Here’s some “core” exercises for lady golfers – and us guys too – from the GolfGurls’ exercise series.

As always, go to www.GolfGurls.com for more tips!

Duration : 0:3:45

THE BEST WOMEN’S GOLF INSTRUCTION ANYWHERE!

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An area that’s becoming of greater interest to women in golf centers around golf fitness training, and what it can do for a good golf swing. What are good golf flexibility exercises, and how can golf fitness exercises help you drive the golf ball farther? These and other questions are arising in relation to golf fitness and the woman golfer.

It’s well known on the LPGA tour that a number of players are utilizing golf fitness programs to improve their golf game. Annika Sorrenstam has publicly emphasized the benefits she’s seen in her golf game from golf fitness training. One area that always appears to be a concern for the woman golfer is distance, and Sorrenstam does hit the ball a long way. A simple connection can be drawn between increased driving distance and golf fitness exercises. Ok, how do these factors relate to each other?

First off, driving distance is dependent upon club head speed. The faster the club head is traveling at impact with the golf ball, the farther it will travel – an easily understood concept. Club head speed in the golf swing depends mostly on two things.

Number one is golf swing mechanics. The mechanics of the golf swing in and of themselves create club head speed. It centers around physics and the coiling/uncoiling of the body during the golf swing. The more efficiently she performs the mechanics of the golf swing, the greater amount of energy she’ll develop and transfer into the golf ball, improving driving distance as a result.

The second component of increasing club head speed is movement of the body. This is what’s generating power for the golf swing. Power is the ability of the body to generate the greatest amount of force in a short amount of time. Increase the ability of the body to generate more power within the mechanics of the golf swing, and an increase in club head speed can occur.

This is where the implementation of golf fitness exercises can be a benefit. Power-building golf fitness exercises increase the ability of your core muscles to develop more force within the golf swing.

Golf fitness exercises develop the body around the golf swing, more so that than ordinary fitness training. Golf fitness exercises develop the required flexibility, balance, strength, endurance, and power within the body for the golf swing. This allows the body to execute the mechanics of the golf swing correctly, hopefully through a full 18 holes.

This is accomplished with golf fitness exercises training the body in the positions, movements, and physical requirements of the golf swing, not just producing generic “better, stronger, faster” results. Improving the capacities of flexibility, balance, strength, endurance, and power can improve the ability of the body – particularly a lighter body – to perform the golf swing efficiently and increase distance.

To summarize, increasing distance is contingent upon increasing club head speed, which depends on golf swing mechanics and the body’s ability to generate power. This can be improved through golf fitness exercises. These exercises differ from normal gym-based exercises in that they develop the body around the swing. This allows for the proper levels of flexibility, balance, strength, endurance, and power to be developed within the golf swing. And that is why these exercises are so beneficial to female golfers!

Sean Cochran

http://www.articlesbase.com/business-articles/develop-the-correct-golf-swing-for-women-with-golf-fitness-training-26779.html”>

THE BEST WOMEN’S GOLF INSTRUCTION ANYWHERE!

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Many golfers, however, seem to remain skeptical. Some might have visions of gyms full of big, intimidating guys they’d rather not train with. Some simply don’t know where to start, or whether all the effort they’d put in would be worth it. It hasn’t helped that several myths have existed for years about the alleged downsides of physical conditioning or strength training, and the impact these might have on the smooth, easy swing most golfers desire. Let’s take a look at 3 of these myths, and the reality hiding behind them as well.

1. If I lift weights, I’ll get too ‘bulky’ and ruin my swing

An exercise program specific to golf and golfers will not hinder your swing mechanics, it will enhance them! There are sport-specific programs for virtually any sport you can think of; the one thing they have in common is their purpose. That is, to strengthen and condition the muscles and muscle groups most used in that game. Makes sense, right?

A typical golf conditioning program will use moderate weight, with medium (12-15) repetitions, it will be relatively brief and it won’t include the massive caloric intake required to build mass. At least, it shouldn’t! Of course, some exercises won’t involve weights at all, they’ll just be…well, exercises. This type of program is designed to improve your strength and endurance while golfing, nothing more. You might burn some calories and end up looking better in a t-shirt, but you will not be building ‘bulky’ muscle.

