Shoulder Pain

Janine Young

As we near the end of the competitive season here in KC, hopefully you have all been able to get out and enjoy the best weather we have to offer.

As we continue to explore injuries affected by the golf swing, this month we will look at the shoulders and how to protect them, keep them strong and
stable.

Through the evaluation of thousands of golfers, amateur and professional, young and old, the Titleist Performance Institute has uncovered that no two golfers have exactly the same swing, and thus should not be treated in the same fashion concerning their fitness programs. However, a number of common themes have been surfaced from their extensive evaluation of all of these golfers.

One of these themes is the dominance of the upper body in the creation of power in the swing. When a golfer has this type of swing, the upper body starts the downswing, the lower body gets out of
sequence and a tremendous amount of stress is placed on the muscles and joints of the upper body. This can and usually will result in fatigue of the shoulder muscles and ultimately a breakdown in form, which can only add to more injury to the shoulder joints, ligaments, tendons and musculature.

There are two major factors for shoulder pain. First is body mechanics. Too loose in the front part of the shoulder, too tight in the back. Poor muscle balance will lead to poor mechanics. With proper muscle balance the head of the humerus (upper arm bone) moves within the glenoid fossa (shoulder socket) without impingement or translation (sliding motion). When the muscles in front of the shoulder are disproportionately stronger than the muscles in back of the shoulders, or if there is rotator cuff weakness, the upper arm bone moves forward and impinges or pinches the anterior labrum. This occurs during that same compressive movement, the top of the backswing to transition, causing tears in the anterior labrum (Shoulder Grinding Factor).

The second major factor in shoulder pain is swing mechanics—here are two swing faults will result in Shoulder pain and injury over time:

C-Posture is used to describe a posture that
occurs when your shoulders are slumped forward at address and you have a definitive roundedness to your
thoracic spine.

It can be caused by the following:

Upper Crossed Syndrome – muscle imbalances including tight pecs, lats, upper traps, and levator scap and weakness in the mid-scapular muscles, serratus anterior, lower traps, and deep neck flexors.

• Scapular instability. Thoracic inflexibility.

• Instability in the core muscles causing poor posture and the slouched forward position at address.

• Lack of proper instruction – not understanding the correct setup and posture.

• Lack of pelvic tilt causing the upper body to bend to address the ball.

• Improperly fit clubs – too short.

• Grip that is too much in the fingers of both hands.

A Chicken Wing is defined by TPI as “a loss of extension or breakdown of the lead elbow through the impact area.” This swing fault makes it very difficult to develop speed or power and tends to put excessive force on the outside of the elbow joint.  If you’re suffering from high weak shots or you tend to develop tennis elbow on your lead side, you probably have a chicken wing.

The most common injuries we see among golfers are:

Rotator Cuff Tendonitis – pain in the front or back of the shoulder, as a result of overuse and the Rotator Cuff muscles not properly stabilizing the upper arm bone (head of the humerus) in the shoulder joint (glenoid fossa).

Bicipital Tendonitis – pain in the front of upper arm, also as a result of overuse of the biceps tendon and internal rotators reducing the space, which the rotator cuff muscles move through, causing the tendons to become irritated and inflamed.

Impingement – External impingement is result of elevation of the upper arm bone pinching the supraspinatus (one of the four rotator cuff muscles) under the collarbone (acromion). Internal impingement is a result of the posterior supraspinatus getting pinched during the external rotation and abduction of the shoulder (improper positioning of right arm in right handed golfer at the top of the backswing or left arm in follow through). Impingement will result in inflammation of the muscles, tendons and ligaments, and potential tears in the labrum (lip-like projection of cartilage on the shoulder blade).

Labrum Tears (SLAP Lesions) – The most common injury of the labrum is a tear of the rim above the middle of the socket that may also involve the
biceps tendon. Superior Labrum tear that is
Anterior/Posterior in direction. Caused by too much force being translated into the biceps muscle and tendon in the front of the upper arm, the long head of the biceps tendon originates at the superior labrum.

Anterior Laxity - weakness of the muscles in the front of the shoulder.

Frozen Shoulder – Inability to move the shoulder, because of trauma to the joint structures. Symptoms indicating you have a shoulder issue include:

• Pain, usually with overhead activities.

