Sitting and how it affects your golf swing
If you tend to be sedentary and sit for a good portion of the day, you are developing imbalances in your body that will not bode well for your golf game. The problem is that most people don’t stop to think about how much they sit during a typical day at work, in the car, or at home, and therefore don’t realize how it is affecting their health or performance. in golf.
The anatomy of a babysitter is as follows. When you sit down, you place the muscles at the front of your hip, known as the hip flexors, and those at the back of your thigh, the hamstrings, in a shortened position. While this shortening occurs, there is a concomitant lengthening and weakening of the opposing muscle groups. The glutes or glutes opposite the hip flexors and the quadriceps muscles in the front of the thigh opposite the hamstrings are affected.
Collectively, this scenario is often referred to as the lower withers syndrome.
The hip flexors and hamstrings can play an important role in your golf stance and hip mobility. Tight hip flexors, for example, often contribute to an S-stance or a lower back swing while targeting the ball. This can very easily lead to acute and chronic lower back pain and discomfort.
Similarly, tight hamstrings are one of the biggest factors leading to overall back problems, regardless of golf. However, if you combine this muscular deficiency with the explosiveness of the golf swing, you will set the stage for back injuries.
Individually or in combination, tight hip flexors and hamstrings can also limit the range of motion required for both front-to-back and side-to-side hip rotational movements. This can detract from the efficiency of the golf swing and lead to swing failures and / or loss of power and distance.
Weakening of the glutes or quadriceps can affect lower body stability and control and decrease the amount of power you can produce while swinging the golf club. The glutes provide energy in any swing skill (ie golf, tennis, baseball). They also play a role in the ability to control lateral movement of the hips during the swing, reducing the potential for sway on the backswing and slippage on the downswing.
Another common occurrence in amateurs is the inability to maintain flex on the trail leg while bringing the club back. This straightening of the rear leg during the backswing, which among other things is a precursor to excessive rotation of the hips, may be related to a lack of strength in the quadriceps muscles.
A good golf fitness program should identify these muscle deficiencies and imbalances and then work to correct them. A brief interview with the golfer will establish lifestyle habits and the degree of daily activity, which must be taken into account when developing the exercise intervention. A physical evaluation is an absolute must to identify and determine the extent of weakness and / or stiffness, and to help determine what particular type of exercise is necessary. Without this information, the golfer may only make matters worse by strengthening an already tense muscle group, for example, thus improving the deficiency.
Sitting for a good portion of the day can not only have detrimental effects on your physical health, it can also wreak havoc on your golf swing. Muscle imbalances that often go undetected and that develop while sitting can be the underlying cause of poor golf performance and physical discomfort.
