Is Overspeed Training save for middle aged golfers?

[ParHunter]

I am thinking of trying out the super speed overspeed Training but I am worried I might injure myself. I am 51 and often have lower back pain (not too bad) after a round and I had a shoulder operation a couple of years ago.

I have seen a few comments about injury with overspeed training. Is this system save to use for middle aged golfers.

 

thanks for your feedback

[airjammer]

There is definitely a possibility of injuring yourself in anything you are trying to swing at 100% speed over and over again especially if you sacrifice form to achieve it.

 

 

[Sean2]

I am closing in on 65 and like most of us, have always been a bit obsessed with distance when I took up the game at 50. That obsession, and my inability to make significant gains, led me to move up a tee box. I now play the senior tees, and distance is no longer an issue/obsession. Sure I want to hit it farther...who doesn't?...but I found focusing so much on distance was taking away from the enjoyment of the game. I have developed a pretty decent short game, which has helped a lot in lowering my scores...and the great thing is you don't have to be young or athletic to develop one.

[Warrior42111]

I’m a younger golfer but had shoulder surgery years ago at the ripe old age of 20. As long as you did the rehab appropriately and have full to almost full range of motion I’d see no issue there. I can’t comment on the back issues but I never had an issue with super speed sticks.

[Cwing]

53 here. I’ve got the speed sticks but not use them frequently enough. I will say this —— incorporate a warm up routine prior to using them.

[Lincoln_Arcadia]

I'm trying to get a pulse for this. People I know all got injured including younger golfers.The key is not to over stress yourself more than your body can handle. Most people have trouble determining that.

[dpb5031]

The deceleration component puts significant stress on muscles, tendons, and ligaments. Without adequate warm-up injury is certainly a risk.

Repetitive stress type injury such as tendinitis in the hands, wrists and elbows is another risk. As we age our bodies take longer to warm-up and also longer to recover from a session. It's important to listen to your body.

[No_Catchy_Nickname]

Good points, there, especially with the deceleration part. Doing a full "ai swing" then finishing abruptly is a sure way for me to hurt myself.

Also, listen to your body. If you start to feel an ache come on during a practice session, quit there and then. Chances are it will hurt more the next day than what you are feeling there and then.

I've had a couple of back injuries like that this year, including one pretty serious (hernia).

[bluedot]

There are multiple questions here, and it isn't a simple topic. FWIW, I'm 67, and used the Super Speed sticks for about 6 months, including a very extensive warmup each time. I workout regularly and play and practice a lot, so I wasn't as worried about injury as some others. I also followed the protocols carefully, and used the radar to check swing speed regularly.

My results were mixed at best; I had some early gains on the radar, but that plateaued pretty quickly. I think there is an implicit trade off between swinging as fast as you can and swinging WELL as fast as you can, and I opted for the latter; it just didn't make any sense to me to make bad swings over and over. I realize that may go against what the program advocates, but it's the way I feel and the way I approached it.

I stopped using the program in August when I started into a three month series of lessons with a top teaching pro in my area, and I must tell you that I gained more swing speed from technical improvement over the next month or so that in the entire time with Super Speed. Additionally, a facility near me, Par4Success, did a controlled study with different groups using either the full set of sticks, or just one of them; the results were that the group using ONLY the middle (blue) stick gained about 4 mph, while the other groups all either stayed the same or actually lost speed. If I can find a link to their study, I'll post it.

So I think from where I'm sitting right now, I'll stay away from the full program; too much time and too much risk for the benefits, if any. I DO believe in speed training for golf, but I think there are better AND safer ways; increased flexibility and strength thru the full range of motion thru using resistance bands, medicine balls, etc.

[Cwing]

When I first started, I did not do a proper warm up. No significant injury occurred but I could feel the stress in my elbow so I stopped immediately. I waited a month and then began again. In season, I use the SS system. I do stretches before using and I also warm up with an orange whip. I’ve not had an issue since.

i simply wish I had the time to use them more.

[Golfjack]

I think if you only use them without working out to get stronger and more flexible, it is easy to get injured. But if you are able to use it in tandem with some exercises, it should be a safer endeavor. Like others have said, don't force yourself and ramp it up gradually. We're not pro's. There's no rush to perform to make a living.

[ParHunter]

Thanks for the feedback. I do a bit of weight training (mainly dumbbells) but I will be careful and warm up first as I would before playing a round.