Can tennis players be "ripped"?

ogruskie

Professional
I'm a pretty big guy already. I've got some chubbiness, but quite some muscle as well. Well, I'm going on an exercise regime, and I can't really decide which direction to go in. This workout plan will consist of weight lifting 3 days per week, and cardio/tennis practice on my off-days.

On one hand, I want to get ripped. However, I'm afraid the addition of muscle will slow me down during matches.

On the other hand, I could train for strength, not size. The problem with this, is that I'll be a slim guy without the "ripped" body.

So my question is, should I go ahead and get ripped? Would it make a big impact on my gameplay? Or should I focus on getting toned, slim, and light?
 

NotAtTheNet

Semi-Pro
Work on strength training, and increase the cardio you do. I'm pretty strong:
5'11, 170 lbs, benching 225 x 8, 38 consecutive pull ups, etc... but i'm also a distance runner (marathons, triathlons, etc...). I'm not stocky, nor am i rail thin. The main thing is get as big or ripped as you like to where you're happy with your appearance, and you're still functional. I used to bench around 300 for max, and my chest got too big and tight which restricted my range of motion on my strokes for tennis and swimming. Focus on your back, shoulders, legs and tris if you want to look bigger. I bench much more than my fire fighter friend, but he dwarfs me with his incredibly broad shoulders and back. Mix in some explosive cross training like boxing. Lifting weights is a slow motion and own't necessarily help you increase swing speed.
 

Gmedlo

Professional
It can only be good for your game, as it takes A LOT of muscle, and probably muscle imbalances, to really slow you down on court. In fact, it will most definitely give you more speed and explosiveness if you include lower-body exercises like squats.

A lot of people won't get big when they get ripped. There are videos of people on youtube that, when they have a sweatshirt on, look like they have the physique of a 12 year old. Then they start benching 300+ and your jaw drops.
 

Rickson

G.O.A.T.
I'm a pretty big guy already. I've got some chubbiness, but quite some muscle as well. Well, I'm going on an exercise regime, and I can't really decide which direction to go in. This workout plan will consist of weight lifting 3 days per week, and cardio/tennis practice on my off-days.

On one hand, I want to get ripped. However, I'm afraid the addition of muscle will slow me down during matches.

On the other hand, I could train for strength, not size. The problem with this, is that I'll be a slim guy without the "ripped" body.

So my question is, should I go ahead and get ripped? Would it make a big impact on my gameplay? Or should I focus on getting toned, slim, and light?


You admit to being chubby, but you're afraid of getting "ripped"? You make it sound like it's an easy task. You also point out that being muscular might "slow you down". Who the hell told you that? You think being chubby will make you quicker than being muscular? Get these myths out of your head and when you do, you'll be ready for some sound advice.
 

superman1

Legend
Being ripped means getting rid of the extra bodyfat, not necessarily putting on muscle.

The strongest people in the world are huge and fat, because they don't concern themselves with losing fat. If they did, they'd also lose muscle.

If you're a tennis player, you want to have low bodyfat. And, as you may soon discover, it's easy to say what kind of body you want, but it's friggin' hard to get it. Almost no one ever does. I suggest losing fat and doing your best to maintain the muscle that you have.
 
Hah!

Good point. I mean, you're already chubby. The last thing you should worry about is being ripped. I promise that once you get ripped you're not going to be saying to yourself "Aww rats, it's hard being ripped. What a bummer...".

Plus, you make it sound like getting ripped is as easy as getting a tattoo. "Just go out and get ripped." Not only is it 1000000x harder than getting a tattoo, it's not permanent unless you maintain it. So if you don't like being ripped (in other words, you're not all there in the head) then all you have to do is back off the weights and the muscle will go away. No laser surgery necessary.
 

Rickson

G.O.A.T.
I can't believe you johnny come latelys just caught this! This poor kid thinks that getting ripped is easy to achieve? I'm still shocked over that. I'm also shocked that he thinks muscular people move slowly and chubby people have a speed advantage over the muscular. Who preaches such garbage? It's got to be one of those anti weight lifting old men who spreads myths.
 

