S Posture in Golfers - Key Exercises to Fix It and Eliminate Back Pain

To fix this problematic back posture here is what you need to do:

1. Stretch the hip flexors
2. Develop good pelvic tilt mechanics – mobilize the pelvis so that you can tilt it posterior and anterior with a smooth motion
3. Strengthen the lower abdominals
4. Strengthen the glutes

Here are the key Exercises to AccomplishThis

1. Half Kneeling Hip Flexor Stretch – lengthens out those tight hip flexors. Use the ball for support and lunge forward until you feel a stretch across the front of the right hip. Slowly roll your pelvis backwards by pulling your hip bones towards your rib cage. You feel a greater stretch down the front of the right thigh. Reach up over your head with your right arm – keep your shoulders over the hips. Tilt over to the left to deepen the stretch even further. Hold this position for 10 sec and then repeat on the other side.

2. Cats and Dogs – a great way to develop better pelvic tilt control. Arch your back and let the shoulder blades come together. Then round out the back and draw the hip bones towards the rib cage – squeeze the abs and the glutes as you do this. Repeat for 10 to 12 repetitions. This will give you a better sense of what it is like to move your pelvis independently of your torso when tilting anterior or posterior.

3. The stabilized reverse crunch – a great way to target the lower abs and push the pelvis into a posterior tilt. Start by laying flat on your back and grabbing the bench as shown beside your ears. Lift the knees up to 90 degrees so that the thighs are perpendicular to the bench and the knees are bent. Curl your tailbone up off the bench to bring you knees up over your chest. Really squeeze down on the lower abs to make this happen. Then slowly uncurl the trunk and return the knees to the same position you started with on the bench. The heels should not touch the bench if you are doing this correctly. This exercise is good for pushing the pelvis into a posterior tilt and giving your abdominals the strength they need to achieve a more neutral pelvic tilt at set up.

4. Three Position Glute Bridge- strengthen those glutes! Start in the hook lying leg position shown in the picture. Cross your arms across your chest so that you cannot use them to stabilize your torso. Push your pelvis into a slight posterior tilt by pulling your hip bones towards your rib cage and contracting your abdominals. Squeeze your glutes as though you are making two fists and push your hip towards the ceiling – try not to lose the tension between your hip bones and your rib cage. At the top of the movement straighten out your right leg and hold it parallel to the left thigh. Hold this for 10 seconds without letting the left side of your pelvis roll towards the floor. Place the right leg down and repeat this process with the left leg. Once you have held it out stretched for 10 seconds drop the hips to the floor and start all over. This is one rep – try 12 to 15 more.