The last two weeks, we talked about the first two building blocks of a comprehensive flexibility program. The first was responsive flexibility exercises, which stretch individual muscles that are tight. The second is operational flexibility exercises, which develop range of motion in individual joints.

Our final building block is dynamic flexibility training. Knowing the golf swing is a total body activity, dynamic flexibility exercises focus on the entire body in relation to the golf swing. Instead of working one muscle (like responsive exercises) or one joint (like operational exercises), dynamic flexibility exercises incorporate the entire body and all the joints involved in the golf swing.

Remember, we must follow the sequential order in a comprehensive flexibility program. We must stretch muscles that are tight with responsive flexibility exercises. Then move on to developing joint range of motion with operational flexibility exercises, and finally we develop total body ranges of motion with dynamic flexibility exercises.

I like to think of this as a reverse pyramid: Individual muscles to groups of muscles, and then all the muscles. It’s micro management to macro management.

A great dynamic flexibility exercise which incorporates the entire body is Forward Lunges with Rotation.

Begin by standing upright, feet together, elbows bent, hands clasped together, arms at shoulder height and eyes forward. Lift the left leg at the hip and knee, step forward into lunge position, lower the torso down toward the ground, bending both the left and right knee, and continue to bend both knees until the left knee is bent at 90 degrees.

From this position rotate the shoulder and torso to the right and then repeat rotation of shoulder and torso to the left. Once you have completed the rotation, return the torso to facing forward and return the left foot to the start position and repeat the exercise by stepping forward with right foot. Continue the exercise by alternating the lunge left and right for 15 to 20 repetitions.

What we have done in the last five weeks is provide the ins and outs of flexibility training, the different types of flexibility exercise in relation to the golf swing and how to put all the different types of exercises together into a program that benefits the golf swing.

Next week, we’ll answer some questions so click here to send them in.