In previous articles I have written about the lower body involvement while hitting out of a bunker.  You need to maintain good knee flexion which helps you stabilize the lower body.  One physical restriction inhibiting our ability to get grounded and keep the knees bent is the lack of hamstring flexibility.

Let’s look at the importance of proper wrist hinge in your downswing and bunker play.

The wrist hinge position in your downswing helps you harness energy. As the arms move in the downswing, the angle of the wrist to the forearm becomes smaller and then begins to widen at impact. The correct wrist angle is critical because it creates lag and load in the downswing. When the wrists unhinge at the correct moment the club head speed increases. This “wrist lag action” during the downswing, when the right elbow reaches the right hip and hands come to waist height, the hands begin to release the club shaft moves towards the ball.

The wrists unhinge after impact and the forearms pronate and supinate from the backswing position and release towards the target.  When we loose this angle at the wrist, we loose power.

Now let’s focus on the action required in the hands, wrists and forearms.

Let’s get started!

Wrist / Finger Stretch
Begin on all fours placing the wrists directly under your shoulders.  Spread your fingers as wide as possible. Note: Try to spread your fingers so wide apart that you can fit a golf ball between each finger.  Gently shift your upper body weight slightly forward and backward until you feel the pressure more in your wrists. Repeat five times in each direction.

Turn your hands over so now the backs of your hands are on the floor, fingers pointing towards your knees, thumbs pointing towards each other.  (no photo)
Hold for five breaths.

30 Second Forearm Speed Drill
Stand tall with one arm extended and supported by the other arm.  Spread the fingers as wide as possible and make a tight fist. Repeat this action as fast as possible for thirty seconds, rest and repeat three times.  Switch sides.  You will feel the “burn” in the hands, wrists and forearms.

Wrist Roll – Pronation And Supination
Pronation refers to the rolling open of the hand and forearm, supination refers to the rolling closed position.  Place your club in your palm, extend your arm and roll your hand, wrist and forearm towards the ceiling (pronation). Roll your arm in the opposite direction (supination) Repeat ten times and switch sides.
Note: Focus on the action originating from the hands, wrists and forearms, not your shoulders.

Wrist Flexion And Extension Drill
Place your right hand on your grip and with the “V” of the thumb and forefinger facing you. Extend your wrist towards the floor. Pull your wrist back towards you, focusing on the “cocking and un-cocking” of the wrist. Repeat ten times and switch sides.

The following is an excerpt from my book Yoga for Golfers – A Unique Approach to Golf Fitness which is available on my website @ www.krflexfit.com.com

Impact
Definition:  The phase of the golf swing where ball contact occurs.

It should not be surprising that the majority of the injuries occur during this phase of the golf swing when the most parts of the body are moving, maximum velocity is reached and contact is made with the ball.  The spine is most susceptible if the golfer slides towards the target.  Depending on the magnitude and velocity of this slide, injury can occur.  For golf, sliding stresses are generally considered the most dangerous.  Controlling the amount of hip slide is crucial from a physical training standpoint.

Summary of Impact Biomechanics

At Impact the:

- The head and neck experience a side    bending motion towards the right combined with a forward bend.

- Shoulders are now brought back to a square position.

- The mid and low back experience a side bending motion towards the right combined with a rotational motion towards the left.

- Lower body is turning with the hips being slightly open towards the target.

- The glutes are extremely active.

Let’s get started!

Lunge with golf club
Begin with your right leg in a lunge position and the left leg extended behind you. Come high onto the left toes and use the club in your right hand for balance.  Lunge towards the floor and focus on the quad and glutes on the right side. Repeat this lunge fifteen times and switch sides.

Warrior II pose for hip and lower body strength
Maintain a deep lunge in your right leg and internally rotate your left leg and left foot.  Pull your navel in towards your spine and extend your arms to shoulder height. Hold for ten deep breaths and switch sides.

Hip lifts / glute strengthener on ball
Extend your legs, heels placed on the ball. Pull your navel towards your spine and using your glutes lift your hips off the floor. Repeat five times and hold for fifteen seconds.

