INHealth: Stretch and Swing

by Shea Garrison
photography by Stephen Faure

 

Whether you play in a local tennis league or tee off on a northshore golf course, chances are you’d like to improve your skills and give your opponents a run for their money, all while staying fit and injury-free.

While tennis and golf are obviously two different sports requiring different skill sets, swinging a racquet and swinging a club use similar muscle groups and have similar effects on your back, shoulders and hips. Follow this exercise series to improve your game on the court or on the greens and to reduce your chance of injury.

Core Conditioning

About 80 percent of all golfing injuries involve the spine, particularly the lower back, and the continuous motion of rotating the trunk to hit a ball can cause overuse injuries in both golf and tennis players. Reduce the risk of hurting your back and the time your body requires to heal from an injury by keeping your core (abdominals and lower back) strong and flexible. A little preparation now can keep you injury-free and in the game.

Strong and flexible core muscles are especially important to golf and tennis players because these muscles are active in every phase of the swing. A strong core helps maintain your body position and posture during a swing and helps to generate greater speed on the ball. For golfers and tennis players alike, the result is a smoother, more powerful swing. You’ll have more control of your muscles to help you put the ball right where you want it and the ability to send the ball a greater distance with less effort. As your swing becomes more consistent, your game will improve.

Use the following four exercises two to three times a week to keep your back strong, flexible and healthy. Do them before stepping on the court or the course, and they can serve as part of your warm-up.

If you don’t play tennis or golf, these exercises are for you, too. A strong trunk can reduce pain and injury to your lower back from everyday activities and give you a flat, streamlined midsection.

Crunches: strengthens abdominal muscles for stabilization, posture and balance. Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. Pull your navel in toward your spine. Lace your fingers together and place your hands behind your head. Rest your head in your hands. Use your abdominal muscles to slowly lift your torso about 4 to 6 inches off the floor. Hold your torso up for 2 seconds. Slowly lower your torso to about 1/2 inch off the floor. This is one repetition. Repeat for 15-30 repetitions, rest and repeat for a total of 2 sets. Inhale as you lower; exhale as you lift.

Back Extension: strengthens back muscles for posture, balance and spinal rotation. Lie flat on your stomach with your arms on the floor by your sides. Lift your upper body off the ground as far as you can. As you lift your upper body, keep your legs on the ground. Your neck and head should be in a straight line with your spine. Hold for 2 seconds and slowly lower back to the ground. This is one repetition. Repeat for 10-15 repetitions, rest and repeat for a total of 2 sets.

Oblique Crunch: strengthens abdominal muscles with focus on the obliques (the abdominal muscles that form your waist) for trunk rotation. Lie on the floor on your back, hands behind your head. Pull your navel to your spine to keep your lower back from over-arching off the floor (your natural arch is fine). Bring your right shoulder toward the left knee and twist your upper body to the side as far as possible. Keep your left elbow on the ground to allow you to twist more. (Twist your midsection similar to the way you wring out a washcloth.) Do not bring your right elbow forward or pull on your neck. Squeeze your left oblique and hold. Lower your right shoulder to about an inch off the floor. This is one repetition. Do 15-20 repetitions on each side, rest and repeat for a total of 2 sets. Inhale when you lower; exhale when you lift.

Yoga Spine Stretch: stretches entire trunk for greater range of motion and injury reduction to hips, spine and lower back. Lie on your back with your arms stretched out from your sides. Press your palms into the floor. Bring your knees up to your chest. Slowly lower your knees to the left and look to the right. Rest your legs on the ground and inhale and exhale deeply. Hold for 30 seconds and switch to the other side. Repeat on both sides.

Shoulder Strength

Every time you hit a golf or tennis ball, your shoulders must contract and stretch through a wide range of motion. Your rotator cuff muscles, the muscles that help stabilize your shoulders during a swing, are at high risk for injury. This is especially true if they’re weak and inflexible. Common injuries are torn rotator cuff muscles, bursitis and tendonitis. Anyone who has experienced one of these injuries knows it can keep you from your favorite sport indefinitely. On the positive side, strong and flexible shoulders can give you a more powerful, consistent swing, and in the end make you a better player.

Often, players are stronger in the fronts of their shoulders and weaker in the backs, creating an imbalance in shoulder strength. This imbalance creates a higher risk for shoulder injury and puts your swing at a disadvantage. Doing both of the following exercises will help keep your shoulder strength balanced and your shoulders injury-free.

Do both the external rotation and internal rotation exercises 2 to 3 times a week for 2 sets of 15-20 repetitions. Use a light dumbbell, probably a 1-, 3- or 5-pound, depending on your strength. Some may be able to use an 8-pound dumbbell. Choose a weight that allows you to do 15 repetitions, but no more than 20.

Before and after you play your sport, as well as before and after you perform the rotation exercises, do the stretches for the backs and fronts of your shoulders.

Internal Rotation: for fronts of shoulders. Lie on your right side with your knees bent and slightly in front of your body. Place a towel under your head. Hold the dumbbell in your right hand. Place the arm in front of your upper body, upper arm extended away from your chest and resting on the floor. Form a 90-degree angle with the right arm and rotate the forearm up toward your head. Hold the dumbbell about 2 inches off the floor.

Keeping the elbow on the floor, slowly rotate the arm up until the forearm is almost perpendicular to the floor. Hold for 1 second. Lower the dumbbell back toward your head, to about 2 inches off the floor. This is one repetition. Complete 15 to 20 repetitions and repeat on the other side.

External Rotation: for backs of shoulders. Lie on your right side with your knees bent and slightly in front of your body. Place a towel under your head. Also, place your right hand under your head. Hold the dumbbell in your left hand and place your left elbow tightly on the side of your ribcage. Your left arm should form a 90-degree angle. Hold the dumbbell about 2 inches off the floor.

Keep your elbow by your ribcage and slowly rotate the arm, lifting the dumbbell up and away from the body as far as you can. Hold for 1 second and slowly lower the dumbbell to about 2 inches off the floor. This is one repetition. Complete 15 to 20 reps and repeat on the other side.

Stretch for Back of Shoulder: Hold your right arm out in front of you. Place the inside of your left forearm above the right elbow and pull the right arm across your body and into your chest. Hold for 20 to 30 seconds. Repeat on the left arm.

Stretch for Front of Shoulder: Grab a pole or doorframe with your right hand. Your palm should face in toward your body, not out. Slowly turn your body to the left as far as you feel comfortable, feeling the stretch in your chest, shoulder, and arm. Hold for 20 to 30 seconds. Repeat on the left arm.

Master fitness specialist and personal trainer Shea Garrison is director of the Boomers and Beyond department at Franco’s Athletic Club in Mandeville.