This article originally appeared in the January issue of NCGA Golf Magazine
By Jennifer Fleischer
Most golfers are surprised to learn that our shoulders are responsible for up to 20% of our total clubhead speed! But whether it’s from sitting at the desk all week or too much time on our phones, many of us contend with a rounded upper back posture that puts our shoulders in a compromised position. If you swing over the top, get too steep, or even struggle with a chicken wing, limited mobility and stability through your shoulders might be to blame! Luckily, by doing the right exercises in the gym, you can overcome these limitations and get back to delivering maximum force to the ball.
These mini band wall walks are a fantastic exercise for improving the strength of the muscles that support your shoulder blades, helping promote better posture and increased external shoulder rotation — a key to shallowing the club with less effort! With a light mini band around your wrists, place your arms on the wall with 90 degrees at your elbows. Push the wall away with your forearms, gently protracting your shoulder blades. From there, begin to take slow, small steps up the wall and back down again. As you do this, the band will pull your wrists together. I want you to fight to keep width between your wrists so your arms resemble a rectangle, not a triangle. It won’t take long for you to feel the external rotators of your shoulder start to burn. Begin with 2-3 sets of 4walks up and down the wall on each side with 2-3 minutes rest between sets. If the band you select is too heavy, your shoulder might shrug, causing the prime movers to take over the movement instead of the stabilizing muscles we’re targeting. Choose a band that allows your shoulders to stay down while your forearms walk up and down the wall.
Whether you want to improve your accuracy and control over the club face, deliver more force to the ball, or avoid injuries, improving your shoulder mobility and stability can help. Add these mini band wall walks into your golf and training warmups and see how they improve your performance!
Jennifer Flesischer is a Titleist Performance Institute, Function Range Conditioning and CHEK Institute certified professional who Golf Digest has named as a 50-Best Golf-Fitness Trainer.