Help me improve my fitness and clubhead speed!

[tmw4h5]

The point of this post is for me to improve my efficiency at the gym and on the course with the help of those more knowledgeable than me!
I'm an avid gym-goer (6 days per week typically) and I want to make sure I'm being as productive as possible during my visits. I usually have 4 days where I'm working out late (off work at 8pm) and I spend typically an hour at the gym those nights. On my days off, I'll typically spend 1.5-2 hours at the gym. I feel like I can improve my core strength and I want to work on my speed. For what it's worth, I workout at Planet Fitness -- so I can utilize whatever they have in their facilities.


I also have a job (mattress sales) that provides me with ample downtime and plenty of space to work on my swing. I know there are a number of speed trainers on the market and I think this may be one of the best ways to utilize my spare time at work.


I was on a Trackman today at PXG and these were essentially my speed numbers. 7iron - consistent at 91mph with all-out speed at 95mph. Driver (after wayyyy too many iron swings) was hovering around 111mph with the ability to get up to about 115mph. 

I'm a stronger than average person and feel like I'm not maximizing on my potential, so I want to try to make 2024 the best year of golf that I possibly can. 

[st1800e]

Check out Titleist Performance  Institute.  Loads of specific exercises there. 
 

If you’re so inclined consider an assessment with a Certified TPI professional. When you search for one near you, take note of their various certification levels.  
They’ll take you through a series of body tests to determine your body limitations for golf.  They’re not measuring strength, rather things like flexibility and range of motion, some limited by flexibility, some just the way your body is put together, and a few other things.    Then you’ll know what to work on.  
 

I’ve done it, immensely helpful.  I took some lessons as well, great results.  
 

https://www.mytpi.com/improve-my-game

 

[phizzy30]

Strength doesn't directly correlate with how fast you can swing the club so let's get that outta the way first.  With that being said, the things you do besides strength training matter just as much if not more.  Focus more on speed by doing plyometrics, Olympic lifts and resistance band work since it's seems like your not a beginner provided that your flexibility and mobility are adequate.  I also recommend doing exercises on a bosu and yoga ball to further help with stability.  This is a very basic outline but effective at giving you the tools to increase swing speed.  When you're at the range, hit 20-50 balls with driver but go all out.  This will increase your baseline ss at the very least and if you do everything correctly, you should gain significant ss which will translate out on the course provided your swing is technically solid. 

Edited February 9, 2024 by phizzy30

[johnrobison]

What is your current routine? You want to be efficient and productive, so it would help to outline what you're already doing. Resistance, non-resistance, specific protocol/frequency.

[cav5]

If you can't middle it, strength and speed training for golf are pointless. This coming from a guy who lifts for vanity purposes 6 days a week LOL.

[Albatross Dreamer]

7 hours ago, phizzy30 said:

Strength doesn't directly correlate with how fast you can swing the club so let's get that outta the way first.  With that being said, the things you do besides strength training matter just as much if not more.  Focus more on speed by doing plyometrics, Olympic lifts and resistance band work since it's seems like your not a beginner provided that your flexibility and mobility are adequate.  I also recommend doing exercises on a bosu and yoga ball to further help with stability.  

Hasn't most the research shown that if your sport is played on a solid surface you want your stability to be performed on a solid surface too? From all that I've seen you want to have the foot on stable ground and manipulate other conditions to create the stability training. At least for most of the time. That being said I agree with everything else in your post.

 

OP it might be more helpful if you posted what you do now so we can comment on that rather then just throwing out generic things

[Trippels]

18 minutes ago, Albatross Dreamer said:

Hasn't most the research shown that if your sport is played on a solid surface you want your stability to be performed on a solid surface too? From all that I've seen you want to have the foot on stable ground and manipulate other conditions to create the stability training. At least for most of the time. That being said I agree with everything else in your post.

 

OP it might be more helpful if you posted what you do now so we can comment on that rather then just throwing out generic things

Yeah, doing stuff on a bosu ball is a total waste of time just meant to look fancy and let people feel they're doing something useful instead of actually training hard with exercises that are effective. 

