This year, I came to a devastating realization: if I wanted to hit the ball further, I would have to start working out in the gym.
I know this may seem obvious, but it’s a truth I had been avoiding for years. I found that with proper technique and a little speed practice, I could pick up some swing speed. And while IS true, there is no substitute for hitting the gym.
Mike Carrolla strength and conditioning coach and founder of Fit for Golf, explained it succinctly when I talked to him about a story during the summer: “Think about how to improve your engine.”
For someone who didn’t have that much looked with a weight group in over a decade, this was a tough pill to swallow. However, I was desperate for more speed in the club – so I headed to the gym.
Starting
For the first four months of training, I didn’t have a plan. One day I would go to the gym and work on my legs, one day I would work on my upper body. It was certainly helpful in teaching my muscles to train again, but in terms of course gains, the returns were minimal.
That’s when I met David Sundberg. Sundberg is a strength and conditioning coach who works with many top-ranked PGA Tour players, including Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay, and he explained that drills are key to generating club speed.
“Whether you’re a tournament player or a recreational golfer, the principles are the same,” he said. “Move well, be strong and the speed will come.”
So what exactly do you need? The do in the gym? Well, Sundberg had a plan for me. He was kind enough to put together a basic five-week strength training plan, which you can see at the bottom of this story. And if I followed suit, Sundberg was convinced I would make significant increases in swing speed.
Program
When I first started the basic strength training program, I didn’t think it would generate much benefit. In fact, after the first week of training, I told my girlfriend it was “easy”.
The exercises may have felt easy, but that didn’t detract from their effectiveness. Thanks to Sundberg, I was targeting correcting muscle groups and building strength in the places I needed to build swing speed.
“Even though our program was only five or six weeks, it still had a planned progression: certain sets, reps and weights,” Sundberg told me during our post-program debriefing. “The idea is to start at a level that’s challenging enough to create a new stimulus, let your body recover, then hit the same movement pattern with a little more load the next week. This gradual increase forces the body to adapt and get stronger without doing too much.”
Every week, there were small changes in the program. At first it required more repetitions, while later in the program we added more weight. I did the same set of exercises all the time and every week I got a little stronger.
Best of all, the program was tailored to build muscles used in the golf swing, giving me functional strength I could actually use on the course.
“In the golf swing, you load the back end into the back end,” Sundberg said. “In the kick, you’re pushing through the ground with your lead leg—using the quads—to lift and transfer the force through the body. So these exercises directly support that movement. Same with the push and pull (with the arms). They give you more return on your time than isolation exercises because they target almost all of the front and back of your upper body, especially for most of your upper body strength. your body to promote improvement.”
The results
As I mentioned before, I’ve been doing some gym work and speed training since the summer in hopes of increasing my ball speed. But after a few months, I felt like I’d hit a plateau.
When I started training in earnest, I topped out at around 100 mph swing speed and 150 mph ball speed. After those few months, I could get up to around 102 mph swing speed and 152 mph ball speed – but that seemed to be my limit.
After a few weeks of Sundberg’s basic strength program, I broke both records. Over the past month, I have seen my maximum swing speed increase to 105 mph with my maximum ball speed reaching 154 mph. I know progress is rarely linear and these aren’t Bryson’s numbers, but adding that much speed over the course of a month was an exciting development.
What’s next
It’s officially the off-season here in New York City. Although I will make some trips to warmer climates during the winter, there will be no more golf in the Northeast until things thaw in the spring.
Most people hate winter for this reason – but I see it as an opportunity. Last offseason, I drilled the basics like my life depended on it, and I came out of the winter much sounder technically. This winter, I plan to do everything to prepare my body for the upcoming season.
I’ve already talked to Sundberg and he’s putting together an offseason plan that I’ll stick to all winter. If the results are anything like those after his core strength program, 2026 should be my best season yet.
If you want to try Sundberg’s basic strength program, see below.
Basic Strength Routine (3 days/week)
Objective: Build core strength, control and stability with moderate loads, unilateral emphasis and minimal risk of fatigue.
Structure:
- Day 1: Lower body
- Day 2: Upper body
- Day 3: Full body
DAY 1 – LOWER BODY SESSION
Approximately. 50-60 minutes
1. Warming up
After 5-10 minutes of light cardio, perform:
- Semi-kneeling hip flexor stretch with extension – 30s/side
- 90/90 Hip Rotations – 8 reps/side
- T-Spine Open Book Roll – 6 reps/side
- Abduction Band Glute Bridge — 10–12 reps
- Side plank – 20–30 s/sides
- Front board – 30’s
- Wall slide – 8-10 repetitions
Intro Plyos (Level 1) – Rest 60 seconds between sets
- Pogo Jumps – 2×10
- Lateral Hops – 2×8 each way
- Squat Jump to Stick (controlled squat) — 2×5
Purpose: Preparation of tendons, joints and neuromuscular system for strength work.
