About Workout Routines

Using heavy weights when doing leg exercises provides a stronger base and improves the distance and power you can garner from your swing. To get stronger and to add muscle mass, use heavy weights and lift them only a few times per set. A typical workout would be five to seven separate exercises with three sets of five to 10 repetitions per set.

Though this type of workout can benefit you, it can have a negative impact on your golf game. With a lot of additional muscle mass on the shoulders or arms, your swing may become too restricted. Golfing movements should be fluid through a full range of motion.

To tone and firm the muscles without adding a lot of muscle mass, use lower weights but more reps per set. A general workout routine for this would be five to seven separate exercises doing three sets of 15 to 25 reps per set. This routine allows you to be stronger and in better all-around shape without adding muscles mass that can be too bulky for golf.

A "circuit" workout routine simultaneously incorporates cardiovascular exercises with weight lifting. For a circuit routine, do eight to 12 different exercises, typically two or three exercises per body part, doing both upper and lower body exercises in the same workout. Perform only one set of five to seven reps per exercise. The weight for each exercise should be set at your max weight, or close to it.

After one exercise is complete, immediately move to the next exercise, waiting no more than 30 seconds between exercises. Circuit workout routines are difficult and require a lot of stamina to complete. For your golf game, this routine can increase overall stamina while also adding muscle.

Cardiovascular exercise can be as simple as walking or jogging, all of the way up to running or sprinting. You can choose to run either before or after weight lifting. There is no wrong option; it depends on what you are most comfortable doing. So people feel running before lifting weights makes them too weak, while others feel that they are too tired after lifting weights to run for very long. If you get easily bored with running, try riding a bike, swimming or playing basketball.

Intervals is a running program that increases stamina and metabolism. You need to reach your optimal heart rate during intervals to get their full benefit. Increase and decrease your speed in "intervals," so that you jump to your optimal heart rate, then back down. Do 1-minute cycles, go from 3 mph, to 9 mph, back down to 4 mph, up to 8 mph, down to 5 mph, up to 7 mph, and finishing for 1 minute at 6 mph. You can perform this interval once or as many times as you would like.