Fitness & Warm-Up · Drill
Three Floor Moves for Tight Hips and Back
Part of our fitness & warm-up programs for tight or stiff, back or age. Build a program with it
If you sit a lot, your hips, lower back and shoulders tighten up. Try three moves. Lie on your back with arms out wide. Lift one straight leg and swing it across your body. Keep your shoulders down. Next, from a push-up position, step one foot outside your hand. Reach that arm up to the ceiling. Then stand with feet wide, one arm up. Sit your hips back and turn down toward the floor. Go slowly.
The drill
- On your back, swing a straight leg across.
- From push-up, step outside your hand.
- Reach that arm up.
- Wide stance, turn down to the floor.
- Move slowly, in a comfortable range.
Why it works
The golf swing needs your hips to turn, your spine to rotate and your shoulders to move apart from your pelvis. Long periods of sitting shorten the muscles around the hips and stiffen the mid-back, so you lose some of that turn. These three moves take the hips, spine and shoulders through rotation and bending slowly, so you can turn more freely without forcing it with your lower back.
Common mistakes
- Letting your shoulders lift off the floor as the leg swings across.Press both shoulder blades into the floor and shorten the swing until they stay down.
- Rushing through the reps so you bounce in and out of each position.Slow down and pause briefly at the end of each move before you return.
- Forcing the turn past a comfortable range, especially in the wide-stance turn down.Stop where you feel a stretch without strain, and stop the move if it hurts.
How you'll know it's working
- Your shoulders stay on the floor while the straight leg swings across.
- Your hips sit back in the wide stance, and your chest turns toward the floor without your knees collapsing inward.
- Your backswing and follow-through feel freer, and you turn without sliding your hips sideways.
Make it easier or harder
Easier: Bend the swinging knee on the floor move, and shorten the step and the reach in the push-up move.
Harder: Hold each end position for a slow count of several breaths and increase your range a little, staying comfortable.
Common questions
How often should I do these hip and back mobility moves?
Doing them most days works well, and they also suit a warm-up before a round. Keep the effort easy and the pace slow.
Can sitting all day really limit my golf swing?
Yes, long sitting can leave your hips and mid-back stiff, which limits how far you can turn. That often leads to swaying or using your arms more to make up for the lost turn.
