Stretch of the Week: Final Psoas Stretch
The final week of May is here! How are you doing? How is your back? Make sure you check in with yourself, it helps to create body awareness as you stretch. For the last week of May you will have three options for a psoas stretch. I will be giving beginner, intermediate, and advanced variations for this psoas stretch. If you have a history of low back problems stick with the beginner variation. (more…)
Stretch of the Week: High Lunge with Psoas Emphasis
Week 3 of May might look a little familiar to you if you’ve been with the stretch of the week blog from the beginning. It’s called High Lunge. In this variation we are focusing on getting a deeper stretch through the psoas though. So it’s different I promise! 🙂
You will need two yoga blocks or something similar, and a wall for this stretch. (more…)
Stretch of the Week: Upward Facing Dog
Week two of May is a bit of a deeper psoas stretch. It doesn’t have a name but I guess we can call it a variation on the yoga pose upward facing dog. In this variation we are focusing on the front of the hip where the psoas resides. (more…)
Pre-Round Golf Stretches to Enhance Mobility
Golf season is finally approaching, which means it is time to dust off the clubs, break out the plaid pants and warm up your muscles. Properly swinging a golf club requires precise muscle coordination and sequencing of movement across numerous joints within the body, specifically the back. During the back-swing and follow-through, rotation of the trunk is required to effectively position the club for consistently accurate golf shots. This trunk rotation is facilitated by movement through the spine, specifically the thoracic spine.
Stretch of the Week: The Triangle Stretch
It’s the third week of April, I can’t believe it! How are you doing? Do you feel more limber in the ribs, the spine, and the obliques? I hope so! This week is a favorite of mine called the Triangle Stretch. This is a good stretch for strengthening the legs too! 🙂 There are no major contraindications for this because we will be using the wall to support ourselves. Please listen and feel what your body is telling you, and only go as far as you comfortably can. (more…)
Stretch of the Week: Gate Pose
Week two of April is upon us! This weeks side opener is from the yoga world. It’s called “Gate Pose.” You will feel this stretch all the way down into the hip flexors (front of the hip), and all the way up through the hand. Please stretch using the modified version if you have any groin, feet, or ankle issues. (more…)
Get in the Swing of Things: It’s Almost Golf Season
After a cold, snowy, and record-setting winter in Chicago, believe it or not, golf is just around the corner. Now that the snow melted, temperatures are increasing, and grass is growing, divots will be flying on the golf course. The last thing you want this season is to be sidelined because of an injury after being sidelined for by the weather. Golf is a dynamic, athletic movement that entails neurological and musculoskeletal components. In order for you to return to mid-season form, you must take care of the most important aspect of your game: your body. (more…)
Stretch of the Week: Lunge Twist
The last week of March and the first week of April brings us to the final twist of the month. This is a stretch we did in December, but with a twist, the lunge twist! Feel free to take a look back through our archive and check out the low/high lunge there. Or any of the other stretches posted since the beginning! (more…)