Ano

Hall of Fame
I can't believe you johnny come latelys just caught this! This poor kid thinks that getting ripped is easy to achieve? I'm still shocked over that. I'm also shocked that he thinks muscular people move slowly and chubby people have a speed advantage over the muscular. Who preaches such garbage? It's got to be one of those anti weight lifting old men who spreads myths.

:) yeah, according the OP, the guy on the left picture have a speed advantage over the guy on the right picture.

 

Ano

Hall of Fame
This is another example of a ripped body.

This guy stands 5'9" and weighs about 165 pounds.

Having a ripped body certainly does NOT hurt the speed of this guy.

 
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chess9

Hall of Fame
Being ripped means getting rid of the extra bodyfat, not necessarily putting on muscle.

The strongest people in the world are huge and fat, because they don't concern themselves with losing fat. If they did, they'd also lose muscle.

If you're a tennis player, you want to have low bodyfat. And, as you may soon discover, it's easy to say what kind of body you want, but it's friggin' hard to get it. Almost no one ever does. I suggest losing fat and doing your best to maintain the muscle that you have.


To say the strongest people in the world are huge and fat is not totally accurate, IMHO. I'd say it is true that you need a bit of fat to build muscle, but there are a few guys who participate, for instance, in the World's Strongest Man contests, who are ripped. Pudgenowski (sp?) is an example. However, many of those strongman types do little to no cardio and come from cultures where eating huge amounts of fat is common. Some of them could shed about 5-10% of their bodyfat. I'd say that many of them would do better in some of the events, like the Farmer's Walk, IF they lost some bodyfat. A lot of those guys are on steroids as well, as that event is not tested, to no one's surprise.

-Robert
 

blackfrido

Hall of Fame
I'm a pretty big guy already. I've got some chubbiness, but quite some muscle as well. Well, I'm going on an exercise regime, and I can't really decide which direction to go in. This workout plan will consist of weight lifting 3 days per week, and cardio/tennis practice on my off-days.

On one hand, I want to get ripped. However, I'm afraid the addition of muscle will slow me down during matches.

On the other hand, I could train for strength, not size. The problem with this, is that I'll be a slim guy without the "ripped" body.

So my question is, should I go ahead and get ripped? Would it make a big impact on my gameplay? Or should I focus on getting toned, slim, and light?

look at video;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kOvqm1RAkAs
 
And Canas is known as a guy who gets to every ball, certainly not slow. Most bodies would struggle with getting much more muscular than he is without some serious plateau-busting volume workouts.

Srichipan also has a very desirable build, perhaps the most on tour. Tursunov as well. He's known for his power and heavy hitting.
 

JRstriker12

Hall of Fame
I think the problem is that most people equate getting ripped with Body Building, plus there are all sorts of misleading information out there about how "excess muscle" will slow you down. Hah! As if you could just build 20 lbs of "excess muscle" over a week or two. LOL!

You should have seen this one stupid argument I got into on a soccer chat board about the benefits of strength training for soccer players.
 

Rickson

G.O.A.T.
Maybe I should increase my vertical leap by 20 inches. I was also thinking about increasing my bench press by 150 lbs. later in the week.
 

krprunitennis2

Professional
I'm a pretty big guy already. I've got some chubbiness, but quite some muscle as well. Well, I'm going on an exercise regime, and I can't really decide which direction to go in. This workout plan will consist of weight lifting 3 days per week, and cardio/tennis practice on my off-days.

On one hand, I want to get ripped. However, I'm afraid the addition of muscle will slow me down during matches.

On the other hand, I could train for strength, not size. The problem with this, is that I'll be a slim guy without the "ripped" body.

So my question is, should I go ahead and get ripped? Would it make a big impact on my gameplay? Or should I focus on getting toned, slim, and light?

I think you want to get ripped, but not buff.
 

hewittfan3

Rookie
Buff meaning extremely muscular? It would be easier to get "ripped" than extremely muscular.

