I wanted to do some speed training this winter and I figured it was a good idea to get in a little better shape before starting to make sure I don’t injure myself in the process. I’ve been doing weight training (kettlebell) and yoga/stretching on alternate days, and feel in pretty good shape now.
So now I’ve been doing speed sessions a few times a week for the past two weeks and already seeing some progress. However, afterwards I feel like I’ve been in a car crash. Back is sore, hips are sore, and just tired.
Any advice from anyone who’s experienced this? Would I still get some benefit if I did less reps, or just went at 95% instead of 100%?
I’m 57 years old and in decent shape, but I hate feeling like this afterwards and I feel like I may be asking for an injury if I continue.
I don’t have an answer for you. Yet. I’m trying to figure it out for me too. Not so much the speed training you’re doing—I’m not doing anything so formal—but the workouts and practice I am doing, are getting to be murder on my hip joints. Especially the left one. And I’m about a half decade or so younger than you.
I’ve been doing hip flexor stretches after warming up, and adding the rest of the lower body stretches I did in H.S. Track too, but not getting much joy. Losing weight is helping, a tad. And I have a theragun sort of thing I’ve been using now too. But this and ibuprofen just makes it sort of tolerable. Not great.
Is the pain and weariness constant? Or is it a post-workout and next day phenomenon? After two weeks, I’d think your body would start to get used to that exercise, there, and at that intensity.
Bring it up with your general practicioner? If only because it may be exacerbated by something medical, and not merely the exercise stress.
I usually feel back to normal the next day, maybe I’m just not used to pushing it to that extreme. I found a couple sites yesterday that suggested you could get the same benefits of speed training by doing as little as 30 swings twice a week. Maybe I’ll try just scaling back a bit for a week or two and see how it goes. With the courses I play, I don’t really need the extra distance, more just trying to avoid losing distance as I get older.
As far as the hips go, I feel your pain (pun intended). I did a TPI evaluation about a year and a half ago, and hip mobility was my one area of weakness. I do about a 10 minute routine a few times a week mostly focused on my hips, mobility and strength. Clamshells, hip adductors, hip circles, leg swings, etc. Has definitely helped me.
I hear you. I put in some effort last winter and it helped, but then it seemed like every injury I ever had reared its head last summer. I’m slowly trying to resolve all the issues now at 56 1/2.
I would definitely watch out for the kettlebell swings. I found I went too hard at times with too heavy and later everything hurt. You really have to watch your form and I now limit myself to sets of no more than 15-20 swings (read this somewhere). I find I can do some hard workouts that I did years ago, but I pay for it more later. I probably need to adjust so I avoid injury. I was recently reading 5 sets by 5 reps may be better rather than 3-4 sets with 8-15 reps.
I found I got benefits even doing the SS training once or twice a week and not always doing the full program. Using the CB club seems to help me more than going all out with the 3 different weights for some reason…I think it somehow helps my particular bad swing type lol.
If you haven’t already I would try supplementing some glutamine and turmeric for aches and pains. I sometimes don’t realize how well they work until I don’t use them for a couple of weeks.
I hear ya there – a few weeks ago I pulled something in my ribcage when I got a little too intense with my kettlebell swings. Now I make sure I don’t overdo it. I do an interval training thing, 30 seconds on, 10 seconds off, and the whole thing takes only about 12 minutes.
I do find kettlebells just more fun that just pushing dumbbells, and in my mind anyway, the movement would help with mobility more than just regular weight pushing exercises.
Getting old sucks 
I’m trying to hold it off, but the toughest part is coming to the realization that you just can’t do some of the things that you used to. In my brain, I’m still like 25, but my body definitely isn’t.
Glucosamine with MSM is the same with me. Worked for my dog, works for me. LOL.
You’re right. You don’t notice the effect unless you skip for awhile. Then you’re wondering why you hurt all of a sudden…
I do this as well for various exercises now. Lately though I have been going 30 on 15-30 off with some exercises including the KB swings to ease back into my workouts. I have a golf trip schedule for the end of Feb and I’m trying to be careful not to re-injure myself as I work my way back.
It was frustrating this past season as in 2021 I was virtually injury free the whole year and I didn’t really change anything. Last year I had rounds where I needed to take a cart (I hated not walking) and still was hobbling to the tee box. I really should have taken time off to heal, but as you say my brain thinks I’m still 25.
