If you spend 40 to 60 hours a week hunched over a desk, then expect to make a smooth, athletic golf swing on Saturday morning, your body has other plans.
Long hours of sitting train your hips, mid back, and shoulders to stay short and tight. Those are the exact ranges your swing depends on. The result is limited turn, compensations, lost speed, sometimes pain. This isn’t going to fix itself.
Golf Mobility Exercises You Need
Your body is good at adapting to whatever stress you put it under. When you spend years slouching over a desk, it adapts to that. Range of motion you don’t use, you lose. Small daily habits compound over time, in either direction.
The golf swings of the pros you watch on TV require mobility in the exact places desk bound players struggle most: the hips, the thoracic spine (mid back), and the shoulders. I see the same pattern in clients every day.
Not many people sitting for 60 hours a week are achieving this position….or close to it.
Free 10 Minute Follow Along Mobility Routine
Follow along with Mike through this free 10-minute mobility routine designed to improve range of motion between workouts.
Below are four exercises you can do with zero equipment to start combating the mobility defects of chronic sedentary living. You can even do them in the workplace throughout the day. They also double up as an excellent warm-up before practice our play:
4 Mobility Exercises for Desk-Bound Golfers to Combat A Sedentary Lifestyle
Try 1-2 circuits of 5-10 reps on each exercise as often as desired. I’d suggest once daily. Let me know how it goes.
1. Hip Extension
I often see a lack of hip extension creeping in as people get older. If your hips are lacking extension you may be more likely to assume excessive anterior pelvic tilt or S posture. This reduces our ability to turn our hips. This exercises essentially puts our hip in the opposite position of when we are sitting. It’s often an eye opener to people just how limited they are.
2. Internal Hip Rotation
Without sufficient internal hip rotation certain movements in the golf swing become much more difficult. Reverse spine angle and early extension being two common swing tendencies that may be more likely to occur if internal hip rotation is limited.
3. Thoracic Extension & Shoulder Flexion
Keeping our mid back and shoulders mobile is essential for being able to turn and lift the arms in the golf swing.
4. Thoracic Rotation
If you’re limited in thoracic rotation aka shoulder turn, you may find it harder to create power in the golf swing. Many players complain of losing the ability to turn as they spend more and more years inactive. This is a good drill to improve it. The half kneeling position reduces cheating and also forces you to fire up the muscles around your trunk to maintain stability.
These are just the tip of the iceberg, if you are serious about transforming your golfing body for longer drives, less aches, more energy, and just want to be healthier and in better shape in general check out the Fit For Golf App.
Feel free to send questions through the contact form on the site or through my Twitter.
Regards,
Mike
