Exercise Program For Golfers May Help Improve Performance
A study that could help golfers maximize performance are being presented this week by researchers from the University of Pittsburgh’s Neuromuscular Research Laboratory at the annual meeting of the American College of Sports Medicine in Nashville, June 1-3.
The study proved that a specific eight-week exercise program developed in the Neuromuscular Research Laboratory could help improve golfers’ performance.
Most golfers who want to improve their performance use the expertise of teaching professionals to modify swing mechanics. Yet, sports medicine professionals also may have the ability to help maximize performance through a golf-specific exercise program, as proven by a University of Pittsburgh Neuromuscular Research Laboratory study.
In the study, 15 average recreational golfers completed the eight-week golf conditioning and training program, designed and scientifically validated by the University of Pittsburgh team to improve physical characteristics. Pre- and post-training testing of participants included assessments of hip, torso and shoulder strength, flexibility and balance, swing mechanics and golf performance. Strength was measured with an isokinetic dynamometer. A clinician used a standard goniometer to look at flexibility. Single-leg standing balance was assessed using a force plate. Swing mechanics were studied with a three-dimensional motion analysis system, and golf performance was evaluated with a launch monitor system.
After eight weeks, shoulder, hip and trunk flexibility improved significantly in 22 of the 26 flexibility measurements taken. Hip and torso rotational strength also were improved. Golf performance improved, including an average carry distance increase of about 18.5 yards, and an average total driving distance increase of about 17.5 yards. Average ball speed increased about 6.5 miles per hour with average club head speed improving about 4.5 miles per hour. Upper rotational velocity at acceleration point of the golf swing increased by about 31.7 degrees per second.
“A clinician-prescribed, golf-specific exercise program like the one we’ve validated in our current study would complement the instruction provided by a teaching professional in order to more effectively improve performance in golfers,” said Yung-Shen Tsai, Ph.D., P.T., who led the study.
Other investigators include James Smoliga, D.V.M.; Timothy Sell, Ph.D., P.T.; Joseph Myers, Ph.D., A.T.C.; and Scott Lephart, Ph.D., A.T.C.
The University of Pittsburgh Neuromuscular Research Laboratory is housed within the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center’s Sports Performance Complex, in the Center for Sports Medicine. Laboratory faculty includes those from the sports medicine program at the university’s School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences and the orthopaedic surgery department at the university’s School of Medicine.
Physioguy,
Thanks for getting this piece into this forum. I had seen it but don't have the computer knowledge to move things around! It seems to verify what we had all known---increasing strength and flexibiliy combined with golf instruction makes a better golfer. I guess this study "proves it." All we need to do is watch Tiger Woods and we see it in action. Thanks again.
Dr Dave
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The study proved that a specific eight-week exercise program developed in the Neuromuscular Research Laboratory could help improve golfers’ performance.
Is there any information on this "specific eight-week exercise program developed in the Neuromuscular Research Laboratory" ?
[/quote]Is there any information on this "specific eight-week exercise program developed in the Neuromuscular Research Laboratory" ?[/quote]
Not yet, that I have found. I am trying to find the original article, as it may have appeared in a peer-reviewed journal. Usually they will at least described the sort of exercises used.
I have my own "golf-specific" exercises, and was interested in comparing the two programs.
First off, they are not "mine," just stuff I have picked up in my own personal research. Stuff that made sense to me, and that made me feel more "golfy" when I tried them out.
Secondly, most people seem somewhat let down or dissappointed when shown some of the exercises. There appears to be this yearning for some sort of "exotic" or magical exercises. Unfortunately, as in most things, the reality is quite simple.
I believe that training for golf, should resemble golf. While you are training for golf, if a passerby looked at you, the first thing he/she should think is "that person must be training to be a better golfer."