• Catching, locking, popping, or grinding.

• Occasional night pain or pain with daily activities.

• A sense of instability in the shoulder.

• Decreased range of motion.

• Loss of strength.

Ever experience any of the symptoms above? Movement patterns will always be affected by pain. Practicing and playing with pain is a great way to change your swing and create compensations in your movement pattern, which can be very hard to “unlearn”. After determining your injury does not require medical intervention (please contact us and we will put you in touch with a medical professional if you are in pain!), the exercises below will help you strengthen and stabilize your shoulders.

Shoulder Window Wipers—This exercise helps increase the external rotation and strength in both shoulders. Grab two lightweight (not more than 5 pounds) dumbbells and get into a good golf posture.  Place your elbows together in front of your stomach and hold the weights so that your palms are facing each other. From here, try to separate your hands as far apart as possible, but keep your elbows connected (like a windshield wiper).  Repeat back and forth!

Up Lift and Hold—This is a great exercise for rotator cuff stability. Lift your elbows to the sky with your hands hanging down to your side and your elbows bent to 90 degrees, like a scarecrow. Then rotate your hands up to the vertical position, and then drop the weights to shoulder height and stop. Try this three times in three different hand positions (palms facing each other, palms facing down, and palms facing away from each other).

To reduce potential shoulder problems and also improve your ball striking, eliminating an upper body dominant swing must be a priority. Here are a few exercises that can help with repatterning your swing to initiate the downswing with the lower body.

Pizza Dumbbell Drill—This exercise starts to re-educate your right wrist for a proper movement in the golf swing. Plus it will slowly develop more strength in your wrist and forearm.

Grab a dumbbell in your right hand and get into a good golf posture.  Make a short backswing and short follow through back and forth making sure your right wrist remains cupped (extended) throughout the exercise.  Make sure you turn your body as well throughout the movement.

Shovel Pass—This exercise helps promotes a better sequence on the downswing and a good lateral weight shift onto your lead side. Starting with your feet together and holding a medicine ball in both hands, step toward the target as you take the medicine ball back (This should feel like a baseball batter stepping into the pitch).  Then, without any pause, quickly swing and release the ball towards the target. Repeat!

If you are experiencing shoulder pain and are unsure what in your life and/or your golf swing may be causing it, send us an email or give us a call. We can help you! As Titleist Performance Institute (TPI) Certified Golf Fitness Instructors, the Elite Golf and Fitness Staff is trained to implement the protocols that the PGA touring professionals use to identify their strengths and weaknesses to design and create their individual golf performance training programs.

In order to achieve maximum success, we would encourage you to go through our complete assessment process – the Eagle, including a 2D and 3D video swing analysis, exclusive to the TPI and the Elite Golf and Fitness Process.

Buckle Up! Knee Pain in Golf

Janine Young

Anyone want to lay odds on whether Tiger’s knee injury will keep him from competing at the same level he did before he won the US Open at Torrey Pines this year?

My guess is that despite the long recovery process he has embarked upon, Tiger will not take long to get back to his exceptional play and winning majors. Because that is what he does. It is certainly not easy, but he reeducates his body to perform exceptionally with limited compensation, despite his past injuries.

As we discuss Tiger and his injury, it is important to understand the role of the left knee in the golf swing. The left knee, of a right-handed golfer, absorbs a tremendous amount of energy or torque as the golfer “drives” all his power from the right to left side. The knees must stay flexed to absorb some of this rotational stress during the backswing. And as much power as Tiger generates, the knee takes an awesome amount of stress.

Second to the low back, the knee is the most commonly injured joint in golf. Poor Body and Swing mechanics are major contributors to knee pain in Golfers. Force Compensations can be a result of hip and ankle restrictions. Imbalances in strength and mobility of the quadriceps, hamstrings, calf, and adductors, which all attach or originate at the knee joint, can lead to problems and compensatory movement. The torsion or rotation that happens about the knee joint increases the stress on the joint capsule, meniscus, ligaments, tendons as well as muscular attachments.

