How much are you running and dieting?

[aced_Tezuka]

@PP I was thinking of starting with a mile and then once I get a little more comfortable I'd up it to a bit more like you said. As I said I'm not a runner lol. But I am aiming for 45 minutes of continuous cardio in the future. :]

[Power Player]

^^^

Nice..start easy and run for 20 minutes..whatever pace works for you. Its key to start easy though.

As for oakleys, I use those myself. It wont matter in this heat. Nothing does..you simply have to have multiple sticks..change of clothes..etc..it is miserable.

[gatorbait01]

Did some more HIIT after lifting weights last night. I honestly can't believe how much easier it's getting. I don't feel like I'm suffocating from lack of oxygen anymore. I feel really motivated to get as fit as possible cardio wise. Not just for tennis, but overall health as well. If I could get my resting heart rate into the 40's that would be awesome.

I'm going to make it standard protocol after lifting weights so I don't slack off and forget about it after a while which is what I usually do with cardio. That'll make it at least 2x/week and hopefully once or twice more depending on how the week goes. I usually get 2 matches in a week which can be hit or miss on the cardio aspect.

[Power Player]

im insanely sore after doing some new exercises this week and will have to give myself a day or 2 off.

getting decent at jump rope off the bat, but I still need practice.

[Boricua]

Originally Posted by Power Player

^^^

Nice..start easy and run for 20 minutes..whatever pace works for you. Its key to start easy though.

As for oakleys, I use those myself. It wont matter in this heat. Nothing does..you simply have to have multiple sticks..change of clothes..etc..it is miserable.

In miserable heat bandana or headband works, even under the cap. Also, cold towel soaked in ice- put it on the neck between games. This would be in a tournament game if you are trying to survive and not faint, lol.

[gatorbait01]

I had a match last Sunday at 11 am. Usually I try and refuse to play matches at this time, but I wanted to see how my fitness training would affect me.

I did much better than I normally would have, but it was still too hot to really have any fun at all. The guy I played is a grinder. Makes very little errors and forces you to earn every point. Not fun in 95 degrees with 80% humidity.

I tried using the frog towell thing. It works pretty well, but you have to keep in in ice water to keep it cool. IMO it's not any better than just dowsing your head with ice water if you have some, plus within 30 seconds you're just as hot as you were before. It still amazes me that people can play at this time of day and not be too bothered by the heat.

[movdqa]

I did a lot of this last year - 2-3 hour matches in high-80s to mid-90s and humid. It's great at building up your conditioning for hot and humid weather. Many of my regulars this year were away a lot so not so much tennis.

One thing that helps, I take two 1-liter Nalgene bottles, fill them almost full with water and freeze them for about 8 hours and bring them to the court. I also bring a smaller water bottle. The cold water helps on really hot days.

[mikeler]

I've noticed I sweat the most on my hairy stomach and arms. Maybe I'll mow down my arm hair and see if that helps keep my grip dry.

In all seriousness, I tried doing a sweat band on both arms this weekend. It seems to help especially now that I'm using a 2 handed backhand for the forseeable future.

[movdqa]

I had a big problem with sweat yesterday. I normally don't use anything but yesterday I was wishing that I had brought a towel or sweatband for the arm. I just wiped it off on the inside and outside of both arms but it wasn't enough. I had it getting into my eyes from time to time.

[gatorbait01]

Some other things I tried last Sunday that I didn't mention. I found these wristbands on TW, I forget who makes them, but they're described as a towell for your arm. They're much bigger than even a double wristband and kind of expensive, but I like them. Switching to tournagrip helped incredibly with sweat absorption. I was using a white overgrip from Gamma which is a little tacky. Great for fall and spring, but not summer.

I also read about how polyester has basically no breathable qualities to it so I decided to ditch the poly and try cotton. I wore a white charged cotton t shirt by UA for that match and I think that helped a little.

[Power Player]

I am wondering if getting lean will help me with the sweating. I am not even fat, I am just muscular, built like a wrestler, sprinter, track cyclist type basically.

I was rather lean in high school and got some mass when I was in college since I was lifting heavy for lacrosse. Probably gained 20 pounds, and everyone thought on was on roids (wasn't).

Anyway, I am going to see what my body says after this diet.

I always do atkins for a few weeks to kick it off, and so far it is working great. I am down 4 pounds. Also did a pretty awesome little exercise yesterday. I woke up, had 3 eggs and some grilled chicken and then cycled 5 miles to my gym. Got there and did a nice workout and then jumped rope. I then cycled back home (my bike has 1 gear so it is awesome for these types of rides).

