Muscles used in the golf swing and how to train them

The golf swing is a complex athletic movement that engages the entire body from head to toe.  In this article I cover the key muscles used in the golf swing, and how to train them properly.

Scientific research has been able to not only identify the most important golf muscles, but also when they are activated in the swing.

Understanding which muscles are used in the golf swing will help you understand how to properly train them.

Let’s get to it!

Leg muscles used in golf swing

Since 99%+ of golfers play golf while standing on two feet, it’s obvious that the muscles in the legs play a crucial role in the golf swing.

The calves and small muscles in the feet and ankles are critical for balance.

The quadriceps, the muscles in the front portion of the thigh, are critical for generating power in the golf swing.

The hamstrings, located on the back of the thigh, must be strong to help you maintain your posture.

The hamstrings then connect to the glutes, the largest muscles in the human body.

So, which exercises are best for training the leg muscles used in the golf swing and the glutes?

The squat and the deadlift.

A proper low bar squat

Hands down, these are the two best exercises for training for general strength.  No other exercises come close.

Why?

Because the squat and the deadlift are natural human movement patterns that can be loaded with the most weight.

And, they train all of the muscles in the legs as well as the glutes.

You are going to notice a pattern with this article… golfers should train for general strength first, rather than go with “golf specific” exercises.

You will build strength much more quickly with barbell exercises that are based upon natural human movement patterns, rather than employ exercises that target small muscles and muscle groups.

It’s really that simple.

Moving on.

Core muscles used for golf swing

This is me, deadlifting in my garage

I define the core as the muscles from just below the hips to the solar plexus.

Therefore, the core starts with the upper hamstrings in the back of the thigh and the hip flexors in the front.

The glutes connect with the lower back and the hip flexors reach up toward the abdominal muscles.

The middle abdominal muscles and the obliques, which are the muscles on the side of the trunk, help provide stability and support to the spine as we turn back in the back swing and rotate into the down swing and follow through.

Believe it or not, the two best exercises for training these core muscles are the squat and the deadlift.

With both exercises, we literally tighten the core before beginning the lift.

When you are squatting with significant weight on your back, or pick up significant weight from the floor, the core muscles are heavily engaged.

Have a look at any strongman athlete.  Do you think they develop massive core strength by doing planks and crunches?

Nope.  That core strength is developed through lifting heavy stuff.

Upper body golf muscles

Overhead press

In regard to the upper body muscles used in the golf swing, you may be surprised to learn that the pectoral muscles (chest) are actively engaged in the golf swing.

This occurs primarily in the down swing and just through impact.

In years past, it was frowned upon to develop strong pects.

However, we’ve seen prominent and successful golfers such as Tiger Woods, Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka get pretty strong on the bench press and compete at the highest level.

Obviously, the shoulders play a prominent role in the golf swing since they are connected to the arms.

The lats and traps (muscles of the upper back) are also heavily engaged.  The lats in particular are prominent in the rotation of the swing.

Lastly, the arms need to be trained since they connect to the hands, which are then connected to the golf club.

All the speed and power in the golf swing you can generate comes out through hands and arms, so it only makes sense to get them strong.

And guess what?  The deadlift is an outstanding exercise for training the lats, traps and forearms.  Even the rotator cuffs are engaged when performing a deadlift.

To get more upper body strength, we then want to train the bench press and overhead press.

The bench press is the upper body exercise where we can lift the most weight.

It primarily trains the pects, front of the shoulder and triceps.  The core is engaged and the forearms help support the bar as we push it away from our chest.

Lat Pull Down

The overhead press is an outstanding exercise, and the most difficult to master, for training the upper body.

It is best done standing up.  This forces us to employ the longest kinetic chain of motion of any exercise, from our feet to the position with bar extended overhead.

The entire body is engaged, but it primarily trains the shoulders and the triceps.

We also like to round out these exercises with a couple more pulling exercises such as pull-ups, chin-ups and bent over rows.

People who can’t perform chin-ups or pull-ups are encouraged to train the lat pulldown.

These exercises train the back muscles from different angles and give our arms more work as well.

How to train the muscles used in the golf swing

By now you’ve noticed that the exercises described for training the golf muscles are basic weight lifting exercises.

There is nothing “golf specific” about any of these exercises.

We use these basic exercises to get our body strong as a single unit.

The best way to accomplish that is by training compound movements that train multiple joints and muscle groups.

All of the exercises described above do just that.

Example of functional training

Golf specific training falls into the camp of “functional training.”  Functional training tends to try and mimic athletic movements.

The problem with functional training is that you can’t load those exercises with as much weight.

Therefore, you can’t develop as much strength as you can with the basic exercises discussed.

Is there a place for some of this functional training?  Absolutely.

However, do not buy into the nonsense that you will improve your golf swing by performing exercises that mimic all or parts of the golf swing.

Building strength doesn’t work that way, and neither does skill development.

Building strength requires that you stress the body so that you force adaptation.

Developing a good golf swing requires that you practice golf swing fundamentals.  That’s a separate activity altogether.

In regard to building strength, you simply can’t stress the body enough by only handling light dumbbells, kettlebells, cables and resistance bands.

With all this in mind, you should understand what your golf fitness priorities should be… get strong, get more mobile and flexible, get more powerful.

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Now, get to work!