Your Power Plant-How to Hit a Mile
By Robert Mottram, PT, ATC
The
primary muscles that one stretches when they coil into the back swing are the
powerful and highly coordinated abdominal rotators. These muscles are located
on the sides of your waist area but wrap almost from the front to the back. At
the top of the back swing the right external oblique (1)
and, left internal oblique (2) muscle groups are lengthened and continue to be
stretched with the X-Factor Stretch. On the forward swing they
quickly contract where they produce upper body speed and power by rapidly
rotating the trunk (shoulders) to catch the pelvis (hips) at impact.
The "Wood Chop" Exercise by Paul Chek. This
great strengthening and active stretching exercise requires the use of a high pulley
system or an elastic band or cord. This exercise will not only increase the
ability of the muscles to move faster and stretch farther but also train the
brain to learn to generate the golf move from the ground on up.
With your feet slightly wider than shoulder width and standing to the
side of the pulley system, grab a hold of the cable handle with the left hand
first followed with right hand on top. Bend knees and hips slightly like being
in a proper top of the back swing position. Initiate the rotation by drawing in
your navel toward your spine first. Think of rotating from the hips initially,
then the trunk and followed by the shoulders and last the arms. Pull the handle
downward to outside your left thigh.
If
done properly, you’ll feel an increase stretch along the left side – waist,
back and shoulder – indicating all the slack taken out of the muscle tissue.
Add a slight weight shift as you make this move too. You want to teach the brain to recruit the muscles and movement pattern in that order. Otherwise, if you pull with the arms first you will invert the order of movement, which is inefficient and may lead to injury. The quality of this exercise is what you want to carry over to the golf swing.
Click Here for more Golf Fitness Articles
Rob Mottram, a registered physical therapist
and certified athletic trainer, worked for 11 years as a rehab and fitness
specialist for the PGA TOUR, Senior PGA TOUR and the LPGA (1987-89). He
traveled with the TOUR players and the original
Recognized as a specialist in designing golf exercise programs for golf,
at the professional and amateur level, Rob is also educated in biomechanical
computer and electromagnetic motion analysis of the golf swing. He is a
certified (Paul) CHEK Golf Biomechanic and a Certified Golf Fitness
Instructor (CGFI) from Advantage Golf, specializing in biomechanical analysis
and performance training for golf.
For More Info, check out the Golf Health and Performance Center website at www.golfpt.com
The articles at GolfFitnessProducts.net are for informational purposes only and are not intended to substitute for direct examination and exercise prescription by the appropriate health professional. It is strongly recommended that you do not perform any exercise program without the consent of your personal physician.
