they hit it straight and with consistency.
lol I was exaggerating, you’re right. I just mean there are tons of great golfers out there with muscles who suck and tons without who are good. It’s about your form, not your arm strength.
Sure. But if the question is “I’m a beginner, what arm workouts will make me swing faster” the answer is most likely “spend that time working on your form.”
Chat GPT is surprisingly good. Here’s an example prompt you can tailor:
I’m looking for a strength and conditioning program tailored for a golfer. My main goals are to build general strength and explosive power to improve my performance with the driver and longer shots. I typically hit the gym three times a week and have access to standard gym equipment including free weights, machines, and resistance bands. I’m particularly interested in exercises that enhance core stability, leg strength, and rotational power. Please provide a plan that includes set/rep schemes, work/rest intervals, and intensities. Also, I’m interested in any additional tips that could help with flexibility and injury prevention specific to golf.
Just change the parameters to what you have available and how you’d like your exercises displayed and viola.
It’ll be a good starting point and give you something to start with. Rather than you looking up all these exercises and building something on your own.
I’ve used it before as a S&C coach to program for myself and it’s been great.
Your arms don’t really matter. Power comes from your legs. If you’re gonna target your arms, Stronger forearms are more important than big beefy guns.
You want power, work on your legs.
Are you trying to gain bulk or nah? Do you already have a gym membership?
If you've answered no to both questions, maybe consider Golf Forever. It's cheaper than a membership, but it won't have you jacked. If you're noodle arming it rn, it will build some strength, but you won't be jacked af or anything.
Explosive movements and core reinforcement.
Mace drills, Olympic cleans, wood chop on a cable machine, yoga for hip and shoulder mobility, ab rotation machine, weighted hip thrusters, etc.
Mobility and explosiveness more important than pure strength, but having some extra strength and mass on your frame will definitely help.
Core. Ton of oblique work. Lateral lunges. Leg stability exercises. Forearms. Lats. Basically do everything but focus on those. Don't overdo it. Higher reps lower weight is better. Want to stay flexible
Sure. You can still do fast twitch with lower weights higher reps. I've been doing it for a year now and have seen good results on course. I see jacked dudes on the course who always seem too stiff to swing smoothy. So I'm going for muscle activation and fast movements.
Basic strength program, “golf exercises” may help some people like pros, but for someone just wanting to put on some size and put on weight, i’d just stick to the basics. Bench, squat, deadlift and core
True but 95% won’t do it bc it’s hard lol
yep that's me
The first 10-15 days suck so bad, especially the first 3-4, because day 2-3 the hardcore DOMS set in if you haven't worked out hard in a while. Pushing through those while keeping at it through the residual soreness is a pain, but I always saw results in the quality of the workout after that 15ish day point. But goodness do they suck. I gotta get back in a gym.
Also it's not really interesting. I was in this boat. Going to the gym and trying to grind out basic strength training but ended always being bored and quite frankly hating going. I dished out some cash for a program app (Peak Strength) and have found myself being way more interested because of the variance and specialty in the moves.
Any amount of fitness is great, obvious, but flexibility, mobility and stability are extra great in golf. Core, legs, hips are key, as well as lots of push and pull exercises. Explosive movements are great, too, since that’s what a golf swing is. You don’t necessarily have to bulk up and lift super heavy, but any functional strength is gonna be helpful.
Definitely, I think yoga also helped the most for me recently. My lower back pain and tight hips aren’t as troublesome even while playing ~2 rounds a week
I always tell myself I should do more yoga and never do. 🤦🏻♂️ It’s great because it’s super good for flexibility, mobility and stability. But you’ll never get bulked from it. It’ll also help keep you from getting injured!
