The principle of cross training for golfers is to improve mobility, flexibility, stability, balance, strength, endurance, and power to help create a profienct swing. Cross training is something other than swinging the golf club. Doing Pilates would be an example of cross training.

The repetitive nature of the golf swing can lead to muscle imbalances, sore joints and muscles and injury. When you swing at a ball, the body is continually replicating the same movement with force that can lead to developing a series of opposing strengths and weaknesses.

For this reason it is important to cross-train and do exercises that help balance out your muscles. But not just any exercises: you need to do balancing exercises.

According to Robin Long, Pilates expert, imbalances often go unnoticed, and therefore un-corrected, because many traditional exercise regimens don’t incorporate single-side exercises. Many times our stronger side does the majority of the work in a given exercise and we don’t even know it. Consequently, our stronger side gets stronger and our weaker side gets weaker. In Pilates, you will do a variety of single-side exercises where you can control the amount of repetitions and resistance to balance the opposing side.

Pilates uses controlled movements, focusing on your core muscles to build body strength, flexibility and endurance. It’s a total body conditioning routine to help you strengthen, lengthen and tone muscles without high impact movements. It is a perfect regimen for golfers.

CardioGolf® Creator, LPGA Teaching Professional, Golf-Fitness Specialist and Certified Pilates Instructor Karen Palacios-Jansen teams up with GolfGym® to provide the best at-home fitness equipment for golfers of all levels.

In this video, Karen demonstrates various Pilates exercises to help you strengthen, lengthen and tone your muscles.

Pilates Workout Phase 1
Frequency: 3 to 5 times a week. Rotate through 3 different workouts below. Purpose: To increase mobility, stability and core strength. Establish a base for next phase of workouts.
Equipment: Power Bands (yellow)
Time: 30 minutes Intensity: Moderate
1. Hip Mobility/Hamstring Flexibility (will send you video) Purpose: To increase lower body mobility, strength stability.
Exercises: 10 to 15 repetitions each 1. Lower and Lift
2. Leg Circles
3. Froggies
3. Walking Long Stride
4. Bicycles
5. Fludder Kicks
6. Leg Stretches including: glute stretch, hamstring, inner thigh, hip
and groin