This might be a very dumb question… I’ll hit 200-250 balls every other night. I’m working on my swing myself. I do the speed training in the spring and summer. I am 63 years old, I would also say a young 63. I’m not a physical specimen, (I used to be) I’m 6’ 250/255. That’s up 25/30# from my college playing weight as a Strong Safety. So like your Pre-Shot routine, what is your Pre-Workout routine??? Do you have one? If you are coming out overly sore, you are doing something wrong! I take 800mg of Ibuprofen, I then start stretching, hammies, back, hips, shoulders, neck, tri’s. The stretch takes a good 20 minutes. After that, I also start slow, with my belt buckle drill, sometimes with a ball, sometimes without a ball. When, I’m done the session, I do a 5 minute cool down, static stretch. When you are speed training, you are releasing so much lactic acid into your system and really increased circulation. Especially, as you get older, understand what you are doing. Speed training is weight training. You are doing something unnatural. In the summer, I walk the course, I stretch! The Mechanic simple stretch Miguel is the best, imagine, what he’s doing before he plays. OLder players really need to work on flexibility, decent nutrition, lots of H2O. You can mess yourself up good, if you don’t. If you are a 6pack cart golfer…sorry I got nothing for you…LOL! If you really want to take it to another level, try some yoga stretches. I hate to tell you, but when we played ball in college, it was mandatory for us to sign up for ballet stretches, not a joke. Take your workout seriously. Just don’t go to whacking balls! Hope that helped!
I wish I could hit 200 balls, I hit the wall after about 100 (one of the reasons I’m trying to work out more).
I never start cold for a speed session, I usually do it right after a yoga/mobility session. But I never do a cooldown or take pain relievers on a regular basis. Maybe I should.
No lyin’, I used to think MAJ’s whole routine was kinda’ silly when I first saw it. I find myself doing more and more of it now Plus different stretches for my problem areas.
A problem is, it’s tough finding time just for practice any more, and now I have to add a half hour-45 minute warmup/stretch/cooldown too? Makes it tough. But I can’t use my time effectively if I don’t.
Unless you have hidden health issue, you’re at a young 57.
When I was your age, I had XS in my driver shaft and Tour stiff in all of my irons and hybrids.
You had only been at the building stretching routine for a few week, so don’t expect to see major changes in your physical condition immediately.
I said building strength, with the group of senior and those approaching the retirement age, maintaining your muscle mass and flexibility are the key.
If you had no been doing any type of regular exercise in recent years, feeling sore is quite normal because those seldom used muscles and joints need time to recover from being used. You should see improvement after 6 months and more evidence of improvement after a year or two.
Pay attention to those area which could contribute to your golf game. Mainly, all the muscles in your back, then your legs and finally to the top portion of your torso, shoulders, then forearm and wrists/fingers.
Build it from the bigger muscle first.
Of course you’ll know the front of your body will influence your posture and the load carried by your back. So look in the mirror, get rid of those extra weight to prevent you from seeing your toes .
As the golf game, you’ll need patience to see the fruits of your labor.
Keep at it and make sure you give your body the needed rest and nutrition.
I think if you are really serious about speed training, it’s important to lay down a good month of physical preparation prior because you can hurt yourself in a way that will take a long time to heal. Thinking here about tears in core muscles or labrium. Also, working with a golf specific personal trainer before and while you are doing the speed training would be a good idea.
BTW, you are all kids. I’m 74 but I will say at in 50s you should be near physical prime for golf. Except for the Bernhard Langer exceptions, 60-65 is a bit of a wall.
Be careful with heavy kettlebells. I would go light weight but loads of reps. I moved to heavy kettle bell and developed tennis elbow which I haven’t shaken in 8 months!
Also stretching and yoga key for recovery as are ice baths
I also think rope swing drills are great for speed as help with syncing body and using the ground which helps develop speed. Also very light to use, cheap and can do every day no problem
Search on YT Dr Kwon rope swing or rope swing drills and there’s a few on there
Enjoy
I’m 65 years old and I have done Mike Carroll’s Fit for Golf 3 days a week for about the last 3 years (Retirement gives me time). I really like the app. I have had Speed Sticks for a couple of years but only used them intermittently until this September when I got serious about it and have been doing them 3 days a week pretty regularly. I live in the Chicago area so I have mainly seen my speed gains on the radar device and in the simulator but I have probably picked up 10 - 15 yds so far.
As far as being sore/getting hurt I make sure I do the dynamic warm up on the Speed Sticks website before swinging them and so far that has kept me from injuring myself. A couple of times I have felt a slight twinge and I have stopped those sessions right away instead of powering on like I might have 5 years ago. Just be smart and warm up. Good Luck
I am 63 years old. My recent exercise background has all been endurance work (I raced my bicycle in my 40s, did long endurance rides in my 50s), so I had not done any strength/power work in a long time. I started the “Fit for Golf” workouts last September. I did 8 weeks of “in season” (meaning lighter weights, fewer reps) for 8 weeks to ramp up. I was sore when I started, but then got past that in about 3 or 4 weeks.