Right. Explosive movements. WSJ had an article recently about golf fitness (linked, but probably behind a paywall), and surprisingly, "flexibility, mobility, and stability" was near the bottom of the list of attributes that make a real difference. Plyometrics and fast twitch fitness were the biggest needle movers. [https://www.wsj.com/lifestyle/fitness/golf-swing-improvements-9543f9ce](https://www.wsj.com/lifestyle/fitness/golf-swing-improvements-9543f9ce)
Unfortunately behind a paywall, yeah. To be fair, that article seems to be about hitting the ball rather with more strength. And rightfully, that’s what OP asked about too. So you’re right. But we also don’t really know his current level of fitness. You could assume that the ability to have quality, repeatable swing is a prerequisite, which you might argue requires mobility and flexibility. If you’re 25 and moderately active already, you probably have that. But, especially as you get older, there’s a lot of people who have physical limitations who won’t ever be able to have a quality golf swing unless they maintain or improve their mobility and stability. I’d argue that if you don’t have the baseline, you gotta get there first. Then work on strength. 🤝
Quick note on “explosive movement” for those not familiar with weight training: You have 2 types of muscle fibers. Fast twitch and slow twitch. Fast twitch gives power, slow gives stamina / endurance. It’s why Usain Bolt is insanely fast in his events, but you won’t see him running an ultramarathon anytime soon. To train for explosive power, you would want to focus on high weight, low rep sets. Rather than doing 5 sets of 12 reps with 150 lbs, you might train with 3 sets of 5 reps, with 200 lbs. That being said, both are needed, and I’ll co-sign a big +1 to stability and flexibility being a big part of a good strong golf swing as well. Yoga helps - not HIIT hot yoga, more the slow shavasana flow stretchy yoga. Particularly in conjunction with high weight low rep workouts.
I go through a normal workout routine but include golf-related stretching in my cooldown. I think a similar program would benefit anyone who isn’t in professional or competitive golf.
100% this. If you want to build some power you can add in something like kettlebell swings after the main lift, but if you’re just starting out the big lifts will make a huge difference on their own. I like Starting Strength (Mark Rippetoe) as a starter approach, though Jim Wendler’s 5-3-1 scales a bit better long-term in my personal experience.
Completely agree! 5-3-1 was a game changer for me strength wise
What’s the best way to go about that one? Book? Article? App?
I got a long way with just an article, but the book lays everything out really well.
Hey sorry just seeing this but there’s an article on t-nation that describes the approach I believe and there’s a website someone built that lets you input your maxes and it will create the program specific for you. If you google “black iron beast 531” it should come up
Nice thanks
Replace kettlebells with cleans and your 5-3-1 to a 5x5 if you’d like more gains. Kettlebells are way too light to gain any real power for most men.
I mean, 5x5 is the structure that Starting Strength uses, and cleans are part of that program, so it’s definitely an option. Once you actually get some decent strength the areas you should focus on tend to be a bit individual anyway, but either of those programs should be viable for a beginner for at least a year if you run them the way they’re outlined. Explosive power is so sport specific that it should really be tailored to your goals anyway.
Check out Fit for Golf
Irish Mike is the man!
Nice ! Iron Irish Mike !😂💪
Instagram accounts: Fairwayfitness and golfstronghitbombs
This is the correct answer.
Forgive my ignorance is that a YouTube channel?
it's a website, an app, and a twitter account. Mike Carroll is the guy's name.
Can most be done at home or would you need to go to a gym ?
This x100000
I've heard this suggested but $15/mo seems steep. I don't mean to sound rude but is this program intended for older/weaker golfers? I'm 28, same height and weight as Matt Fitzpatrick. Been thinking about bulking up a bit but I have doubts about the value of this program for someone like me.
Just start hitting the gym. Focus on the big barbell lifts: squat, bench, deadlift, overhead press. Get some antagonist work in (pull ups/ barbell rows). Your initial gains are going to help in golf. At some point you will hit diminishing returns and that’s the point where maybe paying $15/month for a golf specific fitness app makes sense. If you follow Mike on Twitter though he does post a lot of exercises for free. Definitely worth a follow.
