- Tiger Woods is recovering from multiple injuries after a car accident last February.
- Woods said his early rehab process involved bench presses but now he focuses on bodyweight workouts.
- Bodyweight workouts are one of the most common methods for injury rehab in professional sports.
Tiger Woods said switching from weight training to bodyweight exercise helped him recover from multiple leg injuries after his car crash last February, according to Golf Digest.
Almost a year later, Woods was spotted walking up steps in an Instagram story posted by Golf Balled.
—TWLEGION (@TWlegion) February 21, 2022
The 46-year-old golfer said he never planned to return to the sport full time after the accident and said that he wasn't even halfway done with recovering during November. But Woods was able to hit a wedge shot with a compression sleeve on his leg in a video he posted that same month, and then went on to compete in the PNC Tournament in December, which was his first post-crash competition, alongside his 12-year-old son Charlie.
Woods said recovering from the accident was the most difficult experience of his career, and he's had several "dark moments" along the way, according to Sky Sports. But he added that his "hard work" and recovery routine has helped him make progress in regaining his physical strength and movement.
Bench presses and bodyweight workouts have been critical to that progress, Woods said in an interview with Golf Digest.
Bodyweight workouts can help rebuild muscles without putting too much strain on the body
Woods said that the bench press was the only workout he could do when he got home from the hospital, and he was able to get his maximum bench up to 255 lbs. But after he started to regain some control over his legs, he stopped benching completely and focused on bodyweight functional workouts.
Bodyweight workouts, or calisthenics, are strength workouts that don't involve any external equipment, and all the resistance is generated from a person's own weight. They are a common practice for injury recovery in all sports, especially lower-body injuries, according to strength and conditioning specialist Stew Smith via Military.com.
Bodyweight workouts are considered a safe approach to rehab, since dealing with heavy weights can put stress on the body and further aggravate injuries, certified personal trainer Kyle Gagnon wrote in a blog post. Bodyweight workouts can help circulate blood around the injured area and rebuild muscle fibers without added stress.
Additionally, bodyweight exercises can also help improve balance and agility in addition to strength and control, according to Gagnon.