Golf is a fun and challenging sport that can be enjoyed, and improved upon, over a lifetime if we assume responsibility for our structural health. Flexibility exercise are a primary key to good posture, healthy joints, and superior play.
The modern benchmarks for exercise are sweating, fatigue, getting out of breath, covering a lot of distance, or moving a lot of weight. I propose that a balanced program (and healthy joints) require that you learn the mechanics that allow muscles to stretch and recover. It’s hard to feel satisfied with physical changes that are measured in millimeters so it’s an easy program to neglect. Just remember, stretching improves the quality of the relationship between your muscles and your bones (and your brain) and simply cannot be rushed or forced.
Create a few minutes a day in the privacy of your own home and at your convenience but commit to a specific time. I often suggest that you keep the exercises near a TV and do them while you listen to the evening news. Exercise patience and consistency and over time you will enjoy profound, continual improvement.
Check with your doctor before you execute these or any other exercise movements.
Inner Thigh: Lie on the floor with your feet together. Let your inner thighs relax so your knees open slowly. Hold 30-120 seconds. Don’t worry if one knee is higher. To end; push your legs together with your hands remaining relaxed in the inner thigh. (Follow with a torso twist from some of the earlier posts)
Shoulder Stretch: Lie on floor keeping your back flat, elbows straight and lift one arm off the floor and create 90-120 degree angle.Keep your elbow straight and imagine that you will place the back of your hand on the floor above your head. Allow your arm to move over further as your range of motion improves. Move each arm 3 times and hold for 10-30 seconds each time.
Wall Clock: Place the palm of your hand on a wall above your head and stand erect with your heels touching the baseboad. Draw your shoulders down and keep your elbows straight as if your hands are at 12:00. Stretch your arms open to 1:00 and 11:00 and hold for 10 seconds at each position through 6:00. Reverse. To end; take one step back, bring your arms to your side. Keep your arms stretched out and your back erect. Advance the movement after a couple of weeks by rotating your hand so that the back of your hand is on the wall and your thumb is facing forward. This can be a surprisingly intense exercise so expect improvements to be slow and you may need to wait a couple of weeks to add it into the program.
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