Most golfers are aware of the many benefits of a proper warm up prior to exercise. A warm up serves to increase your core body temperature making your soft tissue more extensible (think pliable, more relaxed, more flexible), increases your metabolic rate, increases blood flow to your working muscles and prepares your mind and body for exercise.

The most popular form of warm up is through your favorite cardio machine like a stairmaster, treadmill, elliptical or bike. However, did you know there is more than one way to warm up?

Next time you exercise, try a few new ideas. One alternative is called Dynamic Functional Warm Up. This involves approximately 10 continuous repetitions of movements like walking lunges with a twist, walking with a fitness band, medicine ball rotations, single leg squats and similar exercises for a period of 10 minutes.

An alternative is Self Myofascial Release. Many of you may have not heard this term, but you have seen others using the foam roller on various parts of their bodies.

This is actually a form of flexibility training by applying gentle force to the adhesions or "knots" in various tight areas. This type of flexibility enhancement can be used prior to exercise as part of a warm up for about 5 to 10 minutes.

Try this resource for golf specific stretches including a foam roll routine.