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Warming up for your golf game is critical for optimal performance. Today, we're using the 2 pound RMT Club to show 5 exercises that are beneficial on their own but when put together they make a warm up program that will help you play your best.
1. Rotational Movement Training (skip ahead to 0:13 on the video player above to watch)
The first thing we're going to do is rotation. So you're going to stand tall with the dominant hand on top. It's important to make sure that the club stays upright the whole time. You're going to rotate side-to-side using your lower body. You want to feel the load on your right side and a load on your left side both ways. Once you've done five to ten of these, we're going to quiet the lower body and get a big shoulder turn. Try to turn your shoulders as much as you can but keep that lower body stable.
2. Shoulder Mobility (skip ahead to 0:44 on the video player above to watch)
The next warm up is going to be a shoulder mobility exercise. So you're going to choke up just a little bit on the club and we're going to start with small movements, moving backwards first. So you're going to rotate about ten times on each side of your body and then we're going to go forward. We're going to go forward, making sure the shoulder goes to a full range of motion and then we'll do that again on the other side as well.
3. Arm Swings (skip ahead to 1:09 on the video player above to watch)
The next exercises are the one-arm swings. So what we're going to do with the one-arm swing is you're going to set up just like you would in your golf posture. Put your right hand on the club head and you're just going to take a back swing. The most important part is that you keep the right hand here in front of you because it's going to help you open up your shoulders. Bring the club down back into the palm of your right hand afterwards. Go ahead and do five to ten of those, feeling a big shoulder turn but you also want to feel like you're getting to your right side in your back swing on your lower body as well. And then, of course, you want to go from the start to the finish as well, so we want to do both sides on this one [for non-dominant side training].
4. Crosshand Lift (skip ahead to 1:43 on the video player above to watch)
The next one is called a Crosshand lift. Golf posture again, you're going to start from the set up position and you're just going to go to the full finish position. You want to feel like your lower hand here is pushing up on your right. It's going to give you a big stretch. You also want to feel it get over to your left side. We're going to do that with the backswing. Same position, you want to make sure you stay down in your posture on your backswing and then feel that top hand now is pulling to get bigger shoulder turn in the left side.
5. Squat Technique (skip ahead to 2:22 on the video player above to watch)
The last one is a squat. What we're going to do with this squat is we're going to hold the club overhead, try not to get too much arching in your lower back, and then we're going to squat down, keeping the weight in the back. You're going to use the club as a counter balance so you can sit back in your heels. It's going to give you a great hip stretch and get your lower body ready for the next 18 holes.
So the next time you go out and play, try these five exercises using the RMT 2 pound club and it's going to make you a better golfer.
About the Author: Mike Hansen is a TPI (Titleist Performance Institute) certified instructor for Level 1, 2, and 3. Mike also obtains a level 2 Golf Biomechanics certification. Mike is the founder of HansenFitness for Golf: a golf specific coaching company. Mike is also currently the director of golf fitness for Dove Canyon Golf Club and El Niguel Country Club