Swing Faults, which can result in knee injury, include the SWAY and/or the SLIDE. Potential left knee injuries of the right-handed golfer can be a caused by a slide, a lateral knee movement toward the target at impact, or a collapse of the left knee during the backswing. The right knee of the right-golfer may also be a source of injury. Right-handed golfers that sway, or move laterally away from the ball in the backswing put their knees at risk for injury if the right knee lacks stability or the right foot is flat as the player moves through the impact zone.

Michael Boyle, TPI board of advisors member and respected Strength and Conditioning Specialist, explains the knee may be where we feel the pain that in actuality comes from issues at the hip or foot. Training or treatment that focuses solely on the knee may only be eliminating a symptom and not the cause. At ELITE GOLF AND FITNESS, we evaluate each of our golfers using the Titleist Performance Institute’s Screening Process; the areas below have a direct correlation to the sway and slide swing faults. Looking at 2D and 3D Video Swing Analysis it is very easy to confirm what these screens already tell us.

Foot function – stability and mobility of the feet, status of the arches and mobility in the Achilles.

Hip function – mobility in the hip flexors, external and internal rotators as well as strength in the Glute medius and glute maximus.

Active strength of the quads and flexibility in the hamstrings.

Once we have the results of these tests, and assuming our golfer does not need medical attention, we are able to address the weak link of the chain and target our training to improve this area. This training may include retraining the hip and ankle for stability and mobility, muscle balancing, and reeducation of the knee itself for healthier, more biomechanically correct function.

Below are some exercises we use to address these weaknesses and get our golfers back on the links, knees and better than ever.

Single Leg Balance on Wobble Board - This exercise helps develop lateral stability in the ankles, increases your ankle range of motion, and improves your overall balance. Standing next to a wobble board and using a golf club for added support, place your right foot on the middle of the board.  Make sure the board is positioned so it can move from side to side and try to balance the board. Now try to touch the inside portion of the board to the ground, hold for one second, then bring the board back up to the middle position.  Then try to touch the outside portion of the board to the ground, hold for one second, and then bring the board back up to the middle position.  Repeat back and forth, and then repeat on the opposite leg. 

Single Leg Deadlift – this exercise will improve overall hip flexibility as well as strengthen and lengthen the hamstrings. Step forward with your left leg and lift your right leg off the ground.  Now slowly hinge forward from your left hip, trying to keep your spine and right hip stable and straight.  Notice the stretching in your hamstrings. Go down as far as comfortable and then return to the standing position.  Repeat on other side. To increase intensity hold a dumbbell with the hand opposite your standing leg.

Swiss Ball Hip Lift - This exercise will help build additional strength and stability in the glutes, hamstrings, and core. Start lying flat on your back with your feet up on a Swiss ball. From this position, lift your hips up off the ground pushing up with your feet. Try to contract your glutes and abs during the entire exercise. Return to the ground and repeat.

Hip Windshield Wipers - This is a great exercise to help develop overall hip range of motion, specifically hip internal rotation. Start by lying on your back with your knees and hips bent to 90 degrees. Make fists with both hands and place them together between your knees.  Now, without separating your hands and knees, try to move your feet as far apart as possible (like windshield wipers).  Repeat this motion back and forth for the prescribed amount of time.

If you are experiencing a knee pain and are unsure what in your life and/or your golf swing may be causing it, send us an email or give us a call! We can help you! As Titleist Performance Institute (TPI) Certified Golf Fitness Instructors, the Elite Golf and Fitness staff is trained to implement the protocols that the PGA touring professionals use to identify their strengths and weaknesses to design and create their individual golf performance training programs.

In order to achieve maximum success, we would encourage you to go through our complete assessment process – the Eagle, including a 2D and 3D video swing analysis, exclusive to the TPI and the Elite Golf and
Fitness Process

Oh My Aching Back!

Janine Young

The golf season is going full tilt with the excitement of three of the four PGA majors already being contested. On our local scene, we have witnessed some phenomenal Golf in the Watson Challenge, The KC Masters Championship and in the Men’s and Women’s Kansas City Amateur Championships.