[getitdaily]

Listen to @phizzy30 for gym stuff.

[phizzy30]

23 minutes ago, Albatross Dreamer said:

Hasn't most the research shown that if your sport is played on a solid surface you want your stability to be performed on a solid surface too? From all that I've seen you want to have the foot on stable ground and manipulate other conditions to create the stability training. At least for most of the time. That being said I agree with everything else in your post.

 

OP it might be more helpful if you posted what you do now so we can comment on that rather then just throwing out generic things

 

3 minutes ago, Trippels said:

Yeah, doing stuff on a bosu ball is a total waste of time just meant to look fancy and let people feel they're doing something useful instead of actually training hard with exercises that are effective. 

Balance exercises in general are actually effective for golf because it's tough to find the sweet spot when your coordination and balance on your feet suck.  Doing stability exercises on a yoga and bosu ball help with that.  You guys need to look at the overall scope of things, not just focus on strength and speed.  Also, @Albatross Dreamer, listing specific exercises would be considered "premium content".  We both work in the fitness industry and you gotta know that we can't just give away all our secrets.  I'm all about helping people and paying it forward, but I'm not willing to spoon feed everyone.  😉   

Edited February 9, 2024 by phizzy30

[johnrobison]

1 hour ago, Trippels said:

Yeah, doing stuff on a bosu ball is a total waste of time just meant to look fancy and let people feel they're doing something useful instead of actually training hard with exercises that are effective. 

Not at all true. Think of it like asymmetrical loading at a micro scale. The muscles have to continuously respond to maintain stability and developing core stability - not just one-dimensional strength - has huge benefits for golf (and life).

[phizzy30]

Just now, johnrobison said:

Not at all true. Think of it like asymmetrical loading at a micro scale. The muscles have to continuously respond to maintain stability and developing core stability - not just one-dimensional strength - has huge benefits for golf (and life).

Agree and I forgot to touch on how important bosu and yoga ball exercises are for core stability.  Thanks for posting that. 

[getitdaily]

13 minutes ago, johnrobison said:

Not at all true. Think of it like asymmetrical loading at a micro scale. The muscles have to continuously respond to maintain stability and developing core stability - not just one-dimensional strength - has huge benefits for golf (and life).

Ignore core stability and strength and then have slight back pain that progresses and you'll understand why yoga and bosu ball stuff is essential. 

 

That stuff is meant to stabilize your spine so you can be more free and mobile. 

[kenoli22]

The Fit for Golf app is great.  Tons of workouts and Mike is very responsive to any questions you might have.  The number of workouts is a little overwhelming, but he has everything from stretching to speed workouts that you can do at the gym and/or at home.

[GoGoErky]

10 hours ago, phizzy30 said:

Strength doesn't directly correlate with how fast you can swing the club so let's get that outta the way first.  With that being said, the things you do besides strength training matter just as much if not more.  Focus more on speed by doing plyometrics, Olympic lifts and resistance band work since it's seems like your not a beginner provided that your flexibility and mobility are adequate.  I also recommend doing exercises on a bosu and yoga ball to further help with stability.  This is a very basic outline but effective at giving you the tools to increase swing speed.  When you're at the range, hit 20-50 balls with driver but go all out.  This will increase your baseline ss at the very least and if you do everything correctly, you should gain significant ss which will translate out on the course provided your swing is technically solid. 

Agree that strength training won’t correlate to how fast you swing, but would you agree that it helps create the stability needed for the body to handle faster speeds.

 

We do know that Bershire gained speed after including powerlifting training to his routine. It may have been his ability to be stronger and more stable in the swing that allowed for him to gain speed. 

[cav5]

If you want to get better at golf, practice golf LOL. You'll lower your handicap putting/chipping at home for those hours. Unless you're like a mini tour player or something looking for marginal benefits.

