It is estimated that 55 to 80 million people from over 130 countries play golf. In this article, I will clarify if the peloton has golf workouts, what are the best peloton classes for golfers, and how to implement them into your training routine.
In general, the peloton doesn’t have specific golf exercise workouts. However, it does have a range of classes with multi-joint movements that help to improve aerobic fitness, postural endurance, and flexibility. It also has several strength classes that help to improve the swing.
Keep reading to learn more about how to enhance your performance, as well as reduce injury incidence on the golf course.
6 Best Peloton Classes For Golfers
Since 2016, golf has been officially included in the Summer Olympic Games. Since then, the popularity of this sport (as well as research around training methods) has exploded. This means we know more about how to improve golf performance than ever before.
Below is the graph that illustrates the number of scientific research done about golf performance. As you can see, there is a significant spike since the 2016 Olympics.
Enhancing a golfer’s performance is complex, dynamic, and needs to be individualized. This means training has to focus not only on golf-specific skills but also must include whole-body fitness, functional strength, and flexibility.
Is a peloton good for golf? As a whole, the peloton is good for golf because it not only improves cardiovascular fitness but also has several classes that work on maximal strength and explosive strength. It also has yoga and stretching programs that enhance the range of motion.
Do golfers use Peloton? As a whole, some pro golfers, including Rory McIlroy, Justin Thomas, and Bubba Watson use peloton bikes. In fact, Bubba Watson says that “peloton bike helps not only to get fit but also release stress and socially interact with each other”.
What are good exercises for golfers? As a whole, good exercises for golfers include strength training to improve power and speed. It also includes aerobic and anaerobic training to increase VO2 max. Finally, a good golf workout should include golf-specific exercises, as well as flexibility and mobility drills.
#1 Full Body Strength
Several studies have shown a positive relationship between improved strength and golf performance like swing speed, driving distance, and skill level (Torres-Ronda et al. 2011).
What is a full-body strength peloton? Overall, the full-body strength peloton is a series of over 400 classes available in the peloton app. The classes are designed to strengthen the muscles by implementing dynamic movements. The classes last between 10 to 45 minutes.
Why peloton full-body strength is good for golf? As a whole, the peloton’s full-body strength is good for golf because it helps to improve lower body stability and upper-body mobility. It also helps to improve golf performance like golf swing kinematics, as well as clubhead speed, or distance.
In other words, it helps you to get stronger and work on muscles that you can’t do with just the golf-specific exercises. But that’s not all.
You need to know when is the best time to do the class. A recent study has shown that doing a 30-minute strength class just before the golf session was enough to improve lower limb explosive strength and rotational power (Redondo et al. 2020).
In fact, results showed that doing 30-minutes class before the golf session almost doubled the maximal power and ball speed, compared to doing it after.
This means if your goal is to get better performance on the golf course, one of the easiest solutions is to complete a 10 to 30 minutes full-body strength peloton class just before you get out to play.
#2 Core Strength
Now let’s talk about core strength because one of the most common golf injuries includes the lower back. In fact, a study done by (Gosheger et al. 2003) on 703 golfers showed that low back conditions account for 25% of all golf injuries.
Several reasons why the lower back gets injured include lack of warm-up, incorrect swing technique, or poor abdominal strength.
That’s why adding peloton core strength to your routine helps not only with better technique but also in injury prevention.
What is peloton core strength? Overall, the peloton core strength is an exercise program that includes over 500 classes that help in both muscle strength and core activation. The class duration is between 5 to 30 minutes, which can be done on its own or in conjunction with other golf-specific exercises.
This means you can use core strength as a warm-up before your peloton rides, as well as before your golf session.
Why peloton core strength is good for golf? As a whole, the peloton core strength is good for golf because it focuses on supporting the lumbar spine area. Each class is designed to strengthen abdominal muscles using different exercises that challenge the core from multiple angles including isometric holds, stability, and eccentric contraction.
Of course, doing sets of sit-ups or planks won’t miraculously improve one faulty swing mechanics. For that, you need golf-specific skill training.
However, having a strong core is essential to maintain postural endurance and prevent overuse (McHardy et al. 2007).
What I like about the core strength on the peloton is that you have access to even short (5 to 10 minutes) sessions that can be done 7 days a week. Short and frequent training facilitates optimal muscle adaptation, without overtraining (Schoenfeld et al. 2015).
Personally, I think it’s more realistic to do a 5-minute core workout 7 days a week, rather than a 45-minute session once a week.
#3 HIIT Cardio
Another peloton class that can be done by golfers is HIIT cardio because it includes elements of neuromuscular training.
Doing high-intensity, high-force, and explosive muscle contraction helps to prove the nervous system and efficiently transfer the power generated by the swing.
What is peloton HIIT Cardio? In general, the peloton HIIT cardio is a collection of over 200 classes that range between 10 to 30 minutes. The classes focus on doing short bursts of 3 to 4 exercises, back to back, within minimum rest in between.
Why peloton HIIT Cardio is good for golf? As a whole, the HIIT cardio is good for golf because it includes explosive exercises like squat jumps, burpees, tuck jumps, and lunge jumps. It also includes plyometric training, which helps in neuromuscular recruitment during the different swing phases.
It is estimated that a round of 18 holes can take between 3 and 6 hours to play, with an average of 30 to 40 swings every round (Parkkari et al. 2000). It is also estimated that 60% of the time spent on the course is for preparing to perform a swing.
