Golf Ready: Part 1
Roll Out: 3 Tips to Stay Mobile, Healthy, and Feeling Your Best on The Course
Some clients are play summer racquet sports, some clients are weekend warriors and other are Golfers. Golf provides a great way to get outside, move, and enjoy time with friends. Whether you’re an avid golfer or just get out and whack the ball every now and then, here’s a few tips to get the most out of your play.
The best way to know what needs working on is to get assessed by a professional to find out where you are tight, hyper-mobile, or weak. That way you can surgically go after areas that are limiting your body from performing at its best. Most golfers have a few issues that should be addressed simply due to the mechanics of the sport. Today we’re going to talk about soft tissue and their durability.
When tissues get over-stressed, they can get chronically tight, lead to imbalances, and even tendonitis’s. Here’s 3 tips to stay mobile, healthy, and feeling your best on the course.
TFL (Tensor Fascia Latae)
This pesky muscle helps stabilize the hip during the swing. So, for most of us right handers, you’re left TFL will tend to get tight. To mobilize, place a lacrosse ball on the “top of your pocket.” You can roll up and down on it in tiny oscillations, or contract-relax on it, meaning your squeeze the muscle for about 5 seconds, then try to let the muscle relax into the ball for about 20 seconds. Using these strategies aim to “loosen up” the TFL for 2 minutes on each side.
Adductors (Inner Thigh)
Your hip adductor or groin muscles run from the medial side of the knee right up to the hip. These muscle aid in hip extension and help to stabilize as you rotate through your swing. To tackle this area, try placing a roller perpendicular to your thigh, lean into it, and flex and extend your leg about 15 times or until you feel the muscle start to release. Hit about 3-4 spots working up your thigh. When these muscles get tight, it can lead to lower back pain and discomfort.
T-Spine (Upper Spine)
Position is power. One of the ways to produce power and keep better shot consistency with your club face on impact, is to work on your spinal position. Most golfers tend to flex their spine on impact, leading to a variable club face position. To improve your position of address and through impact, you need to work on your thoracic spine. Grab a peanut, two tennis balls or lacrosse balls taped together, and place them horizontally between your shoulder blades. Press your lower back down the ground and keep it there. With your hands behind your head, lean back, and try to open through your chest. Hold this position for about 3 seconds and then crunch back up to the starting position. Repeat this 15x’s.
Golf is a great game, that can made even better when your body is feeling at its best. Try these 3 tips to stay mobile, healthy, and feeling your best on the course.
NOTE! Even if you’re not a golfer, these mobilizations still are useful. As someone who doesn’t golf, rather rather lifts and runs a few times a week to give our faithful furry friend, Cami, her exercise, I can tell you I get knee pain if I don’t regularly incorporate the TFL and adductor releases. In addition, EVERYONE can benefit from the improved posture of the T-spine release.
Looking for more ways to improve your game? Don’t put this off another day. Performance Institute can help you with your strength, conditioning, and nutrition goals to fast track your results. For a free intro session please contact 604.291.9941 or info@pitraining.ca