I travel the world teaching the benefits of golf fitness. (I will be teaching with Hank Haney in Scottsdale this weekend and at the Golf Galaxy location in Las Vegas on Tuesday, November 14th. If you are in town come by and say hello!) The presentations are followed by a Q&A session and inevitably a golfer will inquire about help with back pain.
When we look at the issue of back pain it is important to understand that there are many factors affecting your back. Muscles of the lumbar spine, hips, gluts, psoas and hamstrings play a factor in building a healthy back. Continue to build your healthy back program by adding this weeks poses, targeting the back and hips to last weeks exercises.
Many of you have e-mailed me with your individual questions and I encourage you to keep the questions coming!
NOTE: This week incorporates the yoga block and some post-round conditioning yoga postures from our new Lowering Your Score DVD. This DVD also includes putting tips from Stan Utley.
Remember to move dynamically in these poses, unless otherwise specified, breathing deeply through the nose and holding the pose for one breath in each direction. Lets get started!
During this exercise focus on the spinal rotation coming from your core abdominals and focus on pressing your sacrum towards the floor you will feel the maximum benefits of the pose.
PAR LEVEL: Keep the knees on the floor and rotate the legs and spine in a clockwise circular motion ten times, then counter clockwise for ten repetitions.
BIRDIE LEVEL: Lift the legs off the floor and practice the pose as directed above. Focus on stabilizing the movement by utilizing the core abdominals, specifically the obliques.
Tuck the tailbone and lift the hips off the floor. Place the yoga block under the sacrum, NOT under the lumbar spine. Focus on the elongation of the quads and hips. Hold for one minute, remove the block and repeat three times.
Begin on your back, bringing the soles of the feet together and allow the legs to fall to the side. Use your yoga blocks or towels under the knees for support. Hold for three minutes.
Next week build on the program by incorporating rotation and strength building exercises.
Related Links: