Flexibility

[RedHead7]

I am not the most flexible person in the world, and I was wondering if anyone had any exersizes to help me.  Thank you.

[bunkerputt]

Originally Posted by RedHead7

I am not the most flexible person in the world, and I was wondering if anyone had any exersizes to help me.  Thank you.

Check out the book "Golf Anatomy" by Craig Davies and some other guy.  It's not the most technically correct book, but it is well organized, focusing on building up mobility, stability, proprioception, and power in that order.  The exercises are listed in the order you should work on them.  One suggestion is to be more accurate than saying "I'm not flexible".  What specifically is lacking in range of motion?  For example, I have flexible wrists, but my shoulders are pretty tight., etc.  But get the book and get a membership to Titleist Performance Institute.  There are a lot of great videos there.

[WUTiger]

This expands what bunkerputt had to say...

First, it helps to have regular workouts and make flexibility part of getting into shape.

Second, start workouts with warm up first, such as on a bicycle or treadmill. Then, slowly increase the level of your workout. Intense stretching works best at the end of the workout, when your muscles are warm.

Third, flexibility is strongly related to your state of physical being . If you work out regularly, you set the stage for greater flexibility in your athletics, such as golf. If you rarely work out, there's no magic routine that suddenly will make you flexible 15 minutes before you tee off.

A tip from marathon runners: Realize the value of purposeful motion in your warm ups - abbreviated versions of your full athletic motion for your sport. For golf, this involves starting out with some putts and chips to get your body warm. Then, you can do some basic stretches before trying full shots.

[glk23]

Yoga.  I started a :30 routine a couple of years ago and do it 3-5 times per week.  It has made an incredible difference in my strength and flexibility and has help improve my game.

[harryhamlin]

Sounds like I should start doing yoga from tomorrow...I want my body to be flexible and ofcourse with good strength and resistance power. Thanks for your suggestion.

[RedHead7]

Thank you everyone for the feedback.  And I am looking for more flexibility in my core.  I feel like I cannot rotate through my swing so I am trying to just power through with my arms.

[rw21217]

I suffer from a lack of flexibility too.  I picked up the book by Joey D,  pretty sure it's called "Fix your body, fix your swing"  at the local book store.  Found the assesments and workout to be a great start.  I've since done lots of research on mytpi.com  and added to my workouts.  It's really helping.  I can almost touch my toes now!!

[RedHead7]

Originally Posted by rw21217

I suffer from a lack of flexibility too.  I picked up the book by Joey D,  pretty sure it's called "Fix your body, fix your swing"  at the local book store.  Found the assesments and workout to be a great start.  I've since done lots of research on mytpi.com  and added to my workouts.  It's really helping.  I can almost touch my toes now!!

Thanks for the tip, I will check out that book.

[boogielicious]

+1 on the book.  I have been following the program in the book and it is helping.  Not sure if I am that much more flexible, but I feel much better after playing.

[RedHead7]

Yeah, I definetly need to get more flexible in my back.  I went to the range yesterday and my back got VERY sore after swinging.  I am trying to turn too much for how little flexibility I have right now.  Going to look at getting that book tomorrow!

[inthehole]

I'm so inflexible.    Can't keep my left elbow straight on the backswing to save my life.     Seem to be able to adapt, but I pay the price in bengay the next day ...

[bunkerputt]

Originally Posted by RedHead7

Yeah, I definetly need to get more flexible in my back.  I went to the range yesterday and my back got VERY sore after swinging.  I am trying to turn too much for how little flexibility I have right now.  Going to look at getting that book tomorrow!

My back used to bug me a lot (left side, somewhere in the middle).  It wasn't a flexibility issue, but rather some swing faults that were causing it.  I was rotating too hard with my lower body very quickly from a full stretch of my left side.  This was causing micro-tears in the muscles.  You need to increase the acceleration gradually.  Something to think about.

[GpGolfFitness]

Be careful with standard flexibility training (holding positions for 20-30s), especially right before your round... Studies have shown that it actually DECREASES your club-head speed. The best time for those type of stretches are after a workout/round or at the end of the day.

Before a round it is important to warm-up with dynamic/active movements. These will increase flexibility and maintain your distance.

Hope that helps!