The most important muscle group in the golf swing

A nice set of glutes

The golf swing involves a complex, total body movement pattern where virtually every major muscle group is involved.

However, one muscle group in particular stands out as being the most important… the glutes.

Why?

Because the glutes help to maintain core and pelvic stability throughout the entire swing.  Maintaining that stability is critical to consistent ball striking.

So what are the best exercises for training the glutes?

Well, our approach revolves around simplicity and the need for as few exercises as possible within the context of an overall strength training program.

The two best exercises for developing overall body strength are…

  • The low bar squat
  • The deadlift

The reason these are the two best exercises is that they train the most amount of muscle mass and they can be loaded with the most weight.

And guess what?

They both train the glutes.

Within an overall strength training program we like to start out training the squat two to three times per week with three working sets of five reps.

We like to train the deadlift initially two or three times per week with one working set of five reps.

New trainees start out with very conservative weight on the bar and then look to add weight each workout for as long as possible, usually in five-pound increments.

As the weight on the bar in the deadlift gets much heavier, it can be trained a bit less due to the stress it places on the body.

Another great exercise to train the legs and the glutes is the Bulgarian split squat.

This exercise hits the glutes more directly than the other two exercises but are viewed as more of an assistance exercise than a primary strength training exercise.

This exercise is typically trained with a dumbbell in each hand, and in a higher rep range of 6 to 12 reps.

The common theme among all three of these exercises is that you push the weight upward from the feet on up through your legs and glutes.

This is important because many golfers struggle with the concept of “using the ground” in their golf swing to generate power.

With all three of these exercises, you are effectively pushing against the ground with your feet to generate the power to drive the weight upward.

There are numerous other exercises for training the glutes, but few people have time to train multiple exercises targeting one specific muscle group.

These exercises will hit the glutes and give your more bang for your buck.

If you want to start training to generate more power in your golf swing, consider The Longer Tee Shots Training Program.