A painless way to warm up (for the gym or golf!)

Many fitness experts think it's a mistake to prepare for a workout or round of golf by doing long-hold stretches. Golf Digest fitness advisor Ben Shear (@Ben_Shear) says you do want to stretch your muscles before any vigorous activity, but it's much more effective to do that with warm-up exercises. Over the next week, Shear will reveal how he gets his athletes ready for action using three basic exercises.

The first is called the "step-and-reach" and it's designed to activate the muscles on the back side of the body. The posterior muscles play a significant role in the golf swing, most notable allowing you to stand and swing with good golf posture. Click on the video below to see Ben and Ryan Anderson demonstrate the step-and-reach. Alternate stepping and reaching with each side of the body for a few minutes.