Week 36: Improve your legs, improve your swing

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Running is one way to improve your leg strength and your golf game.

No matter what sport you play, the power you generate starts with your foundation. If you are swinging your club correctly, it means your power begins with your feet and legs. That power is transferred and augmented by your pelvis, torso and arms, until finally your wrist and hands unleash a ferocious swing. Use these exercises to help strengthen your foundation and add power to your swing.

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Running -- Most professional athletes run several times a week, not just to keep their waistlines trim, but to maintain the strength in their legs for jumping and even throwing. It is no different for golfers. If you have never run for exercise before, start slowly by jogging at an easy pace that will allow you to breathe comfortably for one minute. Then walk for one minute. Keep alternating until you've completed 30 minutes. Eventually you will build up to running for 30 consecutive minutes.

Front lunge -- From a standing position, step forward with your left leg and plant your left foot far enough forward so that you can feel a stretch in your right thigh as you lower your torso and sink into the lunge. Your left foot should be planted firmly on the ground. Your right heel will be off the ground. Be sure to keep your upper body straight. Also be sure not to let your left knee drift past the toes of your feet. Then, alternate feet and repeat the lunge. Do each leg 10 times.

Chair squat -- Stand in front of a chair with your feet placed shoulder-width apart. With your hands in front of you for better balance, slowly bend your knees and squat until your butt is just over the seat of the chair. Then straighten your legs until you are in the standing position. Be sure to keep your head up at all times during the squat and that when you return to an upright position, your legs and back are fully extended to get the most out of the exercise.

Leg curl -- Lay on the ground with your lower legs placed on an exercise ball and your hands flat on the floor in front of you next to your hips. Then, push your hips up and pull the ball towards you with your heels, so that your body is as straight as possible from your shoulders to your knees. Then roll the ball back out away from you, so that your entire body is in a straight line again.

Calf raise -- Stand on the first step of a staircase with your toes touching the step and your heels hanging off the edge of the step. Slowly lower your heels approximately two inches below the level of the step. Then lift your heels as high as you can, while keeping your toes on the step. Do twenty repetitions. If you would like to increase the difficulty of this exercise, you can do each leg separately.

Stronger legs will lead to longer distances, but knee pain can cut your game short quickly. If knee pain is preventing you from performing at your best, you might be suffering from osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee. Various treatments for OA do exist, such as ORTHOVISC®, which provides up to six months of knee pain relief. Made from ultra-pure natural hyaluronan, which is found in healthy joints, ORTHOVISC® is injected into the knee joint where it acts to replace your natural joint fluid, to help cushion, protect, and lubricate your knee.

ORTHOVISC® is a proud sponsor of PGATOUR.com. Talk to your doctor to see if ORTHOVISC® is right for you. Or visit our Web site at www.orthovisc.com for more information on how to maintain your knee health to help you keep playing the game you love.

Follow us on Twitter for up-to-date information on maintaining joint health and the prevention/treatment of knee pain due to sports-related injuries or the early symptoms of osteoarthritis.

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION

ORTHOVISC® is for patients who do not get adequate pain relief from simple pain relievers like acetaminophen or from exercise and physical therapy. ORTHOVISC® is not for use in people with known allergy to hyaluronate preparations, to gram bacterial proteins, with infections or skin diseases in the area of the injection site or joint. Common side effects include joint pain, back pain, headaches and pain or redness at the injection site.

This is a paid placement by DePuy Mitek, Inc. The opinions expressed above are those of DePuy Mitek, Inc. and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the PGA TOUR.