I have to disagree....atleast for me...i just cant seem to get ripped and i hate doing ab workouts and cardio stuff but i love lifting weights. For me, anyways, its definitelly easier to get extremely muscular than ripped
 

Rickson

G.O.A.T.
I have to disagree....atleast for me...i just cant seem to get ripped and i hate doing ab workouts and cardio stuff but i love lifting weights. For me, anyways, its definitelly easier to get extremely muscular than ripped

If you were extremely muscular, you would be "ripped". If you're gaining a combination of fat and muscle, that's not "good weight gain", but if you were gaining all muscle like you claim is easy for you, your body would be ripped in a short time. Now be realistic, you're gaining a combination of fat and muscle, aren't you? If you tell me you can gain pure, rock solid muscle quite easily without gaining bodyfat, I will call you on it.
 

Ronaldo

Bionic Poster
Maybe I should increase my vertical leap by 20 inches. I was also thinking about increasing my bench press by 150 lbs. later in the week.

Guess getting strong and ripped in a hurry makes a chemical shortcut really attractive.
 

hewittfan3

Rookie
If you were extremely muscular, you would be "ripped". If you're gaining a combination of fat and muscle, that's not "good weight gain", but if you were gaining all muscle like you claim is easy for you, your body would be ripped in a short time. Now be realistic, you're gaining a combination of fat and muscle, aren't you? If you tell me you can gain pure, rock solid muscle quite easily without gaining bodyfat, I will call you on it.

I used to be a little chubbier...i was 6' and 225 and now im 6'1 and 190. I'm not saying its really easy to gain muscle but i am saying that i think it takes less effort atleast for me. I am starting to notice more and more tone in my muscles but i dont know if i could ever be ripped. My arms are pretty big right now but their not near ripped.

And what about like the worlds strongest men...their not ripped
 

Rickson

G.O.A.T.
Guess getting strong and ripped in a hurry makes a chemical shortcut really attractive.

As you probably guessed, I was being facetious because ogruskie seems to think that becoming "ripped" is just one of those easy things to accomplish. I suppose I got offended because I'm a bit of a hard gainer although I am quite strong. You won't see a lot of muscle mass on this body, but you will see this poster benching 3 plates on each side without any "chemical shortcuts". I just got offended that someone who isn't even close to my strength is going to get "ripped" (which he defines as overly muscular), like it's nothing. It just seemed that he totally underestimated how difficult it is to gain muscle and lose bodyfat simultaneously.
 

hewittfan3

Rookie
I'm glad to hear that you did it without any chemical shortcuts. I think that shows much more character and devotion. It is definitely harder but more rewarding in the end.
 

Rickson

G.O.A.T.
I used to be a little chubbier...i was 6' and 225 and now im 6'1 and 190. I'm not saying its really easy to gain muscle but i am saying that i think it takes less effort atleast for me. I am starting to notice more and more tone in my muscles but i dont know if i could ever be ripped. My arms are pretty big right now but their not near ripped.

And what about like the worlds strongest men...their not ripped

Ok, now I'm starting to get the picture. You lost 35 lbs. yet you still don't see the "cuts" you desire. Do you know why? Your bodyfat is still too high to show a lot of definition. Out of the 35 lbs. you lost, was it all bodyfat? Probably not. If you had gained muscle while you lost 35 lbs., you would have lost more than 35 lbs. of bodyfat, right? As for those Met-Rx contestants, they don't bother dieting at all. They may not be ripped, but can you imagine how they'd look without all that muscle? Believe it or not, those strong man contestants have lower bodyfat than a lot of lighter men out there, but they're certainly not "ripped" by bodybuilding standards.
 

hewittfan3

Rookie
I wouldnt say i have a lot of body fat. I checked a month ago and im around 11% which im very happy with. I actually dont want to lose anymore body fat than i have. Im very comfortable with my weight right now and how much i can lift.

