In my previous post I introduced the concept of physical intensity and gave you some tips on how you can increase the intensity in your training sessions.
Today I want to talk to you guys about becoming a more well-rounded athlete, which will help you increase physical intensity and play better Tennis. Even more importantly it will help you stay injury free and enjoy this great game for a long time!
Becoming A Well-Rounded Athlete
Way too many recreational players make the mistake of playing Tennis 3-5 times a week and not doing any other sports. This is certainly not the best way to improve your Tennis, but even more importantly this is a sure path to injuries at some point of your tennis career!
The Main Reason For Becoming A Well-Rounded Athlete Is Injury Prevention!
As a rule of thumb I usually recommend to do at least as many exercise sessions away from Tennis as you do tennis sessions. So assuming that you play Tennis 3 times a week, I would recommend you to do some sort of physical exercise program 3 times a week to make sure your body stays healthy and you become a well-rounded athlet!
Now you might be asking yourself what you should work on in this regard. In recent years the functional fitness movement has gained in popularity and I recommend to all my students to study and get involved with functional training!
With functional fitness you exercise with complex movements that train the entire body in a more natural way, instead of focusing on individual muscles. Functional fitness is well-suited for everybody. You can get an idea of what it is all about in the following video:
Have A Look At This Video On Functional Fitness
I don’t know the guy that made this video but I thought it gives a good impression of what functional fitness is all about.
Tennis has become more and more of a strength sport even at the recreational level. Your success is in a large part dependent on how well you can cover the court and that depends a lot on your leg strength!
Physical Intensity In High Level Tennis
Most people don’t realize how important athleticism has become at the highest levels of the game. Lots of high level junior players spend 4-5 hours on the court every day and only do about 1 hour of physical exercise, which is a big mistake in my opinion.
The professional players have of course realized the importance of strength and fitness training and these guys spend a ton of time exercising off the court!
These days I recommend my students to have a 50:50 ratio in regards to on court practice time and physical preparation time!
CrossFit
CrossFit is another fitness movement that is gaining in popularity and is a great option for the ambitious amateur tennis player. I have been sending my high-performance students to some Crossfit classes recently and they seem to get a lot out of it.
Crossfit focuses on functional fitness in a fun group training environment. This is pretty hardcore training though and if you are not used to exercising regularly this type of training might take a while to get used to!
Check Out What Crossfit Is All About
The great thing about Crossfit and functional fitness in general is that the focus is on strength, mobility and everything that makes you a well-rounded athlete and a healthy individual!
Allright. So much on physical intensity and becoming a better athlete. Let me know your thoughts in the comments section below!
