Getting Ready for Spring

By Bruce Cohn
Boston Globe
 
Every time the temperature creeps over forty and the piles of snow begin to shrink you find yourself wondering how much longer until you can get out on the golf course or tennis court. And while there’s nothing you can do to control the vagaries of weather, now is the perfect time to be doing some simple exercises at home that can help you improve your game and avoid some common injuries.

The proper combination of stretching and strengthening exercises for your shoulders, trunk and forearms does not require a great deal of expensive equipment or time and can help you spring into your favorite leisure activity. Perform these exercises at home at least three times a week and you will be pleasantly surprised with your results.

Shoulder Stretching
Flexion:
Stand with your hands clasped over your head and extend them up as far as possible. Hold for 5 seconds and repeat 5 times.
Extension:
Stand with your hands clasped behind your back and extend your arms as far back as possible. Hold for 5 seconds and repeat for 5 times.
Horizontal Abduction:
Stretch your shoulder inward by extending your arms in front of your body at shoulder height and crossing them at the elbows. If you can clasp your hands do so; if not then hold onto whatever part of the top arm you can and pull it across the body. Hold for 5 seconds and repeat after switching arm positions. Perform 5 repetitions on each side.
Internal Rotation:
Stand with your hands clasped behind your head and pull your elbows back as far as possible. Hold for 5 seconds and repeat for 5 times.
External Rotation:
Stand with your hands clasped behind your back and pull your elbows back as far as possible. Hold for 5 seconds and repeat for 5 times.

Shoulder Strengthening
Shoulder Punch:
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart holding 5 pound dumbbells in each hand at your waist. Punch with your right hand towards your left side by twisting your trunk, rotating on the ball of the right foot and transferring your weight to your left leg. The more you can pull back the non-punching hand the more shoulder turn you will achieve. Now repeat this movement in the opposite direction as quickly as you can while maintaining good balance and even weight transfer. Punch 12 times per side, rest and repeat for another set.
Shoulder Machine:
This is performed similarly to the exercise above only as you return back to center you squat and reach down with both hands. Punch 12 times per side, rest and repeat for another set.
Resisted External Rotation:
Affix tubing or a resistance band to the door and hold it in your right hand with your left side facing the door. Keep your elbow at your side as though it were attached to your hip and rotate your right arm away from your body. Make sure your forearm stays parallel to the floor and perform 15 repetitions. Reverse your body position and repeat on the left side. Do 2-3 sets a day.
Resisted Internal Rotation:
Holding the same tubing or resistance band in your right hand, have your right side facing the door as you rotate the arm inward across your body. Perform 15 repetitions and repeat on your left side for 2-3 sets.

Trunk Stretching
Flexion:
Start in a table top position with your hands under the shoulders and knees underneath the hips. As you push your hips back towards your heels, keep both hands in place on the floor and allow the arms to stretch over the head. If you can, rest the buttocks on the heels and the forehead on the floor. Hold for 15 to 30 seconds and repeat.
Rotation:
Sit with your back straight and legs extended. Cross your right leg over your left with the right foot parallel to the left extended leg. Place your left arm behind the right leg and push on that crossed leg to increase the stretch through your trunk. Put your left hand on the floor behind your body to help support you and hold for 15 to 30 seconds. Reverse these directions to stretch the other side. Perform 2 sets.

Trunk Strengthening
Resisted Trunk Twists:
Holding a medicine ball or dumbbell, keep the resistance at navel height and arms distance from your body while standing in an athletic stance. Draw your belly button in towards your spine and rotate on the ball of the right foot as you twist to the left. Now twist back to your right as you rotate on the ball of the left foot. Perform 15 repetitions slowly in each direction and repeat for 2-3 sets.
Planking:
Lie on your stomach and place your forearms on the floor under your chest. As you raise your entire body into a pushup position, draw the navel in towards the spinal column. Your body should be in a straight line as you hold for 30 seconds. Lower to the ground and repeat two more times.

Forearm Stretching
Flexion/Extension:
Clasp your hands in front of your body and bend your wrist by moving your hands to the right and left. Hold each position for 5 seconds and repeat 5 times.
Radial/Ulnar Deviation:
Use the same hand position as above but instead of bending the wrists rotate them to the right and left. Hold each position for 5 seconds and repeat 5 times.

Forearm Strengthening
Hammers:
Hold a hammer in one hand which and rest the hand on the edge of a counter or table. Drop the wrist towards the floor and raise it back up for 15 repetitions. Work the sides by lowering the top of the hand towards the floor and then the palm for 15 repetitions. Perform 2-3 sets.
Newspapers:
Take a page of The Globe (but not this one) and hold it between your right thumb and forefinger with your arm extended out straight at shoulder height. Using those two fingers, roll the page up until it is crumpled in a ball. Roll up three pages per body side.

Add in some squats for golf or some lunges for tennis and you’ll be ready to roll into your spring season. If only getting rid of the snow could be so easy.

Bruce Cohn is the Strength and Conditioning Coach at the Middlesex School in Concord. He runs FIT-TO-GO Total Sports Conditioning and is a nationally certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist. Bruce can be reached at 781-316-0061 or brucegym@rcn.com.