Is Bodybuilding Needed in Tennis?

October 29th, 2012 by Do It Tennis

If you look at Rafael Nadal’s physique, you can tell that he’s got some serious workout routines. The prominent biceps he has and those rock hard abs tell you that he’s been pretty busy not just at the court, but at the gym as well. You’re probably guessing that he’s doing some bodybuilding workouts.

Question is, does a tennis player really need to do bodybuilding? You can probably answer this question by defining what your understanding of bodybuilding is. If the bodybuilding you’re thinking of is the bodybuilding fat loss technique, then it’s quite important and needed in tennis. Tennis is a sport that requires speed, flexibility, and agility. You can’t achieve all these if you’re overweight and have excess body fat. So, to burn fat, tennis players can and must do some weight training. Your kind of weight training if you want to lose fat and increase flexibility and agility must consist of higher reps (repetitions) and lower weights. This means you workout using lighter weights but do repetitive movements at a higher frequency. This method is not only a bodybuilding fat loss technique. It is also a process that will elongate and strengthen your muscles, making them more flexible which is really what you need when playing tennis.

Then again, there’s bodybuilding done to “bulk up” or to look bigger. This kind of bodybuilding technique means exercising with larger and heavier weights but with fewer repetitions. This kind of workout helps increase muscle mass and makes muscles stronger which is what you’ll really need if you’re doing strength-based sports such as weightlifting. This will also be the best option for you if you’re just really looking to pack on some really defined muscles.

Choosing between higher reps-lower weights and lower reps-larger weights depends on several factors. One of these is your body mass. If you’re just too skinny to play tennis, you need bodybuilding to build muscles and pack on a few pounds and strengthen your body. This means you’ll need lower reps-larger weights. If, however, you’re too bulgy to play tennis, you need to trim down your weight by burning fat. And to do this, you need to choose higher reps-lower weights.

One more thing that you need to remember about bodybuilding fat loss technique is that it can help you perfect your timing and accuracy which are really required in the sports of training. It’s not how hard you hit the ball with your racquet. It’s how you use your whole body to hit that ball perfectly, get it to the other side of the court without going outside. Tennis is about precision and total body control. A higher reps-lower weights kind of weight training can help you achieve this. You can’t, however, risk getting injured by overdoing your weight training. As mentioned, tennis is a sport that requires agility. A healthy balance between practice and rest will help you achieve this. You can’t overdo bodybuilding and risk injuring yourself. Do so only if you’re an off-season athlete. If you’re an in-season tennis player, your practice sessions would be enough.