Crunches are making a comeback! Here are two spine-friendly versions for golf

Most fitness experts will tell you that if you play golf, dealing with forward-head-posture issues are likely to be magnified by the way you stand when you hit shots. You already live your life with your head buried in your mobile phone, and your neck muscles spend much more time in flexion than extension as you address a golf ball and swing.

Knowing this, crunches and even many versions of sit-ups are generally considered a bad idea for golfers. The act of repeatedly compressing the vertebrae at the top of the spine, known as the cervical spine, while performing these exercises could accelerate the development of upper-back and neck issues for the golfing population.

On the flip side, crunches and sit-ups are still popular because they do a great job of strengthening the core muscles, and a strong core is hugely important if your goal is making a a stable and powerful golf swing.

So should golfers abandon these exercises because they do more harm than good? Or is it the other way around?

Frankly, says Golf Digest Certified Fitness Trainer Lauren McMillin, you don't have to make that choice. You can have the best of both worlds with two versions of crunches you might not have seen or considered before. McMillin, who trains golfers online and in Madision, Miss., says standing crunches are effective in strengthening all those key muscles in the mid-section of your body while keeping your spine in a relatively neutral position.

Here she demonstrates them:

STANDING CRUNCHES

"This simple, yet effective movement targets the abs while also strengthening the back extensors. Additionally, this movement supports balance, lower-body strength and hip and shoulder mobility," McMillin says.

STANDING SIDE CRUNCHES

"Similar to the standing crunch, this movement strengthens the standing leg, helps with balance and improves hip mobility—this time while targeting the obliques," she says.


To find a Golf Digest Certified Fitness Trainer near you, click this link. If you're interested in the program and want to get certified, here's some information about the curriculum.