How do you keep yourself fit?

Im 37 and 80 kilos or so, started playing tennis when i was 10 or so, played for some 6 or 7 years very well, academy and all, played every day and also played voleyball in school...and then i got into smoking

Spent 15 years smoking and quitted 3 years ago so i retook tennis some 6 months ago but i injured myself in ways i had never injured myself before

Left groin, right knee, left knee, right ankle, left ankle, right arm, right leg...the 6 months since i started playing again every conceivable pain and twist i have had and usually lasts from 2 or 3 days to 3 weeks

I just came from a doubles match which i twisted my left knee again, on ice and pain killers now

Im trying to play 2 times a week and once during weekends

So what gives, this continiuos injuries is a pain literally, any tips?

Lifting weights and YOGA from Tennis channel.com. I lift about 40- 110 lbs of weights in various machines....

Just found a miscelanious thread with a fitness chapter, pls move this thread there, thanxs in advance

.................P90x

^^ you beat me to it ripper

Ripper014 said:

.................P90x

Click to expand...

What is a p90x?

By eating buffets and laying on the couch.

KHSOLO said:

Im 37 and 80 kilos or so, started playing tennis when i was 10 or so, played for some 6 or 7 years very well, academy and all, played every day and also played voleyball in school...and then i got into smoking

Spent 15 years smoking and quitted 3 years ago so i retook tennis some 6 months ago but i injured myself in ways i had never injured myself before

Left groin, right knee, left knee, right ankle, left ankle, right arm, right leg...the 6 months since i started playing again every conceivable pain and twist i have had and usually lasts from 2 or 3 days to 3 weeks

I just came from a doubles match which i twisted my left knee again, on ice and pain killers now

Im trying to play 2 times a week and once during weekends

So what gives, this continiuos injuries is a pain literally, any tips?

Click to expand...

You sound like there is little question you know what good tennis is, and probably have regained most of the hand/eye, retrieving/positioning and hard serving abilities from 15 years ago.

Therefore I doubt you are going to be satisfied playing tennis at a slower pace and with less dynamic force than you are now doing.

But unlike when you were younger, you don't have any where near the same excess time to get into as good shape as you used to be. And unfortunately the body recovers slower as the years go by.

To play tennis at the level you want to and not have recurring injuries is going to take some committment to getting in better shape.

At a minimum you should be doing thrower's exercises to build up both the muscles you use to hit the tennis ball, but even more importantly to strengthen the muscles that have to brake and stop the tremendous forces generated on your serve and killer forehand/backhand. www.asmi.org/SportsMed/media/thrower10.swf
http://www.playerdevelopment.usta.com/content/fullstory.sps?iNewsid=339840&itype=7418
Get a slantboard and do twisting situps and crunches using your body weight against gravity to strengthen your core/back.
Do lunges and squats to strengthen your thighs/calves/groins.
Always do a dynamic warmup of jogging, swinging the tennis racquet, sidestepping and running backward before starting to play, as cold tendons/ligaments/muscles develop more micro-tears than if you've warmed up.
Do static stretching after each match so you won't cramp up, and will leave the muscles in as relaxed as possible state.
If the match was tough, hit the showers. But if it was a walkover, get to a soft athletic field and run some sprints with short intervals of rest to build up your legs and conditioning.
Get a Flexbar Blue and hand gripper and leave them where you read/work/watch TV so you can take short breaks to build up your wrist/foream/elbow.
Good luck!

diet and exercise

keeping the weigh off is one of the most important things, i feel.
doing the stretching exercises before playing, walking if you are not into running.
that is my 2 cents worth.

^^^KHSOLO, You're not overweight are you? If you're overweight and you know how you need to get to the ball, you'll kill your knees and legs. Being overweight is far less bad for the folks who never really learned how to play tennis in the first place, and have no intention of moving to get to the ball.

I talk about fitness on this board. Then I drink beer and eat pizza while watching TV.

One of these days I am going to do some exercise. I just can never seem to find the time with my busy schedule.

KHSOLO said:

What is a p90x?

Click to expand...