Anyway, I feel like this type of workout is perfect for building endurance, which is my main goal. It is nice to be pretty built but it hurts your endurance so much, at least mine.

Thing I hate about atkins is how you just eat meat and cheese basically, I am not sure how people do this longterm, but I am planning to max out at 100 carbs a day after this. I find that to be rather easy especially after limiting myself to 20. The thing I love about atkins is how long I can go with just one meal even after exercising. It just really lowers your appetite so much.

[mikeler]

There have been a few afternoon matches I've had in the summer the last few years where I have ordered a salad for lunch. I get to the courts and I'm SO sluggish. For me, carbs are a must before an evening match. I'll eat them the night before if I have a morning match the next day.

[Power Player]

What I do and will start doing again in a few weeks is eat oatmeal in the AM. That gives you a ton of carbs right off the bat (40 grams or so in a typical bowl). I find that it will carry me throughout the day, but if I am playing after work I will eat a baked sweetpotato for lunch. That totals out to close to 100 carbs and I find that is more than enough.

the problem with carbs is that when you carb load, you get used to that and your body can get hooked on it. That is why I always reset my diet with atkins. the first few days suck and then it gets pretty easy.

[mikeler]

Originally Posted by Power Player

What I do and will start doing again in a few weeks is eat oatmeal in the AM. That gives you a ton of carbs right off the bat (40 grams or so in a typical bowl). I find that it will carry me throughout the day, but if I am playing after work I will eat a baked sweetpotato for lunch. That totals out to close to 100 carbs and I find that is more than enough.

the problem with carbs is that when you carb load, you get used to that and your body can get hooked on it. That is why I always reset my diet with atkins. the first few days suck and then it gets pretty easy.

I gotta have carbs. That is just the way my body works. I've tried to cut them out before for weight loss and it just sucks all the life out of me on the court.

[Power Player]

Personally I was eating too many. I mean I did the workout yesterday that I posted with zero carbs in me.

Before, I was eating tons of carbs and still getting tired on the court so I knew I had to make a change and get leaner and do a carb cleanse.

It works so well though. I already have an 8 pack thats visible. I figure in 2 weeks it will be popping. we shall see. Abs is how I measure my body fat. All I have left fatwise is waistline area.

[movdqa]

It's hard to lose weight and do competitive workouts (running or tennis) at the same time. I find that it's easier to focus strictly on weight loss while not training for a race or playing tennis matches. I'd guess that there are things that you lose in weight loss mode (vitamins, minerals, carbs, etc.) that you need on training or match-play. Sure, you can manage to get enough of these things but you have to keep track of everything and listen closely and experiment to make sure that you're getting enough of a bunch of things - I find that hard to do.

[gatorbait01]

^^ Agreed. Any time I'm cutting or on a diet, it's tough to lift weights, play my best tennis, etc.

One thing that helps me is to save most of my calories untill 1-3 hours prior to tennis/workout. Today by around 6pm I'll have only eaten around 900 calories. I'll eat an additonal 900-1100 between 6pm and 8pm. After I put the kids down I'll workout around 9pm.

[aced_Tezuka]

Hey guys I have a question. So I ran today and Friday (couldn't yesterday since I woke up too late and it's freakishly hot in Cali right now) and I've noticed that after the run I feel pain or something in my midsection.

But during my run nothing hurts at all but when I come home afterwards and stop moving and try to rest I feel like I'm gonna burst. No panting or anything as that usually subsides in a few minutes after I stop running but this bursting feeling I feel in my midsection is crazy/horrible! I googled it but I couldn't find anything.

It goes away after 20 minutes or so but I feel like I'm gonna die before that! Can anyone enlighten me what this is or ever felt this? Sorry if this is stupid lol.

[movdqa]

The only things that come to mind are a stitch but a stitch usually feels like a sharp pain. The other thing is some kind of bloating as from gas buildup.

On stitches, they usually go away as you get into better shape.

[Power Player]

I have a league match tonight. My meals = omelette, tuna salad, chicken breast, atkins bar pre match.

Will see how I do out there..lol. For the record I started this whole thing to kick start my endurance, lean down and get my footwork better out on the court.

One week in, I am noticing that I am exercising for longer periods and taking a break from playing so much tennis and incorporating other things has been rather nice.