Pilates Exercises for Golfers

Golf and Pilates have a lot in common. Both require that your mind be connected to your body. Have you noticed how a tiny change in alignment can have a huge impact on your swing? Pilates will strengthen your mind-body connection and help you create good movement habits, which results in a strong and accurate swing.

Here are some recommendations and exercises to keep in mind when building a Pilates routine for golfers:

Recommendations

• The skills needed for golf are 
• thoracic rotation combined with thoracic flexion
• internal rotation of both hips and hip extension of the back hip, glute strength
• shoulder adduction and abduction in combination with shoulder flexion
• spine rotation and extension 
• The game of golf is asymmetrical. Even though we need to maximize the active side, we need to make sure not to neglect the non-working side. 

Exercises

Mat

• Criss Cross
• Saw
• Twisted Plank
• Swimming

Spine Corrector

• Chest Lift
• Bridging
• Side Leg Lift in internal rotation

Ladder Barrel

• Short Box Series: Oblique Flat Back + Around the World
• Short Box Series: Twist
• Side Sit Up with Rotation

Reformer

• Footwork: X (internal rotation)
• Bridging
• Scooter
• Sleeper (parallel and in internal rotation)

Trapeze Table

• Standing Arm Series Facing Out: Punching + Lunges, Twist
• Mermaid
• Circumduction

Chair

• Hamstring 1: Oblique
• Hamstring 3: Oblique
• Side Pull Up

Oov

• Half Roll Down
• Oblique Half Roll Down

Konnector

• Seated Arm Series facing back: Single Arm Pull + Single Arm Rowing with rotation
• Seated on Footbar: Thoracic flexion + extension

To learn each of these exercises and to see even more exercises and guidelines for Golfers, check out the Pilates Protocols chapter of the Pilates Encyclopedia. You'll get videos and detailed instructions for each exercise!