Chest opener on the ball:
Basics of Stretching : Your Back & Lower Body
One of the greatest gifts I receive in my line of work is the ability to spread the word of the benefits of health, wellness and peak performance – on and off the course or field. This week has been particularly busy with spring training in full gear. I am fully entrenched in my third season as the yoga / flexibility conditioning expert with the San Diego Padres, the start of a two day golf school with Hank Haney in Scottsdale, AZ. and a golf fitness presentation at Golf Galaxy in Denver, CO.
During my presentations I open the floor for questions and the most common question is "What are some basic stretches I can do to alleviate my back pain?" Considering the incidence of lumbar spine injury in golf and in our society as a whole, this question is not surprising.
This week's series of back stretches is the foundation for the programs I teach everyday with the Padres, with my student's at Hank Haney's school and in my presentations to amateur golfers. You will learn six basic, effective stretches designed to increase flexibility and strengthen your back. Please pay attention to deep, diaphragmatic breathing, in and out through the nose. Move slowly and draw the navel towards the spine, stabilizing your core before each exercise.
NOTE: As in our new DVD , Lowering Your Score, this series on the basics of stretching is divided into sections targeting the lower body, back and upper body. In the core section of the DVD you will get flexibility and strengthening exercises, the same fundamentals I teach professional athletes...
Let's get started!
Chest opener on the ball:
Sit on the ball and slowly walk the feet forward as the ball rolls under the upper back AND neck. Note: keep the head and neck supported, engage the gluts and keep the hips parallel to the floor. The knees are placed at a ninety degree angle.
Extend the arms and focus on the stretch in the chest. Hold for five to ten breaths, place the hands back on the ball and walk the feet back to the starting position.
Back stretch over the Golf Gym balance ball:
Roll the ball under the hips and allow your body to rest, stretching the back over the ball. Hold for five to ten deep breaths. Come out of this pose very slowly.
Cat / cow pose:
Roll off the ball, begin the hands and knees. Place the hands directly under the shoulders, knees directly under your hips. Inhale and you press your spine towards the floor, roll the shoulders back. Do not hyper-extend your neck. Exhale as you press your navel towards your spine, engage your gluts, press your spine towards the ceiling and tuck the chin into the chest. Repeat this pose ten times in each direction.
Modified cobra to upward facing dog:
Begin on your belly, palms placed below your shoulders, elbows pressed against your body. Bring the legs together, squeeze your gluts and on your exhalation lift your chest off the floor. Roll the shoulders back away from your ears and do not hyper-extend your neck. Return to the starting position and repeat five times.
Upward facing dog:
If you feel you are ready to move deeper into the stretch roll to the tops of the feet and lift the legs off the floor. Hold for three breaths.
Eagle twist:
On your back bring your heels to your gluts. Cross your right leg over the left. Place the arms perpendicular to the body and allow the legs to fall to the right. Hold for five deep breaths and switch sides.
The following 4 exercises target the stretching of your lower body:
Window washers:
Place your feet wider than your yoga mat. Inhale and allow the legs to fall to the left. Exhale and return to the starting position. Switch sides and repeat five to ten times in each direction.
Dynamic pigeon pose with the Golf Gym balance ball:
On your back place the left heel on the ball and the right ankle over the left knee. Inhale and pull the ball towards you, exhale and return to the starting position. Focus on the stretch in the right glut. Repeat five times, hold for five breaths and switch sides.
Hamstring stretch with a yoga strap:
(no photo) On your back, place the yoga strap around the right foot and lift the right leg off the floor. Extend the left leg towards the floor. Slightly bend the right leg on the inhalation and on your exhalation extend your right leg so the leg is as straight as possible. Repeat five times and switch sides.
Tip: Flex both feet, spread the toes as wide as possible and engage or flex the quads.
Frog pose:
Separate the knees and place the hips and knees at a ninety degree angle. Lower the hips as close as possible to the floor. Place the elbows directly under the shoulders and relax the neck. Hold for one minute and repeat three times.
Tip: Pull the navel towards the spine supporting the back.