I have definitely gained muscle though, atleast I think I have considering I can lift more
 

Rickson

G.O.A.T.
I wouldnt say i have a lot of body fat. I checked a month ago and im around 11% which im very happy with. I actually dont want to lose anymore body fat than i have. Im very comfortable with my weight right now and how much i can lift.

I have definitely gained muscle though, atleast I think I have considering I can lift more

Aha, I caught you again. What did I say earlier about my build? I do not possess a lot of muscle mass, but I do lift some heavy metal. Muscle gain and strength gain are 2 different things. Look at Dwight Howard for example. Dwight has a 40" vertical leap, but his legs aren't nearly as muscular as Tom Platz's legs in his prime. Do you think Tom could ever have jumped as high as Dwight? I seriously doubt that. Dwight trained his muscles for explosive jumping while Tom worked on gaining some serious mass (chemical enhancement too).
 

hewittfan3

Rookie
Aha, I caught you again. What did I say earlier about my build? I do not possess a lot of muscle mass, but I do lift some heavy metal. Muscle gain and strength gain are 2 different things. Look at Dwight Howard for example. Dwight has a 40" vertical leap, but his legs aren't nearly as muscular as Tom Platz's legs in his prime. Do you think Tom could ever have jumped as high as Dwight? I seriously doubt that. Dwight trained his muscles for explosive jumping while Tom worked on gaining some serious mass (chemical enhancement too).

ok so i dont get it...what did we just accomplish...i still think that for me its easier to gain muscle than to get ripped

by the way dwight howard is a beast...his shoulders are like miles a part....idk if you know who joey dorsey on memphis tigers is but he looks like that too...and i heard ben wallace can curl 300 lbs. u think thats true?
 

Ronaldo

Bionic Poster
Btw, see guys in their 50s and 60s with defined abs, cut. But in each case these guys admitted planning and following their diet, lifting, and working hard at cardio. Each lost at least 40# which took nearly a yr. They did not do it by just playing tennis.
Begun to wonder whether pros like Ben Wallace are discouraged by their teams from heavy lifting to prevent injuries. A bicep or pec tear keeping Ben Wallace out of the lineup would bite. Read stories of Dennis Rodman lifting for 2 hrs after a game then sleeping in his pickup in the parking lot when he was a Piston and he was ripped.
 
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krprunitennis2

Professional
I have to disagree....atleast for me...i just cant seem to get ripped and i hate doing ab workouts and cardio stuff but i love lifting weights. For me, anyways, its definitelly easier to get extremely muscular than ripped

HA. it's hard for me to get ripped OR buff..

T_T

but i'm working on it :]
 

1337Kira

Rookie
Aha, I caught you again. What did I say earlier about my build? I do not possess a lot of muscle mass, but I do lift some heavy metal. Muscle gain and strength gain are 2 different things. Look at Dwight Howard for example. Dwight has a 40" vertical leap, but his legs aren't nearly as muscular as Tom Platz's legs in his prime. Do you think Tom could ever have jumped as high as Dwight? I seriously doubt that. Dwight trained his muscles for explosive jumping while Tom worked on gaining some serious mass (chemical enhancement too).

Yeah. Lifting more doesn't mean you get more "buff".
I increased by bench weight by about 30 lbs and 4 reps last year and my arms look essentially the same.
If you really wanna get buff or ripped, it'll take a consistent effort and committment.
 

OrangeOne

Legend
What a strange thread. So many people using many, many words that are all not exactly defined - ripped, toned, buff, etc - and this is where 80% of the problems lie.

I interpret 'ripped' as simply meaning 'of very low bodyfat for a given level of muscle', others seems to imply that ripped, to them, means a fair amount of muscle too.

It shouldn't matter. What the OP is essentially asking is, when working with weights, if he should prioritise size or strength. The answer here for tennis is clearly to prioritise strength. Now the OP also has some appearance desires, and to paraphrase someone along the way - someone said something like "get as big as you want to for appearance reasons, then prioritise only strength", which makes sense too.