P90X is a set of workout videos that also involves recommended nutritional supplements. The workouts substitute body weight exercises and use of dumbells and tubing in place of of heavy lifting and the workouts keep moving at a brisk pace. It is a pretty good workout set for those that like a formula all laid out for them and have the time/dedication to do this type of program: http://www.beachbody.com/product/fitness_programs/p90x.do?code=P90XDOTCOM

Well yesterday i was playing a doubles game and asking for suggestions and today my doctor told me i need an mri because i might have broken my left knee when i fell and it was all swollen and will most probably require surgery, thats at least 3 months out



Im not really overweight but have some excess for a 37 year old guy, i could cut some 5 kilos off and i will be in my normal weight for my height which is about 5,11" and 75 to 80 kilos, now im between 80 and 85

Here ya go

charliefedererer said:

P90X is a set of workout videos that also involves recommended nutritional supplements. The workouts substitute body weight exercises and use of dumbells and tubing in place of of heavy lifting and the workouts keep moving at a brisk pace. It is a pretty good workout set for those that like a formula all laid out for them and have the time/dedication to do this type of program: http://www.beachbody.com/product/fitness_programs/p90x.do?code=P90XDOTCOM

Click to expand...

Thanxs a bunch

charliefedererer said:

^^^KHSOLO, You're not overweight are you? If you're overweight and you know how you need to get to the ball, you'll kill your knees and legs. Being overweight is far less bad for the folks who never really learned how to play tennis in the first place, and have no intention of moving to get to the ball.

Click to expand...

I think im past that chapter already, i know exactly what you mean and i figured that out after being injured all the time for the past 6 months

I started a diet to loose weight so my knees and legs would hold on but i guess i went a little too slow and too late

charliefedererer said:

You sound like there is little question you know what good tennis is, and probably have regained most of the hand/eye, retrieving/positioning and hard serving abilities from 15 years ago.

Therefore I doubt you are going to be satisfied playing tennis at a slower pace and with less dynamic force than you are now doing.

But unlike when you were younger, you don't have any where near the same excess time to get into as good shape as you used to be. And unfortunately the body recovers slower as the years go by.

To play tennis at the level you want to and not have recurring injuries is going to take some committment to getting in better shape.

At a minimum you should be doing thrower's exercises to build up both the muscles you use to hit the tennis ball, but even more importantly to strengthen the muscles that have to brake and stop the tremendous forces generated on your serve and killer forehand/backhand. www.asmi.org/SportsMed/media/thrower10.swf
http://www.playerdevelopment.usta.com/content/fullstory.sps?iNewsid=339840&itype=7418
Get a slantboard and do twisting situps and crunches using your body weight against gravity to strengthen your core/back.
Do lunges and squats to strengthen your thighs/calves/groins.
Always do a dynamic warmup of jogging, swinging the tennis racquet, sidestepping and running backward before starting to play, as cold tendons/ligaments/muscles develop more micro-tears than if you've warmed up.
Do static stretching after each match so you won't cramp up, and will leave the muscles in as relaxed as possible state.
If the match was tough, hit the showers. But if it was a walkover, get to a soft athletic field and run some sprints with short intervals of rest to build up your legs and conditioning.
Get a Flexbar Blue and hand gripper and leave them where you read/work/watch TV so you can take short breaks to build up your wrist/foream/elbow.
Good luck!

Click to expand...

Cheers and thanxs for all the links and suggestions, will definatelly do and read

charliefedererer said:

www.asmi.org/SportsMed/media/thrower10.swf

Click to expand...

Im a tad lighter than the guy in that video

just a tad offtopic;

khsolo, do you by any chance play(or used to) a game called wwiionline? :mrgreen:

Raid said:

just a tad offtopic;

khsolo, do you by any chance play(or used to) a game called wwiionline? :mrgreen:

Click to expand...

Sure thats me

I sit in front of the computer and type.
No beer, or alcohol mostly, boring, and 5'11", 150 lbs.
Peaking into 61 years ancient, I mostly play doubles.

KHSOLO said:

Well yesterday i was playing a doubles game and asking for suggestions and today my doctor told me i need an mri because i might have broken my left knee when i fell and it was all swollen and will most probably require surgery, thats at least 3 months out



Im not really overweight but have some excess for a 37 year old guy, i could cut some 5 kilos off and i will be in my normal weight for my height which is about 5,11" and 75 to 80 kilos, now im between 80 and 85

Click to expand...

