Joanna Hall: Body strategy

I am about to hit 70 and am still very active, a keen gardener and golfer. Unfortunately, I do not hit the ball as far these days, and blame weakening of the arm and shoulder muscles. Can you recommend any exercises?

The loss of length in your game may be related to posture, as gardening and golf can both encourage round shoulders and slumping forward. This postural dysfunction can be exaggerated by the pull of gravity and lack of concentration on maintaining good posture while doing everyday tasks. So while it may seem you have lost strength in your shoulders and arms, I suspect the loss of drive length actually comes from the trunk muscles responsible for rotation.

Golf can create asymmetrical body development, so I’d recommend a staggered approach. First improve your posture, then focus on strengthening your trunk rotational muscles, and then introduce some speed to your rotational movements. The exercises below can easily be done at home, but first seek advice from a trainer who specialises in sports conditioning and understands the biomechanics of how muscles and limbs work together to hit a golf ball.

For posture, lie face down, placing your palms flat at shoulder level; pull tummy muscles in as you gently lift your upper body off the floor, keeping hips and feet down. Progress by placing hands behind head and keeping elbows back as you lift the torso two to four inches off the floor.

To strengthen torso rotational muscles, repeat with hands behind head and rotate shoulders to one side, so one shoulder is higher than the other. Lower and repeat on other side. Perform two sets of each exercise, 12 times each side, three times a week.

Practise your swing with a knotted towel: hold this at one end with the knot at the other, and focus on your posture and rotation as you swing.

Joanna Hall is a fitness expert (joannahall.com). Send your exercise questions to: Weekend, 119 Farringdon Road, London EC1R 3ER ([email protected]).

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