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The Loop

Fitness Friday: Crawl before you walk

August 01, 2014
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Hit the deck. Wait, before you do that, vacuum your carpet or wash your floors, but then hit the deck. If you're looking for exercises that require no special equipment and train you to move in multiple planes, just like you do when you swing a golf club, then you should be crawling. That's the advice of certified strength-and-conditioning specialist Anthony Yeung, who is an instructor for RotarySwing.com and founder of SwingStrengthGolf.com.

"It's important to periodically escape our one-dimensional workouts to unlock a new dimension of strength," he says. "Crawling exercises combine all your major fitness goals: strength, endurance, flexibility, stability, and mobility. By moving your body with just your hands and feet, your total-body strength and control will skyrocket. For golf, that means more distance, better balance through impact, and higher ball flights."

Sounds good. And from a physiological standpoint, crawling exercises also strengthen the joints and the heart, and improve overall mobility with a low risk of injury.

If you're ready to crawl, Young suggests a progression of three exercises in the video below. You should be able to do each exercise for 30-60 seconds proficiently before trying the next one. In no time, you'll be able to do Camillo Villegas' infamous "Spiderman" green-reading pose.

Ron Kaspriske is the fitness editor of Golf Digest.*