Bridge pose with leg extended
Lift the hips off the floor into a bridge position. Place a club across your hips. Activate your left glute as you extend your right leg. Keep the club level and do not allow your hips to drop.  Hold for ten breaths and switch sides.

Typically when we address the core we target all the abdominal, back and glute muscles. For our purposes this week we will address the rectus abdominus, obliques and transverse abdominus.

For the complete core workout download the core section from The FlexFit Store
Let’s get started!

Fitness Tip: Focus on your breathing, exhaling on the exertion phase of the exercise. Inhale as you lower your body, exhale as you lift up.

Roll Downs With Stability Ball:
Begin with the knees bent, ball between the hands at shoulder height. Tuck your navel towards your spine and roll down until your lowest rib slightly touches the floor. Exhale as you lift back to the starting position. Remember to move slowly at first until you have mastered the movement and then pick up speed. Repeat ten to twenty times.

Roll Downs With Oblique Twist:
Roll down until your abdominals are activate and on your exhale rotate from your core (the arms follow the body as in the golf swing) and twist left and right. Repeat until muscle fatigue.

Oblique Stretch And Strengthener On The Stability Ball:
Place the stability ball directly under your hip. Stabilize the feet against the wall and stretch your obliques, intercostals and lats over the ball. Hold for three deep breaths.
Bring the hands behind your head and on your exhale lift the left shoulder towards your left knee. Repeat until muscular fatigue and switch sides.

The following glute and back stretch is great when you begin to feel tension in your back or hips.

Par level:
Place your right ankle on the outside of your left knee. Bend your left knee as if you are sitting back into a chair. Hold for a few breaths.

Birdie level:
Hinge at your hips, keeping your back flat and bring your chest towards your shin. Hold for a few more breaths and switch sides.

These exercises are not intended for pre-round warm –up, post-round only. Research tells us that when we perform gentle stretching, specifically before bedtime, the body responds well because while we are sleeping we are in a state of healing and regeneration. Personally I use the following stretches through out the day, when I am feeling fatigued or after a long day of travel. (Don’t tell anyone but I often make phone calls with my legs up the wall…shhhh)

Let’s get started!

Legs up the wall:
Begin on the floor with your hips as close as possible to the wall. Your gluts remain in contact with the floor. Roll onto your back with the legs against the wall. If you feel too much strain in the hamstrings push slightly away from the wall. Place a small towel under your head. Relax for three minutes.

Legs up the wall with hip stretch:
Bring the soles of the feet together focusing on the stretch in the hips. Relax for three more minutes.

Supine relaxed spinal twist:
In a supine position, cross your right leg over your left knee. Extend your arms perpendicular to your body. Allow your legs to fall to the left, placing two towels under your knees. Hold for three minutes and switch sides.

The entire series of post-round, endurance exercises is available on my Lower Your Score DVD.

C posture is one of the most common physical restrictions I see as a fitness professional. C posture refers to the “C” shape in the thoracic spine or as some of us refer to this issue as a rounded back or slumped shoulders. Often a result of too much sitting, aging or over training the chest muscles without proper flexibility conditioning, this physical restriction is easily resolved.

Here are a few ways a C posture negatively impacts on your swing:
1. Can cause lifting up.
2. Restricts the arc of the swing as a result of immobility in the spine and the
inability to rotate the shoulders from the hips.
3. Limits rotation effecting consistency and power.

Golf Tip: Get your club length checked. If your clubs are too short it may cause you to stand with a C posture.

Working on more mobility in the pecs, upper traps, lats and trunk supports a better spine angle at address, and stops you from losing your posture through your swing.

Fitness Tip: Breathing, deep diaphragmatic breaths, in and out through the nose is the foundation of yoga for golfers. When you see someone who practices yoga one of the things you notice is the way they stand tall, with great posture. The following tips will help you achieve the same posture.

Because this series is about posture I will coach you the way I coach all my players – from the inside out. In yoga we begin working on posture from the base of the spine towards the crown of the head. Before you begin these exercises I want you to pull the navel towards the spine, slightly tuck the tailbone under and lift the ribcage off the waist. Now pull the shoulders blades together and down the back. Feel as if your head is being lifted off your neck.

