Trunk Strength and Stabilization
Part III of IV
Posted: Tuesday September 01, 1998 07:50 PM
By Alison Thietje, Total Approach Golf
Benefits from this series:
*Increase ability to maintain spine angle during swing
*Improve power, accuracy and consistency in your swing
*Prevent back pain
*Decrease back pain during and after play
NOTE: The health and fitness information contained on this site in these work-outs is not intended to be a substitute for medical advice. Consult your physician before starting this or any other fitness program.
Trunk strength plays an important role in maintaining normal arc of motion and an injury free back, as well as a key to enjoying a competitive game. Trunk stability allows the extremes of range as well as the synchrony of timing in muscle firing as the trunk travels through the arc and the club meets the ball.
The strength of the abdominal oblique muscles are key in creating a solid golf swing. The oblique muscles are what you would think of as your waist. These muscles are both active during the coiling or loading of the body during the backswing and through out acceleration, early follow-through and late follow through.
Their main function is for flexion and rotation during the golf swing.
When playing an 18-hole round of golf, an average recreational golfer may go through the coiling and uncoiling process 50 to 65 times. If the muscles are unconditioned, they will become fatigued, predisposing players to compensatory muscles firing as they "muscle" the club.
Fatigued muscles are slower and take longer to accommodate to changes in load on the body during the coiling/uncoiling of the golf swing. Thus, strengthening the oblique muscles will no doubt help you to swing better with more control, more power, and less fatigue which can give you more consistency in your game.
The following exercises will help strengthen the oblique muscles.
Be sure to stabilize your trunk in neutral position during these exercises. Stabilization is shown in Part 1 and Part 2 of this "Trunk Strengthening Series."
Exercise One
Lie face up with one foot on a chair and the opposite foot crossed over the knee. Place both hands behind you head. Begin by curling up slowly, one vertebra at a time reaching the opposite elbow to opposite knee, pause, and then return to start position. Exhale as you raise up, inhale as you lower back to start position. Perform exercise on both sides. Begin with 10 reps and build to 25 reps.
Exercise Two
For beginning position, see above exercise one. Begin by curling up and side bending, reaching the same side elbow toward the propped knee, pause, then return to starting position. This move is similar to a standing side bend with the exception of lying down. Exhale on the up and inhale as you lower back to start position. Begin with 10 reps building to 25 reps.
Exercise Three
Lie face up, knees bent, and feet flat to the floor. Rotate trunk, allowing your legs to fall to one side while keeping shoulders on the floor. Begin by curling up, one vertebra at time until your shoulder blades clear the floor, pause, and return to starting position. Exhale as you rise up and inhale as you return to start position.
Editor's Note: Alison Thietje is the owner and developer of Total Approach Golf systems. She has been in the health and fitness industry for 14 years and a Certified Exercise Specialist for more than 10 years. She is personal trainer to, among others, PGA Tour players Tom Watson, Justin Leonard and Brad Faxon. Her column appears weekly on CNNSI.com
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