Golf Athletic Conditioning

Omni introduces a Men’s Only Golf Athletic Conditioning Class this fall. Clients can raise their golf game to a new level with exercises targeting the specific muscles used in the sport while balancing the body through strengthening the weaker, unused muscles. These moves can help improve balance and flexibility while conditioning the entire body. 
 

Photography © Merrithew Corporation

In the Unites States, more than 26 million people play golf. And more and more of these people are choosing Pilates to improve their game. IdeaFit.com has a great article on the benefits of Pilates. To summarize their findings, Pilates exercises can improve a player’s golf swing and can prevent common golfing injuries.

Alina received special training developed by the Merrithew Health and Fitness team to develop this class. Equipment used during this class includes the reformer and stability chair as well as small props like the Pilates Mat, toning balls, and maple poles. 

Contact the studio or Alina to reserve your spot! Classes held on Monday and Wednesday evenings at 6:15. 

Excerpt from article in IdeaFit that sums up the possibilities when you partner golf and Pilates:
  
Create a Pilates Conditioning Program for Golfers
by Kathy Corey, Paul W. Corey, MD

  “Golf is a game of asymmetry and multidirectional stresses. (Imagine doing an oblique curl to the left 100–130 times with compressive forces eight times your body weight, and you’ll have some sense of the toll that golf places on a player!) Pilates spinal rotation exercises de-rotate this spinal imbalance and realign core muscles. Attention to standing alignment and foot placement stabilizes the base of support, and weight-shifting exercises promote better balance.

When you are creating a Pilates conditioning program for golfers, what’s most important is designing core movements for the individual player’s needs.

Photography © Merrithew Corporation

A Pilates conditioning program that assesses performance, lengthens tight muscles, decreases multijoint tightness and strengthens weaker muscles for power on impact will advance the game, prevent injury and improve general fitness.

Golf is a left-handed game played by a right-handed society. For a right-handed golfer, the left side of the body is considered the target side (closest to the ball), whereas the right side is the nontarget side. Although the golf swing uses almost all the muscles in the body, the muscles on one side of the body may be doing the exact opposite of the muscles on the other side. For a golf conditioning program to be effective, both sides need to be trained for the specific jobs they must accomplish.

For example, in the 1 second it takes to complete the golf swing, the muscles fire in the following pattern for a right-handed golfer (Simpson & Kaspriske 2004b):

• gluteals—left side
  
  
• adductors—left side
  
  
• rectus abdominis—both sides
  
  
• latissimus dorsi—right side
  
  
• obliques—left to right side
  
  
• quadriceps—right side
  
  
• pectorals—right side
  
  
• hamstrings—left side
  
  
• rotator cuff—right side”
  

Read more from this article HERE.