Here are five at-home exercises to improve your golf game

With gyms closed and access to equipment limited, it’s hard to get a workout in these days. Luckily, there are plenty of simple exercises you can do from home that can have a positive impact on both your health and your golf game.

TPI Certified performance coach Mike Carroll shared his five favorite at-home exercises that are suitable for golfers of all ages and fitness levels. Even better, none of these moves require special equipment.

1. Split Squat:

This is a lower-body exercise that works on mobility, stability and strength. The narrow stance will reduce your base of support and challenge your stability. In this exercise, you’re primarily working your front leg, so keep the majority of your weight centered over the middle of your front foot.

2. Deadbug:

Deadbugs are a great exercise for strengthening your core. You need strength in your midsection to be able to effectively transfer power from your lower body to your upper body in the golf swing. During this exercise, it’s incredibly important to keep your lower-back flat against the ground to ensure you’re working your abs.

3. Push-ups:

There’s a reason push-ups are among Joel Dahmen’s go-to exercises. When performed correctly, push-ups can be extremely beneficial to your overall strength and to the golf swing. To set up correctly for a push-up, place your hands beneath your shoulders and your feet shoulder-width apart. Then squeeze your core and go to the top of a plank.

Be sure to maintain a neutral spine, as demonstrated by the dowel rod on my back in the below video. Your body should move as one piece with a controlled tempo to ensure you are working the right muscles.  Essentially, the push-up is a moving plank. To ensure your push-ups are using your full range of motion, your chest and hips should touch the floor on the way down. If doing push-ups is too difficult, elevate your hands onto the side of a sofa, table or counter top. The higher your hands are, the easier the push-up will be.

4. Pelvic Rotation:

When you watch the pros, one of the biggest differences you’ll notice is how well they can separate their hips from their upper body at the start of the downswing. This separation stretches the torso muscles, loading them with power and helping your swing sequence.

During this exercise, make sure you rotate your hips while keeping your upper body still. This is a great way to improve your mobility, which is required to create that all-important separation. You should feel a big stretch in your obliques, the muscles on the sides of your midsection.

5. Full Body Turn:

This is an excellent exercise to improve your rotation in the backswing and the flexibility of your trail shoulder. Using a golf club will assist your turn and help you go further than you would otherwise. You should feel a big stretch around the ribcage, mid-back and shoulders during this exercise. This is also a great exercise to do before you play a round or hit the range.

Perform three rounds of 5-10 reps per exercise. For the exercises where you work one side at a time, be sure to perform the exercise on both sides.

For more at-home workouts and golf-specific fitness tips, check out the Fit for Golf website and Twitter account.

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