Here we go!

Seated Neck Stretch On Chair:

Sit on the edge of your chair, navel in and ribcage lifted. Lengthen your cervical spine and slightly tuck your chin down. GENTLY place the fingers on the top of the cervical spine and press on the head. Hold for three deep breaths, REMOVE the hands for the neck and SLOWLY lift the head. Repeat three times.

Chest Opener At The Wall:

Place the right foot forward and the right palm against the wall below shoulder height. On the inhalation pull the navel towards the spine and on the exhalation press the right chest away from the wall. Hold for three breaths, repeat three times and switch sides.

Rhomboid Stretch:

When I stretch my clients I like to work the body from the larger muscle groups and core to the smaller muscle groups, incorporating dynamic movements.  This method raises the body’s temperature and increases the heart rate.  Additionally my new program called The Roberts Flex-Fit Method (RFFM) is designed to bring more balance to the body.  We stretch and strengthen the muscles of the front body as well as the muscles of the back body.

To date our series has addressed the lower body, targeting the hamstrings, glutes, hips and low back.  Additionally we focused on the core, specifically the spine, abdominals and chest.

This week we will address the upper body, specifically the shoulders.

My suggestion is to print out the entire four week series and use the exercises at least three to four days a week.

Let’s get started!

Standing Pec Stretch At The Wall
Place your right hand against the wall, palm placed lower than shoulder height.  On your exhalation press your chest away from the wall, focusing on the stretch in your pecs. Repeat five times and switch sides.

Upper Back / Rhomboid Rotation
Begin facing the wall, left foot touching the wall and your right leg back, internally rotating your right leg and foot at a 45 degree angle. Pull your navel in and lengthen your spine.  Place your right hand on the wall and on your exhale rotate your trunk and left arm to the left. Repeat dynamically five times and hold for five more deep breaths.  Switch sides.

Downdog / Shoulder Stretch At The Wall
Place the hands wider than shoulder width apart, slightly lower than your shoulders.  Walk the legs back and lower your upper body until you create a ninety degree angle from your upper body to your legs.  Roll your shoulders away from your ears and focus on the stretch in the upper back and shoulders.  Hold for five deep breaths.

Dolphin / Shoulder Rotation On The Ball
Place the elbows on the ball, palms together. Pull your navel towards your spine as you stabilize your lower body. Inhale deeply as you roll onto your left shoulder, lifting the right elbow off the ball. Exhale as you return to your starting position. Switch sides and repeat ten times.

When I stretch my clients I like to work the body from the larger muscle groups and core to the smaller muscle groups, incorporating dynamic movements.  This method raises the body’s temperature and increases the heart rate.  Additionally my new program called The Roberts Flex-Fit Method (RFFM) is designed to bring more balance to the body.  We stretch and strengthen the muscles of the front body as well as the muscles of the back body.

Last week we continued our series with the lower body flexibility program, targeting the hamstrings, glutes, hips and low back.  This week we target the core, specifically the spine, abdominals and chest.

Let’s get started!

Cobra
Begin on your belly, hands placed next to our chest, legs together. Engage your glutes and on your inhale lift your chest off the floor. Exhale as you lower your body back to the floor. Repeat five times.

Chest / Pec Stretch On Ball
Begin seated on the ball and roll your body down until your head is supported by the ball. Engage your glutes and lift the hips up. Extend your arms at a ninety degree angle and hold for one to two minutes.  Focus on stretching the chest and ribcage.

Seated Twist On Ball
Sit on the ball, pulling your navel towards your spine and lifting your ribcage off your waist. Place your right hand behind you and left hand on your right knee.  Inhale deeply and on your exhale twist to the right.  Repeat ten times and switch sides.

Supine Spinal Rotation With Ball
Begin on your back, legs placed over the ball. Rotate your legs and lower spine to the left. Use your oblique abdominals to initiate the movement of the ball back to center. Switch sides and repeat ten times in each direction.

Russian Twist
Begin on your back, knees bent, glutes engaged.  Place your hands together and stabilize your lower body.  Twist from your trunk, rolling to the top of your shoulder. Switch sides and repeat five to ten times in each direction.

