Fit for Golf
If you want to improve your golf game, you could spend more time on the fairways and greens, but that’s only part of the solution. Train your body and mind off the course, and you’ll have the tools you need to up your game when you’re standing at the tee.
Golf requires physical and mental strength, control, flexibility, and power. The swing itself is extraordinarily demanding, requiring strength and flexibility from the thighs to the wrists. A strong core is crucial. “Golfers often think they have to strengthen their upper body and legs so they can hit the ball harder, but the most important focus is the musculature around the pelvis,” says Lesly Levy, director of Pilates and Pilates programming at APOGEE. With a strong, flexible center as a base, the spine and limbs can rotate with greater ease, producing a balanced and centered swing. Just as important as strength is the ability of the muscles to work together in a coordinated manner. While certain muscles are contracting, others need to lengthen. Specifically, golfers need flexibility in their spine, ribs, shoulder rotators, inner and outer thighs, forearms and wrists. They will also benefit from strength in the posterior deltoids (back of the shoulder), latissimus dorsi, hips and inner and outer thighs.
Pilates training will help prevent soreness, pain and injury. Lower back pain after 18 holes is most often due to weak abdominal and back muscles, tight hamstrings, chest muscles and deltoids and poor flexibility in the entire torso, says Levy. The swing itself can create physical problems. “Although golfers rotate in both directions to produce the swing, the force of the swing is only in one direction,” says Levy. “Over time, a golfer can develop asymmetrical muscles, creating pain and increasing risk of injury.”
Pilates is designed specifically to promote balanced rotation. Some exercises include the Criss-Cross and Saw on the mat; the Short Box, Snake and Twist on the Reformer; and Twist and Side Pull-Ups on the Wunda Chair. Work on the Barrel is a great way to stretch and open up tight areas. “All of these exercises demand that the body function as a whole unit and work all muscles simultaneously during the movements,” says Levy. Address the ball with these strengths and skills, and you’ll see the results when you swing.
Would you like to know more about fitness for golf? Attend one of our Golf From the Inside Out workshops: Monday, April 26 in Bedford Hills and Wednesday, April 28 in White Plains.
Tags: golf fitness, golf Westchester, golf workout, golf workshop, Lesly Levy
