Fit for Play
Get Limber and
Loosen Your Lumbar
Stabilizing your lower back will help you increase the power
and speed of your arms and legs for more distance
by MAX PROKOPY, TITLEIST PERFORMANCE INSTITUTE-CERTIFIED TRAINER
with TOM CUNNEFF | Illustrations by BARRY ROSS
SPEED AND POWER ARE VERY ENTICING, but too many
golfers put the (golf) cart before the horse. Stability at the center (the lumbar spine) is
the key to safely getting speed at the extremities. Before starting explosive exercises, every
golfer should show command of the lumbar spine. In short, you have to earn the right to
rotate and these drills will get you started.
1. KNEELING ANTI-ROTATION PRESS
Grab the handle of either a weight stack or resistance
band and kneel on a pad perpendicular to the stack or
attachment point. With your knees, shoulders, and ears
in a vertical line—squeezing the butt muscles together
will help—place the handle in front of your sternum /
breastbone with both hands, press straight out and hold
for a two count. The resistance will try to pull you out of
your posture—don’t let it. Perform eight to 12 repetitions
with between 25 and 50 pounds on the cable stack, turn
around, and repeat the motion on the other side. If one
side feels dramatically weaker than the other, give that
side double repetitions to catch up.
2. PLANK ROLLS
A couple adjustments to this venerated exercise
will turbo-charge your results. Begin in a standard
plank position, but squeeze your butt muscles
together and cross your arms so that your right
hand is next to your left elbow and vice versa.
Now push your right elbow into the ground and
roll into a side plank. The right shoulder should be
stacked over the right elbow with both your left
side and right rib cage raised high off the ground.
Take five to 10 seconds to roll back to the center.
Try to roll in one piece as this will provide a great
test of stability. Back at the center, push the left
elbow into the ground and roll to a left side plank.
Again, take five to 10 seconds to roll back to the
start. Do two to four sets with each one taking
about 30 seconds.
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3. BOTTOM’S UP WALK
Grab a kettle bell with one
hand and flip it upside down
so the heavy part of the bell
(the bottom) is directly above
your hand. With your wrist flat
and your elbow bent at 90
degrees and about as high as
your shoulder, start walking.
Walk for 30 to 50 steps, switch
arms and repeat the action.
In order to make this exercise
even more challenging, create
little obstacle courses that
include small steps and figureeight turns. Males will typically
start at 15 to 20 pounds, while
females will usually begin at 8
to 15 pounds.
Co-author Max Prokopy is the
director of the University of
Virginia SPEED Clinic, which
uses three-dimensional
biomechanics to improve athletes of
all ability levels. Co-author Tom
Cunneff is a senior editor with
Links Magazine and a regular
contributor to Virginia Golfer.
J ANUARY/F EBRUARY 2015 | V IRGINIA G OLFER
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1/22/15 12:20 PM