1. Bicep Concentration Curl (3 Sets / 12 Reps)
Everybody can do this simple, old-school curl. Pick whatever dumbbell weight you feel comfortable with and sit down with the elbow of your lifting arm placed on the inside of the leg on the same side. It’s important not to have any jerky motion with this exercise – you want smooth lifting movements so make sure you don’t pick a weight that is too heavy. Now simply lift your arm upwards in a curling motion and feel your bicep muscle squeeze. Always breath out when you are working against gravity, so in this case breath out when you are lifting the weight up. I find this a really good exercise if you travel a lot and are picking up suitcases, back packs and golf bags on those trips away.
2. Cable Bicep Curls (3 Sets / 12 Reps)
We’ve done the seated bicep curls, but this workout is another great way to work on that muscle and these cable machines can be found in nearly every gym around the world. Ensure the machine has a single handlebar connected to one of the cables and choose the appropriate weight for you. Get into a strong, athletic position – knees slightly bent into a squat position, stick your butt out and squeeze your abs. Now it’s just a slow curl, up and down and in a controlled motion. Again, breath out on the way up and in on the way down. My piece of advice with this exercise is if you have a bad back be very careful not to go with too much weight because your back muscles and vertebrae will want to compress a little bit when you lift up. So start light and work your way up to a weight you are comfortable with and before you know it you’ll be stronger in your lower back.
3. Tricep Extension (3 Sets / 12 Reps)
You can do this in many different ways, whether you’re in a hotel or office, you can improvise. Here in the gym, I bend over in a very athletic position, feet shoulder-width apart and squeeze my core and abs. Pick up a dumbbell, in a safe, bent-over position and let your arm hang 90 degrees and simply throw it back [inset]. Feel your tricep squeeze on the full extension and make sure it’s a smooth motion with no other body movement. It’s a great exercise for your triceps, biceps, shoulders, lats – everything you need for strength and stability in the game of golf.
4. Cable Tricep Extension (3 Sets / 12 Reps)
One thing I want to emphasise dramatically is, whenever we are doing these exercises we are isolating a specific muscle we want to target. Make sure your core muscles are tight and your lower base is in a strong, stable position before you even attempt to isolate that muscle. With this exercise, attach and grab the rope handles on the cable machine and position them behind your head, making sure you are facing the other direction in an athletic position. Now simply push the cable forward with both hands so your arms are fully extended out in front of you and slowly let it pull back behind your head. Continue to push forward and let it pull back again, feeling your tricep muscles squeeze as your arms extend. Ensure you have a stable stance with adequate support in your back leg.
5. Shoulder Dumbbell Raises (3 Sets / 12 Reps)
Shoulder exercises were extremely important during my playing days. This is an easy workout you can do with two dumbbells, one in each hand. Standing straight with your core muscles squeezed, let your arms hang by their side and simply lift each dumbbell out in front to shoulder height, and lower again nice and slowly. Alternate each arm when doing this and make sure they are never fully extended (keep a slight bend from the elbows).
6. Shoulder Dumbbell Curls (3 Sets / 12 Reps)
This is another shoulder exercise I absolutely love. Simply grab two dumbbells and get your forearms out in front in a 90-degree position. Now get yourself into an athletic golf position with a nice posture, legs spread apart, hold a tight core, and simply lift both arms simultaneously to shoulder height and lower to starting position at 90-degrees out in front. This is a great exercise for your traps and shoulders. Slowly build on your weight and you won’t believe how strong your shoulders get in a very short amount of time.
7. Medicine Ball Throw (as many as you can!)
This is a great exercise for your inner core and overall stability – in fact it’s perfect for everything about the proprioception of your body. I stand on a half Bosu ball (found in most gyms and health retail outlets) and get my balance while holding a 4kg medicine ball. Keeping my body very square to the target, which in this case is a trampoline positioned about 4-5 metres away, I keep my core, glutes and legs all fired and lift the medicine ball up behind my head and throw it at the trampoline, ensuring I catch it again on the rebound. The key to this is maintaining your balance during the entire movement without falling off the Bosa ball. Repeat as many times as you can until you fall.
8. And if you’re feeling really game…
This really is an intense exercise and shouldn’t be done without seeing a trainer first. It’s all about the strength of your lower unit – your glutes, hamstring and core – combined with your upper body movement. This is really good for the golf swing because it’s strength and stability rolled into one with a little bit of flexibility thrown in. Grab two dumbbells and get into an athletic golf position (similar to the shoulder-raise exercise) but this time let your arms hang all the way down. Now rotate each arm back all the way up above you head, alternating one at a time, almost mimicking the golf swing in your turn (rotate from the hips). Like the golf swing, keep your stability at all times and don’t move your knees while doing this. Again, this in an intense exercise that requires good technique to avoid injury so make sure you see a personal trainer before attempting this one.
Another ace workout…
Tennis is a huge passion of mine these days. I love the intense cardio workout I get from it and try to play every morning if I can. There’s something about keeping your body moving while using your hand-eye co-ordination to hit a ball. That movement was something I didn’t have to think about in golf so it’s probably why I’ve really caught the tennis bug now. I’ll often get not one but two tennis pros to stand on the other side of the net and return balls to me. Trust me, it’s one of the best, and most enjoyable, workouts you can get!
DISCLAIMER: These exercises were originally prescribed to Greg Norman by his personal trainer. Before you attempt anything, consult a personal trainer to see which exercises may be right for you.
