For the Back Stabilizer Exercise, you'll need to get down on the floor. Lie face down on a mat with a towel under your head for comfort.
This exercise teaches you how to pull your shoulders down and engage "the box" — as opposed to shrugging up into "the rectangle." As you progress through this program and our other lessons, you'll understand just how critical this shoulder position is to your golf swing.
Start by pulling your shoulder blades down as far as you can. You should feel your shoulders settle deeply into your back — this connected position is what we call being "in the box." Your shoulder blades will slide downward toward your belt.
Now pull your shoulders up toward your ears. Your shoulder blades will travel approximately four to five inches between the fully depressed and fully elevated positions.
The Box & the Rectangle
When you pull your shoulder blades down, you're contracting your lats — the large muscles that define the "box" shape of your torso. This is what we mean by being "in the box": activating those powerful core muscles that connect your arms to your body's rotational engine.
Contracting your lats and pulling your shoulder blades into the box is the correct position for the backswing. Engaging these muscles produces more power and maintains connection between your arms and your core.
When you shrug upward toward your ears, you disengage the lats, disconnect from your core, and move up "into the rectangle" — the trapezoidal area across your neck and upper shoulders. These are not the muscles that drive an efficient golf swing.
A Little Extra Challenge
Perform 15 repetitions of this Back Stabilizer Exercise, completing as many sets as you like. This builds strength in the key back muscles while developing your awareness of what it feels like to pull your shoulder blades down and into the box.
To increase the challenge, incorporate arm movement into the drill.
Pull your shoulder blades down as before, but this time bring your arms down to your sides simultaneously. Keep your arms parallel to the ground — don't lift them; just slide them along your body in line with your torso.
Now pull your shoulders back up toward your ears, bringing your arms along for the ride. Keep everything parallel to the ground throughout. This added arm movement challenges your back muscles further and reinforces the box position that transfers directly into your golf swing. For a complete analysis of how your swing mechanics currently perform, try a free AI swing analysis. To practice with real-time coaching, check out a free AI golf lesson.
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Watch part 2 now to see how you're moving your body in the opposite direction of the pros!
Pull your shoulder blades down toward your belt - this is "in the box"
Bring your shoulders up to your ears - this is "in the rectangle"
Repeat with arm movement - pull down toward your waist
