Summit Chiropractic and Physical Therapy
Summit Moves

Play Better.
Feel Better.

Expert-guided golf fitness from your local chiropractic & physical therapy team. Stretch smarter. Stay on the course longer.

Choose your program
Pre-Round Warmup
Activate the right muscles before your first tee shot
▸ 8 exercises · ~10 min
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Off-Season Conditioning
Build strength, flexibility & injury resilience all winter
▸ 10 exercises · 3×/week
›
Summit mark
Designed by your care team These programs are built around common golf-related conditions — back pain, hip tightness, shoulder strain — and the functional movement patterns that keep you playing.
Provided by
Summit Chiropractic & Physical Therapy
Waterloo & Jesup, Iowa
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Pre-Round Warmup
Summit Moves · 8 exercises · ~10 min
Activate Before You Swing
Don't go from the car to the first tee cold. These exercises prime the key muscles of your golf swing and protect your back, hips, and shoulders.
Phase 1
Spine & Hip Mobility
Loosen the structures most loaded by rotation. Poor hip and thoracic mobility is the #1 driver of golf-related low back pain.
1
Hip 90/90 Stretch
60 sec each side · Floor
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Sit on the floor with both knees bent at 90°, one leg in front and one behind. Sit tall and gently lean forward over your front shin, keeping your chest up. Hold, then rotate to the back leg position and repeat.
Why it matters Hip internal and external rotation is the foundation of a powerful, pain-free golf swing. Restricted hips force your lower back to compensate — and that's where injuries happen.
2
Thoracic Rotation (Seated)
10 reps each side · Chair or floor
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Sit upright, arms crossed over chest. Keeping your hips square, rotate your upper body as far as comfortable to the right, hold 2 seconds, return and repeat to the left. Move slowly and with control.
Why it matters Your thoracic spine should do most of the rotating in a golf swing. When it's stiff, your lumbar spine compensates — leading to the disc and facet problems we see most often in golfers.
3
Cat-Cow
10 slow reps · Hands & knees
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On hands and knees, arch your back toward the ceiling (cat), then let your belly drop and look up gently (cow). Move slowly and rhythmically, breathing with each movement. Focus on feeling each segment of your spine move.
Why it matters This wakes up spinal extensors and flexors, lubricates your facet joints, and gently increases blood flow to the discs — especially important if you've been sitting in a car on the way to the course.
Phase 2 — Activation
Phase 2
Glute & Core Activation
Fire up the power generators. Your glutes and core are the engine of your swing — and most people's aren't "on" at tee time.
4
Glute Bridges
15 reps · On back
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Lie on your back, knees bent, feet flat. Drive through your heels to lift your hips until your body forms a straight line from knees to shoulders. Squeeze your glutes at the top for 2 seconds, then lower slowly.
Why it matters Weak glutes are directly linked to low back pain and reduced drive distance. Activating them before you play protects your lumbar spine and helps you rotate with power from the ground up.
5
Dead Bug
8 reps each side · On back
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Lie on your back, arms reaching to the ceiling, knees bent at 90° in the air. Slowly lower your right arm overhead while extending your left leg, keeping your low back pressed to the floor. Return and repeat on the other side.
Why it matters Anti-rotation core stability is exactly what your spine needs during a golf swing. This exercise trains your core to protect your back while your limbs move — mimicking the demands of every tee shot.
6
Side-Lying Clamshell
15 reps each side
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Lie on your side, hips stacked, knees bent at 45°. Keeping your feet together, lift your top knee as high as you can without rolling your hips back. Lower with control. Add a resistance band above the knees to increase difficulty.
Why it matters The hip abductors (glute medius) stabilize your pelvis on every stride and through the entire swing sequence. Weakness here is a common cause of IT band syndrome, knee pain, and hip pain in golfers.
Phase 3 — Upper Body
Phase 3
Shoulder & Wrist Prep
Protect the joints that take the most stress at impact and during the follow-through.
7
Shoulder Circles & Pendulum
30 sec each · Standing
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Roll your shoulders slowly in large circles, forward then backward. Then lean slightly forward and let one arm hang relaxed — make small clockwise and counterclockwise circles. Switch arms. Move gently, letting gravity do the work.
Why it matters Gentle shoulder mobilization before repetitive overhead and across-body motions reduces impingement risk and prepares the rotator cuff for the demands of the swing.
8
Wrist Flexion / Extension Stretch
30 sec each · Standing
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Extend one arm in front. With the other hand, gently pull the fingers back (extension stretch), hold 15 sec. Then point the fingers down and gently push them toward you (flexion stretch), hold 15 sec. Repeat both sides.
Why it matters Golfer's elbow and wrist tendinitis are extremely common. Preparing these tendons before impact loading significantly reduces injury risk over a full round and a full season.
Summit Chiropractic & Physical Therapy
Pain Changing Your Game?
Back tightness on the back nine. Hip pain after 9 holes. Shoulder soreness that follows you off the course. These are signs worth addressing — not just managing. We specialize in the conditions that sideline golfers.
Waterloo: (319) 232-2100 · Jesup: (319) 827-2223
Summit Chiropractic & Physical Therapy
Waterloo & Jesup, Iowa · summitchiroandpt.com
‹
Off-Season Conditioning
Summit Moves · 10 exercises · 3×/week
Build Your Best Season Yet
The off-season is when real improvement happens. These exercises build the strength and stability your body needs to swing harder, walk farther, and hurt less.
Block 1
Lower Body Foundation
Build the hip and leg strength that powers every yard of distance — and protects your knees and back over thousands of swings.
