In the golf swing the ground is used as a leverage point to produce the rotational power that leads to long, straight shots. Leverage from the ground is transmitted through the legs and hips up to the pelvic region. The pelvic region is the base of your athletic core and is the source of all athletic power.

Three Points For Generating Maximum Core Power

Your core cannot generate maximum power if it is not in optimal positions. The first requirement for great power is that your muscles hold your organs tightly so that power can flow through your body. Second, you must focus on training the muscles that rotate the torso from side to side. Third, you have to train the muscles that move the ribs towards and away from the pelvis. The only way you can generate your full power is if all of these muscles are strong enough to transfer the power developed from the point of leverage where the feet contact the ground, through the pelvis and up through the upper body.

It is important for your internal organs to be supported because if your soft organs are lose and moving around, then you lose a lot of power. Imagine if you were to hit a rubber hose that was loosely filled with metal BB’s. If you were to take a hammer and hit the top of the hose then the hose would bow and squish, telling you that there was extremely poor power transfer. However, pack those BB’s as tight as possible into the hose, making it as firm as possible, and much more of the energy from the hammer is transferred. The same principle hold true with your pelvis and organs.

How To Properly Activate Your Core Muscles For Maximum Power

In order to properly activate the deep abdominal/core muscles responsible for power, first properly center yourself on your feet. Next, imagine trying to put on the tightest pair of pants you have ever seen. In order to get them on, you have to suck in your stomach quite a bit. The idea is to try and bring your spine and stomach together by drawing your belly button in and up as far as possible and holding that position.

This is basically what you should do before and during every single exercise you perform, as it will greatly increase the overall effectiveness of the exercise, both from an athletic and general functional fitness standpoint. It is also a movement that you can do anytime, from sitting in your office to watching tv. It is a very easy but extremely effective exercise that you should do as often as possible.

Increase Exercise Difficulty And Effectiveness Significantly

This will probably be extremely difficult at first for you, but you will eventually adapt. An example of this technique in practice would be during the Medicine Ball Torso Twist exercise. During this exercise you hold a medicine ball in front of you and rotate the ball from one side of your body to another. If you were to just swing the medicine ball without activating your core (drawing in your stomach) it is an extremely easy movement that will most likely not challenge you very much.

By drawing in your abs you significantly increase both the difficulty and effectiveness of this exercise. The key is to maintain the tight torso throughout the entire movement. When training for greater golf power high quality is much more effective than loads of reps.

It is important to note that crunch boards, sit-up contraptions and most common abdominal training routines do absolutely nothing for increasing golf power or trimming your waistline. Don’t waste your time at the gym doing sit ups, crunches and leg lifts. By doing the right ab exercises you can develop both greater athletic/golf power and a trimmer waistline in significantly less time.

As a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) by the NSCA, Jason Krantz’s focus is on significantly improving the power levels and injury resistance of all golfers. He specializes in power enhancement and all related components of improved golf performance. For more information on how Jason can help your game visit http://www.sonicboomgolf.com

You can also download Jason’s free golf fitness e-book at http://www.sonicboomgolf.com/pro_shop.php

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