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By Sean Cochran
Special to PGATOUR.com

Last week we continued with the development of postural strength in the core with the addition of Leg Curl with Physio-Ball. This week we will continue this process as we also shift our attention to the upper back.

GET TO KNOW SEAN COCHRAN

Sean Cochran is one of the most recognized golf fitness instructors in the world today. He travels the PGA TOUR regularly and works with TOUR professionals, most notably Masters and PGA Champion Phil Mickelson.   He has been involved in the production of numerous golf fitness videos and books including Core Golf Fitness. He has authored numerous articles with publication credits in Golf Digest, Sports Illustrated, and Golf Magazine.   In addition to working with Mickelson, Cochran has worked with LPGA Champion Hee Won Han, U.S. Open Champion Corey Pavin, world-renowned golf instructor Rick Smith and short game expert Dave Pelz.   Cochran continues to speak at seminars and clinics around the country on golf fitness. In his free time he enjoys golf and surfing. He resides in Del Mar, Calif.   To learn more about Sean and his golf fitness programs,  click here • Training tips archive,  click here • Off-season workout,  click here • Set-up exercises,  Click here • Tightness?  Here's your help

If you recall from previous articles the core is comprised of numerous muscle groups located between your knees and chest. It encompasses all of the muscles on the front, back, and sides of your body. As a result it is not realistic to have only one golf fitness exercise to train all of these muscles for your swing. That is why we have a group of exercises to develop the entire core region.

At this point we have addressed the front side of the core with our Physio-Ball Rotational Crunch. This exercise recruits mainly the abdominals and obliques. Our second exercise mentioned above hits primarily the hamstrings and glutes. To round out our core program we need an exercise targeting the hips and lower back.

To achieve this goal we will utilize the Physio-Ball Back Press. To perform this exercise sit on top of a physio-ball, feet shoulder width apart, torso upright, and eyes looking forward.

Slowly begin to walk your feet away from the ball, allowing your lower back to come in contact with the ball. Continue to walk the feet away until your head and shoulders are resting on top of the ball.

Elevate your hips into a position where a straight line can be drawn from the shoulder to knees, and place your hands on the hips. Slowly lower the hips down towards the floor while allowing the lower back to arch. Continue to lower the hips to the floor until the lower back is in contact with the ball. Pause for one second and press your hips up to the starting position. Repeat 10-20 times while keeping your feet flat on the floor.

At this point we have completed our core program for postural strength and now it is time to move onto the final part of the body correlating to postural strength -- the upper back.

The upper back is often a problem area for many golfers since it relates to posture and spine angle. All too often you will find "tightness" or "weakness" in the muscles of the upper back which causes an inability to place the body in the correct position to execute the golf swing as well as maintain a fixed spine angle throughout.

Recall our Plumb Line assessment and the results from it. If you found that the line did not intersect the center of your shoulder, this is probably a good indicator of both "tightness" and "weakness" in the muscles of the upper back.

To address this situation and develop this part of the body for the golf swing, we will utilize flexibility exercises to "loosen" these muscles and postural strength exercises to get them stronger.

To address the postural strength issues of the upper back we can utilize the Forearm Push-up. This is a great exercise to develop strength in the upper back and scapular region of the body.

Simply lay on your stomach with the elbows directly under the shoulders, forearms on the floor, legs extended, and your feet together. Elevate the body into a standard push-up position. The hips should be in line with the shoulders and ankles. Do not allow the hips to sag or elevate up into the air. From this position "squeeze" your shoulder blades together, allowing the upper body to lower towards the floor. Hold the contraction of your scapulas (i.e. shoulder blades) for one second, return to the starting position of the exercise, and repeat for 10-20 repetitions.

Maintaining a set spine angle and the postural positions within the swing are a responsibility of the lower body, upper body, and core. As a result a comprehensive golf fitness program needs to address all of these areas of the body.