As the “Official Fitness Provider” for the Kansas City Golf Association, to be a part of all four of these local events, getting the players warmed up and ready to play, we have noticed that even the best players in the game are not immune to injury. Tiger can attest to that. (In honor of Tiger, we will discuss knee problems and the golf swing in next month’s issue)

Golf is not unlike any other professional sport, in that the best players play injured. 50% of touring pros will sustain an injury that will prevent participation for three to six weeks. 10% to 33% of professional golfers have played with an injury during their season. The most common cause of injury in pro golfers is overuse, and in amateurs, mechanics. Knowing that, at least 90% of amateur golfers do not have a “sound, healthy swing” or what we like to call a biomechanically correct swing. The chances of an amateur playing injured, at some time during the season, are pretty good. In fact according to Golf Digest, despite the fact that the average amateur does not play or practice with the frequency of a Tour player, 53% of male golfers and 44% of female golfers complain of having a low back problem—easily the most common ailment among amateur golfers. Interestingly enough, low back dysfunction is probably not the cause of this pain, but is certainly affected by it.

At the Titleist Performance Institute and Elite Golf and Fitness, we evaluate each Golfer’s physical strengths and weaknesses, as well as their swing, using 2D and 3D Biomechanical Analysis. Above right is photo of David Phillips, co-founder of the Titleist Performance Institute, demonstrating one of the most common swing faults—S-Posture, the number one cause of lower back pain in golf, which may lead to a reverse spine angle in the back swing and reverse pivot in the follow through. Both of these swing faults can and eventually do result in lower back problems as well. Both Freddy Couples and Colin Montgomery’s battles with back pain are well documented. And guess what “Faults” they both have in common? S-Posture and Reverse Spine Angle!

S-posture Neutral

S-Posture is described on the Titleist Performance Institute website as “a swing fault that can be caused by the player creating too much arch in their lower back by sticking their tail bone out to much in the setup position. This excessive curvature in the lower back or S-posture puts abnormally high stress on the muscles in the lower back and causes the abdominal muscles to relax. This deactivation of the core muscles can cause a loss of posture or reverse spine angle during the backswing. This in turn puts the lower body out of position on the downswing and will affect the sequence of motion in the golf swing.”

Here are some Physical Causes of S-Posture:

• Lower Crossed Syndrome – tightness in the hip flexors and lower back and weakness in the abdominals and glutes, which happens to be a very dangerous combination of muscle imbalances due to the excessive stress that it places on the structures of the lower back.

• Student does not understand how to bend form the hips to setup to the golf ball.

• Student has been told to stick their butt out to create more room for their arms on the downswing.

• Lack of Abdominal strength or relaxing the abdominal musculature.

• Too much flex in the knees with the torso too upright.

Here are a few things you can do at home to help correct
S-Posture and hopefully keep you out on the golf course instead of visiting the doctor. As always, these exercises are meant for golf performance enhancement, if you are experiencing pain prior to, after or while exercising, seek the advice of a medical professional.

1. Hip Flexor Stretch

Start in a lunge position with your right foot back and your left foot forward on a step. Take both hands and place them on your right hip. Keeping your spine neutral and using your hands to prevent any rotation of the pelvis, slowly lunge forward until you feel a big stretch in the hip flexors. Try to stay tall throughout the exercise.

2. Dead Bugs Criss Cross

Lying flat on your back with your knees bent and your arms extended straight out in front of you, get into a neutral pelvic posture. Brace your abs to keep your core stable throughout this exercise. Slowly, lower your right arm down behind you and slide your left leg down to the ground at the same time. Make sure your pelvis stays in a neutral brace and return to the starting position. Repeat on the other side.

3. Torso Backswing in Neutral Pelvis

Get in a good 5-iron golf posture with your arms crossed over your shoulders. Start by finding a neutral pelvis; tilt your pelvis forward and backwards until you find the middle position and lock it in with your abs. Now, take a full backswing keeping your shoulder plane from flattening out at the top. From here, return to the setup position, once again with that neutral pelvis.

4. Swiss Ball Plank

This is an advanced exercise for those of you who have already been doing the Plank exercise on the floor. Begin drill by placing elbows directly on top of the ball, with your shoulders directly over top of the elbows. Next, fully extend legs behind you, onto the tips of your toes. In a slow and controlled manner, begin to extend the elbows forward on the ball approximately 4-6 inches, maintaining the stability of the shoulder blades. Then pull the elbows back towards you 4-6 inches. Avoid extreme positions in both the pushing and pulling phase of this drill. Keeping the elbow range of motion in a limited fashion, you will be able to maintain control as well as prevent injury and discomfort. Drill should be performed with the lower body being very quiet and not moving. The elbows will be the only portion of the body that moves.

