How to Build a Better Golf Stance

[GolfFitPro]

Welcome to Blue Collar Mondays.
Every Monday, Troy Anderson of , will add his insight to the Blog.  His articles have appeared on .  Troy has a different approach than most golf fitness experts, one he is very successful with training golfers in Arizona.

How to Build a Better Golf Stance

Last week I shared my view on golfers and their status as athletes.  I also mentioned that I would be sharing some exercise tips for those who are interested in becoming better golf athletes.

Golfers spend a good chunk of their time in the address position or the base athletic position, depending on how you look at it. 

The address position, although it may have many different variants, is the beginning of all things golf.  So it makes sense to start a golf conditioning program with this foundational position.  Like everything else in the world, it's imperative to have a solid and stable foundation. 

The exercise progression I am going to share with you today is called the Romanian Deadlift progression, or RDL.  I know Deadlift is a big scary word, but before you go and stuff your fingers in your ears, hear me out. First, here are some of the benefits of this exercise progression:

o    Develop postural/ upper back muscles
o    Develop trunk/"core" muscles
o    Dynamically stretch the hamstrings through full range of motion
o    Develop strength in the hamstrings and glutes

This progression will help give you flexibility, endurance and strength on entire backside of your body.   

How does this equate to on course performance? 
o    You won't get so tired that your address position changes, altering your swing
o    Your trunk will be prepared to handle high force swings hopefully minimizing back injury potential
o    You will have the strength to call upon when you need a little more "oomph" on the back nine. 

So, let's take a look at some of the more technical aspects of the RDL progression.

Click here for the
Building a Better Stance Progression Video

Tips for making the exercises more effective:
o  Always stand with good posture.
o  Throughout the movement, maintain some tension in your upper back, i.e. standing with a "proud chest". This will allow the desired musculature to work properly.
o    It is an absolute necessity to "tense/brace" your trunk/abdominal area at all times during this movement. 
o    Knees should be slightly bent or "soft"
o    Maintain spinal integrity, while pushing hips backward
o    As you push your hips backward, try to keep your weight on the heels of your feet.
o    An excellent indicator of proper performance is that your hamstrings (back of upper leg) should feel like they are being stretched.
o    Depth of the movement is NOT the goal,  so do not worry about how far down you go
o    Once you reach the point where you can no longer continue movement, without sacrificing your form, begin your ascent
o    Start your return to starting position, by contracting your Hamstrings (back of your up leg) and your Glutes (aka butt).
o    Start with no weight and perfect the movement, then choose a light weight.
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Exercise Protocol: Two or three sets of 10-20 repetitions each of any two of the exercises two to three times per week.  Increase your resistance only after you have perfected each movement.

If you are patient and give this exercise progression at try, I am sure that you will be more than satisfied with the results.   

Until next week, keep it simple.

Troy M Anderson
[email protected]
bluecollargolfer.com

Troy Anderson is a golf conditioning expert, located in Tempe, AZ. To
download your FREE copy of his special report "8 MUST-KNOW Tips for
Starting a Successful Golf Conditioning Program", go to www.bluecollargolfer.com

 

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