Using Pilates to Solve Golf Injuries

Living in a golf community lends itself to specializing in golf fitness especially for seniors. Here I go again, watching a few young personal trainers work with senior clients who have golfing injuries. I am horrified at the things they are doing to their clients in the name of fitness. Why would you take an elderly gentleman who is already significantly bent forward and place him on a crunch machine having him do 3 to 4 sets of 10 crunches then not even stretch him out afterwards? I love Pilates box exercises like chest expansion (watching for internal rotation of humeral heads) using a lighter spring and turning the hands palm forward to disengage lats and pecs and single/double arm twist (squeezing a ball between the knees) and serving (brownies)/offering (using rotator cuff). All great bio-mechanical exercises for the golf swing.

My new senior female golf client has two tears in her right labrum. I had her demo her golf swing. She has very little thoracic rotation therefore she thrusts her right hip out to accommodate the poor swing.

Along with the above exercises, I add figure 4 hip stretches during foot and leg work and quadruped hands on foot bar thread the needle thoracic rotation taking right hand under the left hand. Lastly, a gentle elephant elongating the spine and stretching the hamstrings is in order.

I love all the Pilates possibilities to come.

Tip of the day: Life is too short to be anything but happy.  Stand tall.  GOOD POSTURE BECOMES YOU.

BARBARA IS AVAILABLE TO GIVE A FREE OSTEOPOROSIS LECTURE or teaching an osteoporosis class called “Tone Your Bones”  OR FOR BOOK SIGNINGS.  310 913-3333