Improve Your Performance with Golf Fitness

KarenGolf Fitness, Misc

Golf is a highly skilled activity. Most golfers are not physically capable of performing the required movements involved in a mechanically correct golf swing. Often, these limitations lead to unnecessary stress to various joints and muscles, especially in the lower back, which can cause common golf related injuries.

In order to best determine how to reach your fitness goals, you first need to figure out where you are, physically. A fitness evaluation is your first step in building a golf fitness program. Identifying and correcting your physical limitations should be a focal point in your golf-specific fitness program.

A basic golf specific screen simply gives you key information about your physical condition. In order for you and your fitness professional to design a golf-specific exercise program, it is important to have a plan. With a golf-specific fitness screen, you will be able to determine any physical limitations that may be affecting your performance on the golf course.

Over the next few months, we will be presenting basic golf-fitness tests to help you identify your specific strengths and weaknesses that will help you in determining what specific exercises you should be performing.

The basic golf-specific screen will examine the areas involved with the golf swing such as balance, flexibility and strength in the lower body, rotational capacity and strength in the torso and shoulders and strength and flexibility in the upper body including forearms and wrists.

(Note: This basic golf specific screen is designed for any golfer who is currently trying to determine their level of golf fitness or is planning on starting a golf-specific training program. If you are currently injured or have any medical problems, consult your physician before attempting this screen and or any exercise program. This screen is in no way meant to diagnose medical conditions, but to assess physical limitations and establish baseline measurements in order to establish a functional golf conditioning program for people who have received medical clearance from their physicians. Consult either a golf fitness professional or teaching professional certified in golf fitness for a complete evaluation. )

Overhead Deep Squat to Test Lower Body Strength and Stability

(This test will help you measure the overall mobility in your legs, ankles, shoulders and spine. If you are unable to perform this test, it is likely that you will not able to maintain your spine angle throughout your downswing. The natural tendency is to thrust your hips toward the ball at the start of the downswing, thus pulling yourself up and out of the shot causing an array of errant shots and loss of power. Low results in the overhead deep squat test may be related to C and S-postures and lack or rotation.)

How to Perform Test

Standing in your golf address position, raise your arms above your head while holding a golf club.

Perform a squat as you attempt to maintain your original spine angle.

Keep your arms raised over you head. Keep your knees aligned over your feet and heels planted on the ground.

Maintain your balance.

Performance: Step 1

Stand with feet shoulder width apart holding a golf club

 

Performance: Step 2

Raise your arms so that the club is over your head

 

Performance: Step 3

Perform a squat as you attempt to maintain your original spine angle. Keep your arms raised over you head. Keep your knees aligned over your feet and heels planted on the ground.

 

Performance: Step 4

You have failed this test if  your heels raise up off the ground, your feet rotate out as you squat, you cannot bend your hips past your knees, you lose your spine angle or you lose your balance.

Scoring Your Results

1-point-If the club you are holding up above your head falls forward at any time. If your heels raise up off the ground, your feet rotate out as you squat, you cannot bend your hips past your knees, you lose your spine angle or you lose your balance.

2-points-If you can maintain the club above your head as you squat down and stand back up again. If your heels stay on the ground, but your knees do not stay over your feet or you cannot squat down so that your hips are lower than your knees.

3-points-If you can maintain the club above your head as you squat down and stand back up again. If you can keep your heels down while you squat down so that your hips are lower than your knees and you are able keep your knees aligned over your feet.

If you scored less than 2 points, consider improving your upper and lower body strength and stability.

To see the original post, visit http://www.golffitness-magazine.com/public/newsletters/2011/05/performance.html

To order Cardiogolf visit www.cardiogolf.com.

 

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