Creating body awareness, or being able to get into position without the aid of a mirror – feeling where your body is, should be the initial goal. We strongly recommend the use of a trainer, or at a minimum – a mirror, to facilitate this process. If you have a back problem and are unsure what in your life and/or your Golf Swing may be causing it, send us an email or give us a call! We Can Help You! As Titleist Performance Institute (TPI) Certified Golf Fitness Instructors, the Elite Golf and Fitness Staff is trained to implement the protocols that the PGA Touring Professionals use to identify their strengths and weaknesses to design and create their individual golf performance training programs.

In order to achieve maximum success, we would encourage you to go through our Complete assessment process – the Eagle, including a 2D and 3D video swing analysis, exclusive to the TPI and the Elite Golf and Fitness Process.

Junior Golf Fitness II

Sean Randall

In last months article on Junior Golf Fitness we discussed how to start young golfers in a fitness program. We explored coordination drills that teach kids how to move by skipping, jumping and throwing, all of which are crucial to developing athleticism. But what else can we do to develop these young athletes?  

Dr. Greg Rose, Co-Founder of the Titleist Performance institute uses the analogy of “building a house” to help explain how to develop a junior athlete. 

The “Clearing and Excavating” or first phase of the building process would be considered the development of the nervous system, motor skills and coordination.  

The second step is building the Foundation. The foundation of a championship golf swing starts with the musculoskeletal system. For the body to work together, or be coordinated, it must have proper mobility and stability. Mobility is defined by Dr. Rose as the combination of joint range of motion and muscular flexibility. As juniors grow, their muscles lengthen and joint restriction and muscular tightness can develop. It is important to include Dynamic flexibility and joint training through a full range of motion. Stability can be enhanced through the combination of balance, strength, and muscular endurance training. Body weight exercises – such as Swiss Ball Push-ups, Walking Lunges, and Windmills – are superior in developing mobility and stability. 

  Step Three, or building the Walls, is probably the most important stage of developing any athlete. It is the functional stage of training. The stages in which we discover how fast can our junior athlete run, how high and far can they jump, how far can they throw and how fast can they swing the golf club. These all relate to explosive power. You can incorporate many activities to increase power, such as throwing medicine balls, sprinting, and vertical jumping. These can be done with very little or no weight and will all help to increase explosiveness in your junior athlete.  

The last Step in our building process is the Roof. Now that your junior golfer has developed coordination, mobility, stability, and power, the focus should turn to the development of a coordinated skill. Fine motor control skills and golf swing motions should now become a part of the training program. Example exercises are weight shift drills, torso turns, lightweight club swings and ball striking.

All ages and levels of golfers may follow these steps. The only difference is that golfers at different ages will be at different stages of building the house, but the one thing that will not change for any age group is keeping it FUN! All workout programs and exercises should be designed to keep the FUN in hard work. 

Swiss Ball Push Ups 

Start by rolling out face down on a Swiss ball, until the ball is under your thighs. Keeping your core stable, with a neutral pelvic posture, start to perform push-ups. To make this harder, try walking out farther on the ball. 

Windmills 

Standing tall with your feet shoulder width apart and your arms out to your sides, begin to rotate your arms and trunk back and forth. Keep your arms elevated and let your whole body rotate. After a short warm up, try to stabilize your lower body and bend from the waist like a good golf posture. Continue to just rotate your upper body around your lower body like a windmill. 

Split Stance Rotational Medicine Ball Throw 

Standing next to a wall, get into a split (lunge) stance with your body facing parallel to the wall. From here, get into a good golf posture and begin to throw the ball against the wall. Make sure you maintain your spine angle and try to rotate your shoulders back and forth. Repeat for the appropriate number of sets and reps. 

Light Weight Club Swings 

Swing Light Weight Golf Club (we like the Tour Tempo SpeedBall Trainer by John Novosel Sr., see www.elitegolfnfitness.com for more information on our partnership with Tour Tempo and our Performance, Tempo and Power Clinics), trying to generate as much clubhead speed as possible, while paying attention to proper biomechanics. 

