WPH Press
Each Wednesday the WPH features the WPH Wednesday Workout, designed to help you become a stronger, fitter, faster, and better handball player. From leg and shoulder strengthening exercises to HIT Training, biking, and rest, the WPH Wednesday Workouts focus on the areas that every handball player needs to reach their peak form.
On this WPH Wednesday Workout, we’ll discuss upper body workouts that will make you stronger and better conditioned for handball matches.
The golf swing and the handball swing are very similar, as both swings require a backswing and follow through dependent upon flexibility, speed, balance, and stability.
The world’s #1 golfer and current Masters Champion Dustin Johnson makes isometric upper body workouts part of his weekly routine to maintain his speed, strength, stability, and balance in his swing.
The first upper body exercise that Dustin Johnson performs in his upper body routine is lying on a stability ball with the ball between his shoulder blades and performing alternating dumbbell fly lifts. “This is a core exercise that includes chest, shoulders, arms and using dumbbells iso-laterally one arm at a time,” stated Johnson’s trainer Joey Diovisalvi. “The brain is working right left and it’s great for upper body stability. It’s a lot of work, a lot of resistance, but it’s a lot of control.”
The torso twist is another one of Johnson’s staple upper body exercises in which Dustin is rotating a dumbbell from side to side while lying with his shoulder blades in between a stability ball. “Dustin is rotating his entire upper body, sort of like a backswing and a follow through,” stated Diovisalvi. “This is core stabilization.”
The standing dumbbells on one leg is another of Johnson’s favorite upper body workouts. “The standing dumbbells actually fires the left/right brain,” stated Diovisalvi. “This is balance, arms – forearm strength, biceps, and when you are doing it on one leg, a lot more difficult.”
Dustin rounds out his upper body workout with single leg med ball slams. “This is a lot of core activation, a lot of balance, a lot of metabolic conditioning, gets the heart rate up, a lot of intensity, a lot of fast twitch going on, very explosive, very dynamic.”
“Remember to do these exercises at your body’s ability,” stated Diovisalvi. “Lighter weight essentially gets the same thing done within your ability to stay safe and effective,” stated Diovisalvi.
The Dustin Johnson Upper Body Workout designed by Coach Joey Diovisalvi is extremely effective, fun, and will break up your weightlifting and training routine.
Watch the Dustin Johnson upper body workout HERE
David Fink
WPH Fitness Director