Whether or not it's hard or easy to become *any of the above*... well, that's up to the OP to learn. The OP wants to get fitter, and good luck to him. How Rickson can take it as a personal affront that someone thinks getting big is easy, well, I'm not sure.

We all know it's not much harder than lifting weight every second or third day for a year or three, and that may take some dedication, but it sure doesn't (necessarily) take anything much between the ears, (which is easy to know if you've ever spoken to some of the big boys at a gym :p).

To the OP: Good luck, and happy lifting...
 

Rickson

G.O.A.T.
Way to be "sensible".

Wasn't it obvious there was a legitimate war of semantics taking place here? And you had to ruin it...

Don't worry, storm. I don't think too many people would confuse "ripped" with big, but buff might throw off some posters. I haven't heard that word since the eighties while in So Cal.
 
Ripped is synonymous with shredded, i.e. low body fat, exuding cuts. Big could mean any number of things. Big and ripped sounds like the right way to go.
 

superman1

Legend
ok so i dont get it...what did we just accomplish...i still think that for me its easier to gain muscle than to get ripped

IMO it's genetic. Some people are ectomorphs, it's a lot easier for them to be ripped, they don't even have to pay that much attention to what they eat. However, it's harder for them to put on muscle, so even if they have ripped abs, they are still pretty weak and pathetic. Others tend to naturally carry more body fat, so it's harder for them to be ripped. The amount of effort it takes to gain muscle or lose fat is different for everyone, so which is easier would depend on who you ask.

Bottom line: both are f'ing hard, especially when you're trying to do a balancing act of cutting the fat and not losing too much muscle, and then gaining muscle but not getting too fat and negating the effects of the cut, and then going back and doing another cut but trying not to negate the bulk... If you do it right it's like taking 2 steps forward and 1 step back. If you don't do it right, then you take 2 steps forward and 2 steps back. Well, as long as you're stepping, at least you're doing something.
 
this is an example of a shredded body.


Thanks for blocking out my face. That was a bad acne day for me.

This level of vascularity could not be maintained very long without some seriously adverse side effects, and some drugs. While that level of muscularity could be accomplished without steroids, there's no way that level of body fat could be reached without some sort of cutting agent.
 

smoothtennis

Hall of Fame
^^^ How long could someone maintain that? A couple of hours? A day?

J

Good point Jolly - this guy can likely maintain that peak of leaness no more than a few days, definately no longer than a week. He may be using drugs, who knows for sure. But the body will fight hard against going below 8% for men. A lot of these bodybuilders rely on Clenbuterol to cut down this far.

As soon as they get some carbs post-contests, that look smoothes out within 12 hours. Not fat mind you, just smoother.
 

smoothtennis

Hall of Fame
To the OP - there are a lot of variables here, but I think you would be very well served to focus on the weights, three times a week, with an emphasis on strength, not hypertrophy, while at the same time, maintaining about a 500 calorie deficit. You will start to drop the fat, and keep the muscle you have, and I think you would really like the results.

The dieting is the hard part boyz....
 

Ronaldo

Bionic Poster
Good point Jolly - this guy can likely maintain that peak of leaness no more than a few days, definately no longer than a week. He may be using drugs, who knows for sure. But the body will fight hard against going below 8% for men. A lot of these bodybuilders rely on Clenbuterol to cut down this far.

As soon as they get some carbs post-contests, that look smoothes out within 12 hours. Not fat mind you, just smoother.

Guys/Gals use diuretics to get this look?
 

smoothtennis

Hall of Fame
Guys/Gals use diuretics to get this look?

Many do yes. They use Clen, and other things as well, but mainly, they use DIET. Make no mistake, they diet like nobody else on the planet. But...to get from 8% to say...3%, they have to use all the tricks availalbe unless they happen to have a strong Ectomorphic component.

And another reason they will use drugs to cut, is to prevent the loss of muscle mass as much as possible. So while they MIGHT be able to possibly get ripped with diet alone, they will lose a good portion of muscle mass that way.

Nobody said what competitive bodybuilders do is healthy...it 'aint.
 
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