Before you hit the links, get your golf swing ready. Stretches and exercises will strengthen your core and help improve your rotation for a more powerful drive.
Obliques
Builds strength and works muscles that enhance your rotation for a powerful drive.
Lie on your back with your feet flat and knees bent just wider than hip-distance apart.
Reach hands to the ceiling in line with the shoulders. You can hold light hand weights (3 pounds or less) to increase difficulty. Inhale to prepare.
Exhale to lift your head and chest forward, rotating to reach both hands just outside of your right knee.
Inhale as you control back to the start position.
Repeat to the left to complete the set. Do 10 sets.
Horizontal abduction/adduction
Builds strength in muscles of back of the shoulder and arm.
Place a band underneath your left foot, and hold the other end with your right hand. Stand in an athletic stance, abdomen engaged.
Exhale to pull the band away from the foot, using the back of the arm and shoulder.
Inhale to slowly return.
After 10 repetitions, switch to the other foot and hand.
Standing saw
Increases rotational movement while working core muscles for increased stability throughout your torso.
Stand upright, arms out to the side in a “T” position, engaging abdominals.
Rotate upper body to the right, trying to keep both hipbones facing forward.
Curve forward, reaching your left hand toward your right shin, pulling the abdominals in toward the spine.
Stay rotated, as you stack the spine back to the upright position one vertebra at a time. Then release the rotation to face forward.
Repeat rotating to the left, reaching right hand to left shin. This is one set.
Do five sets.
Standing hip rotation
Increases hip movement and balance on weight- bearing leg for your drive off the tee.
Standing on one leg, other knee bent and off the ground, rotate body to one side keeping abdominals tight, and then to the other side. Keep the abdomen engaged throughout. You can hold a weighted ball or free weight for added challenge.
Do one to two sets of 15 on each leg.
Jessica Loncar is a licensed physical therapist and Pilates instructor. Laura Hicks is a certified STOTT Pilates instructor.
