Improve your swing in 3 simple steps

This week we’re delighted to feature a guest blog from fitness expert David Thrower, owner of Winchester’s latest private, personal fitness facility just a stone’s throw away from Winchester Golf Academy in Kings Worthy.

If you take your golf seriously, then you will know that anything you can do outside of your game to improve your performance and function is well worth doing. Simply put, if you increase your mobility, you will be far less restricted and subsequently you will operate and function to a higher level. If you’re stronger and you can recruit the right muscles, your body movement will result in greater force production. If you don’t work on your imbalances and weaknesses throughout your body, you will play with a far greater risk of injury and dysfunction.

Strength training isn’t just for weight lifters and bodybuilders. Strength training is for athletes and anyone who takes their sport seriously. Try these simple yet effective moves to improve your swing.

Exercise 1 – The Pallof Press (Anti-Rotation)
Grab a resistance band or a cable. Stand facing away from the fixed position and cup the band at your sternum. Keep your knees soft and guide the band away from your chest slowly pausing once the arms are fully extended. This tension will work your core muscles well without any spinal load. The goal is to not allow your torso to rotate back toward the fixed position. Choose a band that has enough tension so you challenge yourself. Train both sides for 3 sets of 10 reps.

Exercise 2 – The Wood Chop
The wood chop is an excellent rotation movement that will apply tension with a resistance band or cable. A big mistake I see people making is too much use of the arms on this move. The movement should initiate from your mid-section only. Think of the arms as hooks or carriers and not prime movers.

Exercise 3 – Low Plank with Rotation
This one doesn’t require any weights or equipment. You can do this in the comfort of your own home. Just find some space on the floor and you’re good to go. Keep your hips downwards and don’t let them travel up as fatigue sets in. Keep your mid-section doing the main work as you reach your forearm out and away, leaving your hips facing down (or as much as possible).

All three of these movements can be regressed and progressed depending on your current mobility and fitness levels. If you add them 1-2x per week and try to complete 3 working sets of each one. Aim for 10-12 reps per set depending on your ability. You can use a thicker band to increase the resistance once your strength levels increase.

Please feel free to let me know how you get on. You can contact me through:
Website: davidthrowerfitness.com
Instagram: david_thrower_fitness
Facebook: www.facebook.com/DavidThrowerFitness/ No: 07595638192