In the gym for the first time since August to lift… it’s going poorly…
Recovering from a back injury, which seems to have healed… but my body is weak and areas are still tight from protecting my back…
Might be a golf season built around improvement and 2022 will be chasing distance…
We shall see. It’s only March.
I’m 46 with a history of lower back problems and have recently started DDP Yoga. I’m a low 90’s swing speed guy and am hoping to gain some flexibility along with strengthening my back. I have the super speed sticks as well, but have never fully committed to the system yet.
Ha, diamond Dallas page was on a podcast I used to listen to… he’s got a very interesting story.
I need to get back into yoga.
I’m a little late to the party, but I also second (or third) Starting Strength for a beginner weight training program.
I did this program for several months before reaching the end of my linear progression (as a beginner). Then I tried to program myself and, when I wasn’t making the progress I wanted (I was dealing with an injury from sitting too much that prevented me from squatting), I hired a coach.
I worked with him (Chris Bridgeford, if you want to look him up) for about 8 months. In that time, I took my squat from 280-ish and in pain to 405 and pain free, my deadlift from 330 to 435, and my bench from around 190-ish to 245.
But coming back to Starting Strength - your linear progression will likely only last 3-6 months, so you’ll want a game plan for what you’ll do afterward.
And take it from me, it’s going to be tough to continue strength training on an intermediate program if you’re pressed for time - if you struggle to make time for golf and practice as is. My sessions were 2-3 hours long (4x per week), plus driving, showering, eating, recovering, etc.
So, definitely do Starting Strength. By the time you’re done, you’ll be stronger than most people. But as soon as you start the program, start thinking about the next phase and what you might want that to look like.
Not sure if there is a flea market / for sale thread so this seems like a good spot for what I’ve got. I’ve got an extra set of speed sticks if anyone is interested. Pretty sure they go for $200 so I’ll sell them for $150 plus shipping.
I think DDP Yoga is really good. That and P90X3 are my favorite exercise programs although I haven’t tried a ton. It was 8 years ago or so I had frozen shoulder and PT got my mobility back, but I had lost all the strength in my left arm. 3 more months of PT and i was still a weakling. I finally started doing DDP and P90X3 at the beginner level and the strength came back.
Great advice here. The corollary to what you are speaking of here is that once you run your “novice” gains, unless you want to be a power lifter, you’ve gained more than enough strength for any sport–and particularly golf. After that–no need to chase strength, you can work on power, flexibility (don’t confuse strength and power) endurance, whatever. BUT–until you have that base line strength, a lot of other stuff is unnecessary, unproductive, dangerous, or all three. Strength is low hanging fruit–it’s simple and works. Note-I said simple, not easy.
What is a good timeframe for building baseline strength? I’ve just started with a trainer. It’s been a looooonnnnggg time since I’ve done any real lifting. Used to be on 300 lb squats and 225 lb bench, but probably half that these days. I just want to manage my expectations (either up or down) on how quickly I can get back to some “baseline strength” as you refer to it.
Agreed. In fact, I apologize, because I think I said what you said earlier, just in a different way.
But yeah, strength is low-hanging fruit, for sure. Plus, you should be generating power when you squat, deadlift, etc.
For example, I think I could’ve added 20-40 pounds (random guess) to my deadlift had I learned how to press off the floor (like you’re trying to jump) when initiating the pull. If I would’ve learned to generate that power instead of just pull off the floor, I could’ve lifted more.
In other words, I agree - there is a lot of carryover from gaining strength to generating power.
Also, strength training - if you do enough work (and you need to) and moderate your rest times - will improve your work capacity too. So, if you get winded walking the golf course, even with a push cart, you should notice some improvement in your general fitness/cardio doing a weight training program.
And then once you’re done with your linear progression - I agree with you again - you’ve probably tapped most of your low hanging fruit (otherwise you’d still be doing your 3x per week linear progression) and should move onto something sport (golf) specific. I think Mark Rippetoe mentions this (sport specific training) in his book (Starting Strength)…
For me, I’m no longer doing powerlifting training because my goal was never to be a powerlifter. I got into weight training to improve my general fitness. And now with golf, there’s no way I have time to do both.
But I don’t need to squat 600 lbs or deadlift 700 lbs to play golf or live a high quality of life, either.
I still do some resistance training (bands, parallel bars (that just came in today), calisthenics, rings, sandbags, etc.) and will likely incorporate some dumbbells/weights in the future. But I also mix it up with other training to improve my general fitness and golf game.
I don’t think there is a specific answer… comes down to how your body reacts to training, how hard you train and what you do for recovery…
Personally, having just finished my first gym routine in over 6 months, I’m guessing it will be a full year before I’m where I want to be, strength wise.
I don’t have insane lifting goals, I just want to improve my fitness… but I’m also calorie conscious as I’m fat and want to lose weight… if I were just looking to add mass, I could probably shave 3 months off… if I were 25, I could probably do it in 6.
Best thing you can do is focus on the habit of going to the gym and doing what you can do. Starting strength is an excellent starting point if you’ve never done a weight lifting program.
Muscle memory is a thing - so you might get stronger, faster than someone who has never lifted weights before.
On a general program like Starting Strength, assuming you eat well (or you’re fat), manage your stress, and recover well, I’d say 3-6 months - enough time to run out a linear progression.
But there are a lot of variables involved and I’m in no way an expert, doctor, coach, etc. So, YMMV. But that’s been my experience and that of others I’ve been around in the gym.
I think 3-6 months is fair if you are fully committed to the starting strength routine… but it also means that you’ll be sore more often and will likely hurt your weekly golf game (at least in the first few months)…
When I last trained heavy (16 years ago) I’d take the week off from lifting when I had a golf event.
