Fit for Play
Great Golfer’s Glutes
Take a three-step approach to activate and engage your glutes
T
HE GLUTES PLAY AN
IMPORTANT ROLE
IN A GOLF SWING,
helping to generate and trans-
fer power from the ground up
from the legs through the core to
the shoulders, arms and into the
club head. Properly functioning
glutes help to prevent sway in
the backswing or slide in the fol-
low-through. They create stable
hips that form a pillar over which
the torso turns in the backswing
to create separation between the
shoulders and the hips. Activat-
ing and using the glutes properly
during the golf swing will help to
reduce many swing path faults,
and reduce the occurrence of
many golf related injuries.
A three-step approach to learn
to activate your butt starts with a
simple move to teach your brain
how to engage the butt muscles.
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V I R G I N I A G O L F E R | M A R C H / A P R I L 2 0 1 8
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by DENNY PINCH
›› GLUTE ACTIVATION
THE DUCK STANCE
The first move to help you activate your butt,
the Duck Stance, comes from Justin Price’s
Biomechanics Method.
• Stand with your feet positioned so your heels
are close together and your toes are turned
out like a duck.
• Keep your legs straight but not locked at the
knees and imagine you are turning only your
knees out even more. You will immediately
engage your glutes as you try to rotate your
knees out. It will probably be a revelation to
you as for the first time you actually feel what
it is like to activate your butt.
• Hold this position for 10 seconds and relax.
Repeat this for two sets of 10 repetitions.
This move is not designed to promote strength,
rather it is designed to teach you to engage
your glutes. The more frequently you do it, the
quicker you’ll see improvement.
›› GLUTE STRENGTH
THE WALL SLIDER
The Wall Slider strengthens the gluteus medius.
• Lie on the floor on your left side with both
legs straight and both butt cheeks and both
shoulder blades touching the wall. The wall
helps you to keep both hips stacked over top
of each other.
• Take two seconds to slide the heel of your
right foot up the wall. Hold the leg at the top
for two seconds, and then lower your leg
back to the original position to the count of
four seconds.
• Each rep should maintain this 2-2-4 tempo.
The first few reps will be easy, but the closer
you get to the end of the set, the more fatigue
you will feel in the gluteus medius. Most likely,
this muscle will fatigue quickly because it is
not accustomed to working on its own without
the assistance of other muscles. This is why
it is important to lie on your side against the
wall. Without the wall to keep you honest, as
the gluteus medius tires you will find that you
cheat and lean your pelvis forward so that
you can recruit other muscles to come to the
rescue of the gluteus medius.
Perform two sets of 10-15 reps on each side two
to three days each week.
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