Many golfers strain their backs. There are several reasons, including cold muscles (no warm ups), weak core muscles, poor posture and sitting in the golf cart too much. Here are some things you can do to keep swinging your clubs without hurting your back.

Warm up and stretch When your hit a golf ball with force, you are performing an explosive move, which is likely to strain your lower back muscles (and other muscles) if you havent warmed up. You wouldnt think of sprinting down the road without at least a few stretches or warming up by running on the spot. So why is playing golf any different? If you get up and tee off early in the morning with no warm ups or stretches and hit the golf ball with full force, you could easily sprain the back muscles. Perform at least 2 stretches-your hamstrings and shoulders. After doing two stretches explained below, do some light twisting from side to side. Then do some slow practice swings with your golf club. Your muscles should now be warmed up and ready for action.

Hamstring stretch Your hamstrings (the muscles at the back of the upper legs) are important to stretch because they are attached to the pelvis. This means that they pull on the pelvis when they are tight. You need looser hamstring muscles in order to prevent them pulling on your pelvis and lower back. A simple standing hamstring stretch is as follows: Put your right leg in front of your left leg, keeping the right leg straight. You can bend the back leg (left leg) slightly. Bend forward at the hips and hold onto your right shin or ankle. You will feel a stretch down the right leg. Hold this for 15 seconds or so and then repeat on the left side.

Shoulder stretch Any swinging action like swinging at a golf ball uses your shoulder muscles. Just like your hamstrings, tight or cold shoulder muscles dont respond well to sudden movements. Put your right hand at the back of your neck, between the shoulder blades, pointing the elbow upwards. Hold your right elbow with your left hand and gently pull. You will feel a stretch in the right shoulder. Hold this stretch for 15 seconds. Repeat on the left side.

Maintain Good Posture Over a few hours, by repeatedly bending your back each time you pick up your golf bag or the ball, you can strain the lower back muscles. Dont bend your back when picking something up. Bend your knees and use your leg muscles to take the weight.

Strengthen your abdominal muscles. Do 5-10 minutes a day of strengthening exercises. Choose crunches rather than sit-ups as sit-ups will strain your back if you are not used to exercising. Perform 10 repetitions to start with and increase this each week. Also choose a stability exercise, like the plank. Time yourself and try to improve the time you spend in the position each week.

Dont sit in the cart too much Golfers need to walk around a bit. Walking exercises engage the muscles that remain stiff if youre sitting down all day. For example, walking exercises your hamstrings, so the muscles are less stiff and you have less chance of back strain. Walk every second or third hole. Enjoy your golf with out back pain!

Build your Back, Beat the Pain is a step-by-step plan that anyone can follow to stretch and strengthen key muscles to prevent back pain.

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