Ever wonder why some people remain fit, flexible, and healthy well into their 60s and beyond? Aging alone does not make one weak, less mobile and out of shape, yet aging is most often blamed for lack of mobility. And of course, you can’t “catch” immobility like a disease, so how does immobility develop? Immobility and weakness develop when you stop moving! Less movement and less loading, especially in the end ranges, leads to atrophy of joint tissue and muscle.
"You don't lose mobility from aging. You lose mobility from not using the full range of a joint." – Dr. Andreo Spina
Secret #1: Use It or Lose It
Lack of movement leads to mobility loss. “Use it or lose it” applies to joint ranges, strength, and control of ranges. Daily we sit in chairs, move to cars, slide into an elevated bed, and rarely bend the knees beyond 90° or get deep into the hips or ankles.
These self-limiting daily movements and even some workout routines don’t preserve full range of motion and lead to the inability to fully squat and stay in posture in the golf swing. Use full ranges of all joints daily to maintain the ranges.
Secret #2: Add Loads to End Ranges
The secret to mobility is to keep using full range with loads that you control. Using someone else to stretch you while you passively relax uses no loading and therefore does not build the load-bearing capacity of the end ranges where you are weaker and more likely to get injured. Actively performing mobility work is preventative in nature and it’s never too late to begin even if you have already lost some mobility.
Gradually and safely add loads using isometrics, change of position, or appropriate resistance. For greater golf skills and force production, use force to your rotational movement to stimulate growth and repair, and mind/body coordination.
Secret #3: Focus on Stability along with Mobility
Mobility can only happen from a base of stability. A golfer’s stable lower body allows for movement up the chain. Each joint movement relies on other stable areas. We don’t want to borrow movement from another area but use multiple joints in sequence smoothly and with force. A daily routine that incorporates moving each joint independently, that is, without other areas moving, in the fullest range possible builds stability and eliminates poor movement habits and compensations.
Today’s lesson works on four stubborn but important areas that require a lot of mobility for good golf: ankles, hips, spine, and shoulders. Though boring, these end range movements are exactly how the joint is designed to move. Perform daily for mobility to 1) gain active control of full range for better golf skills, 2) gain independent joint movement to eliminate compensations from other areas, 3) build the health of your joints for less injury and more years of golf.
Brace your whole body for stability as you move the targeted joint through its full range of motion. Move slowly with control into the safest, greatest non-painful range possible. Move in both directions and note areas where position is limited or movement is shaky.
Ankle Circles
Hip Circumduction
Spine Segmented Cat/Cow
Shoulder Circumduction
Use this routine daily as a joint maintenance program to improve your movement and range of control. Add light loads when ready as demonstrated to challenge stability. Ideally, it would be best to work with a trainer to get evaluated and to identify your greatest limitations, then to train your movements for greater load bearing capacity.
Pam Owens is the Director of Fitness for Royal Oaks Country Club in Houston and the owner of Pam Owens Fitness. A four-time Golf Digest Top 50 Fitness Professional, Pam helps golfers all over the world get lean, bendy and powerful with online or in person coaching. Ready to take your training further and build better balance, mobility, and performance for your golf game, sign up for more actionable tips and insights with the Free Get Bendy Program.