 

Maybe you have actual limitation issues. Sometimes those have crafted your swing tho so be careful of what you ask for. Just workout to be healthy and attractive.

[johnrobison]

6 minutes ago, cav5 said:

If you want to get better at golf, practice golf LOL. You'll lower your handicap putting/chipping at home for those hours. Unless you're like a mini tour player or something looking for marginal benefits.

 

Maybe you have actual limitation issues. Sometimes those have crafted your swing tho so be careful of what you ask for. Just workout to be healthy and attractive.

This isn't helping the OP, who asked about improving their efficiency and productivity at the gym, and also said they want to maximize their potential. If you want to debate the effectiveness of workouts for golf, start a thread on it or contribute to one of the many that already exist on the site. But that wasn't the OP's question nor the reason they started this discussion. 

[puresurfr]

10 hours ago, phizzy30 said:

Strength doesn't directly correlate with how fast you can swing the club so let's get that outta the way first.  With that being said, the things you do besides strength training matter just as much if not more.  Focus more on speed by doing plyometrics, Olympic lifts and resistance band work since it's seems like your not a beginner provided that your flexibility and mobility are adequate.  I also recommend doing exercises on a bosu and yoga ball to further help with stability.  This is a very basic outline but effective at giving you the tools to increase swing speed.  When you're at the range, hit 20-50 balls with driver but go all out.  This will increase your baseline ss at the very least and if you do everything correctly, you should gain significant ss which will translate out on the course provided your swing is technically solid. 

 

Haha I agree with you completely, im the slowest strongest person alive.  Im strong throughout the kinetic chain and the technique is decent but I cannot for the life of me get faster.  Ive done 100s of workouts with superspeed and stack and rypstick.  Now im trying out Golfforever which seems promising : )

[cav5]

4 minutes ago, johnrobison said:

This isn't helping the OP, who asked about improving their efficiency and productivity at the gym, and also said they want to maximize their potential. If you want to debate the effectiveness of workouts for golf, start a thread on it or contribute to one of the many that already exist on the site. But that wasn't the OP's question nor the reason they started this discussion. 

Okay here you go. Not guaranteed to lower scores but my reccomendation.. https://www.zenolinkhpt.com/coaching-2

[CasualLie]

8 minutes ago, puresurfr said:

 

Haha I agree with you completely, im the slowest strongest person alive.  Im strong throughout the kinetic chain and the technique is decent but I cannot for the life of me get faster.  Ive done 100s of workouts with superspeed and stack and rypstick.  Now im trying out Golfforever which seems promising : )

 

Have you tried the Fit for Golf App?  Curious on how it compares to Golfforever program other than the obvious.

[gioguy21]

stretching/flexibility, core strength and stability, overall muscle strength improvement and stabilizing/strengthening the golf muscle kinetic chain. 

 

 

[trying2scratch]

47 minutes ago, gioguy21 said:

stretching/flexibility, core strength and stability, overall muscle strength improvement and stabilizing/strengthening the golf muscle kinetic chain. 

 

 

Agree with all the above.

 

Sounds like you already have lots of experience in the gym, so a great starting base.  Unfortunately, traditionally workouts probably are not going to get you the gains your after in golf efficiency/speed at this stage.

 

Best starting point is probably a movement assessment with a golf related phsio or TPI instructor.  Or even somewhere with a GEARS set up.

 

There could be mobility/flexibility limitations,  along with strength imbalances/compensations that are not easy to spot for the untrained eye. The tricky part is identifying these rather than just trying to correct everything all at once approach.

 

This may even mean you need to be in the gym less... 3-4 x 45min vs 6 x 1.5-2 hrs 

 

Part 1  - could be 3-4 times a week(45-60 min strength sessions)   

PLUS Part 2 -  3-4 times a week mobility/ Myo release/balance/stability sessions (20-30 min) which can be done at home, work, outside etc.

