Why warm up?
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Improve your flexibility
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Reduce your injury risk
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Hit the ball better (improve smash factor and a more neutral flight)
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Swing the club faster
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What should I do in my warm up?
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1. Flexibility/Mobility
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In most golfers the rotation of the spine and hips work at their full capacity in the golf swing. Any improvements in spine flexibility will allow you to take a longer and better quality backswing. Some studies have shown that stretching of muscles alone can actually slow down their performance. Therefore I would recommend hip and spine joint stretching only (see exercises below).
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Spine Mobility
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Hip Mobility
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2. Activate the muscles (for an extra 6 yards)
The evidence points to an active warm up resulting in improved club head speed, improved smash factor and a more neutral flight shape.
What are the best exercises to get the muscles activated for golf?
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The biggest physical predictors of club head speed are upper body power and lower body strength (strength refers to the ability to overcome resistance while power refers to the ability to overcome resistance in the shortest period of time) . Add these type of exercises to your warm up for biggest gains. Examples of lower body strength exercises would be squats or lunges and a upper body power exercises would be quick press ups or throwing.
Lower body strength
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Upper body power
For a further 2 MPH to your club head speed (on average) add speed exercises
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A recent study has shown that adding jumps or speed sticks to your warm up can add a further 2 mph. This effect was short lived and could be done again during the round for most benefit.
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Adding strength and speed exercises to your warm up can form part of your overall training. This results in long term gains as a result of micro-dosing as well as the short term benefits of a warm up. Another benefit of strength training is a reduction of injury risk allowing you to practise and play more often.
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A SUMMARY OF THE EVIDENCE FOR WARMING UP