2. Strength Block (Main Work)
Focusing: Unidirectional control with quad/snail balance.
A. Dominant quadruped with one leg
Raised Back Leg Squats (DB or Bodyweight)
Rest: 120 seconds between sets
Choose a weight with which you can perform 12 repetitions (good technique).
- Week 1: 3×8
- Week 2: 3×10
- Week 3: 3×12
- Week 4: 3×6, 6, max reps
- Week 5: 2×6 @ 50% weight (discharge)
B. One-legged sit-up dominant
Romanian One Leg Deadlift (DB)
Break: 90s between sets
Choose a weight with which you can perform 12 repetitions.
- Week 1: 3×8
- Week 2: 3×10
- Week 3: 3×12
- Week 4: 3×12–15
- Week 5: 2×6 @ 50% weight (discharge)
3. Hip and Core Stability
Perform as a circuit. Minimal rest between exercises; 90 after each round.
- Mini-Band Lateral Walk – 3×10 steps in each direction
- Semi-Kneeling Anti-Rotation Press (Palof) — 3×10/side
- Dead Bug (slow tempo) – 3×10
- Single leg balance (3D/Y-Balance style) — 3×5/leg
Purpose: Reinforce pelvic stability and trunk stiffness during rotation.
DAY 2 – UPPER BODY SESSION
Approximately. 45-55 minutes
1. Warming up
After 5-10 minutes of light cardio:
- Wall slide – 10 reps
- Serratus Wall Slides with Foam Roller – 10 reps
- Light band external rotations – 12 reps
- T-Back Cat-Cow Rotation – 6 reps/side
- Brand Pull-Aparts – 12 reps
2. Force block
A. Push (Horizontal Focus)
Dumbbell bench press
Break: 90s between sets
Use a weight that you can do 12 reps with.
- Week 1: 3×8
- Week 2: 3×10
- Week 3: 3×12
- Week 4: 3×6, 6, max reps
- Week 5: 2×6 @ 50% weight (discharge)
B. Zoom (Horizontal Focus)
Two-arm prone DB row
Break: 90s between sets
Use a weight that you can do 12 reps with.
- Week 1: 3×8
- Week 2: 3×10
- Week 3: 3×12
- Week 4: 3×6, 6, max reps
- Week 5: 2×6 @ 50% weight (discharge)
Perform A and B side by side, then rest 60s. Repeat for total sets.
C. Push/Pull Accessories (Shoulder Focus)
- Y’s on Bench – 2×10
- Facelift — 2×12
3. Core & Stability
Perform consecutive exercises, then rest 90s. Repeat for total sets.
- Sideboard — 2×20 s/sides
- Bird Dog – 2×8
- Stability ball lunges (knees) or plank — 2×10
DAY 3 — FULL BODY SESSION
Approximately. 45-55 minutes
1. Warming up
After 10 minutes of light cardio:
- Wall slide – 10 reps
- Serratus Wall Slides with Foam Roller – 10 reps
- 90/90 Hip Rotations – 8 reps/side
- T-Back Cat-Cow Rotation – 6 reps/side
- Semi-kneeling hip flexor stretch with extension – 30s/side
- Abduction Band Glute Bridge — 10–12 reps
- Side plank – 20–30 s/sides
- Front board – 30’s
- Band pull-up – 8–10 repetitions
Intro Plyos (Level 1):
- Pogo Jumps – 2×10
- Lateral Hops – 2×8 each way
- Squat Jump to Stick – 2×5
2. Force block
A. Thrust (Scapular Focus)
Suppression of half-kneeling landmines
Break: 90s between sets
- Week 1: Empty grass; 3×8–10
- Weeks 2-4: Add 5–10 lb each week; 3×8–10
If you miss reps, keep the same load in the next session and aim to beat the previous reps. - Week 5: Empty grass; 2×6–8
B. The Squat Model
Goblet Squat in Box/Banch 18″
Break: 90s between sets
The box teaches proper hip drop and a neutral spine.
Start with a dumbbell ≈30% of your body weight.
- Week 1: 3×8
- Week 2: 3×10
- Week 3: 3×12
- Week 4: Increase up to 40% of body weight; 3×6–8
- Week 5: 2×10 @ 50% Week-4 Weight
C. Horizontal pull
One-arm half-knee pull-ups (high pulley)
Break: 90s between sets
- Week 1: Light load; 3×8–10
- Weeks 2-4: Add 5–10 lb per week; 3×8–10
If the reps are short, keep the load in the next session and beat the previous numbers. - Week 5: 2×6–8 @ 50% Week-4 Weight
