Thoughts On Stretching
Where Should I Stretch?
The great thing about stretching is that you can do it anywhere. You can do it at work, in the gym, or at home. The important thing is to do it! And if you happen to be on a hard surface, then I suggest bringing a mat along. Otherwise, the grass is always nice!
Touch your toes!
How Often Should I Stretch?
Stretching is something that can (and should) be done on a daily basis. I always suggest 5 to 10 minutes of stretching at least every other day. If you decide to stretch every day, you can always take a minute or two at work or at home. Be very careful of this though, because if you just stretch for a minute or two, you are probably not doing a warm-up. Do very light stretching to help prevent you from pulling any muscles.
If you are really serious about becoming very flexible, stretching can be done in the morning and the evening every day of the week. Make sure again that you warm up your body before you get into your stretching exercises.
Stretching Before the Golf Round
It is very important to stretch out all of your muscles before you hit your first golf shot either on the practice range or the first tee. The reason for this is that your muscles are naturally stiff, and in order to prevent any kind of injury to your body, stretching and staying loose is important before that first tee shot.
Stretching During the Round
Often, the weekend golfer can be out on the golf course for quite some time. Sometimes the golfer can go 30 to 40 minutes before a full swing golf shot depending on the circumstances. During that time, it is so easy for the golfer’s muscles to get tight. This is an important time to take a minute or two and loosen up the body by doing a warm up and some stretching exercises and you should take an extra 5 to 10 practice swings so the body is loose and ready to hit the golf shot.
Stretching After the Round
If you are like most people, emotions can set in toward the end of completing your golf round. The golfer is trying hard to finish strong and make the goal of shooting a certain score. These things can cause the golfer to become stressed and tight. Two to five minutes of stretching can really help the golfer keep loose and eliminate aggravation to the body for the rest of the day.