Junior Golf Fitness

Janine Young

School is Out for Summer! I can remember the walk home on the last day of school like it was yesterday. Papers flying throughout the air, no longer needed or wanted, the excitement of all the “free” time on my hands. Anticipating the fun I would be having with my friends all summer long — the marathon Wiffle ball games in our backyard, street hockey in the middle of the street, running away as fast as I could from my brother and his friends, swimming and holding on (for dear life) to the humongous Tire Tube Mr. Paigler would use to make 15-foot waves in their above-ground pool. Now that takes some serious core strength and balance.
Like today, our moms and dads did not get much rest between chauffeuring us to tennis, golf, soccer, hockey and baseball practices and games, but when we were not at all those organized activities, we were training our athleticism without even knowing it, and it was fun! And on rainy days we even had breakout, Pinball and Pong for our eye-hand coordination?! I must admit the WII is superior in technology, but we did not spend all day inside playing back then! Those were the DAYS!
But aren’t we in the Tiger Woods era? Shouldn’t we be starting our kids in golf-specific training, sending them down to David Leadbetter for the year if we want them to be the next Tiger, Annika, or even get a college golf scholarship?

The answer is a definite no!

Sean Randall, Elite Golf and Fitness’ junior golf training specialist, is fresh from his trip to the Titleist Performance Institute and his Level 2 Golf Fitness Professional Certification. During his training he was immersed in cutting-edge research and programming for junior golfers and athletes. Sean reports all the research points away from specialization and toward training athleticism!
There are a multitude of reasons why we should encourage our youth to play a variety of sports. Brian Grasso, the founder and CEO of the International Youth Conditioning Association, and regarded as one of the world’s foremost experts on athletic development training, explains that allowing children to develop a variety of motor skills and coordination through movement stimulus (www.mytpi.com) will ensure future athletic success and help to prevent injury. The difficulty and specificity of drills (FUNdamentals) prescribed should be a function of the child’s age and ability. Coordination drills are best introduced to the pre-adolescent athlete, as speed, strength, height and body mass change appreciably during adolescence. It is far better to emphasize already known movements rather than teach new ones.

According to Al Vermeil, TPI Advisory Board member, better known as strength and conditioning coach to the World Champion Chicago Bulls (and to us in KC, Dick’s brother) there is a window of opportunity to develop skill, strength and explosive power between the ages of 7 and 17. This is the age at which the most significant changes are made in physical and skill development. If this window of opportunity is mismanaged or missed it can limit optimum performance and long-term results for the athlete. Specialization at too early a stage can limit development as a result of overuse injuries, burnout and incomplete motor skill patterning.
At Elite Golf and Fitness we believe in the principles of making training fun for kids, diversified in activity, coordination and skill, developing athleticism prior to specialization and incorporating this into the development of our programs.

Following are a few great activities to include in your child’s summer “training.”

Soccer Ball Overhead Throw – helps to develop posture, balance, thoracic extension and explosive upper body and core power. Holding a soccer ball (do not use a weighted ball for junior training), stand with your feet hip-width apart, lift the ball over and behind your head with both arms extending through the spine. Throw/release the ball forward with both arms as far as you can. Chase ball down and repeat 10 to 15 times.
Football Throw – helps to develop balance, posture, weight shift, rotation and throwing skills. With left foot forward in a staggered stance, grip football with fingers of the right hand resting on the laces, set right arm back and extend forward, shifting body weight forward as the ball is released.

Tee Ball/Tennis Ball swing – helps to develop
balance, posture, weight shift, wrist release (tennis), eye-hand coordination and swinging skills. With feet shoulder-width apart and the bat/racquet set away from the target, shift your weight toward
the target and make a full forward swing around
a stable posted left side (right-handed swing). Try
to maintain a good stable core throughout the
exercise.

Jump Turn, Jump Shoot – helps to develop
balance, weight shift, explosive lower body power, hand-eye coordination, oblique and core strength and mobility. Start by facing sideways to the basket, jump and rotate to the left (also work the right) when you turn completely around try and shoot the ball into the basket.

If you are interested in our NEW Junior Sport
Fitness Training Classes or Golf Training programs please contact Sean at 913.636.0896. Or check us out at www.elitegolfnfitness.com.

