Use These Moves In The Gym To Swing Like Jordan Spieth

The reigning US Open and Masters Champion Jordan Spieth has this whole golf thing down. He’s taken the cruelest game in the world and managed to make it look easy for the past two majors. Aside from that double bogey on 17, of course.

What’s impressive is that Spieth doesn’t do anything exceptional, aside from putting. He’s just consistent. And has a set of stones that you can hear clanking as he walks down the fairway.

Consistency is the name of the game for Spieth, and for him to play that consistently throughout a high pressure round like yesterday, he needs a body that is not only strong, but has plenty of endurance. That’s why Spieth hits it hard in the weight room, and why you should too if you want to take your golf game to the next level.

Spieth works with a mix of compound movements, high speed dynamic movements, core stability work, and sport specific flexibility enhancing movements.

Here are some moves you can do in the gym to swing like Jordan Spieth:

Overhead deep squat:

We’ve written ad nauseam about the squat being the king of all exercises. The squat is fantastic at developing leg strength and stability, core strength, and total body control. The overhead squat takes the regular squat, and adds an extra element of difficulty.

The overhead squat is a superior movement for golfers because it places a premium on shoulder mobility, while still allowing the athlete to work the legs and core. This is important because it golfers who want to perform at a high level need mobility in their shoulders in order to make a full turn and get the most distance possible out of their swing.

This is one of Jordan’s go to moves to perform during a workout by adding either weight from a barbell, or resistance bands overhead. It can also be done before a round as an excellent full body warm up to get the shoulders and hips mobile, and body prepared for a long day of birdies and eagles.

Single leg step up:

Who knew that a professional golfer would do a movement that most other professional athletes do? It’s almost like these guys are athletes or something.

The single leg step up is simple in its instruction. Step up onto an elevated box, and step back down. Don’t let how simple it is fool you though. The single leg step up requires a ton of concentration, balance, single leg strength, and coordination.

Spieth usually performs these weighted in order to build strength, and increase his balance while under load. This offers a ton of benefit to a professional golfer, because of all the weird lies they might face over the course of a tournament. If a golfer has better balance and is used to being on one leg while under load, they’ll handle these lies better.

Single leg Romanian deadlifts:

The evil twin to the single leg step up is the single leg Romanian deadlift. Instead of stepping up onto a box, you’re now hinging at the hip and placing more emphasis on the hamstrings and glutes. The balance requirements are a little greater with this move, so most people – including Spieth, don’t use near the load that they would for a single leg step up.

Side planking drills:

Spieth is a big fan of side planks, and rightfully so. They do an excellent job of training the obliques as an anti – rotational muscle, which is precisely how they function. If the obliques are stronger, they’ll allow a faster turn through the ball, which means more distance.

Stronger obliques also mean there’s less of a chance for injury in the long run, which seems to be about the only thing possible of holding Spieth back nowadays. I swear, if I just jinxed him I’m going to hate my life. Please don’t get hurt Jordan, please stay healthy.

Spieth doesn’t just do normal side planks though. Because he’s a not normal dude. He likes to challenge himself with stability balls, raising one leg or one arm in the air, or performing cable rows while side planking.

It’s clear Spieth is an athletic dude. He’s got a brother who played Division 1 basketball, and Jordan himself played football, basketball, and baseball up until his early high school career. This well rounded athletic background serves Spieth well on the golf course, and the same can be said about his work in the weight room.

If you’re curious about Spieth’s work in the weight room, the flexibility and mobility work he does, or how he trains, check out this Youtube channel for the training center he’s partnered with.

Tanner is a fitness professional and writer based in the metro Atlanta area. His training focus is helping normal people drop absurd amounts of fat, become strong like bull, and get in the best shape of their life.