Golf Season: How to Stay Strong and Injury-Free on the Green

Evan Amell • June 8, 2026

There’s nothing quite like that first Saturday morning at your favorite course here in Southern Maine. The air is crisp, the dew is still on the grass at Nonesuch River or Dunegrass, and you’re ready to finally put all those winter range sessions to the test. 🏌️‍♂️

But let’s be real for a second...

How many times has your season been cut short by a nagging lower back twinge? Or maybe by July, you notice that your drives just don’t have the same "oomph" they did in May? It’s a common story, especially for those of us navigating the game in our 40s, 50s, and beyond. We wait all winter for these few glorious months of golf, only to spend half of them nursing an injury or feeling physically drained.

The "old school" way of thinking was that you train in the winter and just "play" in the summer. But if you want to stay on the course, play pain-free, and actually keep the progress you made in the off-season, in-season training is your secret weapon.

At EA Fitness & Performance, we see it every year. The golfers who keep up with their strength and mobility work during the season are the ones still swinging hard in September while everyone else is scheduled for physical therapy.

Let’s dive into why staying in the gym: even just twice a week: is the best thing you can do for your scorecard and your health.

Why "Maintenance" is the Goal (and Why Stopping is a Mistake)

Think of your body like a high-performance vehicle. You wouldn't take a classic car out for a 1,000-mile road trip without checking the oil or the tires, right? Your body is the engine behind your golf swing.

When you stop strength training during the golf season, your body begins to lose the very stability and power that protects your joints. Golf is a one-sided, high-velocity rotational sport. That’s a fancy way of saying it puts a lot of weird stress on your spine and hips.

Without consistent strength work to balance things out, those repetitive swings start to take a toll. You start to "leak" power, and more importantly, you start to compensate.

Stop. If you feel like you have to "protect" your back during a swing, you've already lost the battle.

In-season training isn't about hitting new personal records on the bench press. It’s about:

✅ Maintaining muscle mass: Keeping the strength that protects your joints.
✅ Preserving mobility: Ensuring your hips and mid-back can actually turn.
✅ Fatigue management: Making sure you feel as strong on the 18th hole as you did on the 1st.

Protecting the "Big Three": Back, Hips, and Shoulders

If you’re over 40, you know that the "Big Three" are usually the first things to complain after a long weekend of golf.

1. The Lower Back (The Lumbar Spine)

Most golf-related back pain comes from the lower back trying to do a job it wasn't meant for: rotation. Your lower back is designed for stability; your middle back (thoracic spine) and hips are designed for rotation. When your hips are tight, your lower back tries to twist to make up the difference. Ouch.

In-season training focuses on "anti-rotation" exercises: teaching your core how to stay rock-solid so your back doesn't take the brunt of the swing.

2. The Hips

Your power comes from the ground up. If your glutes are "asleep" (a common side effect of sitting at a desk all week), your swing will rely entirely on your arms. Our personal training sessions focus heavily on hip hinge patterns and lateral stability to keep those "golf muscles" firing.

3. The Shoulders and Elbows

Ever heard of "Golfer's Elbow"? It’s usually an overuse injury caused by poor shoulder stability or a death-grip on the club. By keeping your upper back strong, you take the pressure off those smaller, more delicate joints.

The "Minimum Effective Dose": How Much Training Do You Really Need?

We get it. You want to be on the course, not in the gym. The good news? You don't need to spend hours under a barbell to see results.

During the season, we recommend what we call the "Minimum Effective Dose." This is usually two 45-minute sessions per week.

A great in-season session looks like this:

Dynamic Warm-up: Waking up the nervous system and opening the hips.
Power Development: 1-2 exercises (like med ball slams) to keep your fast-twitch fibers ready to explode.
Strength Maintenance: A full-body circuit that hits the basics (squat/hinge, push/pull) without causing extreme soreness.
Core & Mobility: Targeted work for the "Big Three" we mentioned above.

The goal isn't to leave the gym feeling exhausted. It's to leave feeling athletic.

Why Now is the Best Time to Start (Even if You're Mid-Season)

"I'll just wait until the fall to get back into it."

We hear that a lot. But here’s the truth: waiting until the fall means you'll spend the first two months of your "off-season" just trying to get back to where you were in May. You’re essentially starting from zero every single year. 📉

By starting now, you:

Prevent the "Mid-Season Slump": Most golfers start feeling tired and "stiff" by July. You’ll be the one speeding past them.
Enjoy Your Rounds More: Golf is a lot more fun when you aren't worried about how your back will feel the next morning.
Build a Habit: It’s much easier to transition into a more intense winter program if you never stopped moving in the first place.

The Power of Community at EA Fitness

One of the biggest hurdles to staying consistent in the summer is motivation. When the sun is shining, the gym can feel like a chore.

