The hip hinge is a basic movement that I teach to my clients for several reason. The first one being, it is the natural set up position in the golf swing. Additionally, it helps engage the gluteal muscles which help maintain stability and provide power in the golf swing. It also is essential from a biomechanical standpoint, because it helps take the stress off the low back and ensure the correct muscle (gluteals) are functioning properly. You can view my original hip hinge post here.

Now here is a more advanced exercise that builds upon the hip hinge and dead lift pattern. so make sure you are performing the hip hinge properly as well as a good dead lift. This single leg dead lift helps focus on stability, balance and strength through the hip region. Watch this video several times and practice in the mirror to make sure your technique is correct.

Posted under Exercise Tips, Exercise Videos

As I’ve mentioned several times, an important fitness component that helps develop power in the golf swing is the glutes and legs.  There are many exercises to help develop this strength but I especially like the split squat.  This exercise shown here in the video is performed on each side and demands good balance & coordination as well as strength.  It focuses on the glutes, hamstrings and quads.

Watch the video several times so that you learn and understand the correct position and how to activate the glutes correctly.  It is important to stay tall, go straight up & down, and push up through the heel of the front foot.  To advanced the exercise you can hold a dumbell or kettlebell (my preference) to load the system with weight.

It’s a great exercise…give it a try!

Posted under Exercise Tips, Exercise Videos

A common problem I find with golfers is physical restrictions through the hips. When we look at the body from a mobility and stability stand point we know that the hips need to be flexible and mobile. If not, there are compensations that occur as well injuries. Mobile hips allow your body to get in the best possible position in your swing which can help improve your power.

These 3 exercises in this video shows movements that improve hip mobility in each plane of the body. Therefore you receive a multi-directional benefit to the exercises. Give theses exercises a try.

Posted under Exercise Tips, Exercise Videos

This second video on push up training demonstrates more difficult positions to challenge the core and upper body. If you need a review of the first training video go here. Good Luck!

Posted under Exercise Tips

You can no longer use lack of time as an excuse for not exercising! The evidence continues to come in regarding the benefits of interval training. Short sessions of daily exercise really works. I have been implementing a 20 minute methodology with many of my clients and it fits right in with their busy lives.

I want to share an article that discusses research on this topic. The interesting thing with this research is that the 20 minutes of exercise doesn’t need to be intense. Go here to read about how short term exercise can benefit your fitness. Good Luck!

Posted under Exercise Tips

With my Push Ups For Charity Northbrook event getting closer I thought I would post part 1 of the training video the push-up participants received. I will post part 2 in a few days.

Push-ups are a great core exercise as well as upper body strength exercise. Very simple to add to your workout routine. Let me know what you think.

Posted under Exercise Tips, Exercise Videos

I have described before that the power in the golf swing not only involves a good sequence of positions in the golf swing, but also excellent core control. Core control and power can be trained but it tales persistence. Here is an excellent trunk stability exercise that all golfers should be doing, and it also helps prevent back injury.

I have posted a photo of the home version of this exercise and a video using a cable column machine. Either way is a great way to develop core control for the golf swing, which in turn helps develop power. Good Luck!

Trunk De-Rotation With Tubing

Posted under Exercise Tips, Exercise Videos, Golf Injuries

I like using the foam roller with my clients for many reasons. The one thing I know for sure is that foam rolling before your stretching, and mobility work, is awesome for improving your flexibility and overall golf swing. Watch this video for a sequence of foam rolling exercises that you should do before you stretch and/or even before you head to the golf course. Good Luck!

Posted under Exercise Tips, Exercise Videos

I recently read an article that used the analogy of a car when describing the maintenance of a healthy body. It totally made sense. Her’s may take, so read on.

What if you were given a car at the age of 16 but was told that this would be the only car you would ever own. Also you were told when the car got old you can switch out a few parts (not many), but the parts would not be the same as the originals.

How would take care of it? pretty good I would think. You would change the oil, feed it good gas, wash it all the time and frequently maintain it. I’m thinking you would also drive it sensibly and not abuse it.

Does the same hold for your body? Do you treat it well so it will last for a long time?

With the current questions in our health care system I think it is pretty scary as to what it may look like in a few years. So you can either be proactive or sit back and wait to see what happens.
The thing is…..we will all eventually spend money and time on our health. It might be an emergency room visit, a total knee replacement or 10 drugs to take every day. It’s going to consume time & money!

However, I think it makes more sense to be proactive and spend the time now to work on your health. Invest the time & money in the nutritionist, the massage therapist and the exercise coach now because I hate to see what the future holds if you don’t. Trying to fix the broken down car in the future will take a lot more time & money than what we realize.
Prevention is key…..develop and implement your plan now.
Good Luck!

Posted under Exercise Tips, Golf Injuries, Weight Loss

Over the years I have come across a lot of smart people in the field of rehabilitation, fitness and sports performance. Of the many things I have learned, I’m always making sure that each of my clients are doing exercises that are specific to their own unique problems and goals. With that being said I want to describe a systematic approach to exercise that will help those that do not have personal coaching.

An interesting concept I have been utilizing for the last year or so, is a joint by joint approach to rehab, fitness and performance of golfers. This concept was first discussed by Mike Boyle and Gray Cook, two leaders in the area of sports performance. The idea is that each major joint (or area of the body) has a tendency to function more as a mobile joint, or as a stable joint. Yes, they all require a certain degree of each, and joint injury plays a role, however, this concept tends to hold true.

This mobility/stability concept occurs in an alternating pattern, and if this pattern is changed then dysfunction and compensation will occur. The normal pattern is shown below.

Foot – Stable
Ankle – Mobile
Knee – Stable
Hip – Mobile
Pelvis/Sacrum/Lumbar Spine – Stable
Thoracic Spine (upper back) – Mobile
Scapulo/Thoracic (shoulder blade) – Stable
Gleno-humeral (shoulder) – Mobile
Elbow – Stable
Wrist – Mobile
Cervical Spine – Stable

Regarding dysfunction in the body, we can use the low back as an example. If you do not have good mobility in the hips and in the upper back (thoracic spine), then the low back will give up some of its stability to obtain more motion when needed in those areas. A tight upper back & hips are big causes of low back pain in golfers.

A training error I see all the time is golfers focusing on strengthening their core in a dynamic and sometimes violent manner. This will not only lead to low back injury, but in fact it’s the hips and upper back that often times need improved mobility. That would not only help prevent injury, but also improve the overall golf swing.

So take a good look at the above table and make sure you have mobility where it is needed and stability in the ares where it is needed. Then let this be a guide in your selection of golf specific exercises.
Good Luck!

Posted under Exercise Tips