If you’ve ever wondered about upside-down traction tables, tables where a person is effectively hanging upside down,below), its purpose is to relieve pressure on the spine and regain some of the space between the vertebrae that is lost over time for a variety of reasons, one of the biggest being sitting too much.
When the gel-like disc between the bones (called the nucleus pulposus) compresses or bulges, it can cause everything from severe pain to numbness to coordination and balance issues, none of which are great for someone who plans to play golf. Like heartburn and chili peppers, lower spine problems and golf are closely linked, so it’s very important to do whatever you can to maintain or improve the space between your lumbar vertebrae. This is especially true for golfers, as torsional and other forces are placed on the spine when swinging the golf club over and over again. One way to combat spinal compression is through exercise, which you may not even realize is exercise. They’re called “dead hangs,” and they have multiple benefits for golfers, says Matt Matta, one of Golf Digest’s certified fitness trainers. Matta trains golfers at Dulac Golf Performance outside Pittsburgh. “Dead hangs build grip strength, improve shoulder mobility, and are especially effective at decompressing the spine. Beginners should do them for short periods of time (5 to 20 seconds per hang, three times a week), while intermediate and advanced lifters can increase duration and frequency as tolerated, but still benefit from alternating rest days. They’re easy to add to your workout, and the benefits outweigh the risks in most cases.”
Matt says the positives for golf include:
1. Improve grip strength It gives the golfer more control over the club, increasing strike strength, accuracy, and speed generation. It also helps prevent tendon injuries in the elbows, wrists, and hands.
2. Improved shoulder mobility These allow golfers to get accurate and repeatable swings while avoiding compensatory movements and injuries.
3. Elongated spine This allows for better posture and more freedom of movement during the swing. It can also reduce or eliminate back pain. Most people shy away from pull-ups and pull-ups, but you can use that bar and more for the variety of dead hangs Matta demonstrates (below). Simply hanging for a few seconds is fine, but you can adjust the difficulty to suit your current fitness level by adding a bench or resistance band for support, or by changing your hand position or doing it on one arm.
But before you start hanging yourself, Matta wants you to be aware that if you have shoulder or back problems, or tendonitis in any of your arm joints, you should see a doctor or physical therapist before adding them to your daily routine. If you are interested in becoming a Golf Digest Certified Fitness Trainer, please click this link.
More: 10 Favorite Exercises for Golfers