I hope that MRI is negative, and it turns out to be a bruise that quickly heals.
Good luck.

charliefedererer said:

I hope that MRI is negative, and it turns out to be a bruise that quickly heals.
Good luck.

Click to expand...

Fingers crossed !!

LeeD said:

I sit in front of the computer and type.
No beer, or alcohol mostly, boring, and 5'11", 150 lbs.
Peaking into 61 years ancient, I mostly play doubles.

Click to expand...

You are a real light weight... at 5-7" and 154lbs... I always of thought myself as slight in stature.

This is what I do off season:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uD_T7Y0wCek

I stay fit by typing on my computer.

It's very important to me as there is a definite mind-body connection. Though I'm busy as a Lawyer nowadays, I do the following:

1. Go for 5 mile runs say at least twice a week.
2. Run sprints on the Tennis Court.
3. Intense Tennis workouts twice a week on average (either matches/workouts or lessons with a Pro).
4. I'm pure vegetarian (don't worry protein shake every morning, milk, banana and GNC whey protein, plus lots of nuts and lentils (great protein source).
5. No alcohol or smoking.
6. Stretching/calisthenics daily, along with moderate weights (dumbells). Push up and sit ups at least every other day. I strech completely at least twice a day.
7. Some cross training in that I play basketball and rball also from time to time.
8. I've run 5 marathons over the years, but now try and avoid the really long runs on pavement so that I avoid the injury risk associated with long distance running.

All of this combined keeps me in good shape, especially for my age now, which is 41 years of age. Since high school, I have added muscle, but very little fat at all. I have very few aches and pains anywhere, if at all and have avoided all those assorted serious injuries thus far in my life. I am 5'11", close to 6 feet, and weigh 170 pounds and can often still beat highly ranked 18 year old tennis players.

I love giving such "tennis lessons" to those cocky young guys who think they know everything about tennis. It's SO MUCH FUN! They get very frustrated as they keep trying to hit winners past me, but they often miss after about 5 shots during a rally. Plus, I combine a lot of pace with my consistency on the Court, as I still hit plenty of winners and can crank my first serve pretty hard (especially with these new frames). I now use a Fischer 95 sq. inch frame, but I string it pretty tight (60+).

^^^The tennis is enjoyed more as you get more fit, and the exercise itself is also enjoyable as you get and stay fit. All in all, this is a pretty good arrangement.

Thanks CharlieFederer. It has worked for me and hopefully it'll give some others some food for thought. I can't reiterate enough just how much exercising and staying fit has helped me in all areas of life, from school, home life, and the workplace. I'll also add that I try to get a good night's sleep as often as possible, but man, I can tell that my melatonin levels have dropped because I have a very difficult time sleeping more than 6 hours a night nowadays. I am trying to reduce my coffee/tea intake as well, but I usually do have 1-2 cups a day (morning/afternoon). Watch the beer intake friends as alcohol packs massive calories, so do that in moderation. There is a reason they call it a "beer gut". Plus, I'll also add, drink water as much as possible instead of a ton of fruit juice and carbonated soda drinks.

Ok well after reviewing the mri the dtr says knee is broken, one of the cruciate ligaments is gone and when i mean gone it only shows a little part below, the top part is out

Dtr says surgery is a must and i set it up for the 12th but he says i should never play tennis again because i could break it again, any opinions?

KHSOLO said:

Ok well after reviewing the mri the dtr says knee is broken, one of the cruciate ligaments is gone and when i mean gone it only shows a little part below, the top part is out

Dtr says surgery is a must and i set it up for the 12th but he says i should never play tennis again because i could break it again, any opinions?

Click to expand...

I posted in your other thread but I'll re-iterate that there is no reason you shouldn't be able to play tennis after an acl surgery. Just make sure you have a good physician do the surgery. Rehab it correctly and there is no reason you can't be back on the court in 6 months, with about a year for a "full" recovery. Use that six months to get the rest of your body in shape and ready for tennis too.

Good Luck!