Heavy lifting and Golf - Pros, Cons, everything in between.

[Rosco1216]

Muscle soreness I'm assuming? Did you start lifting heavier this winter? If so the DOMS will dissipate as your body adapts and you have sufficient water and protein intake. I personally never have muscle soreness that restricts my golf swing unless I completely try something new in the gym regarding a major increase in volume or new exercise. You definitely need to time your workouts when during golf season so it won't restrict you.

[Krt22]

lol wow, what a wild thing to say to someone you don't even know. How is the air up there on your high horse?

[MtlJeff]

I started a thread here about lifting weights and how it helped me get my swing speed back up, which Rosco was very helpful in contributing to. I don't do much deadlifting or squats anymore but still try to work out every day. I don't do a lot of heavy impact stuff. A lot of push ups, chin ups....with the occasional lighter deadlifts

About a 1 1/2 yrs ago i hurt my back pretty badly, and ended up losing some feeling in my left foot which i'm told will be permanent (it's not a huge deal). Later on that year i tore my MCL. After that i decided to stop with the heavy stuff. At my best i was deadlifting 370 or so at 180lbs. Now i might just do a few sets at 225 just to keep doing it.

I can still swing 110+ pretty easy at 38yrs old so i haven't lost much. But my days of lifting 300+ are probably done

[MK7Golf21]

was the help In your thread before or after the injury?

[MtlJeff]

I didn't say that i suffered the injuries weightlifting FWIW. I also played flag football and ran semi-competitively. No doubt those contributed to the knee injury. My back i have had problems since i played in college .

Rosco told me deadlifts and squats were good exercises to do. Never told me i should i should push for max weight or try to be a powerlifter LOL

[MK7Golf21]

these recent injuries (1.5 years ago really hurt back and later in year tore MCL) showed up after heavy deadlift and squat Im gathering though? Most trainers ask for a history of previous injuries before recommending these exercises.

[MtlJeff]

Squats and deadlifts ARE good exercises if done responsibly. Go into any gym and you'll see 100lb women doing them with just a bar. I don't know what caused my injuries exactly, i was over 35yrs old, running 50km a week, playing in flag football leagues and trying to deadlift over 2x my bodyweight. These things can happen. I don't blame someone who told me these are good exercises , i blame myself for overdoing them.

[pinhigh27]

which says way more to me than a couple of questionably draw lines on an x-ray. Just seems like alarmism when your alignment looks normal and you have possible mild foraminal narrowing(should have been commented on in the MRI), which as someone else above said you would probably see in anyone with a lifting background, and now you are convinced you have some severe alignment issue or imbalance.

I'd check out stu mcgills book called the back mechanic. I think that would help your pain more than going to the chiro 3 times a week and it costs 20-30 bucks one time

I used to be all about powerlifting, squatting 4+ plates, deadlifting 5+ etc, at end of day you don't really get anything for doing that. Pulling 495 doesn't really do much for me that 315 can't. But when you screw up pulling 495 you blow a disc or your back hurts, etc. Just isn't it worth it to me personally for a plastic trophy or whatever. Recently had a trip planned to florida and had a big extrusion from going too low on a leg press really heavy, couldn't walk for days and had to cancel. When I screw up in golf I just suck and shoot a bad score but my body is unharmed. obviously YMMV.

I love the compounds, just not sure the benefit for heavy compounds beyond a certain point.

 

 

[llewol007]

So your question is nothing related to golf but instead to heavy lifting? When it comes to heavy lifting be careful. If not following good if not great technique, you will run into injury. I had a friend who competing in such things and he was meticulous in his training and he too faced injury in his lower lumbar spinal area. When you are working with such heavy weight, any miss balance will cause your surrounding body parts to compensate to maintain both balance and the lift itself. Even the best weight belts or other forms of support only limit the force but not necessarily help in regard to completing the motion. That being said, be careful of lifting too much weight if you don’t have an out. I get the whole free weight thing but a Smith machine is better in my book. If you are talking about a sustained injury that repeats after heavy lifting, then it has to be asked if the type of heavy lifting is directly related or just a side affect aka sore muscles/fatigue that generally happens is what’s going on. Reinjury leads to on going injury and can cause permanent injury. Be careful is all I can say. Too many cross fitters also face similar injury due to either improper technique. The golf swing in itself is not a natural motion to the back and often times I have lower back pain because of that. Heavy weight lifting can be rewarding be listen to your body and recognize muscle fatigue versus injury. Good luck to you.

