The Side Plank with Hip Abduction and Extension Exercise will build strength and stability in your hips, for a more stable and efficient golf swing.
The Side Plank with Hip Abduction and Extension Exercise forms part of the Golf Stability series of innovative and dynamic exercises that will build stability in your joints and core for better consistency and ball-striking.
Steps
- Start by lying on your right side with your legs bent, your knees in line with your torso, and your legs stacked directly on top of each other. Bend your right elbow and place it directly under your shoulder. Align your head with your spine and keep your hips and right knee in contact with the floor.
- Exhale as you slowly lift your hips off the floor, keeping your abdominals engaged to stabilise your spine. The side of your right knee should stay on the floor. Keep your head aligned with your spine and your right elbow positioned directly under your shoulder.
- Continue to breathe, keeping your abdominals strong, and straighten your left leg as you raise it in the air, until your left foot is the same height as your left hip. This is the starting position.
- Bring your left knee towards your chest and across your body, bending your left hip and knee to 90 degrees, until your knee is in front of your tummy and just above the ground.
- Straighten your left leg back to the starting position by contracting your glutes.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
- Repeat on the other side.
Make sure that you control the movement from your hip and pelvis area, not from your shoulders. Avoid rolling your pelvis backwards or bending at the waist.
Keep your back straight, your torso solid and your abdominal muscles engaged throughout this movement.
You should feel it working your hips.
Variation
If you find this exercise too challenging to begin with, try working on the basic Side Plank Exercise first.
There are a number of other variations on the classic plank exercise in the Golf Loopy Train like a Champion System, which you can view by clicking here.
How Will It Benefit Your Golf Swing?
One of the main problems that amateur golfers have is not being able to drive hard onto their target side during the downswing. They also lack sufficient hip rotation, and the ability to stabilise the pelvis at impact, without sliding towards the target. This move requires a tremendous amount of strength in the hip and pelvic stabilisers.
The Side Plank with Hip Abduction Exercise will develop strength throughout your entire pelvic region, giving you more stability and control on the golf course.
This exercise not only gives you the strength and stability in your pelvis and lower back that you need for a more consistent and powerful golf swing, but it also prepares you for playing from more difficult lies – helping you to remain stable when you need to swing on sloping ground or from deep rough.
Target Muscles
This exercise mainly involves your internal obliques, external obliques, gluteus medius and quadratus lumborum, and to a lesser extent your serratus anterior and rotator cuff.
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