Then I transitioned to “off season” (more sets, more weight) in November. I am about 10 weeks into that, and I am still sore and tired every single day. Maybe it’s just my age and it’s just going to be that way.
I also have been doing SpeedStix training for about 1.5 years. That has not made a lot of difference - maybe a couple mph on the driver. I’m hoping the added strength plus the speed work will improve my results. If I squint just the right way I could say I’m up maybe 3 or 4 mph from previous days, but I could be fooling myself as well. We’ll see when I get out on the course this spring.
LOL it is called ‘aging’. As you get older you lose the ability to lubricate your joints and ligaments and muscles. As you work these because they are ‘drier’ they tend to get irritated and inflamed. It is kind of normal. You can take anti-inflammatories (Aleeve) which will help. But I suggest you work your way into a regimen and give your body time to adjust. It will adjust. But continuing at 100% (as you said) could result in straining or pulling something that will sideline you until you heal. Which I am sure you realize takes longer than it use to…
So start at a moderate pace that allows you to work out at a regular interval without ‘overuse’ discomfort. Stiffness and some soreness should be expected because the new workload. Just listen to your body and adjust accordingly. Regular workouts are much better than infrequent hard work outs. You will eventually get where you want to be, patience.
I’m 82 and I’ve investigated and participated in almost everything out there over the years on speed training. They include Tour Tempo (in KS,even took VIP course there), Ben Jackson (in RI, only trains in person to start, did it), Top Speed Golf, Jaacob Bowden, and Rotary Swing. Looked in detail at many others including Super Speed (not impressed), and bought many gadgets, most of which proved useless. All the programs I’ve seen offer something although I think Top Speed Golf’s 20 Minute Distance Fix is the best, Tour Tempo is very good if it works for you, and Ben Jackson has some excellent ideas and plans but its pricey and inconvenient. Getting in shape is always a good idea but remember less is more, particularly as you age, and consistency is the key (takes weeks getting started in any such program). Training on 25 swings on 2-3 days a week goes a long way toward gaining speed if done in a consistent plan but need to measure your swing speed and chart the results as feel doesn’t work. The 20 Minute Distance Fix promises gain of 10+ mph in 30 days and it’s not too hard training. Rest of the comments about warming up and cooling down before exercise are certainly valid. For exercise, you might look at Hang the Banner book on Kindle - lots of glitzzy pix of his famous trainees, but its a gentle program that works ALL your golf muscles and tendons from toe to head and only 3 days per week, for 30 mins a session. he also provides a warm up plan that is too long for me but probably good for a pro.
Yeah getting older is a … hahaha … pain! Gonna be 67 in a few weeks … still in very good shape but no way I can exercise like I used to…
Slow and steady, consistent conditioning is absolutely the key!
Stretching of any kind is paramount, and I’ve found yoga to be super very extremely 
helpful … lots of good and useful, even golf-specific, how to vids on YT.
As to speed training – have read lots of good things about The Stack System, created by Dr. Sasho Mackenzie, which pairs with a companion app powered by an AI that adapts to the way YOU’RE using it … eg. less swinging and less strenuous vs other programs. Only downside is it’s kinda costly plus you need to add a swing speed radar…
Beware of copying the exercise designed for the younger golfers in general.
I have yet to find a routine for aging golfers.
Whatever you decided to try, remember to pay attention from the ground up. Try to exercise you legs to give you a firm hold on the ground while you torque the upper body for windup.
If anything, a brisk walk of a few miles each day will do the trick. Or simply walk the golf course if your physical condition allows you to walk the golf course.
My friends asked me many times why don’t I just get a golf cart like they do? My reply was, I’m honored to be able to walk a hilly terrain with a push cart. I’d carry my golf bag if I were still able to, but had to face the reality and avoid getting injury.
I avoid those golf courses built with housing development in mind first, with long distance between the green to the next tee box and crossing the neighborhood and roadways. Which obviously requires a golf cart. The green fees has the build-in for cart fees. Walking is allowed but they do not give consideration for the walker who do not use the cart.
Quite annoying when we stand on the green being the first group out for the day, no other sound around except for the birds and thin layer of fog meandered between the trees and horizon. Then we’ll hear someone talking loudly from their back porch on the phone. It really spoiled the moment.
Love it 
Wish more golfers felt the same way! (… especially at the club I play at … sheesh…)