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The annual ritual of the start of golf season is coming up fast. If you want to have a better season than last year (fingers crossed!), then here are some tips for preparing in advance. And I am not simply talking about getting your golf shoes out of the garage to clean them off. Rather, you need to prepare your body itself for golfing. Many people see the game of golf itself as part of their fitness efforts. That's fine to a degree, but what is even more important is getting your body ready for the new season after a winter of neglect. And this year, why not take the leap and if you are physically able, walk the course instead of using a global-warming culprit and money guzzling golf cart? If you do that, and avoid on most occasions the call of the 19th hole grease pit, you will find it easier and easier to walk the full course as the summer goes along. It's true! However, in order to get to that point, you've got to get your body ready for the physical demands ahead. The purpose is to get yourself ready for the long walks and long periods of standing around waiting while golfing. You will gently build strength in muscles that golf requires frequently. Aerobic and stamina-building exercises are the key to beating the long walks in the heat of summer. And flexibility and muscle training will help you achieve longer drives, better swing consistency, and overall mid-torso strength. You won't need to become a heavy lifting body builder at all! No, the goal is to tackle the repetitive, asymmetrical movements of golf by gently strengthening your muscles in advance. Rotational flexibility, hip flexibility, lower back muscles, and shoulder strength all play a role in each golfer's swing. And working these areas will also help you avoid getting spasms in your leg or back muscles during a long day on the links. If you have been cramped up in an office desk and chair all winter, then this is even more important. This is not a huge time commitment. You can take 20 minutes from your lunch break, or work in front of the TV at night, and you most likely won't need a shower after each session either. The muscle groups that help build torso rotational power include the buttocks, hips, abdomen, lower back, and thighs. Begin with stretching those areas out, gently, and then move to weight and resistance training to strengthen them. Continue to concentrate on the power zone or core strength. The core is the area between the knees and chest made up of all the bones, ligaments, and muscles within. There are countless exercises to help you work your core, including hamstring stretches, lower back stretches such as imitating a "cat" doing arches and hunches, gentle torso twists, side rotations with resistance, crunches, and gentle trunk rotations. If you have been sedentary all winter, start out slowly. You don't want to risk injuring one of your core muscles, as that would set you back tremendously, and may cause you to miss the start of the golf season. Warm up for a few minutes with an aerobic activity of your choice, such as on a stationary bike, elliptical trainer machine, or my favorite, walking uphill on a treadmill. The most important factor is to start early! I will lay out some specific exercises in an upcoming article, but don't wait to start the process until a week before your first round. Take a few minutes each day starting now, and your torso strength and stamina will improve tremendously before the first game of the season. Your enjoyment and perhaps your score will both improve, too.
Article Source: http://www.bodyformind.com/db
About the author. Morgan Fobbs loves helping people improve their golf game and is a golf guru. For more great advice and to get an absolutely free copy of a report that is guaranteed to improve your golf game, click the link now to forever alter your golf world view. Click here to get your own unique version of this article.
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