When I stretch my clients I like to work the body from the larger muscle groups and core to the smaller muscle groups, incorporating dynamic movements.  This method raises the body’s temperature and increases the heart rate.  Additionally my new program called The Roberts Flex-Fit Method (RFFM) is designed to bring more balance to the body.  We stretch and strengthen the muscles of the front body as well as the muscles of the back body.

This week we continue with the lower body flexibility program, targeting the hamstrings, glutes, hips and low back.

Let’s get started!

Hamstring / Hip / Low Back Stretch
Extend your right and place your left foot on the inside for your right inner thigh. Flex your right foot and engage your right quad. Fold over your right leg and hold for five to ten deep breaths.  Relax your head and neck.

Seated Spinal Rotation
From the hamstring / hip / low back stretch place your right hand behind your back and sit as tall as possible.  Place your left hand on the outside of your right knee.  Rotate your spine to the right. Note: Pull your navel towards your spine and twist from the low belly to the top of your head.  Hold for five to ten breaths and switch sides.

Groin Stretch / Frog Pose
I use this stretch with all my golfers and baseball players everyday.  The key to this stretch is to focus on your breathing.  With every exhalation visualize all the tension leaving your body as you “sink” deeper into the stretch.  Hold for one minute.

Passive Supine Spinal Twist
Cross your right leg over your left, arms extended perpendicular to your body.
Move your lower body to the left. Note: Keep your right shoulder on the floor.
If your knees do not touch the floor place a towel under your knees. Hold for three minutes and switch sides.

When I stretch my clients I like to work the body from the larger muscle groups and core to the smaller muscle groups, incorporating dynamic movements.  This method raises the body’s temperature and increases the heart rate.  Additionally my new program called The Roberts Flex-Fit Method (RFFM) is designed to bring more balance to the body.  We stretch and strengthen the muscles of the front body as well as the muscles of the back body.

Guidelines for success
-Practice the dynamic stretches three to four days a week and the restorative / passive stretches at night three days a week.

-Breathe deeply, in and out of the nose.

-Never, never “bounce” in a stretch.  Move your body to the “edge”, meaning to the point that you feel slight discomfort.  You should never feel pain while stretching.

-Print out this series so you can keep track of your program.

Let’s get started with stretches for the quads, hamstrings and glutes.

Articulating Bridge
I call this exercise “articulating bridge” because you articulate each segment of your spine independently.   This is essential for creating more flexibility in the spine and supports more movement in the lumbar spine and hips, helping you generate more power through the hips.

Begin on your back, feet placed hip width apart and heels close to your glutes.  Inhale as you press your navel towards your spine, activate your glutes and lift your hips off the floor.  Focus in “articulating” the movement from your low back and lifting from the base of your spine to the upper back.  As you lower your body towards the floor, bring the upper back down first, followed by your mid-back and low back.  Repeat ten times.

Standing Glute Stretch With Golf Club
Place your right ankle over your left knee.  Support your balance by using a golf club.
Bend your left knee and “sit down” as you bring your chest towards your shin.  Hold for five breaths, repeat three times and switch sides.

Standing Quad Stretch
Place your strap in your left hand and around the top of your left foot. Place your right hand on the back of a chair or a golf club.

Note: This is a great stretch for the course when you feel you are getting tight in the hips or quads.

Inhale deeply and on your exhale engage your left glute, pressing your left hip forward.  Note: try to create space between your glute and your heel.  Repeat five times and switch sides.

Supine Hamstring Stretch With Spinal Rotation
Begin on your back and place the strap around your right foot.  Extend your right leg towards the ceiling while your left leg extends towards the floor.  Flex both quads and flex the feet towards you.  Hold for five breaths. Extend your right leg to the right, keeping your left hip / glute connected to the floor.  Hold for five more breaths.

Place the strap in your left hand, placing your right arm perpendicular to the floor.  Rotate your right leg and hip over to the left side.  Keep your right shoulder on the floor.
Hold for five more breaths and switch sides.

Next week we continue our flexibility program by targeting the hips and back.