Exercises for the perfect golf swing

Cory: So this is what it feels like to be so tall. Getting a nosebleed up here. It's nice. All right, time for our Workout Wednesday. Fitness expert Jamie Atlas is joining us. Today we're talking about golf.

Jamie: Golf, yes. Golf is a sport where a lot of people say, what can I do to work out? And people will get into the gym and do their squats and their bench presses and their pulls. But if we take a second to think about the movement of golf, there are a few key things that can really help us, or mess us up if we don't know about them. So one of the things I like to do is take simple pieces of equipment and do golf-related movements.

Cory: A lot of it's core, back, twisting, all that.

Jamie: Yes, exactly. And also the hips. If the hips can't play, then we can't really get ourselves into a powerful swing without a risk of injury. So if you would gracefully step down there. Back down to normal. What we're going to do is basically a step-back lunge with a twist. I've got a pole. If you're at the gym you could use a bar or a rod, or anything you've got.

Cory: A broomstick.

Jamie: A broomstick, exactly, at home. So I'm going to take this hand here and this arm here. Now, in golf a lot of people talk about keeping that left arm straight, so we're going to do a drill that uses the body, the hips and the core while keeping this left arm straight. We're facing to the right. I'm going to take this left leg back into a lunge, keeping this left arm straight. So drop down for me. Nice. Now, as you drop down, I want you to twist the ribs and the shoulders to the right. Watch me real quick: I'm going to take my shoulders and go like that. Do that one again for me.

Cory: This is why I'm so bad at golf.

Jamie: Well, this is how I will fix you, Cory. You're going to be so good.

Cory: He knows how bad I am at golf. I couldn't even hit the ball.

Jamie: So do three more like that. Drop down, twist, and twist. The most important part is to keep that left arm in mind, so that when we do go through a swing, we can make sure we have that correct. Good.

Cory: That looks good, right? Mine doesn't look like that.

Jamie: As a six-foot-seven lefty, golf is not my game, but I train lots of people for it. So what we're going to do here is go into a medicine ball twist, with a slight difference: a bit of a curtsy deadlift, if you will. Just face me. I really want to get into this guy right here. I'm going to do a little curtsy tilt. See, I've got the toe on the ground right there, and then I'm going to come up onto the toe. So I'll go toe to toe, toe to toe. Now I'm going to take this medicine ball. Think about the golf swing: I'm coming from here to here. Notice how the left hand is on top, and then the right hand's on top. Give me that movement, just up to the shoulder. Good. Now, because golf is not a slow movement, I want to go load and then pop. Load and pop. Load, pop. Good.

Cory: I feel that all the way in the right hip.

Jamie: The right hip goes boom and explodes up. Beautiful. Good. Now here's another fun one. It doesn't matter if you're a golfer or just trying to get to the gym and do something to really activate that butt muscle right here. I call it a single-leg activation while reacting to my cue. In other words, stand in front and put that right foot just there. The left foot stays back, on the deck. I'm going to have you come down, and when I say pop, I want you to use that awesome vertical explosion I know you have and go boom, pop up for me. Ready? Load it. Boom. Good. Nice. And boom.

Cory: Keep my foot on there, right?

Jamie: Keep that foot on there. That back foot stays on there. And boom. Good. Wait for it, wait for it. Boom. Good. Nice. Now lean forward a little bit more, a little bit more, and what you'll find is it becomes less quads and more hamstrings and glutes. Not leaning is a key mistake people make. So lean forward for me just a little bit. Tilt, and boom. Good. Pop. Good.

Cory: Oh, and the other foot is not as good as the left foot.

Jamie: Yeah, a lot of people have a good foot and a bad foot for these things. And of course golf is one of those movements where we spend a lot of time going in just one direction, so it's really important to do both sides, so I don't end up with a body that ends up rotated like this.

Cory: That's a good point. We're going to put all of these moves and more on our website at 9news.com. Jamie Atlas, always appreciate it.