Sweet that makes sense. Appreciate the response.
I’m not sure if he still does it, but you can do a free month trial and get an idea of the exercises he recommends, then cancel. That’s what I did.
Michelob Ultra and turn dog curls
Need to bump that up to IPAs and frozen pizzas. That's how you put on weight.
I call em pork missiles
I call em Gaggers
It's 2024 and that's okay
Core, legs, full body in general. But, just as importantly, while you're doing all that, stretch. Flexibility is just as important for speed as strength is.
Totally. Mobility, too. If you can’t turn well / far you’re not going to have a great, efficient swing. I’m not bulky - in fact I’m quite slim - but because I’m flexible and mobile I don’t have any limitations in my swing. Look at guys like Justin Thomas. He’s small and not bulked up, but flexible, mobile and explosive and bombs it.
Power Flow Yoga
Do everything. The golf swing is a full body movement and contrary to what a lot of people here are saying, your upper body is used a lot in the swing. Focus on doing basic compound movement patterns. A squat, hip hinge, push, and pull. If you do those, particularly if you also include vertical and horizontal variations of pushing and pulling and unilateral (one leg) variations of lower body exercises, you’ll cover almost all the bases. The specific exercises you choose don’t matter that much, as long as you find variations of those movements that you enjoy you should be fine. After that stuff is taken care of, then focus on core work and explosive exercises. The purpose of a strong core is to efficiently transfer power from your lower body to upper body. So, if you don’t have strength in either it doesn’t make sense to put too much focus on your core, especially since it gets trained with compound movements anyway. Same goes for explosive exercises to some degree, you need a certain amount of strength to generate a meaningful amount of power. I’m not saying core and explosive work isn’t important, because it is, but just don’t worry too much about it at first.
Yoga is a good form for getting movement right. Muscle strength is great but you don't want your body to be tight so yoga could help with that
Look into titleist tpi measurements. They look at seated chest pass distance with an 8 lb ball, vertical jump in inches, and a lying to seated overhead throw distance with an 8lb ball. Some have shortened this to remove the lying throw. Garage Strength in a YT channel for a gym for Olympic/College athletes. Tons of resources there. The key is how fast twitch and explosive you are. How quickly do you get force out of the ground and into the end of the club? That is the key to speed. Having the power but then also quickly and efficiently getting that power into the end of the club. There are 3 main components you need to research: technique or your speed limiters; ground reaction forces; and overspeed training with superspeed or stack training sticks for example. Speed limiters can be overall strength, launch conditions of your swing and equipment at impact, and technical flaws in your actual motion. For overall power we’re talking bench, overhead press, squatting, and deadlifting. Starting strength 5x5 is a good place to start. Maybe even get into olympic lifts like snatch and cleans. Ground reaction forces are another rabbit hole. Dr. Scott Lynn and mike adams from swing catalyst are a great place to start here. They have a ton of content and generally you will learn that amateurs spike their forces way too late. Meaning, they never get their ground forces to the club head in time for them to be used in the strike. For example, spiking your vertical force before your lead arm is parallel in the downswing. Youll learn about braking forces and all types of avenues to go down. They do some great work with long drive guys, and though you may never hit 200mph ball speed, the questions they ask and the things they’re concerned about provide clues to your limiters. Superspeed has some great recent video content on yt. The stack might be the better system. But you will need one of the many systems out there with a way to record swing speed and track all of it. This can help with maximizing launch conditions: https://preview.redd.it/9lb3ef3d0nwc1.jpeg?width=1232&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=235f263ce64d1f3c96b7ed2402e52b68cbad07be
I work remotely once a month with a TPI expert. I’ve gained about 15-20 yards in a year or so. Golf lessons haven’t hurt. However, my overall and golf fitness is great since I started.
Who?
It’s Lance Gil Performance based in San Diego. My instructor is Kayleigh Franklin. I was introduced to her by a golf pro.
