Mobility and Stability. It is like a golf bag and your clubs; you can’t have one without the other. When these two components work together, they are the link to having balance in your golf swing and stance as well as preventing injuries.

Injuries occur when there are imbalances in the muscles or joints. Incorrect mobility can throw off your balance, creating a ripple effect in your swing thus causing your shot to be way off target. An unstable stance will prevent consistent ball striking.

The same is true if you have too much tightness in your joints. When you are not able to rotate into your backswing and pre-load your muscles, this causes loss of power. As if a poor shot isn’t bad enough, a joint or muscle injury could occur. For example, our golfer who does not have mobility in his upper body and stability in his stance may try to achieve more power in his downswing. This is usually seen by the “over the top” swing fault. This can cause strain in the chest muscles. Now that our golfer feels pain he will compensate and cause even more swing faults. Had he gained more mobility in his thoracic spine and stability in his lower body he could correct the original swing fault.

According to physical therapist Gray Cook and strength coach Mike Boyle, the principle of efficient movement for golf occurs in an alternating pattern of mobile joints and stable segments.  For example, the foot has stability, the ankle has mobility, the knee has stability, etc. From the feet to the fingers this alternating pattern can be found. When this pattern is altered there becomes a dysfunction and the potential for injury increases as you move to compensate.

There are several ways to achieve both mobility and stability through your workout. Weight training provides the quickest and most reliable results. I know what you’re thinking, weight training is going to make you “big and bulky,” however the opposite is true. With controlled movement and working the muscles through their full range of motion you will get both strength and flexibility.

How it works:  the muscles in the body work in such a way that when you flex your bicep muscle, your triceps muscles have to relax and stretch. This is called antagonist and agonist. All of the muscles have the ability to work in this pattern from the abdominals contracting and the back relaxing, to the gluteus maximus contracting and the hip flexors stretching and relaxing.

By working opposing groups of muscles you gain strength while maintaining proper mobility in the ligaments, thus helping to preventing injuries to you the golfer.

Your golf swing and stance will be most effective when the areas in the mobility pattern are worked to their full range of motion and when the areas in the stability pattern are stabilized for their maximum potential.  With proper form, you will have the basis for a great stance, swing and follow through, along with improved endurance, balance and power. All of this will keep you playing the links for years to come.

Diana Del Garbino is TPI-Certified Level 2 fitness pro in Oregon. She works out of Muscles in Motion-Professional Training Studio in Lake Oswego, where she works regularly with local LPGA & PGA Professionals.

To learn more about Diana and her golf fitness program go to www.mymusclesinmotion.com.

Please read more articles from the February 2010 issue at: http://golftodaynw.com

Diana’s been published in the January 2010 issue of Golf Today NW. We are so proud of her accomplishments.
Click on the link and it will take you to the article:       eepurl.com

Here are just a few of the wonderful comments from her clients:

Congrats Diana! You are great!  -Haley

So, when do I get my Autographed Copy??? CONGRATULATIONS DIANA!!!!-Steve P.

That is truly fabulous! The article is so well written that were I a golfer I would  sign up in an instant. Congratulations, Diana!-Ray T.

Its interesting to read about the TPI program in your magazine. I am sixty one years young and I have been working with Diana for about six months. I started with TPI because my game was deteriorating and my back hurt when I did play or practice. In the last two months my scores have dropped from the high eighties to the high seventies. My back is still tender on occasion but I am now carrying my clubs and recently birdied the last two holes of a round to break eighty yet again. I am learning so much about my body and how it effects my swing. I continue to see my PGA Pro for tune ups, last time I hit balls on wet turf with street shoes (forgot my cleats) and hit solid shots with no slipping. My balance and ability to hit from a stable base is all due to the exercises and weight training I receive with my TPI trained instructor Diana. Additionally I can go online through TPI for more instruction and information, what a great program. Now if I could only chip.- Steve H.

See why eating grains may help to promote pain and inflammation.
By Dr. David Seaman – Posted April 23, 2008

Since you’re reading this blog, you are naturally interested in doing all you can to promote your health and fitness levels so you can perform at your best on the golf course & in your life. Everyone knows that proper nutrition can help to promote health and fitness, and prevent disease. A problem is that some of the most commonly made nutritional recommendations for health are actually detrimental. Perhaps the most glaring example of this is
the recommendation to eat whole grains.

At first read, many will be shocked to see such a statement. You may be thinking to yourself: ”I knew that refined grains and sugar were unhealthy, but whole grains are supposed to be one of the most healthy
foods.”