Pre-Game Warm Ups

Janine Young

With the completion of the 2008 Masters, I am proud to announce the Official Start of the Golf Season in Kansas City. Now that we have gotten through the worst winter in the recent past, the Final Four and the Masters, all our concentration can be turned to GOLF, and not just watching it indoors. Maybe our weather will cooperate and we can actually get outdoors and PLAY!

The importance of a pre-game warm-up routine cannot be overemphasized, particularly if you have not been so diligent about your golf training in the off-season, and if the temperatures stay on the chilly side as you head to the first tee this time of year.

Muscles that are cold have the “snap” that a cold rubber band would have if you tried to fire one as far as you could . . . it will not travel nearly as far when it is cold as it will if you heat it by rubbing it between your hands. Our muscles work the same way. If we can heat or warm them up, we will be able to move better, prevent injury and have more fire power.

There is, however, a HUGE difference between warming up and improving range of motion or flexibility. Warming up before your round of golf is good, but training to improve one’s flexibility isn’t something to tackle on the first tee. It should be done with very individual, specific exercises during your daily training program, writes Michael Boyle in his “Functional Training for Sports.”

Here are some warm-up guidelines before you play.

DO NOT swing heavy clubs or multiple clubs. Studies done with professional baseball players found that increasing the weight of the ball in throwing or the bat in swinging more than 20 percent will change the muscle pattern and increase risk of injury, according to Dr. Coop DeRenne, Sport Science, University of Hawaii. This will also condition your body to react slower. If you have an average swing speed of 100 mph, after swinging the weighted device you will swing a bit slower. This is probably not the result you desire from your golf warm-up.

DO NOT bounce or hold any stretch for more than a few seconds. Doing so will, in fact, decrease the body’s ability to respond, and therefore “fire,” for a short period of time following this activity.

Dynamic stretching is a far better technique for warming up.

This type of stretching uses controlled speed of movement, momentum and active muscular effort to bring about a stretch. More recent scientific studies seem to suggest that dynamic stretches before competition are preferred to static stretches. This may be particularly true for sports requiring power, such as golf.

Here are a few dynamic stretching exercises to help get you ready for the first tee:

Walking Knee to Chest. This drill will help you find a better spinal position by increasing more range of motion in the pelvis. Start the drill by taking a small step forward with your left foot. While doing so, raise your right knee toward the chest and take hold of that knee with both hands. Gently bring that knee towards your rib cage while maintaining balance on your left foot. Hold for a count of three seconds, trying to maintain the knee as close to the rib cage as possible. Repeat the procedure with the other knee in the same controlled fashion.

Arm Circles. This is a great warm up exercise for the shoulders and it helps develop better stability in the rotator cuffs. Standing tall with your arms extended out to your sides (but not behind you), start making small circles forward with your thumbs pointing up. Perform five small circles forward and five backward. Next, switch your hands to palms facing down and repeat the same circles.  Then, switch your hands to thumbs pointing down and do the same circles again.  Finally, repeat all three positions and circles again, but this time increase the size of the circles. This is one cycle. You can perform up to three cycles!

Step Overs. This exercise improves overall hip flexibility and lengthens the hamstrings. Step forward with your left leg and lift your right leg off the ground. Now slowly hinge forward from your left hip, trying to keep your spine and right hip stable and straight. Go down as far as comfortable and then return to the standing position. Repeat on other side.

Figure 4 Walk. A great exercise to open up your hip joints and increase flexibility in your hips. Standing on your right leg, grab your left ankle and try to lift your foot up to your waist. Give a little pull up and return your left foot down to the ground. Repeat on the other side. This may be modified by supporting yourself against a wall to help with balance.

Helicopter Lunges. This exercise helps create a better separation of the torso and the lower body and improves overall balance. Holding your arms out by your side with elbows locked, step into a good lunge (front knee 90-degree angle over the front ankle and torso upright). From here, rotate your upper body back and forth for 15 seconds, keeping your head facing forward. Make sure your weight stays centered over your front foot; don’t let your weight shift to the outside of your foot. Step into the next lunge and repeat on the other side.

