The Loop
Fitness Friday: Don't be a tremendous slouch
__*"Don't sell yourself short, Judge, you're a tremendous slouch."
—Ty Webb, "Caddyshack"*__
In order to hit the ball solidly, many golf instructors emphasize the importance of remaining in your address posture as you swing through the impact zone. But if you think about, trying to maintain your posture probably isn't a good idea if the posture you're in at address isn't very good to begin with.
Golf Digest teaching professional Sean Foley says when you set up to the ball, you should feel like you're still standing fairly tall (pictured below). You should bend from the hip joints and let your arms hang straight down. Unfortunately, many golfers don't address the ball this way. They're too hunched over. There are a lot of reasons for this, but one of the biggest is that we sit too much. Unless you consciously work at it and give yourself reminders, you'll soon find yourself sitting with your shoulders rounded, your chest closed in, and your glute (butt) muscles deactivated. This all-too-familiar posture eventually manifests into the way you stand over the ball and swing the club.
You can train for proper posture if you pay more attention to reversing this slouching trend in the gym. If you focus on opening up the chest and strengthening the muscles around the shoulder girdle, you'll be sitting, walking and playing taller. Here's an easy one-two punch in the gym that will help improve your posture.
Ron Kaspriske is the fitness editor of Golf Digest.
(Photos By Stephen Szurlej)