Fact 1: Compared to refined grains, whole grains are healthy. This is because whole grains contain fiber that is beneficial for blood sugar and cholesterol regulation, and for helping to keep our bowels moving…but that is it.

Fact 2: Compared to other whole foods, grains are unhealthy.

On caloric basis, vegetables and fruit have significantly more fiber than whole grains. Our muscles need potassium function optimally, and vegetables and fruit also have significantly more potassium than whole
grains. See the DeFlaming Guidelines PDF at http://www.deflame.com for specific details.

Vegetables and fruit promote an alkaline environment in the body and this helps to maintain muscle and bone health as we age. Grains are acidic, and over a lifetime, dietary acidity leads to the muscle and bone loss associated with aging.

In short, we really need to replace grains with fruit and vegetables, and consume nuts in moderation. Grains have several pro-inflammatory components and it makes no difference if the grains are organic or not. Below is a brief review of three pro-inflammatory substances found in whole grains.

1. Gluten: The most commonly consumed grains (wheat, rye, and barley) contain gluten, which is a highly pro-inflammatory substance for certain genetically susceptible individuals. At worse, gluten causes celiac disease, a painful annoying digestive disease. However, gluten sensitivity may manifest as chronic migraine-like headaches. Some people develop annoying gastrointestinal symptoms such as gas, bloating, and varying degrees of gut pain that are not severe enough to be considered celiac disease or inflammatory bowel disease. Others become depressed and some develop chronic fatigue. Still others develop chronic aches in muscles and joints.

2. Lectins: All grains and legumes/beans contain lectins. They are referred to as non-immunologic binding molecules and they are absorbed through the digest tract and can attach themselves to tissues throughout the body. There may be no effect or they may serve as a disease promoter. They also can promote inflammation in the digestive tract.

3. Phytic acid: All grains contain phytic acid, which functions to reduce the absorption of minerals found in grains, particularly, calcium, magnesium, zinc, and iron. So, if you are worried about getting your minerals, grains should be avoided.

If you would like more detailed information about the pro-inflammatory nature of grains, go to the bottom of the Diet page at http://www.deflame.com, where you will see a box that explains Why Grains Inflame. Several full text articles about grains have been posted there. After reading these articles, you will know forever that grains do not serve as a healthy source of fiber compared with vegetation, and grains may reduce health and promote disease. It is much better for us to eat a substantial amount of fruits and vegetables.

While on the golf course, the best snack would be raw nuts, and if you like, some raisins. A quarter cup of raw nuts provides about 200 calories and a quarter cup of raisins provides about 125 calories.

Dr. Seaman can be reached at deflame@deflame.com

A Reverse Spine Angle is defined as any excessive upper body backward bend or excessive left lateral upper body bend during the backswing. This swing fault makes it very difficult to start the downswing in the proper sequence, due to the lower body being placed in a position that usually limits its ability to initiate the downswing. This swing fault is also one of the prime causes of lower back pain in golfers. When the lower body can’t start the downswing or has a limited ability to initiate the movement, the upper body tends to dominate the swing which will eventually create path problems and limited power output. This swing fault puts excessive tension on the lower back due to a forced inhibition of the abdominal musculature during the backswing.

There are several ways to correct this swing fault, and keep you on the golf links for years to come.

Sit Up Tall, Prevent Detraining

The way you are sitting right now is affecting your golf game just as much as your grip.

By Kevin Pansky – Posted August 5, 2009

Don’t waste your hard work in the gym and on the range by sitting with poor posture. Poor posture is a physical limitation and can directly affect your golf swing.

To help counteract these issues, find a neutral pelvis position in your sitting posture. To do so, follow these steps:

Tilt your pelvis all the way back
Tilt your pelvis all the way forward
Tilt your pelvis half-way back to neutral pelvis position
This position will allow you to have a chance to get your lumbar spine (low back), thoracic spine (mid-back), shoulders, neck and head in a proper position. There are many posture aids available to achieve this position, but using your core muscles is the ideal way to accomplish this.

You can influence your game sitting at work, just as much as you can in the gym. Don’t counteract all your hard work by detraining your body into a poor posture.

For more information, contact one of our Professional & Certified Titleist Performance Institute golf fitness trainers!

Hey Everyone,

Welcome to the new and improved Muscles In Motion Website! We are excited to get this going and thanks to Troy of PDX Design and Brandon of Axis Web Productions for making this possible. Thanks also to Dave Bigler of Bigler Productions for filming the intro video and testimonies and introducing us to Troy and Brandon.

So lots of information is going to be shared on here from us and other websites that are closely related to our style of training. So we’ll keep you posted.

WELCOME!!