Exercise Ball Exercises for Golf

Whether you are a professional golfer seeking to perfect your game, a weekend warrior looking for that extra edge, or just a recreational golfer trying to hit the ball another 15 yards, exercise ball exercises for golf will help.

Exercise ball exercises for golf will address the five important components of the golf swing. Mechanics of an efficient golf swing require flexibility, stability, balance, power, and strength. If your body doesn't have the capabilities, the result is at best an inefficient golf swing, at worst, injury. Great golf exercises are the key ingredient in prolonging a lifetime of injury and pain free golf. Regardless of how much you practice the ultimate swing, if you don't have the power to implement it you will always fall short of your target.

Exercise ball exercises for golf will

	improve rotational strength and speed
	Improve core strength and torso flexibility to drive the ball a longer distance.
	Improve shoulder strength and overall flexibility to minimize the potential for injuries
	Improve dynamic balance and stability to stay centered over the ball during your swing.
	strengthen and protect the spine from injury
	utilize the arms and core as a single unit, similar to your golf swing
	create the efficient transfer of energy between the legs and arms

By incorporating exercise ball exercises for golf into your routine you can enhance not only your core strength and stability, but also balance, coordination and body awareness, which are all very important components of an optimal golf swing. Since Balance is also key for weight shifting during your golf swing, these great golf exercises with the ball encourage you to use your balance to maintain an upright position. Again, you are strengthening your postural muscles (back, stomach, hips) as your muscles isometrically contract to maintain your balance and upright posture on the ball.

By definition "POWER = FORCE X VELOCITY" exercise ball exercises for golf

We want to create the greatest amount of force (torque) in the shortest period of time. To achieve increased power we need to increase the force produced throughout the down swing which comes from your core (mainly abdominals). A well-developed core allows for improved force output and increased neuromuscular efficiency.

Power is also dependent on the velocity of your swing as it hits the ball. The range of motion in your trunk directly correlates to the ability to generate club head speed. The golf club has a limited amount of time to accelerate during your down swing to achieve its maximum velocity at contact. By improving your flexibility, the degree of trunk rotation relative to your hips, hence, the distance of the upswing, you likewise increase the distance that the club has a chance to accelerate prior to contact with the ball.

Both of these variables are affected through training with exercise ball exercises for golf. Any core exercise for golf you do needs to incorporate rotational strength and flexibility. Doing great golf exercises that closely mimic your golf swing, will not only improve the strength and flexibility of your golf swing quickly, but reinforce your swing technique off the course. This double benefit will transform your game.

In addition to the abdominals (rectus abdominus, external/internal obliques and transversus abdominus), the core for golf also includes the hip musculature (psoas, gluteii, and adductors), lumbar spine musculature (multifidus, interspinales, intertransversarii, rotatores, quadratus lumborum, latissimus dorsi and superficial/deep erector spinae), thoracic spine musculature (transversospinales, lower/middle trapezii, rhomboids and serratus anterior/posterior), and cervical spine musculature (paraspinals, scalenes, sternocleidomastoid, longus coli/capitus and upper trapezius). For all of these muscles to function together optimally a high degree of neuromuscular efficiency is required.

A great golf exercise program includes the following exercise ball exercises for golf:

In order to efficiently transfer energy to the club we must work on all muscles involved in the swing. Perform three sets of each of these exercise ball exercises for golf as described three times per week and within 4-6 weeks you should notice a difference in your golf swing. If you find the exercises very easy, feel free to progress them as each exercise ball exercise for golf description suggests.

Prone Trunk Rotation Stretch

Book

8 Great Stretches for Optimal Golf and 8 Things You Need to Know to Save Your Lower Back

Hit Fairways Your Way is a new and innovative approach to golf instruction. The reason that this book was written was to teach golfers (exactly as the title states) that they have options when they swing the golf club.

Not everyone has the same swing. Therefore, the same thing will not work for everyone. Golfers will have much more success if they experiment and fine tune their swing.

For example, many recreational golfers don't realize that they may have much more success if they moved the ball up in their stance a few inches at setup, or they took a weak grip versus a strong grip. They don't know these things because usually, they just pick up the club and swing.

This book is about laying out the options that golfers have, and the results that they can expect with various changes that they make to their setup. Many golfers use this book to help cure a slice, or to regain lost distance.

You can sign up for the program here.

Kneeling Trunk Rotation Stretch

Supine Back Extension Stretch

Trunk Side Stretch

Supine Hamstring Stretch

The Clock with Arms Up

Back Extension1

Rolling Plank 1

Reverse Plank Twist

Prevention of back injuries

As a physical therapist my special interest is in treating and preventing injuries. The golf swing places a tremendous amount of stress on the lower back. The amount of stress depends on the swing technique, the speed, angle of the swing plane, amount of hip slide, etc. Over time the repetitive nature of the golf swing can result in fatigue, microtrauma, and ultimately muscle imbalances.

A recreational golfer is less likely to have efficient swing mechanics. To compensate , the golfer will attempt to generate extra force from muscles such as the rotator cuff, hips, etc.

Research shows that amateurs may develop up to 80 percent more peak torque in their lumbar spine than a professional, and muscles required to generate excessive amounts of force are at a much higher risk of overuse injury.

Professional golfers can generate 34 percent more club head speed than the amateur, yet amateurs are producing spinal forces 50 to 80 percent higher than the professional.

Hence, inefficient mechanics cause the muscles to work harder to generate force in the golf swing. Over time, these muscles become fatigued from the repetitive trauma caused by inefficient mechanics and increases the possibility of an injury to the lumbar spine.

How can the amateur counteract such a situation? The golfer needs to develop an efficient golf swing. This can only be done through proper instruction from a golf pro, practice and great golf exercises. Find a golf pro in your area.

Prevention includes

Increasing the flexibility of your back through stretching
Improving the mechanics of your golf swing
Improving the strength of the stabilizing muscles of your spine with exercise ball exercises for golf
Increasing the endurance of the lumbar supporting musculature using exercise ball exercises for golf

The best golf workout includes technical training, strength and endurance training, core stability training with exercise ball exercises for golf (also known as the swiss ball, ab ball, balance ball, fit ball, gymnic ball, fitness ball, therapy ball, physio ball, etc.) as well as golf exercises as prescribed by your golf pro.

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