Make sure to warm up prior to any golf related activity, even practicing your putting. It is not uncommon to hear stories about how Joe Golfer’s back went out on the first hole when he bent over to pick up his ball from the cup or, worse yet, when he bent over to get his clubs out of the car. Preparing your body for the game will not only keep you healthy on the links – but it will most definitely improve your game.

Preparing for a New Season

Janine Young

Well it’s almost here . . . golf season in Kansas City. After what seems to have been the longest winter ever, everyone is anxious to get back out on the golf course. You might be ready, but is your body? How did your off-season golf training go?

Lucky for you, it is not too late to make some great progress before the golf season is back in full swing.
Whether you have been working out or not, pre-season golf training should either transition your training program from high intensity strength and agility training to starting and incorporating golf specific movement, mobility and endurance training. We identify this type of golf specific training as positional training. The basics for this type of training are:

1. Position—Learn how to establish proper positioning of the body first before any other type of training
2. Movement—After you learn proper positioning then we move into the specific movement that we are training for
3. Resistance—Add resistance to your movement and proper positioning
4. Speed—Add speed to all of the above

If we are to add golf specific training to any program we have to be sure that we can do so with good form.

Here are a few things to work on to encourage a solid foundation from which to develop a strong golf training program and help to get you ready for the upcoming golf season.

Cats and Dogs

Cats and Dogs is the best exercise to increase your range of motion for your spine. This will allow you to get into a better set up position and help prevent spine problems in the golf swing.

Start in the quadruped position (all fours) with your thighs and arms perpendicular to the floor. Without bending your elbows, lift your head and try to lower your spine as far as possible, creating the dog position. Now, lower your head and lift your spine as far as possible, creating the cat position. Repeat this back and forth for the prescribed amount of time.

Gentle Ab rolls

This exercise helps build flexibility between the upper and lower body, creating the all important separation, or X-factor.
Start by lying flat on your back with your knees bent to 90 degrees and your calves and feet resting on a Swiss Ball. Hold your arms out to your sides for good support and slowly rotate the ball to one side. Go as far as you can without losing contact with the ground under your shoulder blades and hands. Repeat to the other side.

X Walks

This exercise helps strengthen your glute medius and stabilizes your hips. It’s also good for preventing swaying and sliding.
Grab your FMT and separate the handles to get as much exposed tubing as possible. Step on the tubing with both feet and criss-cross the handles. Now, pull your shoulder blades back and stand tall. From here, try to make big side steps in each direction.

T’s, Y’s, L’s and W’s

This exercise strengthens all the muscles between your shoulder blades and helps improve shoulder stability in the golf swing.
Lie face down on a Swiss Ball with your legs spread apart for support and your lower rib cage on top of the ball. With your thumbs pointed to the ceiling and your arms extended, lift your arms up and down, squeezing your shoulder blades together as you lift. This is called the T. Next, lift your arms up and down in front of you, trying to make the letter Y. Then, with your elbows bent to 90 degrees, lift your elbows to the sky and then externally rotate your arms at the top to make the L. Make sure you squeeze your shoulder blades together throughout all these movements. Finally, start with your arms out in front and lift and externally rotate your arms into the W position. 

Horizontal Chops Wide Base

This exercise helps build better stability in your lower body, while developing more flexibility between your upper and lower body.
Attach one end of your FMT to the middle hinge of a door and sit on top of a Swiss Ball, holding the free handle of the FMT with both hands. Widen your base of support by spreading your feet apart past your hips and then try to rotate your trunk and arms back and forth, holding the FMT for resistance. The Swiss Ball is going to force you to stabilize your lower body as you perform this exercise. Repeat in both directions.

As Titleist Performance Institute (TPI) Certified Golf Fitness Instructors, the Elite Golf and Fitness Staff is trained to implement the protocols that the PGA Touring Professionals use to identify their strengths and weaknesses to design and create their individual golf performance training programs.

In order to achieve maximum success, we would encourage you to go through our Complete assessment process – the Eagle, including a 2D and 3D video swing analysis, exclusive to the TPI and the Elite Golf and Fitness Process.

Have any questions? Please give us a call at 913.226.7092 or send us a email at contactus@elitegolfnfitness.com.
We look forward to helping you achieve all your Golf Fitness Goals!
913-226-7092 
 www.elitegolfnfitness.com
6950 West 105th Street, Overland Park