Want to Hit It Farther?

Of course you do!   
According to the "golf fitness advisor" at Golf Digest this month, all you need to do is add hammer curls to your workout (3 sets of 8 reps) 3 times a week.  (Your probably not even working out 3x a week).  This is the greatest discovery since the secret X-Factor was revealed, I can't wait to add it to my workout!

What a bunch of crap.  One-arm Guiness Curls will do just as much for your distance.

If you read my previous post, The Ultimate Golf Workout, you know how I feel about these ridiculous sidebar articles that golf magazines add to fill some space.  This is the exact kind of article I'm talking about.

It's a small blurb, but let's see what he tells us about the amazing "Hammer Curl":

1. "The Hammer Curl works golf-specific muscles in the arms."
2. "Adding Hammer Curls to your workout will make it easier to square the club at impact and swing the club faster, yet under control."
3. "If you want to hit longer drives, you need to strengthen the muscles of the biceps...  Use light weights (8-10 lbs.)"

My response:

1. Golf is a total body sport, and all of the muscles of the arms(and the rest of your body) are "golf-specific".  You don't need to add hammer curls if you have a well balanced total body workout consisting of multi joint exercises. 
2. If you want to make it easier to square the club at impact, turn back a couple of pages in the magazine and read Leadbetter, McLean and the rest of the instructors. (Just don't bother reading anything by that arrogant Johnny Miller).  If you want to swing the club faster, you certainly don't want to think about doing it with your arms.
3. You don't strengthen anything with light weights! 8-10 pounds?  Who's reading this magazine, 12 year olds?  If you want to get stronger, you need to lift heavy weights.  Don't worry Mary, you won't "bulk up", it takes a lot of hard work to add size.  If you don't believe me, read "The Mythology of Hypertrophy" by my friend Mike Boyle, considered one of the world's top strength and conditioning coaches.

Hammer curls are probably the last exercise I would have told you to "add" to your golf workout.  If you feel like you need to add curls to your workout since the biceps are soooo important for distance, then do them with a squat:  Keep your arms to the side and squat down like you're holding 2 suitcases.  As you come up, do the curls. (If you want to work the golf specific muscles of the arms, keep your palms facing each other as they come up...Just kidding)