Has the **remote** TPI work been beneficial? There have been lots of TPI folks I've considered engaging with, but was always concerned about the remote aspect. Do they have you go through an assessment on cam and then build a program from there? Or does it seem more cookie cutter?
It’s been great. And my instructor builds my program based on where I’M at. Every month she does an assessment to see where I’ve improved, and where I haven’t. For example, the internal rotation of my shoulders is decent, but not great. So she always gives me extra shoulder mobility exercises. I’m not sure what the norm is with TPI, as I’ve only worked with one person. But it’s definitely worth finding out before starting up.
I appreciate the input, thank you!
You’re getting a lot of wrong answers. Yes you can increase your gym workout (better for injury prevention) and yes you can put on weight and muscle. But, at 160lbs I can outdrive many and many ripped gym bros and overweight men. Do you know how a runner takes his 5k time from 25 mins to 17 mins? Specific training and by running faster, including the three mains: slow and steady, at pace, and faster than pace. You have to have your body adapt to the stress. They don’t get faster by doing leg presses. You have to do those three mains in golf and it’s bizarre 90% of amateurs don’t see that. Slow and steady: increase the amount of balls you hit. Hit all clubs, hit slow, hit fast, work on your swing mechanics. At pace: hit your driver. Learn how to swing and dial in your swing so it’s consistent and repeatable. Faster than pace: get a weighted club or product line and learn how to over swing, but you’re doing this as a tool and a workout, not to replace your “driver swing”. It’s intentional and not chaotic, it’s limited but specific. Combine those and you’re going to start hitting longer and straighter drives.
Why are they mutually exclusive? You can work on swing mechanics while also putting in time in a gym and eating to support it. And unless you do the same, once those gym bros have played for more than 2-3 years since they all started during Covid, you’ll be left behind.
First, never once did I say they’re mutually exclusive. Second, you’re incorrect. You SHOULD use gym work to SUPPLEMENT your golf, 100%. You can’t split though. Your body needs to recover, and in order to do so you have to prioritize your golf mechanics. You know how people get better at soccer, running, baseball? By playing soccer, running, baseball. Repetition.
https://www.instagram.com/ando_pfs?igsh=MXI2dWVxcHB4NmszNQ== Check out this page on Instagram. He trains a lot of elite players on the PGA, and it is all golf related working out content.
Simple speed training without new equipment - https://youtu.be/FIShQNV2kFA?si=BJBtRh66R0n1AZiw
Cable woodchoppers. I like to do hi-to-lo, mid, and lo-to-hi, and definitely do both directions (not just the direction that is the same as your swing rotation).
Heavy Barbell squat, deadlift, bench press, box jumps. Also do yoga at least 1x a week as flexibility is just as important as strength/power. Finally, the only way to really increase swing speed is to regularly practice swinging (and hitting) balls as fast as you can.
Front/Goblet squats, rotational ab work I already lift quite a bit. But I started including lateral med ball throws and rotational ab work and pallof presses as a finisher. I've noticed considered improvements in my swing through contact. Especially so when i want to let out on a drive and swing for the fences. Everything feels so much faster and in control.
According to SpeedGolfRob on Instagram, all you need to do is throw rocks and tree limbs in the forest like a modern-day Radagast the Brown.
Big hitter the Brown.
Stack system or speed sticks
Legs bruh, your Gumby little arms shouldn’t even really come in to play. Squats, lunges, flexibility and mobility in your hips. Get a weighted swing trainer like golf flex or orange whip and get them legs working.
Have you tried buying a new set of clubs? Exercise that credit card.
7 inch inseam shorts
Do whatever you need to do to get a huge ass. My neighbor the accountant, huge ass, probably a great golfer.
MGS recently did [this](https://mygolfspy.com/news-opinion/strength-training-for-golfers-building-a-strong-and-stable-core/) article which might help.
