A client of mine has been an avid golfer for years, but one morning he confessed to me that he’d been finding his swing lacked the grace and power it used to have. “It can’t just be because I’m getting older,” he mused. “There must be a different reason – and there must be something I can do about it!” Without wanting to step on that potential landmine by commenting on the fact that he was getting older, I explained about the importance of the oblique muscles and how it might help to incorporate some stretching through the side of the body to keep the torso supple and fluid as he swung his golf club. As with most people, he had a vague sense of what these muscles are, but lacked a clear understanding of their function for the core. Once we discussed the obliques and had him find the muscles on his body, he agreed that they needed some attention!
I had him start practicing the Boomerang pose, posted below, and called it his “Golf Flexibility Exercise.” You can also find in the Yoga Tune Up® Quick Fix for Lower Back here. After only a few times doing the pose, he reported that his swing felt smoother and that connecting with the ball was easier. Landmine successfully avoided!
[...] Tune Up® Blog « This Dynamic Stretch Wins the Gold! Core Strength: Find Your Obliques [...]
[...] Yoga Tune Up® Blog « Core Strength: Find Your Obliques [...]
Dancing is a great fun way to use the core without realizing you’re doing it.
How long is the ideal that someone should one hold this pose after extending the arm? This simple stretch will improve so many activities…., maybe even improve one’s reach in punching/hitting a boxing bag
My dad loves to golf–I’ll definitely pass this on to him. Thanks!
This seems like a simple pose but I can really feel my abdominals and lower back work together to create strength as well as extend the spine.
Although i’ve seen many stretches, i have to say that i’ve never done this simple stretch. After doing it, i feel more limber in my upper body. It also seems to add some strength to the arms.
What a great pose to incorporate into the beginning of a yoga class to begin to awaken the body and prepare for core work and twisting poses.
Always enjoy learning more about the abdominal muscles as a strong core is key in yoga and in life!
Thanks for another exercise that I can use for golf next spring (unfortunately, Chicago does not offer year round playing opportunities).
This is a great stretch. I do it myself quite often.
Thank you for this important reminder Sarah. When we look at the core muscle, we often neglect the importance of the oblique muscles. But both external and internal oblique muscles are vital part of our daily movement. Yoga Tune Up Oblique muscle stretch is an excellent tool to bring more awareness to that part of our body.
From my point of view the best way to find your abdominals, and not only obliques, is to start yoga workout from some exercises strengthening them, like it does Forrest Yoga, connecting breathing and abdominal work. It makes easier to engage your abs and tag your tummy in during the following workout.
We forget the obliques when we think of the six pack or abdominal muscles. But these babies are so important in keeping our tubular muscles strong and toned to support the core.