Welcome to our new-and-improved Home Fitness series. Each week over the next three months, we’ll provide you with a workout you can follow to help prepare you for the start of the spring season. We’ll cover everything from mobility to strength to functional fitness to get you ready for that first round once the frost thaws.
Shoulder turn is incredibly important in the golf swing. Without it, you literally can’t swing a club.
And for those of you chasing more distance, a bigger shoulder turn means a bigger backswing, which in turn helps you add yards to your drives.
Whether you’d just like to be able to turn more smoothly in your swing or you’re looking to bomb it like Phil Mickelson, this mobility routine from golf fitness expert Carolina Romero will get you turning heads on the course.
Before you start, you will need a foam roller to do several of the exercises in this routine.
Restore Muscle Therapy Foam Roller
Home Fitness Mobility – Week 3
Chest and Rotator Cuff Foam Roll: If you struggle to make a full shoulder turn in your swing, tightness in your chest and rotator cuff muscles could be what’s holding you back. Grab a foam roller and, lying on your side, place it under your armpit. Rotate so your chest is on top of the foam roller and begin moving it slowly over your chest muscles. When you find a sore spot, stop and put pressure on that area for about 20 seconds until the muscle releases. Once you’ve rolled your chest muscles, rotate your body backward to put pressure on the area behind your armpit. Repeat the process for this area and the opposite side. Tip: Remember that you can control the intensity of his exercise by adjusting the amount of pressure you use.
Reach-Backs: This is another great exercise to improve your shoulder mobility, which in turn will help you make a fuller shoulder turn in your golf swing. Begin in Child’s Pose and place one arm behind your head, keeping your other arm on the ground. Rotate as far as you can toward the arm that is behind your head. Hold the end position for three seconds and repeat, doing three sets of 10 reps per side. Tip: Remember to keep your butt back close to your heels.
Standing Hip External Rotation: Good hip mobility is equally important for a powerful golf swing as good shoulder mobility. To do this exercise, stand close to wall a place the foam roller between your knee and the wall. While keeping pressure on the foam roller, begin turning your shin inward, making sure to maintain a 90 degree angle with your knee. Rotate your shin inward as far as you can, holding the end range of motion for three seconds. Perform three sets of 10 reps per side. Tip: You should feel this exercise in your hips, core and other lower-body stabilizing muscles.
Pelvic Rotations: Your ability to separate your upper and lower body is key to your swing sequence, and power. That’s why it’s often referred to as the “X-Factor” in the golf swing. Standing next to a wall, place the foam roller between your shoulder and the wall. Step into your golf stance and cross your arms over your chest. Then, begin rotating your hips in both directions while keeping your upper body still and the foam roller in place. Perform three sets of ten reps per side. Tip: Be sure that you are rotating your hips rather than moving them from side to side.
If this is your first time trying our Home Fitness Mobility routine, be sure to go back and start with Week 1 and Week 2 to reap all the benefits on the course. Here’s to full shoulder turns and turning heads your next time you’re out on the course.