[Rosco1216]

Of course trainers do. Medical history, risk factors always go into an evaluation and prescribed workouts for a clients. I wasn’t his trainer I just gave some pointers.

Squats and deadlifts are great for functional strength that translates into just about every area of life. Moving furniture, picking up your kids, whatever it may be. My specific training I don’t push on anyone.

[milesgiles]

[Rosco1216]

CrossFit is terribly susceptible to injury. Much more than lifting “heavy” is. Performing Olympic style lifts which take years to perfect technique, for time, under fatigue is a terrible recipe for injury.

[dpb5031]

Agreed. I've been around and involved in this stuff for over 35 years. I cringe when I see middle-aged inexpereienced people doing cross-fit. Nothing but injuries waiting to happen. A lot of the P90X exercises are risky and unnecessary overkill as well.

[AngusBurger]

Has there been a study on distance comparing roids vs. natural? That would be interesting.

 

[johnrobison]

This kind of degeneration is just something that you're going to have to weigh against the benefits of heavy lifts. Studies show that it only gets worse if you continue heavy lifting but you might maybe that's worth it to you. I have quite a few issues with my back and, so, will not load up heavy. But I also have degeneration in both knees yet continue to run. Apparently the benefits of trail runs outweigh the negative impact they have on my knees. Life is full of trade-offs.

[Fuscinator]

For what it's worth, Ido Portal said that those who do just enough, live the longest, those who do a lot, live the second longest, and those who do nothing, die fastest. Reminds me of that study that found that light drinkers lived the longest and non-drinkers died much sooner than heavy drinkers. Well, there's something I can raise my class to. Cheers, you all!

[LeoLeo99]

That could have been me but for two things. 1. I'm weak 2. I'm unathletic.

 

These two things kept me from trying to lift too heavy when I did crossfit. A lot of crossfit is safe enough. You have to know your limitations. Most I did was 155 cleans and 105 snatches. My shoulders do not like snatches. Had bilateral inguinal hernias patches up in September and don't think I'll be lifting over 200 lbs again. Crossfit is fun as long as you're smart.

Took a free golf lesson yesterday. Pro suggested foam rolling. That starts tomorrow.

[MK7Golf21]

I generally don’t go heavier than a weight I can get 6 reps out of. Did overhead press among other exercises Thursday and did squats among others today. I won’t ever go super heavy though, like others mentioned it’s just not worth it. Lighten up the load and get reps to fatigue the muscle.

[mgoblue83]

I mean sounds great but I am continually pushing myself with varying workouts and heavier lifts. Even with more than sufficient water, protein, and rest I have muscle soreness to the point that it greatly restricts my swing for 3-4 days after working out each body part. When I am doing things like upper/lower or push/pull or multiple other splits 3-4 days a week it means I can barely swing a club the entire time. The good news is that I've done rest weeks focusing on cardio, core, and stretching and without soreness my swing speed is climbing like crazy.

[tyorke1]

I constantly have to tell myself I am a golfer not a power-lifter or even a really good lifter. my leg workout is 300 reps, 1 plate 100 reps 100 ,leg curls and a combination of lunges and reverse leg curls Light dead lifts, I am careful of deadlifts too easy to get hurt.. I can squat more but at what risk especially with a new hip . I have one more week of heavier bench 225-255 for reps and then my workout changes. Lifting heavy is great if your a weight lifter. It's great to have strength but for me golfing is more important than . So easy to get caught up in the weight numbers game .Unlike Bryson I get slower lifting heavy.

[Myherobobhope]

I’ve had my strength, flexibility and fitness cover the spectrum... strength alone doesn’t hit a golf ball well. Especially if you only do lifts that hit major muscle groups and ignore stabilizing muscles.

