Training for Tennis (and Other Questions)

T

topspin

0
Hey everyone,

I wasn't really sure where to post this because I basically have questions about everything - weight loss, nutrition, lifestyle, strength training, injury prevention, blah blah blah. So I guess I'll get to it. (BTW, I'm really long-winded, so if you want, just skip to the very end. I have a lot of questions and any help is appreciated.)

Basic Stats
Age: 16
Height: 5'8''
Weight: 148lbs
BF%: Lower 20s... not quite sure

My activity level ranges a lot depending on the time of year, generally. For example, I was pretty much lazy in the spring since I didn't run track for the first time of my life, but once June rolled around, I was playing 6 hrs of tennis daily.

I think that I'm pretty healthy and pretty active, but the fact of the matter is that I've gotten much more pudgy than I'd like (first year at a boarding school = freshman 15 as a high school sophomore). Overall, I've gained almost thirty pounds over the past two years while growing less than an inch. Not healthy.

However, aside from the benefits of my own vanity (because I think I've pretty much locked into a steady weight - I hope) I mainly want to work out for tennis. I'm a varsity-level player and I want to get to state either this year or next, meaning that I'm going to have to shed a few pounds so that I'm light on the court. I also want to put on some muscle to put a little more oomph on my shots and prevent injury, especially shoulder injuries. Plus, since I am currently to weak/heavy to do a pull up, it's a personal goal of mine to be able to do a pull up.

I've done some research (this forum has been amazing) but I really have no idea how to tackle the idea of diet/nutrition for weight loss while simultaneously feeding my body for on-court practices and trying to put on muscle. Any tips would be enormously helpful.

I'd also like to figure out a simple, full-body workout that I can do three times a week or so. Right now, I'm trying to do the strength training workout . I'm also starting to do some of the exercises I found in the Tennis Injury Handbook, including: wrist curls, reverse wrist curls, arm curls (bicep curl?), reverse arm curls, front lifts (palm up), front lifts (palm down), lateral lifts, and bent-over lateral lifts. For the forearm exercises, the book tells me to repeat until fatigued or 50 reps. Is this okay?

That's not exactly the simple workout that I wanted, but I guess that working out my forearms and shoulders is enough of a priority for me to go through the trouble.

I also try to do a couple minutes of jump rope every day. Then, of course, I'm playing tennis for 2.5 hrs this week. Going on vacation next week (any tips?) and then school starts. So ultimately, I welcome any advice, and here are a few of the specific questions I have:

  1. How can I lose fat while eating enough to give me energy for tennis and gaining muscle?
  2. What kind of diet should I follow to lose fat without sacrificing performance?
  3. What kind of energy bar can I eat during a match that won't be too hard to digest?
  4. Should I eat before a morning run/bike?
  5. What's an example of a simple full-body workout that I can do at home?
  6. Is it okay to do one set of 50 reps for wrist curls?
  7. Are body-weight squats and lunges enough?
  8. Are there any tennis-specific, or performance-based, exercise that I should be doing?
  9. How do I start doing pull-ups if I can't even do one right now?
  10. How can I continue to train during my week on vacation?
  11. Considering that I go to a boarding school that has horrible, fatty cafeteria food, how can I maintain a good diet? Am I doomed to bringing food to school and therefore costing my parents a fortune?
  12. If there's no other choice, is it better to eat a fatty meal or to skip a meal?
  13. And finally... how soon can I expect visible results?

Thanks for having the patience to read this!