Almost all the exercises I use are performed in standing, preferably in precise golf positions (i.e. address position). The actual training or strengthening tends to be in the bookends of the golf swing - the top of the back swing, where the stored energy is transnformed into a powerful downswing, and the follow-through, where the body has to safely slow down all that energy achieved in the golf swing. There isn't too many exercises where impact is trained - because I believe you should be mostly just holding onto the club (I am a swinger, BTW)
As an example, one exercise I use basically ingrains the movement of the right arm in the backswing. Starting in the address position, you trace the right arm up to the top of the backswing. You still, of course, do everything else, turn the hips and shoulders, make sure you don't reverse pivot, etc. At the top, you should feel very loaded into your right side. You then smoothly bring it back down to impact. This is done for a certain amount of reps, or done circuit training style, where you perform the activity for a specific timer period, then move onto another exercise (my preference)
So, nothing spectacular. But what this sort of training does is prepare the body for the physical demands of the golf swing, because it precisely mimics the golf movements. It also reinforces good swing mechanics (as long as you are precise with the movements - you don't want to get sloppy, or you will be ingraining possibly bad mechanics) And, possibly most importantly, it stimulates the nervous system, the proprioceptors, which will literally turn you into a golfing machine! (pun intended)
[As usual, an aside. I think that any form of training can be beneficial, and if you really work hard at golf, may help you to be a better golfer. Having said that, I think you get better results with "functional" golf exercises. The body will be better prepared for the rigors of the golf swing, and the exercises will almost pre-program correct movements patterns]
Anecdotal evidence is just that, anecdotal, but my clients really seem to take a liking to the exercises. It's almost as if the body figures it out, or maybe they sense that, yes, this will help my bad rotator cuff, or hip, or elbow, etc.
I should mention that flexibility and stretching is paramount for golf, particularly with the degree of stiffness seen in most of my clients. There again, if you can stretch in positions that closely replicate the key golfing positions, i.e. make stretching functionally specific to golf, you will probably be better off.
Stretching for golf is really where my client's eyes grow big - especially after a couple of intense sessions, where they can feel they're body turning better, for instance.
I mentioned the strengthening exercises, becasue I thought that was what you asking for, and the fact that, even with stretching, it is important to strengthen muscles after stretching them. That is the whole point of "stabilization" training. Stabilization is nothing more than being able to control (i.e. stabilize) the movement or motion that you possess. Think of a new born calf or deer, and their first steps. Or, maybe more applicable, think of your own child's first steps. My clients often report feeling "wobbly" following an aggressive stretching session - that is simply their body's inability to coordinate the new range of motion they have, for instance in their hamstrings. If I don't then give them a strengthening exercise for the hamstrings, the body's reaction is, "well, sh!t, I can't control these damn hammies, so I hope they stiffen up again."
It really is a case of, If you don't use it, you lose it. Which is as simple as it gets. A good sample question all golfers should ask themselves is, "do my hip flexors experience full range of motion regularly during the day?"
A good sample question all golfers should ask themselves is, "do my hip flexors experience full range of motion regularly during the day?"
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Well, that begs an obvious question: How do I test the range of motion of my hip flexors, and what should the full range of motion be? What goal am I working towards? Ok ... it was 2 questions.
Um, well, the question about hip flexors was just meant as an example of what golfer's should be thinking about.
Anatomically, hip flexion is the forward movement of the thigh at the hip, such as when you take a step forward. Extension is the opposite movement, such as the backward movement of the thigh, as in when your body moves forward when walking, and the back leg is relatively behind you.
So, when we sit, we are statically in hip flexion. Which means that the hip flexors, the muscles that flex the hip, are in a shortened position.
The textbooks will usually say that the hip should be able to move into extension by at least 10 to 15 degrees (zero degrees being in line with the trunk/body when standing straight), although the actual movement varies considerably.
There are some specific hip flexor tests in the textbooks (eg. Thomas test), but what I do is simply view my client from the side, get them to put most of their body weight onto the same side leg, and then ask them to reach their arms overhead, then reach behind them as far as they can. What I look for is the quality of movement. Do the hips move? Is there a dissociation between the thigh and the pelvis, indicating true hip extension? Is there an excessive amount of movement occuring at the spine? (a common finding)
The whole point, however, is that many of us spend more time sitting than standing or walking, and then we compound it by sleeping lying on our sides, with your hips and knees bent. Some people even tell me they sleep on their back, with a pillow or two under their knees. Sure, it feels good on the spine, but they would be better off developing adequate flexibility and strength of the hip girdles. This positioning that people fall into is nothing more than a bandaid, which is actually reinforcing dysfunction, and further tightness of the hips, whicj eventually will affect the joint itself (hip flexion contracture)
Man, I have to learn to make shorter, more concise posts!
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