Okay,I hope you now understand the importance of a golf-specific fitness program to improve your golf game. But what if the last time you tried a workout program your back started killing you?  Or you injured yourself and could not play golf for 3 weeks! Or what if you can’t kneel because you have a bad knee?

Injury prevention is very, very important. And that includes in the gym as well.

This is just one of the reasons that our Be Golf Fit golf fitness program with our spine and joint friendly exercises is so vital to the health of your golf game.

What does spine and joint friendly really mean?

Well, it is a term created to describe a workout that includes exercises that are gentle on the spine and the joints while building the muscles that support the spine in order to prevent injury, provide more flexibility and improve your golf game – all at the same time.

Many people suffer injuries in the gym that prevent them from doing what they intended in the first place.

How ironic! Imagine, you go to the gym in order to get in shape to be able to do something you love, and end up injured and not being able to participate because you hurt yourself working out. Bummer…

By leveraging the expertise and advice of several physical therapists we created a golf fitness program that avoids exercises that put stress on the back or neck, or ones that are known to cause joint pain, or exercises that can be hard to perform correctly.

Back Pain Alert

It is critical that you do not ignore pain. If you feel sharp pain or increased pain, your body is talking to you, trying to tell you something. Look for an alternative exercise that will work the appropriate muscle pain free. There is almost always another exercise available. I always recommend clients seek the advice of their doctor or physical therapist if they have a known condition that could be aggravated by exercise.

Golf and Your Spine

One of the key components of your golf swing is your spine and the spine angle at address. Your entire golf swing rotates around your spine, if it is tight, out of alignment or sore, it only makes sense that your golf game is going to be impacted dramatically – either in higher scores or in not being able to play at all.

Want to enjoy golf for a lifetime? Then you must keep your spine injury and pain free.

Your spine is an intricate and impressive column of vertebrae, intervertebral discs, nerves, and the spinal cord. The spine, or backbone, is made of 33 individual bony vertebrae. This spinal column provides the main support for your entire body, allowing you to stand upright, bend, and twist, while protecting the spinal cord from injury. A healthy spine provides strength, is flexible, and allows movement in several planes.

The spine is a column of small bones called vertebrae that support the entire upper body. The column is grouped into sections, listed here from top to bottom:

* 7 cervical vertebrae that support the neck
* 12 thoracic vertebrae that connect to the rib cage
* 5 lumbar vertebrae that make up the lower back
* the sacrum, a shield-shaped bony structure that connects with the pelvis
* the coccyx, or “tail bone”, consisting of four, tiny partially-fused vertebrae

Each of the 24 moveable vertebrae in your spine are separated and cushioned by an intervertebral disc. This keeps the vertebrae from rubbing together. Because the lumbar area of the spine supports most of the body’s weight and stress, it is a common location for back pain.

The two main muscle groups that affect the spine are extensors and flexors. The extensor muscles enable us to stand up and lift objects. The extensors are attached to the back of the spine. The flexor muscles are in the front and include the abdominal muscles. These muscles enable us to flex, or bend forward, and are important in lifting and controlling the arch in the lower back.

These back muscles stabilize your spine. Something as common as poor muscle tone or a large belly can pull your entire body out of alignment. Misalignment puts incredible strain on the spine and obviously, on your ability to play golf.

Back pain affects 60-80% of American adults at some time during their lives, and it is estimated that up to 50% have back pain within any given year.

Yikes!

Costs for low back pain and disability exceed an estimated $55 billion annually.

In our comfortable lifestyle, we rarely sit but slouch into comfortable positions on deeply cushioned sofas or our favorite chair. The common element in all these is that they place our spine in a concave curve that eventually weakens the spine.

It turns out that lack of regular exercise is one of the most common causes of back pain.  Research has proven this.  In one study, only 47% of persons suffering from low-back pain exercised regularly, whereas 86% of people without back pain exercised regularly (Cox JM, et al. 1987). A study from Denmark revealed that middle-age people who exercise for at least 3 hrs per week have a reduced risk of low-back pain (Harreby M, et al. 1997).

In a small Swedish study, patients who had had low back pain for 6 weeks or longer were treated with strength training of the abdominal and lumbar areas, or with manual therapy (stretching, traction). Assessments at 3 months and 12 months showed that the patients who participated in strength training improved more than the manual therapy group. In addition, the strength training group required less treatment for recurrent back pain than the manual therapy group (Rassmussen-Barr E, et al. 2003).

A few things to remember when exercising. Keep your spine in good alignment. Do not hyperextend or curl your back. Do not slouch or hang your head or shoulders forward. Keep your feet and knees pointed forward and engage your core by pulling the belly button in towards the spine. I highly recommend you exercise in front of a mirror. Often times you are positioned differently than you feel.

Try these spine and joint friendly exercises for yourself:

Dumbbell Row: This is an exercise that I see many guys do at the gym. They typically set themselves up in a squat position and pull the barbell up. To make it spine and joint friendly. use a single dumbbell and exercise each side separately. For example, if you are going to exercise your left side, first place your right hand and right knee on a bench (your left foot is on the ground). Now, your spine is supported like a table with 3 legs.

Chest Press: Most folks will lie back on the bench with their feet on the floor. One foot on each side.  This tends to hyperextend the back. Instead you want to put one foot up on the bench so that the spine can lay flat on the bench.

Avoid This Exercise:

Dead Lifts: If you are looking for the single exercise with the highest likelihood of producing a back injury, then this is it. Don’t do it!

Want to participate in a golf fitness program specifically designed to strengthen your spine without injury or pain?

Get Be Golf Fit, designed so you can play better golf, more golf, and play golf pain free.

Tagged as: be golf fit, golf exercises, golf fitness, golf workout, spine and joint friendly exercises