Lexi Thompson has spent a large portion of her life playing a sport that rewards patience, control, and the ability to keep emotions from interfering with execution. Her next competitive endeavor is going to ask her to show a little more of what she normally conceals between shots.<\/p>\n
WTGL,<\/a> the new women\u2019s team golf league from TMRW Sports and the LPGA, launches this fall (Nov. 8) inside the tech-infused SoFi Center in Palm Beach Gardens, FL. Thompson will represent Motor City Golf Club.<\/p>\n The decision to participate didn\u2019t require much deliberation on Thompson\u2019s part. Living only about 30 minutes from SoFi gave her an opportunity to experience TGL firsthand, and what stood out most wasn\u2019t the technology or the arena setting. It was how much more personality the format allowed fans to see.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s something different, and it brings out a different fan base that we need as well,\u201d Thompson said. \u201cA lot of people don\u2019t get to see our personalities. They only get to see what we do on the golf course.\u201d<\/p>\n The timing also finds Thompson in a different space personally and physically. She is expecting her first child, and while training remains part of nearly every day, her approach has continued evolving from the heavier lifting she once gravitated toward to something much more deliberate.<\/p>\n After years of professional golf, Thompson\u2019s focus is no longer proving what she can do in the weight room. She\u2019s more interested in making sure the work she does there continues to allow her to feel powerful, mobile, healthy, and always ready for whatever comes next.<\/p>\n Professional golf can seem like an isolating exercise in responsibility. There is a caddie alongside you, but the number on the card belongs to only one person, and Thompson has lived with that reality since becoming a pro at just 15.<\/p>\n Team golf changes provides a different dynamic.<\/p>\n Thompson has experience in this arena from the Solheim Cups, International Crowns, and Olympic competition. Another exciting element for Thompson about the WTGL is the chance to make decisions with other players rather than spending an entire competition competing against her own thoughts.<\/p>\n \u201cI love team events in general,\u201d she said. \u201cGolf is so individual, so to be able to have teammates and talk strategy behind each and every shot, I think that\u2019s what also is so great about this.\u201d<\/p>\n In WTGL, players are mic\u2019d up. There are also real-time analytics and shot-clock pressure, which doesn\u2019t sound as daunting to a pro golfer as one would think.<\/p>\n Traditional golf gives a player plenty of time to gather information, reconsider an approach, and allows one thought to become several. A clock makes every decision count.<\/p>\n \u201cThe shot clock is definitely something that\u2019s very different, and I actually think it would be good in normal golf, too,\u201d Thompson said. \u201cSometimes we don\u2019t really think about how much time we\u2019re spending on each and every shot.\u201d<\/p>\n The format should also reveal a version of Thompson that traditional tournament broadcasts rarely capture. She describes herself as more sarcastic and bubbly around people who know her well and credits growing up with two older brothers for developing another useful skill.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve learned to trash talk quite a bit,\u201d she said. \u201cWe\u2019ll see if that gets brought out here, but I think it\u2019s just great for the fans to see all our personalities.\u201d<\/p>\n Fitness wasn\u2019t always a major component of Thompson\u2019s routine.<\/p>\n It took the first couple of years for her to notice something every athlete eventually has to confront: Talent doesn\u2019t prevent fatigue.<\/p>\n She would get tired during rounds, so she hired a trainer and began taking conditioning more seriously. What started as a solution quickly became something she found enjoyment in.<\/p>\n \u201cI got addicted to it,\u201d Thompson said. \u201cI love fitness and working out, and I plan my day around getting at least 30-45 minutes, if not longer, of a workout in.\u201d<\/p>\n Her workouts look a little different at this current moment as she prepares for the birth of her first child, but movement remains a daily priority. Thompson still gravitates toward spinning, incline walking, core work, flexibility, and resistance training, with the emphasis now geared toward lighter weights and higher repetitions.<\/p>\n Years of golf have taught her strength has to serve the swing. Thompson\u2019s power is one of the calling cards of her game, but generating clubhead speed isn\u2019t just a matter of becoming all around stronger.<\/p>\n \u201cA lot of the golf swing power is from the core and lower body, so making sure that I do a lot of the exercises that build and strengthen that,\u201d Thompson said. \u201cBut at the same time, you don\u2019t want to lose the flexibility.