Good posture = sore back

[CarlSpackler]

I saw in another post here where someone's back was hunched forward. After an Ahh Hah moment, I have been making a point to keep my back straight (and hitting the ball much more solid, thanks). The middle of my back is feeling sore the day after now. Is this temporary since different muscles are getting used than before. Will they strengthen over time and stop being sore? Stretches that help?

TIA for advice.

[DavidFehertysBike]

Get in the gym buddy..lol. Blast those abs. Then hammer the glutes.

[TMO]

It is just temporary. I would go every other day at most though during that transition. Good luck.

[CarlSpackler]

Get in the gym buddy..lol. Blast those abs. Then hammer the glutes.

I am a bonified gym rat already. 4-5 days a week. I've lost almost 45 lbs since the beginning of the year. This too has helped my swing a ton although I am not as ripped as Camillo (yet) as my wife so graciously pointed out.

[ControlJunkie]

It definitely should be temporary, and the first time you stretch those unused muscles is always the worst. A good stretch I always do that I kinda took from my baseball days is to put a long iron/wood/driver behind your neck. With your bottom half very stable and locked, and your abs tightened, try to bring your right shoulder forward towards your left knee. Then switch it and try to bring your left shoulder to your right knee. It also works sitting on the ground, with your legs together and extended out. It should also stretch your hamstrings some.

I went through the same exact thing about a month ago, when I started tightening my abs throughout my swing, in order to keep my back flattened. Doing that definitely helped me as well. That, coupled with the proper weight distribution has worked wonders for me.

[CarlSpackler]

It is just temporary.

Not a problem 4 me. With job/wife/kids, 2-3 times a week for play/practice is all I can muster.

[Shindig]

I am a bonified gym rat already. 4-5 days a week. I've lost almost 45 lbs since the beginning of the year. This too has helped my swing a ton although I am not as ripped as Camillo (yet) as my wife so graciously pointed out.

Do you work the back muscles? I know a guy who goes to the gym regularly but has the scrawniest legs you ever did see and can't do crunches very well. I'm not suggesting that you're doing only upper body work, but the back is very easy to miss in a gym routine.

[CarlSpackler]

Do you work the back muscles? I know a guy who goes to the gym regularly but has the scrawniest legs you ever did see and can't do crunches very well. I'm not suggesting that you're doing only upper body work, but the back is very easy to miss in a gym routine.

I hit back (lower, inner and outer), pecs, legs and delts each once a week, abs several times a week. Each is followed by 20 minutes of interval cardio and I walk the golf course on the weekend. If I miss a group on it's assigned day, it is just skipped that week. I learned the hard way not to work back on league night though. I thought it was pretty cool when my Dr. asked me if I was on roids (I'm not).

[RC]

Been a "go to the gym" workout person now for some time, and the best decision I've made is to work with a personal trainer who knows I want golf specific exercises and stretching. We focus on exactly what golfers need: core body strength, flexibility, and swing speed producing exercises. She is knowledgeable, and degreed in her field of exercise science as well as certified in several disciplines at the health club.

So, we do a regular preventative program, and then when I notice something that needs a bit more work, we talk, she comes up with new routines, and we get after them. For example, I always want more flexibility between shoulders and hips, and quick torsional strength, so we do hip clearing work a lot. Abs and hamstrings are routine, as are rotator cuff exercises -- and these help me a great deal. I'm not working out to enter a weight lifting contest, I workout to play better golf.

For golfers, I think proper workouts and stretching are as essential as practice range sessions. Hey, we are all getting older each day, so we can work on strength and flexibility to maintain a strong core, or we can just let time go by and sooner or later, lose distance.

I actually don't like working out, but after years of doing it, and seeing the benefits, it is worth it -- and not just for golf. Having said all this... not every trainer in a gym knows what is best for golfers, so be careful. I knew a great golfer (US Amatuer level) who got hung up on just building strength trying to hit it longer, and his game suffered a great deal. Power lifting and golf do not go together well for most people.

[CarlSpackler]

My main goal is to loose fat since I have been diagnosed as a pre-type II diabetic. Resistance training is essential to make my cells hungry for insulin so it is not hanging around inside triggering my body to store fat. I do stretch after every workout, but the back stretches I've been doing don't seem to hit the area that is sore. My shiatsu massage thing doesn't even get deep enough. Perhaps an Asian deep tissue massage?

[Scottydoint]

I had that problem when getting better posture. It is just because you are using different muscles that you didn't really use before. It will go away soon.

[BigBoy]

It may go away once you get used to it... or you may have found out why you were hunched over to begin with (your natural stance) -

I have chronically tight calves and hamstrings, the funny thing about tight hamstirngs is that they don't make your legs hurt - they make your back hurt, because your back is in constant tug of war with your tight leg muscles -

when you get into the correct set up posture, if you have tight hammys, your back is REALLY going to be pulling against your legs, because keeping your feet flat on the ground with a slight kneebend pulls on your rear leg muscles, couple that with keeping your shoulders back, and there is a lot of strain going on.

The first thing I do on the golf course is streching my hamstrings and calves for 2 or 3 minutes, it helps somewhat but its still a burden (not as big of a burden as walking on my toes through out my childhood though)

try stretching out your legs in earnest next time you play, you might find the right posture easier to get into -

[CarlSpackler]

It may go away once you get used to it... or you may have found out why you were hunched over to begin with (your natural stance) -

I do every time. I stretch hams, quads, glutes, calves, delts, and lower back. My lower back is fine. It's in my middle back right in between my shoulder blades.

[AmenCorner]

I've made the same adjustment to posture before and had the exact same soreness. I also have a very well rounded gym routine which focuses on the entire body as opposed to isolation type exercises that most gym zombies do.

[3BillsOnTheFly]

Quality time in the gym is extremely important. Exercises like squats, deadlifts, pullups, etc. are going to increase total body strength and make you a better all around athlete. With that in mind, mobility exercises (especially hip mobility) should be implemented regularly by any athlete, golfer, or anyone who wants to avoid back pain.

[shortstop20]

I saw in another post here where someone's back was hunched forward. After an Ahh Hah moment, I have been making a point to keep my back straight (and hitting the ball much more solid, thanks). The middle of my back is feeling sore the day after now. Is this temporary since different muscles are getting used than before. Will they strengthen over time and stop being sore? Stretches that help?

They will get stronger and it will go away, unless you have some underlying problem. I made some major posture/stance adjustments last year after I started to take my game seriously and I don't have any aches now. It might take a month or two though(depending on how much you play).