Part Two of RSNG’s weekly, free Zero to Hero home strength session builds on last week’s workout with a neat hack that will up the training load, without adding any weight, says Pro Tour strength and conditioning coach Jamie Greaves, who designed it specifically for RSNG, with golfers in mind.
“This session starts to introduce tempos, which is something I use a lot with my golfers. Tempos can be a great way to make exercises harder with less weight (making them ideal for training at home) as well as improving your bio-mechanics,” he says.
So, tempos will progress the work you did last week to stabilize your joints, hitting the muscles harder in order to trigger improvements in strength. Do this workout twice a week for a full-body blast (leaving at least 48 hours between workouts), which will start to increase your club head speed.
This session progressively cranks up the movements that you used last time, increasing the training load for new strength gains, without requiring you to hit the gym, or build a stash of weights at home. Check back here next week, for the third installment…
You can make the banded row even more golf-specific by performing the same push and pull rowing motion in a golf posture
RSNG Golf Strength Zero To Hero Workout: Week Two
1. Elevated Push-Up (Eccentric), Sets: 3 Reps: 8 Rest: 60 seconds Place your hands on a bench or box, and ‘screw’ your hands into it, to stabilize your shoulders and help your elbows to track at around 45°. Lower your chest to the bench slowly (you can count to three, or five seconds as you do so) and then press back up aggressively. You want to feel like your body moves as a single unit through the rep, without rounding or extending your body excessively, and don’t let your elbows flare out too much. (If this exercise feels too easy simply remove the bench.) Target: chest, triceps, plank & upper body push.
2. Banded Romanian Deadlift, Sets: 3 Reps: 10 Rest: 60 seconds Start in a standing position, with a band wrapped around under your feet, gripping it in each hand. Soften the knees and push the hips back, keeping the torso strong with pressure in the heels, and feeling the effort in the hamstrings. Push through the ground to drive back up. Make sure the motion happens at the hips and not the knees, and that you stay strong through the torso as you move. Move with intent in pushing back up on every rep. Target: hamstrings, glutes, core.
3. Banded Row With Reach, Sets: 3 Reps: 10 each side Rest: 60 seconds Get into a stable position with feet shoulder width apart and knees slightly bent. Start with a resistance band attached at chest height, with tension in the band. Start with one arm reaching forwards and the opposite elbow driving back behind you (holding the band), and creating a big ‘wingspan’ between the fingertips and opposite elbow. As you row the band and drive the elbow back, reach forward with the opposite side. Pause at the end of the range each time, before taking a deep breath out, and trying to reach forwards even further.
You can make this exercise even more golf-specific by performing the same push and pull rowing motion in a golf posture, by attaching the band much lower. Perform reps on both sides.
Target: lats, upper back, core.
4. Eccentric Backpack Squat, Sets: 3 Reps: 6 Rest: 60 seconds Start in a comfortable squat stance, holding a weighted backpack (or kettlebell/ dumb-bell) in front of your chest. Slowly lower yourself into the squat for a count of three seconds, then drive back up with intent. Press the ground apart with your feet so that your knees track a little and you have room for the hips to drop down. Don’t rush the lowering part of the motion, especially as you become fatigued and make sure you drive up through your heels, with intent. Go through your own maximum range of motion and don’t allow your knees to cave in, allow your body to lean forwards as you lower, or come onto your toes. Target: quads, glutes, core.
5. Banded Front Raises, Sets: 2 Reps: 8 Rest: 60 seconds Begin by standing on a band with an overhand grip on it in each hand. Raise both arms up in front, to shoulder height, keeping them straight. Ensure each rep is slow and controlled. Try not to let the arms bend, or round through the spine, lean back or just use momentum as you perform reps. Stay strong through the torso, brace your core and go slow and controlled. If this exercise feels too easy, slow the raise right down. Pause at the top for a better muscle contraction. Target: shoulders, core.
6. Plank Drag, Sets: 2 Reps: 12 Rest: 60 seconds Start in a high plank position, with a weight outside you, on one side. Reach under your body with one arm and drag the weight across to the other side, before repeating the process with the other arm. As you perform reps try to keep the rest of the body still, staying in your original plank position and not rotating excessively. You can adjust the difficulty by dragging the weight further across, or narrowing your feet for a smaller base of support. Really engage your core to resist the rotation whilst maintaining your plank position as best you can on each rep. Target: core, rotation, spine.
WHAT NEXT? Find out why the most efficient golf swing is the one you develop for yourself, and how doing some work in the gym can help you to discover your own best swing…
Photos: Adobe Stock
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Jamie Graves is a strength and conditioning coach who specializes in training golfers and has also played the game himself for over 20 years formerly reaching a plus figure level. He currently works with golfers of all ages and abilities including tour players such as Charley Hull and Meghan McLaren. Jamie offers in person sessions at his private facility at Northampton Golf Club as well as online through his JG Golf Fitness App, helping all golfers to move better, get stronger and swing faster! Follow him on Instagram and visit his website for more.