 

Finding the right balance with your schedule and golf days is the key because Part 2 sessions are easy to skip, as it can sometimes feel like your not really working that hard vs traditional gym workouts.  But I can promise you that over 90% of tour pros are hitting the trailer/gym to do these daily if not multiple times a day during a tournament.  They may not even lift that often (1-2x pr/wk) during playing wks, but this Part 2 work is a key to there performance on the course.

 

Some random vids that may be of interest:

 

TPI

 

 

 

 

Golf physio assessment

 

 

 

Golf specific training exercises

 

 

 

Golf Myo release (can use a lacrosse ball to hit smaller areas)

 

 

[phizzy30]

Just now, trying2scratch said:

Agree with all the above.

 

Sounds like you already have lots of experience in the gym, so a great starting base.  Unfortunately, traditionally workouts probably are not going to get you the gains your after in golf efficiency/speed at this stage.

 

Best starting point is probably a movement assessment with a golf related phsio or TPI instructor.  Or even somewhere with a GEARS set up.

 

There could be mobility/flexibility limitations,  along with strength imbalances/compensations that are not easy to spot for the untrained eye. The tricky part is identifying these rather than just trying to correct everything all at once approach.

 

This may even mean you need to be in the gym less... 3-4 x 45min vs 6 x 1.5-2 hrs 

 

Part 1  - could be 3-4 times a week(45-60 min strength sessions)   

PLUS Part 2 -  3-4 times a week mobility/ Myo release/balance/stability sessions (20-30 min) which can be done at home, work, outside etc.

 

Finding the right balance with your schedule and golf days is the key because Part 2 sessions are easy to skip, as it can sometimes feel like your not really working that hard vs traditional gym workouts.  But I can promise you that over 90% of tour pros are hitting the trailer/gym to do these daily if not multiple times a day during a tournament.  They may not even lift that often (1-2x pr/wk) during playing wks, but this Part 2 work is a key to there performance on the course.

 

Some random vids that may be of interest:

 

TPI

 

 

 

 

Golf physio assessment

 

 

 

Golf specific training exercises

 

 

 

Golf Myo release (can use a lacrosse ball to hit smaller areas)

 

 

Good post.  Strength training is fine to build a strong base and to lessen the chances of injury but It's the things you do outside of that where you truly see the gains/benefits out on the course.   Mobility, Flexibility, speed training and balance exercises. 

[bluedot]

2 hours ago, cav5 said:

Okay here you go. Not guaranteed to lower scores but my reccomendation.. https://www.zenolinkhpt.com/coaching-2

Seriously?  Your two recommendations are either chipping and putting at home instead of working out, or paying $349/month for a remote workout program?  There’s nothing in between?  
 

For the OP:  I have a couple of questions for you, and a recommendation as well.  

First, what’s your current index?  I ask this because the biggest limitation on speed for most ams is technique.  Regardless of how fast they can swing a stick in speed training, it may be that it doesn’t translate to the course because their swing simply isn’t good enough.  You’re swinging at 111 in your speed work; what’s your swing speed when you’re actually hitting a golf ball?
 

Second, as others have asked, what is your current workout routine?  You are spending a lot of time in the gym, and you feel like you are above average in strength, and both of those things are great.  But are you doing any mobility work, including soft tissue work with a LAX ball and a foam roller?  Are you working on your hip, thoracic spine, shoulder, and neck range of motion?  If those rotational centers don’t move properly, getting stronger won’t help. There is a ton of stuff being done in the gym that has ZERO to do with swinging a golf club well OR fast, and there is a ton of stuff that can be done pretty simply and quickly that does help golf.  
 

As a recommendation, if you are REALLY serious about this stuff, find a way to connect with a professional, in person or virtual, who can assesses YOU, and help setup a workout program for YOU.  If that isn’t possible, then consider some of the online stuff that’s already been recommended, and add it to what you already do.  Keep the compound Olympic lifts, but get rid of some stuff that makes you look good but does little or nothing for a golf swing and eats up gym time.

