In the recent past, golf was not a sport associated with weight training.
However, nowadays, most top golfers such as Tiger Woods have incorporated strength training, and you can see the significant difference it makes in the performance.
But should you lift weights before playing golf? Let’s delve more.
So, IS It Ok To Lift Weights Before Playing Golf?
Yes, lifting weights before playing golf is ok and helps warm up your muscles and helps you feel loose, and avoids injury. However, you should do it in moderation. Overdoing it could throw you off your swing tempo and give you fatigue on your back. Working out might affect your performance if the muscles haven’t recovered totally before golfing and can affect your golf swing.
Hence, it is recommendable to engage in light lifting and dynamic stretching before golf to warm up the muscles and loosen up the body.
So spend some time loosening up your body through a little weight lifting before starting your round instead of doing a few turns and twists with your club before taking your first shot.
Static stretching and heavy lifting are mostly recommended for post-round.
Although golf is more of a mental game than a physical, you should disregard body mechanics to get the ultimate performance.
Which Type of Training Is Best For Golfers: Bodybuilding Vs Strength Training?
The most common protest that most golfers have when they begin weight lifting is that gaining a lot of muscle can affect their golf swing, which will affect their game negatively.
Today, golf pros do a lot of weight lifting, but they do so with personal trainers and physiotherapists guiding them on specific customized exercises to improve particular aspects of their bodies.
According to experienced golfers, a golfer should not engage in a workout program to gain muscle.
You should always aim at increasing your strength without adding useless muscle bulk.
However, some golfers do bodybuilding in the course of strength training as a way of intimidating opponents or attracting girls.
The significant difference between bodybuilding and strength training is the number of sets, reps, and weight in your training.
Strength training focuses on being stronger, and although you may gain some muscle, it won’t be the main aim.
Once you increase your strength, you can easily transfer the extra strength into power, enabling you to swing the golf club with an increased speed and hit the ball further with enhanced control.
To get better or improve in golf, we require strengthening particular muscles and boosting the flexibility of specific joints.
Any exercise that targets to improve those specific areas is worth it for golfers.
However, if you engage in weightlifting intending to build muscles such as Arnold Schwarzenegger, you are more likely to affect your golf swing negatively.
It is essential to keep in mind that we all have different bodies, and what you require to better your golfing skills is different from that of another person.
However, most of the exercises focused on strengthening and improving the flexibility of golf joints and muscles are likely to be beneficial to most golfers.
The Seven Benefits of Lifting Weights for Golfers
There are many reasons why golfers neglect weight lifting, with one being they aren’t aware of what they will achieve by weight lifting.
If you look at the recent top golfers such as Tiger Woods and Rory Mcllroy, it is pretty apparent that they have incorporated strength training into their game, and there are many reasons why they have done so.
Some of the benefits of strength training through lifting weights include;
1. Increased Swing Speed And More Distance
The primary benefit of strengthening exercises and weight lifting is that it strengthens your body for a higher and faster swing which helps to hit the ball even further.
This isn’t only good for off the tee and provides you more options for hitting the green off and the fairway.
2. More Control Over The Ball
After weight lifting adds power and strength to your swing, you don’t need to work extra hard to hit the same distance as other players.
This will provide you more control over the club to hit the ball deliberately, accurately, and with the right amount of spin that you aim for.
3. Less Fatigue And Increased Stamina
When you add strength to your body, it enables you to go more rounds without fatigue.
As a golfer, you probably practice most of the time on the course or at the driving range, and you also have to play in tournaments, so the ability to swing the club over and over again without losing distance is a significant benefit of lifting weights.
The increased consistency is also a more considerable advantage of strength training, and it enables you to hit your target more often and with more accuracy.
4. Reduced Probability Of Injury
Injury prevention of golfing is the key. Increasing the robustness and strength of your body through weight lifting decreases the probability of getting back or shoulder injuries on the golf courses.
You won’t require to try very hard to hit the ball as far as the other players, so you can relax and concentrate on achieving the proper technique and placing the ball in the middle of the fairway each time.
When you are injured, you won’t be on the golf course, and if golfing is your career or hobby, you want to avoid such downtime.
5. It Builds Consistency
There is nothing as frustrating in golf as crushing drives at the beginning of a golf round only to revert into ugly shots at the end.
The benefits of lifting weights are fighting fatigue and getting high-quality and consistent reps.
The most significant factor for success in golf is consistency.
The stronger you become by lifting weights, the more consistently you can repeat the golf patterns apart for under fatigue.
6. Increased Fitness Makes Golfing Easier
Golf as a game has a reputation of being played by people who are not quite physically fit.
However, the reality is that in the current sedentary lifestyles, most people don’t have the fundamental movement and strong ability to perform at their best, and lifting weights play a role in helping you overcome this.
7. Improved Mental Toughness And Discipline
Anyone who plays golf understands that it is more of a mental than a physical game.
Players that emerge at the top require to be mentally stronger to deal with all the pressure of the game.
It is difficult enough for some people to tee off the first hole on the watch of onlookers.
So you can imagine the pressure on golf pros.
Lifting weights consistently is a challenging undertaking that helps you build the mental character and strength essential to handle more significant golf challenges.
Wrapping Up
It is okay to lift weight before playing golf, but you should avoid overdoing it.
Strength training before playing golf might help you get the strength you need effectively and safely.
Weight lifting can benefit you greatly, including increased swing speed and hit distance.
However, you don’t want to get into heavy weight lifting unless you are working with a golf specialist to guide you on which areas you need to improve and strengthen.