Zach Johnson is the Director of Performance at Seattle Golf Fitness in Mercer Island, Washington.
Zach Johnson on the importance of focusing on off-season gains for in-season success:
Strength and conditioning are essential to golf because they improve power and stability, which translates to longer, more controlled shots. A golfer with better core strength, hip mobility and overall muscle balance can generate more power from their swing while maintaining the precision necessary for accuracy. In addition, a well-rounded fitness regimen can prevent injuries, particularly in the lower back, shoulders and wrists, common problem areas for golfers. Strength training also aids in recovery and reduces fatigue during long rounds. During the winter, golfers with less experience in the gym need to pay attention to their movement qualities before immersing themselves in a weights program. Those with more experience can hit the ground running and start the process of offseason gains. What’s great about the offseason is that our exercise selection expands greatly. Some of the most important exercise categories in a structured program include squat, hinge and push and pull. Within those categories, we can progress or regress based on expertise. With squat, one of the best ways to create ground reaction force, we can use many variations. We have the simplified version called a goblet squat, where you hold a kettlebell or dumbbell at your chest to do a back or front squat. Hinge variations work more of the back side of the lower body, as well as create ground reaction forces in certain variations. From the most basic hinge being a bodyweight hinge to a barbell or hex bar deadlift, this is one of the greatest ways to create lower-body strength in the offseason or throughout the year. Push and pull exercises are more commonly known. A push exercise can be as complex as any form of bench press or as simple as a pushup. With pull, we see the pull-up being progressed or regressed into many forms.
Zach Johnson on the business of focusing on off-season gains for in-season success:
More golf-specific exercises benefit the individual through the core exercises mentioned above. We use med ball slam or toss variations to aid in rotary power or exercises to separate torso and lower body movements, which increase distance and contact. The offseason allows us to have more volume in our training, while in-season usually has varied volume – higher during off weeks and lower on or around competition weeks. In addition, the off-season volume is higher for longer periods, with it tapering off as the golf season approaches. With a higher off-season volume, we pay attention to intensity and make sure it’s not too high. In season, our intensity is fairly high to high variably throughout to allow us to maintain the gains we had in the off-season. For the off-season, intensity would be inversely related to volume – as volume goes down throughout the offseason, the intensity increases. Winter is the perfect time to prepare your body for the upcoming golf season. Investing time in a structured training program improves your physical attributes and reduces the likelihood of injury, ensuring you can enjoy the sport for years to come.
If you would like to email the author of this Best Practice directly, please email zach@seattlegolffitness.com.
