From Golf Swing To Posture: 3 Simple Stretches That Will Improve Your Flexibility

From Golf Swing To Posture: 3 Simple Stretches That Will Improve Your Flexibility

Spring is here and for me, that usually means heading to the driving range to work on what seems to be my ever unfixable golf swing. Unfortunately, spring 2020 is unlike any spring we’ve seen before. Physical distancing means practicing your swing in your backyard or hitting some putts repetitively in your apartment living room like me. While practice does make perfect, all that repetition begs for flexibility cross-training. Flexibility is an important part of the swing that often gets overlooked. Stiffness though your hips, trunk, and shoulders can slow down your swing and decrease your performance. Luckily flexibility can easily be worked on at home by adding a few stretches to your daily routine. Conveniently enough, these same stretches are great to combat strain from hanging out in prolonged seated postures at your home workstation.

Pec Stretch

A pec stretch in a doorway opens your chest and helps reduce rounding and tightness of your shoulders from repetitive putting- or repetitive computer work- whatever the case may be! Standing in a doorway place your arms on the door frame. Gently lean in until you feel a stretch along the front of your chest.

Thoracic Extension

Extension at a counter can reduce stiffness through your thoracic spine. Standing at a counter, place your hands on the counter and bend at the waist. With a slight bend in your knees slowly bring your weight back toward your heels until you feel a stretch in your upper back.

Hip Stretch

Lunge and seated hip stretches are a great way to help maintain hip flexibility. Kneeling down on one knee lean forward until you feel a stretch in the front of the knee down hip. Seated in a chair with one leg crossed so your ankle rests on the opposite knee. Gently push down on the top knee until you feel a stretch in your hip.

According to the American College of Sport Medicine guidelines stretches should be held for 10-30 seconds with 2-4 repetitions (cumulative stretching time should add up to 60 seconds). It is also important to remember for stretching to be effective it should be done at the point of tightness – a stretch should never be painful!