Real world considerations can slow you down considerably… I don’t think I’ll be anywhere close to where I want to be physically this season, so I’m setting my goals for next year and focusing on building good routines without tanking my golf this year.
I’m also taking things slow as I’m not 100% confident my back has healed. It feels like it has, but I’m still dealing with some lingering issues… my left hip is still super tight and it was limiting my reps today… I’m 39 so I’m trying to be gentle with my body.
At the end of the day, getting into the gym and moving weights is great for your long term health… that’s the first thing I’m focused on. Adding strength (and club head speed) are secondary concerns right now.
Helpful thoughts all around. My trainer keeps talking about building a foundation, so I assume that’s where we are right now 
I’ve been feeling really good since I started the program. Trimmer, more energy, and already starting to see some swing speed improvement.
I think 3-6 months is fair if you are fully committed to the starting strength routine… but it also means that you’ll be sore more often and will likely hurt your weekly golf game (at least in the first few months)…
Everyone is different, of course. But Starting Strength is only 3x per week, and those workouts should only take 1.5-2 hours to complete. This is what I’m basing that 3-6 month timeline on.
But, again, there are a lot of variables. A lot of us are older, which impacts your ability to build muscle, recover, avoid injury, etc.
Also, you shouldn’t be sore regularly other than your first week or two. If you’re sore, especially in pain, you need to look at your recovery. I think some people really underestimate how important recovery is.
Plus, walking the golf course, swinging the clubs, etc. should HELP in your recovery, as that will keep the blood flowing to different areas (which helps you to recover).
When I last trained heavy (16 years ago) I’d take the week off from lifting when I had a golf event.
Not trying or meaning to armchair QB this, but I’d be more inclined to “peak” a week or two before (if I have my terminology correct) and take a deload week the week of a major golf tournament. That way you still keep some baseline strength and don’t set yourself up for an EXCRUCIATINGLY PAINFUL first week back to weight training.
But, in general, I agree. There are a lot of considerations. It’s definitely not as straightforward as “3-6 months and you’ll be strong AF.”
Well, that’s a shame 
All of these answers are good ones–and your results may vary. As a baseline–Rippetoe would say most run out their novice gains in linear progression in 6-9 weeks. That is–do the basic lifts. Start with lower weights than you think you should. Work out three times a week, after warm-up do three working sets of 5 reps in each lift BUT dead lift–that’s one working set of 5, not three. Add 5 pounds EACH session to upper body lifts (military/bench), 10 pounds each session to lower body lifts (squat deadlift). When you can no longer add 5 and 10, add 2.5 and 5. When you can’t add weight to the bar each day, you are done with novice progression. And you will be happy you are, unless you are a power lifter. Add in pull-ups and power cleans to every other workout. Three sets of three with power cleans. I was recruited to play D1 sports in college–so I wasn’t a novice to weight training. I did this program in my mid fifties. My squat went from 185-315, deadlift from 225-435, bench from 205-245. And the strength stays with you with a little maintenance–and is easy to get back. Now–eight years later, I recently posted video of doing deadlifts for 5 rep sets at 395 pounds. And to Craigers, start slow, full range of motion even if tiny weights, keep adding weight to the bar. You will get there!
Craigers–sounds like the right approach! But keep at it, keep adding weight to the bar gradually, while insisting on great form and full range of motion. I work with a guy named Marty Gallagher (worth looking up)–he calls this “yoga with weights”. Start with goblet squats–really work on depth and explode out of the bottom, after a pause. A very safe lift, and one that will work you hard. 39–well, that’s certainly older. I’m 64–I think you have plenty of time, athletic ability, and hormonal recovery ability to get after this. Don’t talk yourself out of challenging yourself, you have plenty left in the tank!
To add to this, @Craigers, you might also do box squats (if needed).
My “injury” was - I think - the result of me sitting so much. I couldn’t squat past parallel without severe pain in my adductor/groin area. It got so bad that I’d have pain shooting down my right thigh whenever I walked/squatted.
When I started working with my coach, we did box squats until I was strong enough to squat past parallel without pain.
There’s a lot of truth to the phrase, “motion is lotion.”
But since you use your lower back in squats, box squats may help until you feel strong and/or confident enough to do regular squats. You’ll also want to make sure you don’t tuck your tailbone/ass (some people call this “butt winks”) at the bottom, as that will likely aggravate your back.
You can do this with most forms of resistance, and types of squats - including the goblet squat (with a KB, dumbbell, etc.) that @DVOIF suggested.
Thanks… I’m still not sure how I tore cartilage in my back, but I know swinging aggressively didn’t help matters… interestingly, my back never really hurt all the pain radiated to my hip…
I basically stopped playing golf in the beginning of August, and have started swinging full again with no real pain… I just have some lingering issues from the injury.
Mostly that my hip is extremely tight… I’ve been doing extensive stretching and core work to try to set myself up for success on recovery.
My gym (at my club) doesn’t have a squat rack, so I’ll be doing kettlebell squats mostly… I actually bought car stands at harbor freight so I could deadlift.
So I’m hoping my back injury isn’t permanent, it’s just something I need to be aware of and make sure I’m not over exerting myself.
Today I was deadlifting and doing hip flexor stuff… I stuck with low, low weights and just tried to focus on my body moving correctly again.
Something else I feel like I should add, and something I had ignored most of my life… flexibility.
I’ve incorporated a number of stretches into my workout routine. My shoulders are a hot mess right now, and I’m not sure if they’ve always been that way or if it’s a result of something else… I failed every basic shoulder mobility test I’ve taken… and I physically can’t get to the inside of the golf ball right now because of it.
I’m also working on hip mobility and my thorasic spine… gently right now, as I don’t want to tweak anything!
I’m hoping to add more range of motion while also gaining some strength and sped… we shall see how it goes!