Bryson DeChambeau’s fitness coach says this muscle group is the most overlooked in golf

Greg Roskopf’s credentials speak for themself — he’s been a performance and injury prevention consultant for the Denver Broncos, Denver Nuggets and Utah Jazz over the course of 25 years. He’s also the man behind Bryson DeChambeau’s incredible transformation over the past six months.

Roskopf is also the founder of Muscle Activation Techniques and sees plenty of golfers come through his doors looking for help getting physically fit to swing a club well.

Of all the golfers he sees, there’s a common muscle group they all overlook: the obliques.

“The obliques are where I see the greatest weaknesses,” Roskopf said. “And the obliques are what we need to generate the forces to have a good swing.”

For golfers, the obliques play a huge role in generating the rotational forces needed for a powerful swing. Not only do they help you turn your torso, but they also play a key role in turning your hips. And when muscles are weak, they show up as tightness according to Roskopf. That tightness prevents a golfer from making a good swing. It’s as simple as that.

“When you have abdominal weakness, it shows up as the inability to rotate,” Roskopf explained.

Roskopf’s entire program is based on the idea that the body is an integrated system. In this case, the golf swing is only as strong as its isolated parts. In order to strengthen your obliques and core, you need to strengthen both the muscles themselves and the neural pathways that help your brain and muscles communicate with each other. Essentially, you’re building your muscles and your muscle memory.

To do this, try working a few more rotational strength drills into your training routine like the ones below.

1. Side Planks with Rotation

Laying on your side with your feet stacked on top of each other, lift your hips and stabilize your body by squeezing your core. Raise your arm and then rotate downward to thread your arm through the space underneath your body. Do this for 30-45 seconds on each side.

2. Medicine Ball Throws

Using a moderately heavy medicine ball, stand perpendicular to a wall. Taking your golf stance, with knees slightly bent, rotate back and through, throwing the medicine ball against the wall. You should be standing close enough to the wall that you can catch the ball as it bounces back toward you. Perform 10-15 reps and repeat on the opposite side.

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