Originally written for Central Links Golf on February 2, 2023. Re-published with permission.
Trigger point tool – Foam Roller
If you’ve read anything by RobertsPT, you know how much we emphasize full mobility as the most critical element for playing pain-free, longevity in the game, creating elastic energy for power and distance, etc…if you haven’t taken our home assessment yet…it’s so simple once you know where you need to rotate and by how much when you compare yourself to what I show you is ‘normal’. Don’t delay this part. Take yours here (https://www.robertspt.golf/home-assessment) now.
Once you identify the areas that need improvement, you need a tool to utilize often to release those tight areas. Even if you belong to a gym, having a firm foam roller at home that you can use more frequently than your ‘typical’ workout routine would be highly recommended. At RobertsPT, we’ve found mobility is best improved not by a 1x/week 45-minute rollout session, but rather by shorter (5-15 minute range) and targeted mobility work that can be done more frequently and consistently. We’d love to show you a few of our favorite moves with these that open up golfers’ turn!
Resistance Bands – Activate or ‘wake up’ upper and lower body
Prior to the strength training component of your workout, activating or waking up your muscles is important. Dynamic warm-up movements, such as arm circles for example, are good for increasing muscle temperature and blood flow (which are good things) but also getting the muscle primed through resistance bands are pivotal in preparing your body to lift safely and achieve your best results.
We run our golfers through a series of 5-10 exercises with bands to prime whatever muscles we intend to target that day. Resistance bands are effective because they’re safe, easy to use, low load, and can be moved with speed.
Adjustable Dumbbells – Key word…adjustable
We saved the best for last. Dumbbells have been around forever and for good reason. They’re readily accessible, not super expensive, and often easy to duplicate a few exercises that people see in men’s health articles or their local gym (bicep curls anyone?).
A simple observation after working with hundreds of golfers now is that way too often, I hear golfers saying they have one or two sets of dumbbells…i.e. 2 sets of 10s and 2 sets of 20s. Yes, that’s better than nothing, but we run into a problem that physical therapists call progressive overload. This is loosely defined that to continually make gains in muscular strength, you must consistently apply a slightly greater challenge (weight) to that muscle or exercise to stimulate new stress and therefore new adaptation. Camping out at the same weight for weeks, months, or dare I say years, is not an effective way to strength train.
With that as context, the more expensive and space-occupying route is buying 2 sets of every dumbbell in 5lb increments from 5-50+lbs. If you have the money and the space…then go for it! But otherwise, the adjustable dumbbell set is, in our opinion, the best home gym investment anyone, golfer or not, can make.
At RobertsPT, we don’t overcomplicate workouts. You give us a couple of trigger point tools, resistance bands, and adjustable dumbbells and we can train almost anyone for as long as they want to train. The perk for you is that these workouts are very easily replicated at home or your local gym, can be done for years to come and get the results without spending hours in the gym.
If you have any questions about home gym setups, want a few of our favorite brands that we use for the above items, or have questions about getting on a plan this off-season, we’d love to connect. Schedule a time to connect for free here (https://intakeq.com/booking/o8kxam?locationId=15)
Hit em’ straight,
Dr. Roberts
Dr. Wade Roberts is the owner of Roberts PT, a golf PT and Performance Center in Kansas City. He graduated from Liberty University with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Kinesiology. He then earned his Doctor of Physical Therapy from Lynchburg College. Dr. Roberts is able to provide specialized therapies for a variety of patients but has a special interest in decreasing pain, increasing speed, and achieving longevity in the golf community.
