Many people are of the opinion that strength is a physical attribute that is not needed for a sport like golf. But in the same breath those people will say that stability is very important. In order to have stability in the body, one needs strength in your stabilizer muscles. So strength is important for a golfer. And of course we’re talking about a specific level of strength, and not the type of strength to lift 2-3 times your body weight in a “Clean & Jerk” as we’ve seen at the recent London Olympic Games!Strength and stability go hand-in-hand. Our skeletal structure is kept in place and supported in an upright position by skeletal muscles. If the muscles were to be taken away, our bones will collapse in a heap on the floor! This is because of the constant force of gravity working on our bodies. The first function of our muscles is therefore to work against gravity. From when we are babies, lifting the head lying face down, or standing up for the first time, we develop strength in our muscles to work against gravity.
When the ageing process kicks in, muscles atrophy and become weaker. Spine and joint injuries start appearing because of a lack of support for the “structure” of the body. The shoulders, spine, or one side of the hip might start “dropping” out of position because of the weak muscular support.
Skeletal muscle can be divided into 2 types of muscle, based on their function:
- The deeper Stabilizer muscles, for alignment and postural support.
- The superficial Mobilizer muscles, for movement.
Strength is needed firstly in the Stabilizer (core) muscles. Any training program, whether it is for rehabilitation or normal conditioning, should start with the focus on improving this. Once the body is properly supported in the correct alignment, joints can function properly and one can carry on strengthening the mobilizer muscles without hurting oneself.
Many people make the mistake of going to gym, working on the superficial mobilzer muscles in order to look good, with no attention being given to the deep Stabilizer muscles. An example of this would be sitting on a gym machine in terrible posture, whilst being supported or balanced by the machine and then pushing or pulling against heavy resistance. I prefer starting people off on free weights, teaching them to support and stabilize their bodies in the correct position themselves while performing a movement.
Our bodies can’t function properly if there’s a lack of strength in either one of these “muscular departments”. Functional Strengthening becomes increasingly important as we get older to maintain the necessary strength for great bio-mechanics, combining great posture and alignment (stability), with effective movement.
Incorrect Position
Correct Position
Jan Fourie
(Biokineticist)