That’s where our small group personal training comes in. You aren't just working out; you’re training alongside other people in Southern Maine who share your goals (and probably your love for a good round of golf). It's a supportive, welcoming environment where you’ll find the accountability you need to stay on track.

Plus, we don't just stop at the workout. Our nutrition coaching can help you dial in your hydration and fueling so you don't "crash" at the turn. 🥪

Ready to Play Your Best Season Ever?

You’ve invested in the clubs. You’ve paid the greens fees. Now it’s time to invest in the most important piece of equipment you own: your body.

Don't let another season slip away to "minor" injuries and lost distance. Let’s make this the year you stay strong, stay mobile, and stay on the green.

Stop guessing and start progressing.

If you’re ready to see how a golf-specific approach can change your game, we’d love to help. Click here to contact us and schedule a consultation. Let’s get you ready for your best back nine yet!

Stay strong,

The EA Fitness & Performance Team 🏌️‍♂️💪

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Staying Injury-Free This Summer: How Personal Training in Portland Maine Keeps You Moving

By Evan Amell • May 18, 2026

Ah, summer in Maine. It’s that glorious, fleeting window where we all try to cram twelve months of outdoor activity into about twelve weeks. Between hiking the White Mountains, biking along the Eastern Prom, and trying to prove you’ve still "got it" during a backyard pickup game of cornhole (hey, it’s a sport), your calendar is packed. But if you’re over 40, you’ve probably noticed something. Your body isn't exactly a self-healing superhero anymore. Remember when you could roll out of bed, eat a bowl of sugary cereal, and run five miles without a single stretch? Yeah... me neither. Those days are firmly in the rearview mirror. Now, a simple weekend hike can leave your knees screaming for days, or a long bike ride results in a lower back that feels like it’s been fused together with Gorilla Glue. It’s frustrating, right? You want to be active, but you’re terrified of that one "pop" or "tweak" that puts you on the couch for the rest of July. You’re not alone. In fact, that "check engine light" starts flickering for most of us once we hit the big 4-0. But here’s the good news: getting older doesn't mean you have to slow down. It just means you have to train smarter. That’s where personal training in Portland Maine comes into play. Specifically, at a performance fitness studio like EA Fitness & Performance, we specialize in making sure your summer doesn't end with an ice pack and a physical therapy referral.

Beach Ready at 40+: Finding the Best Fitness Centers in Portland Maine for Sustainable Results

By Evan Amell • May 11, 2026

Let’s be real for a second. We live in Southern Maine. For about six months of the year, we’re essentially professional hibernators. We’ve perfected the art of layering flannel over hoodies, and our "beach body" is buried under several inches of down feathers and L.L. Bean wool. But then, it happens. The sun stays out past 5:00 PM. The ice on the Casco Bay starts to look less like a permanent fixture and more like a memory. Suddenly, the realization hits: Summer is coming. And with it, the dreaded transition from "comfortably bundled" to "distinctly exposed." If you’re over 40, that realization usually comes with a side of "Oh no, my knees," and "Wait, when did my metabolism decide to take a permanent vacation?" You start Googling fitness centers in Portland Maine , looking for a miracle. You’re bombarded with ads for 21-day shreds, juice cleanses that taste like grass clippings, and high-intensity boot camps led by 22-year-olds who think "recovery" is just something that happens while they sleep for four hours. Stop. Just... stop. 🛑 You’re not 22 anymore. And honestly? Thank goodness for that. You have wisdom, a career, maybe a family, and definitely better taste in music. You don't need a fad. You need a plan that actually works for the body you have now. You need sustainable results that don't involve living on kale and despair.

Summer Energy for Busy Parents: Why Portland Maine Fitness Classes Beat the Big Box Gyms

By Evan Amell • May 4, 2026

Let’s be honest for a second. It’s mid-April in Maine. The snow is (mostly) gone, the mud is drying up, and the realization is starting to sink in: summer is right around the corner. For most people, that means thinking about beach days and backyard BBQs. But for busy parents over 40? It means the "Summer Survival Mode" countdown has officially begun. If you’re a parent in Southern Maine, you know exactly what I’m talking about. Between the end-of-school-year chaos, sports schedules, and trying to figure out childcare for July, your own energy levels are probably sitting somewhere near "empty." You want to feel strong, you want to keep up with the kids on the trails at Bradbury Mountain, and you’d really like to head to Higgins Beach without feeling totally self-conscious. But then you look at your schedule. When are you supposed to find time for fitness in Portland Maine ? You might have tried the "Big Box Gym" route before. You know the ones, the massive warehouses filled with rows of treadmills and people wearing headphones, staring at screens, trying their best to ignore everyone else. Maybe you even have a dusty key tag on your keychain right now. I’m here to tell you: you’re not alone. And more importantly... there’s a better way.