 

I like deadlifts for golf as they hit a number of places that I want strengthened, from hands to lower back. I’ll probably not adventure outside of 315 on deadlifts (3x45s per side). I think there are diminishing returns on strength but don’t have the data to back it up...

anytime I’m in a gym, I do core and stability exercises. Balance balls, planks, that weird half ball thing... a variety of yoga poses... anything that improves my core, my balance and my flexibility.

the best I’ve ever swung a club was when I had the opportunity to spend three months focused on fitness. Lifting, hiking, yoga and lots of golf... they helped my game and my swing...

im focused this year on golf centric workouts. None of my plans include heavy lifts, even if they do include “Olympic lifts”

[MK7Golf21]

Thing about deadlifts, it’s easy to get to very high weights fast. I’ve seen guys who are generally weak and out of shape have the ability to put a lot of weight on and it’s a ego boost to them. You can’t do that as easily with say bench press or incline press, you won’t be able to push the bar up.

You look around the gym and I really don’t see the veteran lifters with good physiques doing them and if they do, it’s for only a short season. It’s generally out of shape guys just starting out or younger guys in their teens or low 20’s that I see doing deadlifts week to week. I remember a kid that use to come in and I would see him on deadlifts every week, got to where he could put on a good amount of weight, he looked like complete sh though. Was working out next to him one day and he told me that he tore his acl recently on deadlifts, lol, game over for him. Disappeared shortly after never to be seen.

[Rosco1216]

That’s because veteran lifters in commercial gyms who have a good physique train for a physique, not necessarily functional performance. Go to a dedicated sport training facility and you will see deadlift variations everywhere.

Deadlift gains for new lifters come from increased neuromuscular efficiency. They’re not gaining muscle right away that’s causing them to go up in weight. Their posterior chain is learning to recruit all the muscles more efficiently that go into completely a deadlift. That is why deadlifts are beneficial across such a broad athletic spectrum. It is a dynamic yet simple movement to master. Am I recommending everyone max out and powerlift? No way. But becoming efficient in the movement under a moderate to heavy load is beneficial.

[MK7Golf21]

a dedicated sports facility for training before an nfl season or baseball etc. I would agree but they are generally training like this for a time leading up to their sports season and then back off. Why would I be doing them week in week out year round?

[MtlJeff]

FWIW , I did increase my SS from 103-104 on a trackman to roughly 113-115 after about 1 year of lifting. Over that time I went from being 170lbs (when I was running 1/2 marathons and miles for speed) to 180 or so now.

I'm trying to maintain it with less impactful heavy training as mentioned but it did really help me. I swung 113 mph this morning on a reliable monitor. So still going pretty good

I've played a ton of sports in my life and ran close to 4000 miles over the 2yrs when I was 34-35 years old. Some injuries were probably expected. I dont blame the weightlifting I was doing, but I'm still trying to slow things down.

FWIW I am also running less, probably only 750 miles or so last year

[Fuscinator]

It'd be interesting to see what would happen if you switched all your training to just boxing and sprinting.

[Rosco1216]

Why would you do them year round? You do them year round for consistency and progress. If you’re an athlete you focus your training for getting bigger/faster/stronger during the offseason and then adjust programming to maintain that during the season. You still do them year round but frequency, intensity, volume are adjusted more for maintaining during season.

[MK7Golf21]

Like I mentioned before, the exercise you can do safely and push is going to yield more gains than strictly a deadlift or squat.

The athletes training in sports facilities for their sports are generally very young even the pros are very young and their routines are complicated and functional, they aren’t just deadlifting and squatting 3 times a week. They are all doing a lot of functional work that keeps them moving. Agility drills and sprints, swimming, circuits, Pilates, yoga.

[MtlJeff]

Could be fun. I've always wanted to learn boxing. Dont have a lot of time with golf and kids though, most of my training is on lunch at work. Maybe I'll look into it!

[johnrobison]

Yes, to all of that!

Deadlifts have a lot of benefit but it's the guys who do them with poor form and/or let their ego get the best of them who get hurt and give them a bad name.