Fitness Friday: Stretch Your Chest for Bigger Drives: The Instruction Blog: Golf Digest

Fitness Friday: Stretch Your Chest for Bigger Drives

Friday, August 24, 2012

Every week my colleague Ron Kaspriske, Golf Digest Fitness Editor, presents Fitness Friday on the Instruction Blog. This week he talks about stretching your chest if you really want to hit bigger drives. Note: in the September issue of Golf Digest (currently on newsstands with Alvaro Quiros on the cover), Quiros mentions the same concept. Standing taller at address helps keep his chest--and swing--wide. It's one of his keys, and he's been the longest driver on the European Tour four of the past six years. Look for Weekend Tip tomorrow, and remember to follow me on Twitter: @RogerSchiffman.

Roger Schiffman
Managing Editor
Golf Digest

Here's Ron: When most golfers stretch before a round, they focus on their back, legs and hips. But if you want to hit bigger drives, expanding your chest muscles is key, says PGA Tour trainer Dave Herman. "Anytime you're going to play, you have to stretch the chest to get the shoulders primed for what they need to do in the golf swing," says Herman, who works with Gary Woodland and Trevor Immelman. "Opening up the chest will help improve your posture and allow you to make a wider swing, which is so important if you want to hit bigger drives."

Herman, founder of Super Flex Bands (@superflexbands), says stuffing some resistance tubing or bands into your golf bag and using them for a pre-round warm-up will really help you hit it farther. To watch Herman demonstrate two chest stretches he uses with his golfers, click on the video below.

Ron Kaspriske
Fitness Editor
GolfDigest
Twitter @RonKaspriske