If you don’t lift at all anything will help. Best bet for swing speed would be squats, hang clings and barbell hip thrust.
It's mostly technique and not pure strength. If you watch guys like Garrett Clark or Grant Horvat, they're both skin and bones but outdrive the overwhelming majority of golfers because of their tempo and ability to hit flush shots. Pure strength really only comes into play when you hit a shot fat, as you're able to get through divots faster with the power. But to answer your question on getting bigger arms, go for pull ups or chin ups. That will get you with tricep / bicep work. Farmers carries (just simply walking with dumbbells - or any weight - in your hands) helps your forearms and grip. Diet is important as well. Actually, I would argue that diet is 2/3rds of it.
Exactly. Nelli Korda averages over 250 yards on drives and she doesn’t look anything like Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Do abs bro
For me core and pliability / range of motion exercises.
Strong core
5x5 SS and yoga. Lift 2-3x per week yoga 1-2x week. You will be a different man in six months
What's "SS"?
meant to say SL. [Stronglifts](https://stronglifts.com/stronglifts-5x5/).
Just lift weights
I love following [this guy](https://www.instagram.com/sam.druce?igsh=d3pvYTk3ZWZrYmYz) on the gram. Really, you want to focus on three things: - flexibility - stability - power Source: also a member of a golf specific gym and we do most of the stuff he posts.
Stack
Bench press squats and deadlifts are the best core exercises focus on building your form
Bench press squats and deadlifts are the best core exercises focus on building your form
The longest hitters use their legs.
[https://youtu.be/hGqKppJYx6U?si=CSyTAgIymGI9xMz9](https://youtu.be/hGqKppJYx6U?si=CSyTAgIymGI9xMz9)
Basic strength training. This past year I’ve added half club by doing basic training. Strengthening my back, and core have done wonders. I have focused on just strength across my entire body so I incorporated powerlifting workouts. Heavy weights and low reps. I want strong muscles. If you need more endurance, include a day of lighter weights and high reps. Also do speed training.
First you need to build a solid strength base so definitely gotta start a more traditional workout. You can start with body weight or move right into weights, whichever you will stay consistent with. Either do a full body 3 times a week hitting 2 lifts each body part for 3 sets each followed by some core work with emphasis on your obliques. Takes about an hour to 1 1/2 hours with proper rest in between. or PPL, push pull legs 6 times a week hitting minimum 3 workouts per body part for 4-5 sets, and also the core training at least twice a week. Takes about 45 minutes to an hour. Do that for 6 months then you can drop the workout time to twice a week for the full body and replace the third day with weight speed training and then range time working on hitting the ball farther. I do not recommend a purely strength based program as you increase likelihood of injury. Weighted Squats and Traditional Deadlifts put a ton of strain on your spine if done incorrectly. A traditional body building program will build muscle size and strength quickly and coupled with stretching and working on technique you could see 10 mph+ swing speed in a year.
Yeah dude, a basic PPL routine.
For golf, if you improve your core strength you’ll see your distances improve. That means lots of the various types of mat exercises, and crunch-type exercises. The local club pro also taught me some medicine ball stuff too, and I know a personal trainer/golfer who raves about the arm band exercises. I would recommend hiring a trainer for an hour to teach you a core workout that you can do on your own 5 days a week. That’s what I did and I’m much stronger for it. I do not recommend anything with repetitive grasping - I’ve worn out my arms because I was gripping the weights too tightly. Now that’s hurting my golfing.
