Mike Wright's Golf Pilates Program

This golf fitness and conditioning program is based on sound stretching and strengthening practices with the goal of meeting the fitness and conditioning needs of today’s golfer. The participant will improve their golf game and general fitness level for every day activities as well.

There are a number of factors to consider when designing a fitness and conditioning program for golfers. While we all know that flexibility and strengthening are important for the game; we need to consider the factors that cause our client’s bodies to get out of shape. And then have specific exercises to address those factors.

Without proper conditioning, our bodies tend towards two conditions, upper and lower crossed syndrome. These terms mean that our bodies migrate towards common muscle imbalances.

With upper crossed syndrome, our typically flexed forward activities cause our bodies to tighten in the front muscles and weaken in the back muscles. We find the front chest muscles tighten which stretches the upper back muscles. This causes a forward leaning and hunched upper body posture. Furthermore the upper back neck muscles tend to tighten and the front neck muscles stretch as our bodies try to keep our head erect. It also affects breathing in that the chest cavity is compressed and the lungs are not able to expand to their proper limits for complete inhalation.

In lower crossed syndrome, our front hip muscles tighten, which affects our lower rear end muscles. This is generally caused by our constant sitting day in and day out. The tight hip flexor muscles pull on the pelvis and cause it to tilt forward. The affect on our posture is that the lower spine is put into an exaggerated forward curve, exerting more compression on the frontal areas of the disks leading to lower back issues. This not only affects our lower posture but puts in play other imbalances in this area. The glute (rear end) muscles become weaker which causes the hamstring muscles to over work to make up for them. These then tighten. The muscles that counter the hip flexor, the abs, and pelvic floor muscles are stretched. Weak and stretched pelvic floor muscles are also caused by gravity and its pull on our internal organs.

Secondly, as we age muscles and tendons become less flexible and our range of motion in all our joints decreases.

Thirdly, as we age we also loose muscle mass. This causes a decrease in strength.

Fourthly, lack of physical activities for your wrists and forearms weakens these important golf muscles.

Fifthly, balance is lost as we age as well. In part, this is due to loss of muscle mass which is where the nerve endings are that control balance. A lack of physical activities that require muscle activation in our feet and ankles, along with always wearing shoes also contributes to a loss of balance.

Sixthly, any sports or fitness activities that we do perform could increase certain muscle imbalances as some muscles may be stronger or tighter depending on the sport or activity performed.

Seventhly, we do very few things that require coordinated muscle and joint movements to the required degree of the golf swing.

Finally, if one has had any injury, there could be specific muscle, bone, or joint injuries that would affect the movement and condition or state of all associated components.

How does this affect the golfer?

The golfer stands in what is called “golf posture”. This posture consists of bending the knees slightly, 10-15 degrees, and hinging at the hips with the upper body slightly leaning over, again at about 10-15 degrees. The spine must be straight and stay so through the entire swing. The head must be kept in proper alignment with the rest of the spine as it is tilted forward. The legs are spread apart at various distances for support depending on the club being used. Then the body is rotated for the swing with arms moving across the body, hands controlling the club, and weight shifting from side to side. Balance and spinal stability must be maintained through the entire swinging motion while the golfer tries to control the club face, and presuming it was in the correct orientation at address, it must return it to that position at impact.

Proper swinging and range of motion require flexibility of a host of muscles that are typically tight and strength and speed from muscles that are typically weak.
This posture and the entire movement pattern require a vast number of things to work correctly and in a coordinated pattern. All of this occurs while the body withstands forces exerted on it that exceed 8 times its normal load on the spine, legs, and wrists. This all happens in less than 2 seconds as the body is rotated through a turning motion that brings it from one end of a twist extreme to the other with the arms swinging in a controlled fashion.

Flexibility and strengthen exercises are the main focus of any golf conditioning program. Flexibility will improve range of motion and reduce injuries while strengthening key muscles will allow them to perform with more power and not fatigue as readily.

All the experts agree that spinal stability and maintaining proper posture from address to backswing and on to the follow through is the most important aspect of golf fitness. Keeping your posture through the swing eliminates the majority of swing faults golfers experience and reduce the most common golf related injury; lower back pain.

You will find this program extremely rewarding for both your golf game and your overall health and well being. Flexibility and strength can be gain a number of ways with and without equipment.

This Pilates based program utilizes several pieces of traditional Pilates equipment along with mat exercises. The same movements can be achieved with other pieces of gym equipment, weighted golf clubs, and even with body weight-only exercises.

In the chart below you will find listed the most common areas of the body that need flexibility and strengthening. The program explained in this book will give the Pilates instructor the tools to address these areas with both traditional Pilates movements and others that are considered “golf specific”.

Flexibility
• Pre-game warm up
• Neck
• Shoulders
• Chest (pecks)
• Shoulder and spine rotation
• Lower back
• Inner thighs
• Hip flexors
• Hamstrings
• Calves

Strengthening
• Upper, mid and lower back
• Shoulders and scapulas
• Abs and entire core area
• Inner thighs
• Glutes and outer thighs
• Hip control
• Triceps
• Forearms
• Ankles
• Balance
• Endurance and power
• Dynamic spinal stability

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