To perform a swing and transfer the power from the body to the club, requires fast-twitch muscle fibers activity.
Fast-twitch muscle fibers only fire up under heavy load, or in explosive movements. So if you wanna be more effective in recruiting those muscle fibers, adding peloton HIIT is one of the options.
Plus, doing plyometrics (together with other golf-specific workouts) helps to facilitate fast contraction and generate speed.
A study done by (Fletcher 2004) showed that an 8-week training program that included both strength and plyometrics significantly increased muscular force and improved the sequential acceleration of the body.
#4 Climb Ride
Not many golfers add extra aerobic workouts, which is a big mistake. Here’s why.
What is a peloton climb ride? As a whole, the peloton climb ride is a cycling program that consists of over 300 sessions, all designed to mimic uphill rides. The class duration varies between 10 to 60 minutes. The goal of this class is to develop aerobic conditioning, as well as muscle endurance.
Why peloton climb ride is good for golfers? In general, this class is good for golfers not only because walking is a large part of golf. Peloton cycling helps to improve aerobic capacity and VO2 max. Plus, adding extra cardio sessions helps to reduce stress and improve post-exercise muscle soreness.
On the surface, it may seem like doing extra aerobic exercise is pointless because you already doing a bunch of walking on the golf course. In fact, according to studies, it takes around 11,948 steps to walk across the whole 18-hole round on the golf course (Kobriger et al. 2006).
However.
Improving your VO2 max helps to get through the golf course much easier, without feeling fatigued.
Remember that keeping the good form and maintaining correct biomechanics also require energy. Good conditioning not only makes the round easier but also helps to maintain good form and prevent injury.
Another thing to keep in mind is that adding 1-2 sessions of peloton bike helps to reduce DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) (Dupuy et al. 2018).
If you struggle with aches and pains after the golf session, adding the peloton climb ride helps to reduce myoglobin and creatine kinase from the blood and minimize the inflammation.
Learn more: Click here to learn more about “peloton rides that burn the most calories“.
#5 Power Yoga
Now let’s talk about flexibility because, from my experience, I know that most golfers have never walked into the yoga studio.
And if your goal is to be pain-free and just move and feel good on and off the golf course, adding yoga can be a life-changing experience.
What is peloton power yoga? As a whole, peloton power yoga is a series of over 200 classes that helps to improve both flexibility and mobility. The classes can be filtered by difficulty level, which means everyone can get started, even the people who’ve never done yoga before.
Why peloton power yoga is good for golfers? Overall, peloton power yoga is good for golfers because it helps to reduce muscle tension, reclaim optimal range of motion, and improves balance. Also, being more flexible helps to smoothly transition the power which is important to generate successful golf shots.
What I like about power yoga is it helps you feel more grounded. It improves both interoceptions, as well as proprioception. Proprioception is the ability of the body to sense its location and movement, which is really important in hitting the ball with accuracy (Lephart et al. 2007).
Does yoga improve golf swing? As a whole, yoga does improve golf swing because it helps to restore full range of motion, combat postural adaptations, and improve self-awareness. The correct golf swing requires balance, flexibility, and strength to generate power.
Postural adaptations are basically all the movement and position habits that our body adapts when we cannot express the full range of motion. For example, sitting all day creates a rounded upper back, decreases breathing capacity, and can impair shoulder range of motion (Bontrup et al. 2019).
As you can imagine, this may have a detrimental effect not only on the performance but also can contribute to muscle and joint stiffness.
Of course, you don’t have to be a 200-hour yoga teacher to get the benefits.
In fact, you don’t need any previous experience in yoga because peloton also offers a full range of tutorials where they take you by hand and explain each yoga position.
#6 Stretching
Peloton stretching is another option to work on flexibility for golf, especially for people who feel intimidated by the yoga practice.
What is a peloton stretching? As a whole, peloton stretching is a category of classes that range between 5 to 20 minutes. The stretch class should be performed either after a golf session or before, as long as you spend enough time for a warm-up.
Why peloton stretching is good for golfers? In general, peloton stretching is good for golfers because it helps to mobilize the hips and improves the flexibility of the trunk and pelvis. The difference between stretching and yoga is that stretching doesn’t have an integrated warm-up time.
On the other hand, yoga has a sun salutation sequence that serves as a warm-up. This means it can be done on its own, where stretching should be done after a workout.
Should you stretch before golf? As a whole, you should stretch before golf, as long as you perform a dynamic stretch that is combined with mobility drills as a warm-up. Dynamic stretch stimulates your sympathetic nervous system and helps to maintain muscle stiffness for the golf session.
On the other hand, if you choose to do static stretching before the golf session, you may lose the stiffness that contributes to generating power.
Studies have shown that higher tendon stiffness is related to improved force transmission (Houghton et al. 2013).
In other words, you need some level of stiffness to generate rotational force. Doing stretching just before the golf session is not the best idea because you lose that stiffness.
On the other hand, doing static stretching after the 18-hole round helps to down-regulate, kick start parasympathetic response and improve recovery (Cui et al. 2006).
Still curious? Click here to learn more about “best peloton stretch classes“.
Conclusion
As you can see, doing a peloton together with your golf practice can not only improve your performance on the course but also make you feel and move better outside of the course.
Traditionally, the mainstream approach in golf performance was to use golf-specific exercises to improve. However, more and more research is popping out suggesting that strength training, as well as plyometrics and flexibility, is equally important.