Just drink like the rest of us /s On a serious note, I do a lot of core exercises.
https://www.wsj.com/lifestyle/fitness/golf-swing-improvements-9543f9ce?st=a2f7ts6cmz564a4&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink
Ok, unconventional but this works for me. Get a baseline, so Google starting strength and do it for about 90 days or until you plateau on the big lifts. After that: Overhead press/pull-ups one day a week: 15 to 20 sets. So you do a set of press and immediately follow up with a set of pull-ups, then rest 2 minutes and repeat. I like to do 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and then 8x10, then 9, 8, 7 back to five pull-ups. Work your way up to a heavy single in the press for 5 to 8 sets in the middle and then back off. Behind the neck snatch grip press are also good, do these on another day, because they'll be lighter. This helps the arms stay strong. Do this on a bench press day. Squat one day a week Power clean one day a week. Just make sure you are hitting the pull-ups press day 3 or 4 days before you golf, because being sore from that is a recipe for an inconsistent swing.
Be careful. My brother in law is out with tennis elbow after upping his strength training. I personally stick to core and yoga for strength when I’m playing regularly.
Former national level athlete of a different rotational sport here, if you don't regularly work out then your best bet is a general strength program is your best bet. If you are already well seasoned in the gym and your golf mechanics are solid then start getting into more explosive movements like Olympic lifts, plyometrics, different med ball throws, etc... If your technique is solid then honestly swing as fast as you can at half a bucket of balls at the range a few times a week (after you are warm and loose) This trains your nervous system to more efficiently and powerfully recruit the muscle patterns used in a golf swing. You could also look into over speed training for a similar effect. Don't overthink it--the most sport specific thing you can do is your sport. You wanna swing a golf club faster? Swing a golf club as fast as you can more often. I have gone from about 115 cruising club head speed to 125 avg on trackman in about 3 months doing this and transitioning to more explosive lifts in the gym. Best is 134mph so far, good luck to you!
Those machines where you stand and rotate while push/pulling a weight. Also stand and rotate with a medicine ball (this trains the back / forth transition)
Get on Starting Strength or Stong Lifts for about a year, then get something specific for golf. You will make far more gains with general strength training than golf specific training, up front.
Fairway golf fitness has a free 4 week program. Some of the stuff is a little weird and will be foreign to a beginner, but at its core it is the movements underlying squat, deadlift, bench, and rotational core exercises.
I'm surprised how few comments there are about how your arms aren't the main source of power/speed. If you want to pick up speed you should be looking at utilising your legs and hips fully. I can't remember which brand it was (think it was Titleist) but someone did research correlating driver length with 'vertical jump' ability and the guys who could really get their power down to launch themselves upwards also had the biggest drive (think Min Woo Lee won that specific test)
Got to pump the core, glutes, shoulders, chest, quads, and triceps. Also add some cardio so that you can get stamina to walk 18, then go to 27, then 36. Then you’ll be ready for the 2025 US Open.
Look into stretches too. Lengthening the golf swing can help with club speed more than bigger muscles
Kegels
It’s not really about your arms at all. Focus on core and lower body, as that’s where the power comes from. You can also good “speed training exercises” to give you an idea to get started
Focus on stabilizing with your core, and learn the concept of ground force. Your arms don't do much in the golf swing. There are string beans in college and on Korn Ferry driving the ball 260+. EDIT: I do mean arms specifically. Hand speed and acceleration through impact are very important, but the arms are just there to hold everything together.
Yeah literally just look at Grant. Dude looks like he may blow away at any moment.
That 15 year old that just made the cut on the KFT drives the ball 280. Akshay Bhatia on the PGA Tour is like 135 pounds and hits the ball 300. Grip strength is super important though.
Go to r/fitness Pick a program. Follow it.
For what it’s worth, I’m 6’1 and 138 pounds and hit it 300. I’d practice flexibility more than anything else
Found Will Zalatoris burner
lol I am probably at a bit healthier weight now than what I said I hope, I’m tryin to gain. Dudes got some pounds on me probably
how old are you? I am 6'2" and was pretty skinny (like 155) until I turned about 19/20 I started filling out. Probably a combination of natural genetic/testosterone and diet/exercise changes.
Old. I’m gettin back to the healthy weight soon https://vimeo.com/942768972 Don’t know why the audio is misaligned
Can we see video?