[phizzy30]

1 hour ago, puresurfr said:

 

Haha I agree with you completely, im the slowest strongest person alive.  Im strong throughout the kinetic chain and the technique is decent but I cannot for the life of me get faster.  Ive done 100s of workouts with superspeed and stack and rypstick.  Now im trying out Golfforever which seems promising : )

Nothing wrong with being able to dead lift 300+, db row 100+ each hand, pull up body weight plus a 45 lb plate for example as it will benefit any athlete.  Some of us just don't have ceiling that others do when it comes to speed though.  That's where genetics come into play. 

Edited February 9, 2024 by phizzy30

[puresurfr]

1 hour ago, phizzy30 said:

Nothing wrong with being able to dead lift 300+, db row 100+ each hand, pull up body weight plus a 45 lb plate for example as it will benefit any athlete.  Some of us just don't have ceiling that others do when it comes to speed though.  That's where genetics come into play. 

 

I mostly workout at home now, so not much powerlifting going on but I have the power block 175s and deadlifting those is not that easy and benching even 150 is a beast ! im always afraid that im going to blow out a pec.  But im starting to think that my strength is about a 9/10 and technique is about a 6/10 and core strength is about a 3/10 and flexibility is 3/10.....If I want to get faster, I need more stretching and core work with elastic bands. Im hoping Golf Forever does the trick !

[phizzy30]

Just now, puresurfr said:

 

I mostly workout at home now, so not much powerlifting going on but I have the power block 175s and deadlifting those is not that easy and benching even 150 is a beast ! im always afraid that im going to blow out a pec.  But im starting to think that my strength is about a 9/10 and technique is about a 6/10 and core strength is about a 3/10 and flexibility is 3/10.....If I want to get faster, I need more stretching and core work with elastic bands. Im hoping Golf Forever does the trick !

I got power blocks at home and they were a life saver when covid hit.  I suggest getting a medicine ball as well and maybe some kettle bells for your home setup.  You can do a lot of core stuff by adding those. 

[Pepperturbo]

IMO, the best way to get max out of your body, mind and golf is a general exercise regime that you can stick with.  Don't make it so extreme that you mentally slack off and eventually quit.  It has to be part of your lifestyle, like going #2.  LOL 

 

I have been going to the gym since HS football, 3–4 times a week, using weights and doing cardio.  My sports have been eight years HS and college football, martial arts since 14yrs old, 2-Man Beach Sand V-Ball Tournaments in mid-seventies to eighties, CAT racing and other specialized training, tennis, and golf since 90s.  

 

My liking is working out at the gym, but a gym at home helps when it's pouring out.  Unless you're planning on serious regional golf or the tour, exercise does NOT need to be golf-specific, as some declare.  Exercising is for health, and general wellbeing, done right it benefits all activities.  Then there's this; the bodies of some people are just not meant to be "faster", not without a lot of help.  Almost everyone is born with some Fast and Slow twitch muscles, what general exercise does is target ALL muscle groups.

 

Past 70yrs young, still stoking the furnace, still putting up respectable golf scores; I am one example of what's possible as we age.  Our bodies love routine exercise.  The problem is: Most people don't listen to the cry of their bodies.  What the body doesn't like is what I see this time every year at my gym; all the New Year's resolution people who eventually crap out and somewhere down the road whine about what's happening to their body which is preventing them from playing better golf.    

Edited February 9, 2024 by Pepperturbo

[stryper]

7 hours ago, cav5 said:

Okay here you go. Not guaranteed to lower scores but my reccomendation.. https://www.zenolinkhpt.com/coaching-2

Seems like a steal at $349/month. 😉

[cav5]

53 minutes ago, stryper said:

Seems like a steal at $349/month. 😉

Lol well if you want the most out of the little marginal benefit of golf specific training you should do it right

[phizzy30]

Just now, cav5 said:

Lol well if you want the most out of the little marginal benefit of golf specific training you should do it right

How is golf specific training of little marginal benefit?  If done correctly it can be a game changer for some.  Most people don't do it right therefore get little to no benefit.