NOTE: An edited version of Denny Pinch's Fit For Play story appeared in the March-April 2018 issue of Virginia Golfer magazine. Here is the full story.
GREAT GOLFER'S GLUTES
By Denny Pinch
Certified Golf Fitness Specialist
Certified Corrective Exercise Specialist
As a golfer or a trainer who works with golfers, it is common knowledge that the gluteus maximus and gluteus medius (the glutes) play an important role in a golf swing. Working with ground reaction forces, the glutes help to generate and transfer power from the ground up the legs through the core to the shoulders and arms and ultimately into the club head. Properly functioning glutes help to prevent sway in the backswing or a slide in the follow through. Strong glutes create stable hips that form a pillar over which the torso turns in the backswing to create separation between the shoulders and the hips. Finally, the glutes help with hip extension as the golfer completes the follow through. Activating and using the glutes properly during the golf swing will help to reduce many swing path faults, as well as, reduce the occurrence of many golf related injuries.
This is something that is well known. The problem for many golfers is they have no idea how to get the glutes to function properly. So much time throughout the day is spent sitting at a desk at work, in the car commuting to and from work, and on the sofa while watching TV at night to relax after a long day that the brain and the glutes have forgotten how to communicate. Often when a movement pattern should utilize the glutes, the hamstrings take over to make the movement that the glutes should perform. This is referred to as being hamstring dominate.
Now is the time, during a well rounded off-season golf conditioning program, to teach the glutes to work properly again. A three step approach to learn to activate your butt starts with two simple moves that teach your brain how to engage the butt muscles. The second step will include several exercises to develop strong glutes. The third step helps you to integrate your buttocks with other muscle groups the way those muscle groups work together during your golf swing.
Glute Activation
The first move to help you activate your butt comes from Justin Price's Biomechanics Method. It is called the Duck Stance. Stand with your back against the wall so both butt cheeks and shoulder blades touch the wall. Position your feet so your heels are close together and your toes are turned out like a duck. Keep your legs straight but not locked at the knees and imagine you are turning only your knees out even more. You will immediately engage your glute muscles as you try to rotate your knees outward. It will probably be a revelation to you as for the first time you actually feel what it is like to activate your butt. Hold this position for ten seconds and relax. Repeat this for two sets of ten repetitions.
The second move to teach your glutes to work correctly is the Single Leg BOSU Balance Stance. Begin by placing a BOSU with the soft side down. Place one foot directly over the navel on the bottom of the BOSU and step up and balance on one leg. Hold this position for 30 seconds. Do one set of ten reps on each leg. At first, this will be very difficult. You will find it hard to keep the BOSU from rocking all over the place. Stand close to something that you can hang on to until you develop the skill to stand still and upright without a crutch. My clients start by standing next to a Smith machine with the bar set in a position they can easily grab to regain their balance if they feel they are about to fall. It will not take long before you can stand without rocking or holding on to something for support.
You will feel many muscles working as you do this. You will feel your calves and muscles around your ankles work feverishly to help you hang on and not fall off the BOSU. You will also feel your core and upper back muscles work to maintain proper posture. However, the primary muscle doing most of the work will be your glutes even if you do not feel them at the time. The buttocks are key in developing good balance. Once you have performed this exercise for a few weeks, you will start to feel your glutes work in everyday activities such as when you walk up a flight of stairs. You will feel how you propel yourself up the steps by pushing through you butt instead of feeling it in your knees.
These two exercises are not designed as intense movements to promote strength, rather they are designed to help you learn to turn your glutes on and activated. Thus, you can do these exercises almost everyday. The more frequently you do them, the quicker you'll see improvement.
Glute Strength
Once your brain has discovered where your butt is and how to activate those muscles, you can proceed to exercises designed to increase strength. The first movement is called the Wall Slider. It strengthens the gluteus medius. Lie on the floor on your left side so that both legs are straight and both butt cheeks and both shoulder blades are touching the wall. The wall helps you to keep both hips stacked over top of each other. Take two seconds to slide the heel of your right foot up the wall. Hold the leg at the top for two seconds, and then lower your leg back to the original position to the count of four seconds. Each rep should maintain this 2-2-4 tempo. The first few reps will be easy, but the closer you get to the end of the set, the more fatigue you will feel in the gluteus medius. Most likely, this muscle will fatigue quickly because it is not accustomed to working on its own without the assistance of other muscles. This is why it is important to lie on your side against the wall. Without the wall to keep you honest, as the gluteus medius tires you will find that you cheat and lean your pelvis forward so that you can recruit other muscles to come to the rescue of the gluteus medius. Perform two sets of 10-15 reps on each side two to three days each week.