2. I’d be sacrificing flexibility for strength if I lift weights

In fact, the opposite is true! Untrained muscles are also tight muscles. Through resistance training you’ll increase blood flow, work your limbs through a range of motion that imitates those you’ll use in your golf game, and strengthen your joints’ tendons and ligaments. In conjunction with a stretching program, strength training will improve flexibility, not hinder it.

3. Weight training will cause me to lose the feel in my golf game

Wrong again! By strengthening the muscles specific to playing golf, you will have better control of your body’s motions. A sport-specific program trains your body for better physical performance in your golf game, as mentioned earlier. When you improve functional strength, you have more control and balance, which will improve your feel. Strength training improves body awareness, muscular control, and coordination. These are all key elements for the smooth, flowing golf swing you’re after.

Golf conditioning programs can be incorporated into your training whether you’re in your teens or your 80’s. It is never too late to start. Search out a fitness professional or golf conditioning specialist to design a golf specific program and you will play better than you ever imagined! Start now on your golf conditioning program!

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Treatment must be aimed at the individual, rather than the back problem itself. It is crucial for the clinician to examine the person and their ability to function, and not just focus on the traditional clinical tests of impairments such as range of motion and strength tests.

Strengthening, stretching and mobility exercises have been shown to be an effective treatment for patients with low back injury, and may have preventative benefits as well. Multiple studies have examined the benefits of exercise in treating patients with low back pain; however, there have been very few published reports describing specific program designs related to golfers. Golf injuries to the low back are the most common problems in both the professional and amateur player…

It’s poor technique and the repetition of hitting balls that usually leads to an injury. Combine that with the typical sedentary lifestyle (in which people drive to/from work in a seated position and work in a seated position for most of the day) and you begin to understand why there is such a high incidence of back pain among golfers.

Back injury results from stress placed on the spine, usually when the body does not perform the correct sequence during the golf swing. Here is an astonishing fact: Eight times your body weight is forced through your spine as you make contact with the ball. So if you have poor mechanics combined with a weak back you are more likely to cause yourself a significant amount of injury.

To avoid back pain, I recommend you start by visiting a health professional for a golf-specific training and exercise program. A well-trained health professional is able to identify skeletal and muscle imbalances and give you correct golf specific exercises to improve your posture and overall conditioning specific for golf. Correct posture and muscle balance will enable you to get into the proper positions required to swing the golf club smoothly and effectively.

The golf swing is considered a very unnatural movement for most people, especially for people with a sedentary lifestyle. As with most sports, golf is a sport that requires a lot of rotary movement. When we sit for most of the day, certain muscles get used to that position and become “tight”, while other muscles do get “stretched out”. This leads to significant muscle imbalances that then put unnecessary stress on the back. In all likelihood, their ‘golf muscles’ have weakened due to sitting for long periods.

Effectively, the muscles that absorb force and reduce load in a golf swing (that is, the lower and deep abdominals) are relatively weak and aren’t able to work together. And if your hips and shoulders are tight, there is a greater chance of moving incorrectly.

The golfer’s checklist to ensure a healthy back:

1. Visit a physical therapist or chiropractor well versed with golfers for a golf-specific physical assessment and conditioning program.

2. Take a lesson from a PGA professional about basic fundamentals and how the body should move during the golf swing. Hopefully the PGA instructor uses video to analyze your swing.

3. Practice golf specific drills that teach the correct movements in your swing, which will decrease the chances of injuring your back.

4. Ensure your clubs are fitted properly for you, e.g. are your clubs too short or long? Are the shafts too flexible or stiff?

5. Make sure you do a golf-specific warm-up routine prior to hitting balls or playing golf.

Following this advice, and maintaining a good level of activity and movement away from the course, should minimize your lower back problems. Don’t forget that your lower back is greatly impacted by added pounds around the midsection, as that gut pulls the lower back forward and out of balance with the rest of the body. If this is something you need to change, do it!!! Your back will thank you.

Dr. Robert V. Duvall

http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/play-better-golf-when-you-have-a-better-back-98260.html

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