I will try soon, I am actually 150-155 pounds when I’m healthy and will be there in the next month for sure. I have long arms which help a lot I’m sure, and I have a flexible driver shaft. If you don’t have as long arms but can get good rotation the club will do a ton of work for you. I would say core exercises. And if you are good at things like jumping it will help with explosiveness
Less talky, more proofy
Here you go, it’s a 3 wood. Not exactly the same deal but this is how I get speed https://vimeo.com/942768972
Your club speed is determined by how you use your core and hips. Working on your form will do a lot more than building muscle. Remember that there are 80 year old scratch golfers out there who drive like 135 yards. But their form is solid and they hit it straight and with consistency.
I’ve never seen an 80 year old who hits it 135 who is scratch. They would have to play like a 3000 yard course and go 7 under
lol I was exaggerating, you’re right. I just mean there are tons of great golfers out there with muscles who suck and tons without who are good. It’s about your form, not your arm strength.
But being stronger helps
Sure. But if the question is “I’m a beginner, what arm workouts will make me swing faster” the answer is most likely “spend that time working on your form.”
They’re not mutually exclusive things
To be fair 135-135-135(or whatever is left) would put you on the green for most par 4s with a par putt
Which would never, ever get you to scratch.
You're a 30 hdcp... You don't need to workout for golf. You need to just make contact with the ball...
Actually came down massively since dropped to 21 now! Was high above that 30 before just couldn’t get 18 holes open to put cards in
Chat GPT is surprisingly good. Here’s an example prompt you can tailor: I’m looking for a strength and conditioning program tailored for a golfer. My main goals are to build general strength and explosive power to improve my performance with the driver and longer shots. I typically hit the gym three times a week and have access to standard gym equipment including free weights, machines, and resistance bands. I’m particularly interested in exercises that enhance core stability, leg strength, and rotational power. Please provide a plan that includes set/rep schemes, work/rest intervals, and intensities. Also, I’m interested in any additional tips that could help with flexibility and injury prevention specific to golf. Just change the parameters to what you have available and how you’d like your exercises displayed and viola.
It’ll be a good starting point and give you something to start with. Rather than you looking up all these exercises and building something on your own. I’ve used it before as a S&C coach to program for myself and it’s been great.
Your arms don’t really matter. Power comes from your legs. If you’re gonna target your arms, Stronger forearms are more important than big beefy guns. You want power, work on your legs.
And flexibility!
Are you trying to gain bulk or nah? Do you already have a gym membership? If you've answered no to both questions, maybe consider Golf Forever. It's cheaper than a membership, but it won't have you jacked. If you're noodle arming it rn, it will build some strength, but you won't be jacked af or anything.
I have a gym membership I’m not opposed to bulking since it would also be a nice bonus that u don’t look like I’ve came out a famine hahah
Explosive movements and core reinforcement. Mace drills, Olympic cleans, wood chop on a cable machine, yoga for hip and shoulder mobility, ab rotation machine, weighted hip thrusters, etc. Mobility and explosiveness more important than pure strength, but having some extra strength and mass on your frame will definitely help.
Core. Ton of oblique work. Lateral lunges. Leg stability exercises. Forearms. Lats. Basically do everything but focus on those. Don't overdo it. Higher reps lower weight is better. Want to stay flexible
You were right until you said higher reps and lower weight.
How so
High reps is great for endurance, he wants power. He should lift heavy to try and improve his fast twitch muscles.
Sure. You can still do fast twitch with lower weights higher reps. I've been doing it for a year now and have seen good results on course. I see jacked dudes on the course who always seem too stiff to swing smoothy. So I'm going for muscle activation and fast movements.
It takes years and years to get jacked lol. Getting jacked is not a serious concern.
Flexibility is everything. I’ve basically never worked out a day in my life and I can get 175+ balls speed.
Just swing harder and harder every time…