1
Goblet Squat
3 × 12 reps · Weight optional
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Hold a weight at your chest or clasp your hands together. Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, toes slightly out. Lower into a squat keeping your chest tall, elbows inside your knees at the bottom. Drive through your heels to stand.
Why it matters The squat pattern mirrors the athletic setup position in golf. Building strength here improves knee and hip stability and gives you a platform to generate real rotational power.
2
Single-Leg Romanian Deadlift
3 × 10 reps each side
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Stand on one leg, slight bend in the knee. Hinge at the hip and reach your hands toward the floor while your back leg lifts behind you — like a slow "T" balance. Keep your back flat. Return to standing with control. Use a wall for balance as needed.
Why it matters Single-leg balance and hamstring strength are critical for the weight transfer in your downswing. This also directly improves fall prevention — the same balance system that keeps you upright on uneven fairways.
3
Lateral Band Walk
3 × 15 steps each direction · Band at ankles
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Place a resistance band around your ankles. Stand with knees slightly bent and step sideways, maintaining tension in the band throughout. Keep your toes forward and don't let your feet come together. Complete all reps in one direction, then return.
Why it matters Hip abductor strength is one of the most under-trained aspects of golf fitness. Strong hips stabilize your pelvis, protect your knees, and reduce the lower back compensation that causes so many chronic golf injuries.
Block 2 — Core & Rotation
Block 2
Core & Rotational Power
Build the stable, powerful core that lets you rotate hard without injuring your spine. This is where speed is made — and where injuries are prevented.
4
Pallof Press
3 × 12 reps each side · Band or cable
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Anchor a band at chest height to your side. Stand perpendicular, feet hip-width. Hold the band at your chest and press straight out in front of you — resist the band's pull to rotate you. Hold 2 seconds extended, return to chest. Keep your core braced throughout.
Why it matters The Pallof press builds anti-rotation stability — exactly the core strength needed to transfer power through your swing without loading your spine. It's one of the most sport-specific core exercises that exists for golf.
5
Med Ball Rotational Throw
3 × 8 reps each side · Med ball or band
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Stand sideways to a wall (or use a band). Load into your trail hip, then explosively rotate and throw (or pull) through — initiating from your hips, not your arms. Focus on a sharp hip turn followed by core and arms. Control the eccentric return.
Why it matters This trains the exact sequence of rotation your body uses in a golf swing — ground force up through the hips, core transfer, then arm acceleration. Power built here shows up on every drive.
6
Bird Dog
3 × 10 reps each side · Hands & knees
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From hands and knees, brace your core and extend your right arm and left leg simultaneously. Hold 3 seconds — keep your back flat and hips level. Return with control and switch sides. Quality over speed.
Why it matters Bird Dog builds spinal stability through coordinated limb movement — protecting the lumbar spine under load. It's a cornerstone exercise for low back rehabilitation and prevention alike.
Block 3 — Upper Body
Block 3
Shoulder & Thoracic Strength
Build the resilient upper body that holds up over 18 holes, 4 rounds per week, and a lifetime on the course.
7
Band Pull-Apart
3 × 20 reps · Light band
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Hold a resistance band with both hands at shoulder height, arms extended. Pull the band apart by squeezing your shoulder blades together, until the band touches your chest. Return slowly. Keep your core tight and avoid shrugging.
Why it matters Posterior shoulder and rotator cuff strength is the most effective way to prevent the shoulder injuries that end golf seasons. It also improves posture — directly affecting your swing plane and ball contact.
8
Wall Angels
3 × 10 reps · Against wall
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Stand with your back, head, and elbows against a wall. Arms bent at 90°. Slowly slide your arms up overhead (like a snow angel), keeping contact with the wall throughout. If you can't keep contact, that's the resistance. Slide back down.
Why it matters Limited thoracic extension and shoulder mobility directly affects your backswing range and follow-through. This exercise addresses both simultaneously while building the postural strength to hold your setup position without fatigue.
9
External Rotation with Band
3 × 15 reps each arm
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Hold a light band anchored to your side. Elbow at 90°, upper arm against your body. Rotate your forearm outward (away from your body) against the band's resistance. Hold 1 second, return slowly. Keep your elbow tucked throughout.
Why it matters External rotation strength is the primary defense against rotator cuff injuries. Golfers who do this consistently have dramatically lower rates of shoulder pain — and better club control through the entire swing arc.
10
Forearm Plank with Reach
3 × 8 reps each arm · Floor
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Hold a forearm plank with perfect form — body in a straight line, core braced, hips level. Slowly reach one arm forward, hold 2 seconds, return. Alternate arms. If your hips rotate or drop, reduce the reach distance.
Why it matters This is whole-chain stability — it trains your shoulders, core, and hips to work together under load. That coordination is exactly what your nervous system needs to produce a consistent, powerful, injury-free swing.
Summit Chiropractic & Physical Therapy
Ready to Play Your Best Season?
Whether you're recovering from last season's injury or want to get ahead of one, our team specializes in the conditions that affect golfers — back pain, hip problems, shoulder injuries, and more. Let's build a plan for you.
Waterloo: (319) 232-2100 · Jesup: (319) 827-2223
Summit Chiropractic & Physical Therapy
Waterloo & Jesup, Iowa · summitchiroandpt.com