The next exercise is the Stability Ball Glute Bridge and it strengthens the gluteus maximus. Begin by sitting on a stability ball. Slowly walk yourself out to the point where your head and shoulders rest comfortably on the top of the ball. Your feet should be positioned directly below your knees and your hips should be lower than both your knees and shoulders. Use the 2-2-4 tempo as you take two seconds to squeeze your glutes and push your hips up so they are in line with the knees and shoulders. Your body should be in a straight line from your shoulders through your hips and to the knees. Hold this position for two seconds as you squeeze the glutes tightly. Then, lower back down to the original position to the count of four seconds. To help focus your brain to engage the gluteus maximus touch those muscles with your fingers as you perform this movement. Also, pull your navel toward your spine to engage your core muscles as you do this exercise so you do not feel any discomfort in the lower back. Perform two sets of 10-15 reps two to three days each week.
One more strength move is Paul Chek's Lateral Ball Roll. Lie on a stability ball with your head and shoulders comfortably on top of the ball. Your hips are lifted in line with your shoulders and knees, and your feet are directly below your knees. Extend each arm out to the side with your palms facing up so you can hold a dowel rod horizontal to the floor and a few inches above the center of your chest. Squeeze the buttocks and slowly roll laterally to the right so that your right shoulder slightly comes off the ball. Hold this for two seconds and return to the original position. Repeat this move to the left. Keep the glutes tight so that the hips DO NOT DROP and the dowel rod remains horizontal to the floor as you perform this exercise. Draw your navel in toward the spine to engage the core and protect your lower back. Do 8-10 reps rolling to each side two to three days each week. Once you master this move, you can increase the challenge. As you roll laterally to the right, also take baby steps to the right with your feet so that you can move your right shoulder even farther off the ball. This really forces the glutes to work very hard so you can keep the hips lifted and level and not fall of the ball. Repeat by rolling to the left while taking baby steps with your feet.
Glute Integration
The final step in this exercise program is to integrate your glutes with other muscles in the body. Your buttocks do not work in isolation. They are part of the posterior oblique system, a group of muscles that work diagonally together across your back. During the back swing of a right handed golfer, the gluteus on the left side works diagonally with the latissimus dorsi on your right side to rotate your torso and stabilize your shoulder as you lift the golf club above your head. An improperly functioning posterior oblique system can lead to reduced power and force as you strike the ball. It can also lead to both lower back and hamstring pain.
We will combine two separate exercises into one movement to help you train the posterior oblique system. Practice each one on its own first and then put them together into one motion. The first exercise is the Standing Hip Extension. Stand with good posture on your right leg on a slightly elevated surface such as a riser or a small step. Keep your left leg straight as you swing it back and to the left at about a 45 degree angle into hip extension. You will use the glutes to make this motion. The left glutes work to move the leg and the right glutes work to stabilize the position of your body. Keep your hips level by not taking your leg too far back. If you go too far into hip extension, your left hip will rise and you do not want this to happen. Use the 2-2-4 tempo, two seconds back, hold for two seconds, and return your leg in four seconds. Do two sets of 10-15 reps two or three days each week on both sides of the body. TIP: By standing on an elevated surface, you will not need to hike your hip to swing your leg without the foot hitting the floor.
The second part of this exercise is the Shoulder External Rotation. Use the same stance as above and hold a small two pound dumb bell or a bottle of water in your right hand. With your arm at your side bend your elbow to 90 degrees with the palm facing in. Lift your right arm to the outside so the elbow is even with your right shoulder and your forearm is parallel to the floor. This is the starting position. Raise your right hand up by rotating through your shoulder so that your forearm is now perpendicular to the floor. Your elbow will be in an "L" position. Use two seconds to lift your arm, hold for two seconds, and then lower your arm to the starting position to the count of four seconds, the 2-2-4 tempo. Do two sets of 10-15 reps two or three days each week on both sides of the body.
When you can skillfully do each of these exercises individually, try to put them together in one motion. Extend your left leg back as you rotate your right hand up. You will feel how your glutes and your lats work together as part of the posterior oblique system. Remember to also do this movement so that you work your right glutes with your left lats.
If you progress through this exercise routine during the off-season, next spring you should discover that you will hit the ball for greater distance, with more accuracy, and improved consistency from swing to swing. If you are having difficulty performing any of these exercises seek help from a personal trainer with experience in golf fitness or corrective exercise.