-Abby
 
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I'm going to try and answer as many questions as I can. If anyone thinks im wrong just tell me cause I wouldn't want to mess up this routine and dieting.
1. Eat around 4-6 healthy meals a day. Gives you a enough food for energy but doesn't load up on calories.
2.Can't help ya there. sorry
3. I'm thinking of any protein bar would work.
4. Yes. Eating gives you energy. No eating no energy. Won't be able to run as far or as fast.
5. Push ups, sit ups, lunges squats, use a laundry detergent bottle for bicep curls.
6. I don't think so. If you wanted to do 50 reps in total, which you don't really need. you would have to space them out like.5 reps of 10. Probably 3 sets of 10 would be just a good though.
7. they won't get your legs super strong but they will make them a little stronger.
8. Since tennis uses the shoulder and wrist and forearm probably workout those areas a lot. For shoulder do shoulder press. For wrist and forearm do forearm curls.
9.If you can't do a pull up, start doing other excerises that invlove the bicep until you feel you can do a pull up. Get trying also you will eventually get it.
10. Go for runs. get creative. See something heavy on the beach try and do some curls with it.
11. You could make your own healthy lunch. Buy the healthies food in the cafe.
12.That is up to you. One fatty meal probably won't do that much to do. Try and get as healthy as possible though.
13. depands on how committed you are to. If you workout 3-4 times a week. Throw some cardio in there every couple days and watch what you are eating you should see some weight loss in a week or 2 and it just keeps better from there.

Hoped I helped ya out.
 
Thanks for your help Hardgainer. About the 50 reps - what makes splitting it into sets better than just going once til fatigue?

flyinfree, I've been reading them, but if you know any that would specifically help me, I'd be very appreciative.

By the way, any comments on the exercises that I've got right now? Also, more on the reps thing... people talk a lot about "explosive power" in sports such as tennis but the fact of the matter is that you might be out there for 2-3 hours. Should I be doing low reps for strength or high reps for endurance?
 
Last edited:
topspin said:
Hey everyone,

I wasn't really sure where to post this because I basically have questions about everything - weight loss, nutrition, lifestyle, strength training, injury prevention, blah blah blah. So I guess I'll get to it. (BTW, I'm really long-winded, so if you want, just skip to the very end. I have a lot of questions and any help is appreciated.)

Basic Stats
Age: 16
Height: 5'8''
Weight: 148lbs
BF%: Lower 20s... not quite sure

My activity level ranges a lot depending on the time of year, generally. For example, I was pretty much lazy in the spring since I didn't run track for the first time of my life, but once June rolled around, I was playing 6 hrs of tennis daily.

I think that I'm pretty healthy and pretty active, but the fact of the matter is that I've gotten much more pudgy than I'd like (first year at a boarding school = freshman 15 as a high school sophomore). Overall, I've gained almost thirty pounds over the past two years while growing less than an inch. Not healthy.

However, aside from the benefits of my own vanity (because I think I've pretty much locked into a steady weight - I hope) I mainly want to work out for tennis. I'm a varsity-level player and I want to get to state either this year or next, meaning that I'm going to have to shed a few pounds so that I'm light on the court. I also want to put on some muscle to put a little more oomph on my shots and prevent injury, especially shoulder injuries. Plus, since I am currently to weak/heavy to do a pull up, it's a personal goal of mine to be able to do a pull up.

I've done some research (this forum has been amazing) but I really have no idea how to tackle the idea of diet/nutrition for weight loss while simultaneously feeding my body for on-court practices and trying to put on muscle. Any tips would be enormously helpful.

I'd also like to figure out a simple, full-body workout that I can do three times a week or so. Right now, I'm trying to do the strength training workout . I'm also starting to do some of the exercises I found in the Tennis Injury Handbook, including: wrist curls, reverse wrist curls, arm curls (bicep curl?), reverse arm curls, front lifts (palm up), front lifts (palm down), lateral lifts, and bent-over lateral lifts. For the forearm exercises, the book tells me to repeat until fatigued or 50 reps. Is this okay?

That's not exactly the simple workout that I wanted, but I guess that working out my forearms and shoulders is enough of a priority for me to go through the trouble.

