Tiger Woods Workout For 2011 PGA Championship

With the 2011 PGA Championship coming up this week, a lot of eyes will be on Tiger Woods to see how he performs. After competing this past weekend in Akron for his first tournament in what seemed like months, he definitely wasn't the Tiger of old. It was a good match to kick some of the rust off before the last major of the year though. With that in mind, the following workout isn't necessarily Tiger Woods workout, but one that I would have done for him if he had asked me to help him out if he were living in Columbus, Ohio.

Throughout the years, Tiger has transformed golf fitness into something comparable to a football player. His specific workout is closely guarded. I wrote a newsletter several years back on his workout based on a few articles I had read, but nothing was ever found to be concrete. The only thing that was for certain was that he attacked his workout hard and was strong as an ox.

The following workout is what I would do with Tiger Woods and for any golfer for that matter.

• Medicine Ball Wood Chops - This is a great cross-sectional core exercise that strengthens and improves the mobility of the core. It is perfect because it kind of looks like a golf swing.
• Birddogs - This is a lower back exercise that I would do which is just added security for the core. Golfers spend a lot of time hunched over so keeping that lower back strong is going to be important.
• Squats or Lunges - A lot of power is derived from the legs, so either one of these exercises would be great for power and strength in the legs.
• Push/Pull - You need balance in the upper body, not size in the chest, but strength. The chest and back must balance each other out, but the back is a little more important to help with posture. You could do something as simple as push-ups and pull-ups to work that upper body.
• Wrist Curls - I would do these to strengthen the forearms to help with power in your grip and also to prevent most types of tendinitis that might occur in the elbow.
• Flexibility - Stretching is huge in the posterior and upper body. Specifically in your hamstrings, glutes, and lower back, then also in your chest back and shoulders. Keeping your range of motion at its greatest is very important for golfers.

So that would be my workout for Tiger Woods as he approaches the 2011 PGA Championship. This workout would help with his strength and power, but at this stage in his career, I think more importantly, it would help with injury prevention. The better you can keep your body strong AND limber, the better injuries will stay away. Or if you do get an injury, you should be able to bounce back a lot quicker. Be proactive and not reactive. Start implementing a strength and conditioning workout for your golf game today, and start reaping the rewards very soon after.