WHAT ARE GOOD EXERCISES TO INCREASE POWER IN MY HIPS FOR GOLF? 

One of the best ways to build power in your hips for golf is by specifically performing the backswing movements under a little additional resistance, using bands and medicine balls. Adam Schriber - Top 100 Golf Teacher gives a great lesson in building power in your backswing. Power in the golf swing comes from the torque we generate by our contact with the ground through our feet, legs, and hips resisting against our core muscles as we rotate in our backswing and downswing. You can build additional power by focusing on the backswing's movements under a little extra resistance. Each of these movements can be done inside or outside, completed as part of your overall fitness regimen, and is guaranteed to help you build more power from the ground up.

The first movement is loading your pelvis without any external resistance. Start off with your pelvis stabilized in your normal golf posture, so you create a good stretch across your core as you rotate into your backswing. Your pelvis loads into your right glute. Now complete your backswing in slow motion. It's a very strong and powerful position. Before we begin the resistance training, practice turning your pelvis into your glute. You will see the trailing leg invert and grab the ground. 

Next, we'll add some weight or resistance. Hold and 8 lb. to 10 lb. medicine ball and turn and hold it on your right hip as you load your pelvis and simulate your golf hip rotation. That's creating a nice little stretch and some torque against the ground. Do these eight to ten times in a row. Next, you'll throw the medicine ball after loading and releasing your pelvis. This will be done with almost no arm movement. You can really feel yourself digging to the ground so it's great use of the ground. The ground is where we create all of our power from. 

The next movements are what we call a skater exercise, and this can be done with cables in the gym or in this case we're using tubing out here on the tee.  This is kind of a push-pull exercise. Grab the tubing band in your hands and assume a skater position. The drill creates pressure in the one foot that is on the ground. Again, load your pelvis deep against that right foot so very similar to a hockey player stance. This creates great load through the right glute. Repeat this movement with a different resistance. Next use medicine ball again. Two to three sets of ten. The last variation is to perform the same movement but with your lead foot completely off the ground (resting on a support).

Last, put a golf club in your hand and recreate that stretched, loaded feeling. 

Another straightforward but incredibly effective exercise for building power in your "golf muscles" in the hip and glute complex is the "fire walk." The most straightforward version can be done almost anywhere - stand up straight, hold something for balance (a golf club will work), and lift each leg to the side. Start slow but eventually work up to the point where you feel some fire! This will usually happen in about 30 seconds. Walking side to side with a resistance band will add a little more challenge (and fire), helping develop strength in the lower body's hard-to-reach muscles: gluteus maximus, gluteus medius, and gluteus minimus - aka, your butt and hips.

LPGA Teaching Master Teaching Professional and Vice-President LPGA Teaching and Club Professionals Karen Palacios-Jansen shares lessons on building hip strength and mobility, demonstrating two simple but highly effective hip exercises and stretches.

Power comes from the ground up. Hip mobility and lower body strength are vital if you want to achieve your maximum coil and generate the best power in your golf swing. Unfortunately, most of us don't activate some essential muscles involved in our golf swing throughout the day. How often do you coil your body or push off the ground to full extension each day? Poor hip mobility and strength is a frequent culprit that causes many golfers to sway rather than rotate in their backswing, leading to many swing faults.

To complement the exercises for building strength in your hips, if you are challenged by hip and back flexibility, you will love this simple hip stretch. While this stretch can be performed anytime and anywhere, it's a great one to use as part of a general good golf warm-up. This more advanced stretch will also build some endurance into your legs. It is performed by assuming a squatting position with one ankle crossed over your opposite knee. Use a golf club or something with good stability to help you balance as you take this position. It sounds more complex, but it's very effective, so watch it expertly demonstrated by Karen.

If you tend to miss hit shots, it could be because as you swing back and through that you're standing up or suffering a loss of your posture through you swing. it's because your hips and your hamstrings may be tight, so you want to loosen those up. This stretch will make a big difference. It also helps in building more stability in balance. You should feel a stretch in your lower back and your hip, and this is also strengthening your supporting leg.  You want to try to stretch as much as you can without severe pain. You can even straighten your arms out a little bit to get your back activated. Then go ahead and stand up and repeat on the opposite leg. Do this stretch as much as you can. It will help your balance but mostly it will really get you loosened up in your hips and your lower back so that you can make sure that you maintain your angles throughout your entire golf swing.

Karen is Vice-President LPGA Teaching and Club Professionals, AFAA Certified to Personal and Group Trainer, Certified Pilates Trainer, Nike Golf Performance Specialist, a 2008 LPGA National Teacher of the Year and has been voted as one of America's "Top 50 Best Golf Fitness Professionals by Golf Digest magazine She also has her golf events company-Swing Blade Enterprises in Mooresville, North Carolina. She is a certified personal trainer, a Nike Golf Performance Specialist, and a Pilates instructor. In addition, she developed a golf-specific fitness system called Cardiogolf, available online at Cardiogolf.com and on DVD.

Please find some other great hip mobility and strengthening exercises here.

Adam Schriber

Karen Palacios-Jansen

• LPGA Teaching Master Professional
• NASM Certified Personal Trainer
• AFAA Certified Personal and Group Trainer
• Nike Golf Performance Specialist
• LPGA Top 50 Teacher
• Golf Digest Magazine Top 50 Golf-Fitness Professional
• Former Vice-President LPGA Professionals
• Certified Pilates Trainer
• Lead Instructor Golf Channel Academy

Karen has her own golf events company-Swing Blade Enterprises in Mooresville, North Carolina. She is a LPGA (Ladies Professional Golf Association) Master Professional, a NASM (National Academy of Sports Medicine) Certified Personal Trainer, a Nike Golf Performance Specialist and Pilates instructor. She developed a golf-specific fitness system called CardioGolf available online at Cardiogolf.com and on DVD.

As a member of The Nike Golf Advisory Staff, Karen participates in Nike product development and promotions.

Karen is a Lead Instructor for Golf Channel Academy and is a regular content contributor to Golf Digest Magazine’s ‘Fitness Friday” column and other online platforms. A former David Leadbetter trained instructor and Jim McLean Golf School master instructor; Karen has been a member of the LPGA T&CP since 1994.

From 2016-19, Karen served as Vice-President of LPGA Professionals. Karen is also  a part of the LPGA Education Committee and Teacher Education Program, training future members in the United States and Korea.

Karen, a freelance golf instructional and fitness writer, is formerly the managing editor for 'Golf Fitness Magazine.' Her  'Golf and Fitness Tips' blog is read by thousands of golfers each week.