The Bench Press (Alternating) Exercise is a great way to build strength and stability in your shoulders, chest and triceps.
The Bench Press (Alternating) Exercise forms part of the Golf Strength and Endurance series of innovative and dynamic exercises that are designed to efficiently increase your stabilising strength – supporting proper body alignment, movement patterns, and energy transfer within the golf swing, and helping to prevent injuries.
Equipment
This exercise requires a pair of dumbbells and an exercise bench.
This is dedicated strength exercise, so choose a weight that is heavy enough to make the movement challenging, but enables you to complete all of your repetitions (reps) with proper form. The last couple of reps should be very difficult, but make sure that you can perform them properly.
If you are performing this exercise as part of a Golf Loopy Train like a Champion System programme workout, you should be able to complete the prescribed number of reps in the allotted time with proper form – adjust your tempo accordingly.
See How Much Weight Should I Lift? for more information.
Steps
- Start by lying face up on a bench, your feet on the floor, your hips and shoulders on the bench, holding a pair of dumbbells, your hands level with the outsides of your shoulders, your palms facing your thighs.
- Press the dumbbells straight up over your shoulders until your elbows are almost locked.
- Keeping your left arm straight, slowly lower the right dumbbell to just above chest height.
- In one fluid movement, press the right dumbbell back up as you lower the left.
- Now press the left dumbbell up as you lower the right.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions on each side.
Keep your feet on the floor and your hips and shoulders on the bench throughout the movement.
Keep your abdominal muscles engaged.
You should feel it working your upper chest, shoulders and triceps.
Variation
There are a number of other shoulder press exercises in the Golf Loopy Train like a Champion System that offer a variety of challenges, you can see them all by clicking here.
If you have any questions or comments about this or other articles on Golf Loopy, please send us an email.
You May Also Like…
Golf Performance Programmes – the most effective golf-specific fitness regimens on the planet, guaranteed to make you a better golfer!
There are a number of other golf-specific strength and endurance exercises in the Golf Loopy Train like a Champion System.
Introduction to the Swing like a Champion System.
Golf Anatomy and Kinesiology, a collection of articles describing the roles of the muscles involved in the golf swing.