I also try to do a couple minutes of jump rope every day. Then, of course, I'm playing tennis for 2.5 hrs this week. Going on vacation next week (any tips?) and then school starts. So ultimately, I welcome any advice, and here are a few of the specific questions I have:

  1. How can I lose fat while eating enough to give me energy for tennis and gaining muscle?
  2. What kind of diet should I follow to lose fat without sacrificing performance?
    A diet that does not sacrifice carb consumption with a very small deficient.
  3. What kind of energy bar can I eat during a match that won't be too hard to digest?
    None, Go with a liquid solution of 3-1 to 4-1 carb/protein solution. For enhanced digestion time go with a short chained glucose polymer such as maltodextrin. Drink it slowly throughout the workout. Do NOT drink it within an hour of the workout. Possible episodes of rebound hypoglycemia could rear its ugly head. Due to insulin's lower requirement needs in mid exercise one does not need worry about this with high gi carb consumption during. En
    PMID: 9710871
    Study backing up my suggestion with regards to tennis specifically.^
  4. Should I eat before a morning run/bike?
    Yes, with your goal to maintain performance.
  5. What's an example of a simple full-body workout that I can do at home?
    One that contains compound movements. Although, I would suggest you go easy and light on the shoulder joint. Focus on endurance ranges for these joints. This suggestion is do to your tennis playing.
  6. Is it okay to do one set of 50 reps for wrist curls?
    Yeah, although there is no real benefit to it.
  7. Are body-weight squats and lunges enough?
    To build endurance for that weight range, yes. Although, if strength/size are goals, than no.
  8. Are there any tennis-specific, or performance-based, exercise that I should be doing?
    Work on agility and balance.
  9. How do I start doing pull-ups if I can't even do one right now?
    Have feet remain on a stable surface and gently help your self up.
  10. How can I continue to train during my week on vacation?
    Hmm, don't sit on your ass and move?
  11. Considering that I go to a boarding school that has horrible, fatty
    cafeteria food, how can I maintain a good diet? Am I doomed to bringing food to school and therefore costing my parents a fortune?
    A chicken breast and some brown rice and veggies doesn't cost a fortune.
  12. If there's no other choice, is it better to eat a fatty meal or to skip a meal?
    Depends,
  13. And finally... how soon can I expect visible results?
    As in hypertrophic gains? That depends on calorie intake,training,genetics and so on. Performance? Well that depends as well.

Thanks for having the patience to read this!

-Abby
Click to expand...
No worries...
 
Thanks a ton, Trevor! I really appreciate all the detail that you went into. About maltrodextrin though - could you explain a little more about what that is? I mean, I figured out that it's basically a powder (you'd mix it with water to drink, right?) but I'm wondering how it's more beneficial than some energy bar. Also, where were those studies?

Also, if doing forearm curls til exhaustion isn't useful, what should I do instead?
 
No prob mate.

about the study, go to pubmed.com and search 9710871.

Yes MDx comes in powder form. It is technically a polysaccharide(complex carb). However, unlike the common "complex" carb. This one digest rapidly thanks to its quick digestibility. I would consider it better than D-glucose for exercise (post,during) use.

Better than an energy bar? Far better, unfortunately energy bars typically contain "questionable" ingredients and far to much protein/fat for quick digestion. They essentially arn't "Light" enough for the stomach during intense activity. They could actually be detrimental to performance.

Of course there are many more factors that play into it. Though basically, you can not beat a solid liquid meal for either direct post or during play.


Forearm curls are not "bad". I was talking primarily about the rep range. Such a high rep range will not benefit strength to any noticeable degree.
 
Hmm, that's really interesting, maybe I'll try and look for that stuff. How can I get it? Just order it online?

Trevor M. said:
Though basically, you can not beat a solid liquid meal for either direct post or during play.
Click to expand...

I'm sorry, but I don't understand what you mean by this.

Also, about the curls, I know that 1 set of 50 seems excessive, but what should I do instead?
 
Liquid meals > Solid meals for immediate post (after exercise/vent) or during the event(tennis game for example).

I would suggest you consider starting a resistance training program if you have the means.

As for the forearms alone. What is your goal with them? Straingth,hypertrophy,endurance?
 
Right now, I'm trying to get some kind of resistance training program started. So far I've been doing things that generally focus on shoulder strength along with some squats/lunges and ab work to keep things balanced. I'm thinking about throwing in some back work as well.

Basically, the goal is injury prevention, since I've had some issues with elbow and/or wrist pain in the past and it seems from what I've read that stronger
forearms prevents injuries.
 
Do you have access to resistance bands or Free Motion equipment?
 
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