In my mind, general fitness should definitely be considered as part of the definition of practice for golfers. In any shape and at any current ability level, getting more strength and flexibility will help with the golf game (and just quality of life in general).
With that said, what sort of fitness equipment do you use and does it help your game in any specific way?
To start it off, I think all golfers should have a set of TRX bands in their house (unless you are a millionaire with a fully equipped gym already…no actually even then, get the bands). You can’t beat the convenience of just tossing the strap over a door, closing it and start. For me, the golf-benefit from using the TRX is that every exercise you do with them winds up being a “range of motion” exercise just from how you are using your body weight, forcing a bunch of secondary muscles to act in coordination with the target group. The golf swing is all about coordinating those muscle movements, so I think this type of exercise is a huge benefit (not to mention that most of the exercises will have a stretching component in them as well). I’m not spending an hour a day or anything with mine, but just 10-15 minutes in the morning and I definitely feel like it’s helping me maintain the fitness level I want to have.
I subscribe to fit for golf with Irish mike… his two biggest tools are resistance bands and medicine balls.
I’ve come to the conclusion that I need to exercise and if I am going to do it anyway, I might as well do a golf program…
I was doing a ton of rotational work and building fast twitch muscles before I hurt my back… I plan on getting back into it when I can, as it will help strengthen my back moving forward.
My overall goal is to build more speed into my swing… I was at 113 before my injury and want to be around 120 on course moving forward… that’s the approximate speed I need to break the hole I hate most on my home course.
Trx is a good buy. I think a standard weight rack and bench is a great start. If you don’t have the room or budget, stretch bands are pretty good too. If you have a wall to throw against, a few med balls are great. And a kettlebell is helpful.
I have been using 18Strong for my golf-specific fitness program. The Golf Body Anywhere program can be done at home and only requires resistance bands and something to anchor them on. The set I bought a few years back has been getting a lot of use these last few months.
Just my two cents (especially not knowing the specifics of your injury and what caused it), but I would be very careful trying to chase those high of swing speeds. Even perfect golf swings will put stress on the body (especially the back) and higher speeds tend to equal higher stress. 113 is just a tick below tour average already.
You aren’t wrong… I got back from the neurosurgeon today and have a small tear in my cartilage causing a fluid leak and pain. Looking to get an epidural next week to relieve the pain, but won’t be anywhere near a full swing for probably the rest of October.
I’m going to spend the month on core stuff and work to actually build a base that can support a higher swing speed… it might not work! But I understand the risks and am willing to accept them.
If it’s causing pain or leading to injury I’ll abandon the project… the good news is losing weight will help me more than anything, and I struggle to diet without an exercise plan…
I’m hoping the weight loss counterbalances the higher stress of swinging hard.
As the SuperSpeed guys would say it’s swinging “fast” not swinging “hard” 
Best of luck on the recovery!
Thanks. I haven’t played a round since the first week in August… not cool.
Just hoping to relieve the pain and then be able to swing again.
I haven’t been to the gym since Covid, and haven’t been able to lift much due to a couple of biking injuries the last couple months, but since Covid, I haven’t really done too many golf specific exercises. I’m now able to do push-ups again and have some dumbbells were I can do a variety of lifts. One thing I miss and I think helped me in the past is heavy deadlifts.
Also do some stretching and some Orange Whip/Club swinging in my office every day.
While golf fitness is great, general fitness is better than no fitness!
I keep thinking about the TRX bands and may have to bite the bullet. I have a full set of dumbbells long with Smith Machine/weight bench. I like the basics like pullups, pushups and squats. I don’t really do anything golf specific, but just trying to stay in halfway decent shape. I like finding fairly simple workouts that usually consist of 4 different moves that you do sets of. I’ve also done P90X3 more than a few times which I enjoy. I am better about working out in the winter as I can’t get outside as much for exercise.
There are options online for very cheap, so not a massive investment even if it doesn’t wind up being your thing.
No it hasn’t been the price keeping my away from TRX, but just the idea of adding something new in. I used to be a big time runner before some injuries forced me to find other ways to exercise. I’ve never been big on weight training, but I have started to enjoy basic stuff and bodyweight exercises. If it gets too complicated though then I get turned off. I miss the simplicity of throwing on sneakers and just running, but i have learned to enjoy sets of pullups, pushups and squats. Many times I watch a golf tournament while doing something like that.
CoryO, I assumed you needed some attachment in a wall to use TRX but sounds like no permanent wall fixtures are required?
All the TRX sets tend to come with two things for using them. One is a strap with a big padded circle on the end. You toss this over a door, circle on one side, TRX bands on the other, then close the door (so you are pulling the door into the frame, not the other way around). They also come with a strap you can loop around a bar (like at a playground) or a strong tree branch. You then attach the TRX bands to this. Setup is always less than a minute.
I had back surgery at 40. Started playing golf seriously at 41 1/2, once fully recovered. I was still struggling with back pain and general back weakness, no matter what I did at the gym. I ended up getting a golf fitness/movements coach. Each month he designs a new program for me and I generally just need a kettle bell, FMT band, and a yoga block. My back has never felt stronger and my flexibility has never been better. Everything is done remotely and it’s not terribly expensive, if you think about the longevity of play and the lack of doctor visits.
Hey everyone. I have a home workout guide with free sample workout routines that might help. There is equipment recommendations too. You can find it here: https://fitforgolf.blog/2020/03/19/fit-for-golf-home-workout-guide/
Thanks for joining the forum, great to see you here!
Be careful with the kettle bell. Maybe see a gym instructor to explain. Since you can create huge forces with it and injure yourself.
Your video with the resistance bands, genius! Going to try that!
Mike is awesome! His app is super helpful.