\u201d<\/p>\n That is why her training includes lots of band work and movements that more closely resemble the rotational and explosive aspects of a golf swing. Speed and technique are a priority within these movements, as she wants the strength to transfer to what she does with a club.<\/p>\n But this wasn\u2019t always her mindset. Just a few years ago, Thompson went through phases where lifting more became its own challenge.<\/p>\n \u201cI probably lifted a lot more weights than I do now,\u201d she said. \u201cI went through spans where I was like, \u2018Oh, I\u2019m going to try to hit the highest weight of my life, and it was just like, \u2018I don\u2019t know really why I\u2019m doing this.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n These days, cardio, core work, resistance training, and swing-specific exercises are what she prioritizes, and not the weight on the bar. That evolution is partly due to becoming more seasoned and self-aware. Thompson says the longer she has trained, the better she has become at identifying when something isn\u2019t functioning the way it should.<\/p>\n Earlier in her fitness journey, tests from trainers helped reveal weaknesses in her body she didn\u2019t know existed. Now, she can often recognize\u00a0 those signals herself.<\/p>\n \u201cMy body tells me a lot more,\u201d Thompson said. \u201c\u2019Oh, this is weaker. I\u2019m not seeing this part of my body firing,\u2019 or like, \u2018This is sore. This is hurting. Something\u2019s lacking.\u201d<\/p>\n If you had to name a sport that requires extreme athleticism, it\u2019s unlikely golf will be at the forefront of your mind.<\/p>\n From the couch, the sport can seem leisurely. What the television doesn\u2019t convey is all the work that goes into what we see come tournament time.<\/p>\n \u201cI think the normal viewer doesn\u2019t realize how hard it is day in, day out,\u201d Thompson said. \u201cIt\u2019s a lot of time out practicing, a lot of hitting balls, rotating, putting our lower body and our backs through a lot of twisting and turning.\u201d<\/p>\n She also made sure to mention another element that is often overlooked.<\/p>\n \u201cWalking seven miles of a golf course on top of that,\u201d she said. \u201cBeing in the Florida heat, going out there and practicing three to five hours a day. It\u2019s pretty brutal in the summer.\u201d<\/p>\n Those repetitions make recovery extremely important. Thompson\u2019s approach isn\u2019t built around a reliance on recovery technologies. She typically stretches and foam rolls after workouts, gets an occasional massage, and focuses on making sure she is ready to go again the following day.<\/p>\n Sleep also has become a critical priority. There was a time when Thompson believed four hours was what she needed to function. With years of competition under her belt, she now aims for a minimum of seven.<\/p>\n \u201cSometimes it\u2019s just hard to really shut the brain off and get a good night\u2019s sleep, especially with the quick turnarounds with tee times and everything,\u201d she said. \u201cBut I think it\u2019s a huge priority because then your mind doesn\u2019t function the way you need it to, and neither does your body.\u201d<\/p>\n Thompson also incorporates activation and breathing work before rounds. The exercises prepare the muscles she needs for her swing, while meditation helps settle her into the right mental state before competition.<\/p>\n Post-round recovery works in the opposite direction.<\/p>\n \u201cBeing able to shut down your body and being able to let it recover is huge, because you don\u2019t realize what you\u2019re putting your body through for that amount of hours,\u201d Thompson said. \u201cMeditation doesn\u2019t hurt after, just to shut off the mind. That\u2019s a part of the performance as well.\u201d<\/p>\n Thompson\u2019s perspective on fitness has changed over the past several years. Working out has moved past PR\u2019s and physique gains. Today, the golfer says the measure has become more personal and more useful in helping her be ready for the next workout.<\/p>\n \u201cOf course, waking up not having my body hurt helps,\u201d Thompson joked. \u201cBeing out here for so many years and golfing since I was five, you feel it a little but more.\u201d<\/p>\n Follow Lexi on Instagram @Lexi<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\nWTGL Lets Lexi Thompson Compete Differently<\/h2>\n
![\"Female](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.muscleandfitness.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/Female-golfer-Lexi-Thompson-using-the-sand-wedge-to-get-out-of-the-bunker.jpg?quality=86&strip=all\")
<\/div>A Change of Mindset When It Comes to the Gym<\/h2>\n
![\"Female](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.muscleandfitness.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/Female-golfer-Lexi-Thompson-practicing-her-swing-at-screen-golf.jpg?quality=86&strip=all\")
<\/div>Recovery and Longevity Are Now Part of the Workout<\/h2>\n