Fitness: Dynamic warm up exercises
DYNAMIC WARM UP: Windmill Toe Touch
TARGETS: This is a great move to do in the locker room or even on the tee before you play. The windmill toe touch stretches your hamstrings, glutes and hips, as well as your abdominal and oblique muscles. Preparing your core and legs will help you to rotate and swing the golf club with efficiency, speed and power.
TECHNIQUE: Stand tall with your legs spread just wider than shoulder-width apart. Bend from the hip and rotate your torso to touch your right hand to your left foot; your left arm should remain straight and aimed up towards the sky. Then rise to standing and repeat on the other side.
Keep your legs and back straight to ensure that your hips are working as you lower your body.
DO: Use these as part of your warm up. Perform 10 rotations to each side, or 20 rotations in total. This will ensure that you’ve deepened the stretch, and adequately prepared your muscles for a golf swing.
TIP: You can progress this exercise by holding an 8kg kettlebell in the hand you raise above your head.
DYNAMIC WARM UP: Forward Lunge and Rotate
TARGETS: This forward lunge exercise strengthens the legs, glutes and abdominals, and helps improve balance and coordination. Strength in the legs and core is important for transferring energy from the ground to the golf club, and good balance is required for performing an efficient and consistent golf swing.
Rotating the trunk and shoulders whilst in a forward lunge position also stretches the oblique muscles. This works the powerful core muscles that are responsible for the speed of your swing.
TECHNIQUE: Stand tall and take a big step out in front with your left leg. You should be in a wide split stance, resting on the toes of your back foot. Then, with your back straight, lower yourself down. To maximise the hip stretch your left leg should be at a 90-degree angle, and your back leg should be grazing the floor (but not rested on it).
Whilst in this lunge position rotate into your left (forward) leg and back again. Return to a standing position by pushing off your front foot, then repeat on the opposite side.
DO: Perform five lunges and rotations on each leg. You can do this on the tee with one of your clubs, or with a weighted medicine ball at home or in the gym. This will further challenge your balance and stability, and help strengthen your legs, glutes and core.
Rachael Tibbs is a TPI L2 Certified Golf Fitness Professional, who specialises in golf-specific strength and conditioning. Visit dynamic-golf.co.uk or follow them on Twitter
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