Do you lift?

I used to powerlift competitively and did bodybuilding. I also did bike racing. At 6'1, even when I did bike racing, I was 180 pounds. For tennis, I try and keep it around 188-190. In powerlifting, I competed at 220...in bodybuilding, I competed around 205 and once hit 268 pounds.
It is very easy for me to put on muscle, and I find when I get above 195 I get too bulky. It does not slow me down on the court, but rather it increases the chance of injury and pounding on the joints.
All that said, the point is I do not do a lot of lifting. Right now I am doing 4 times a week of lifting for about 18-22 minutes, followed by a bit of plyometics for explosiveness. All training is designed around speed, and not strength.
I step on the tennis court, and people ask how such a muscular guy can move so fast. I step in the gym, and meatheads ask how such a skinny guy can lift so much weight. Different perspectives, for sure.
 
Been lifting for 17 years now. I recently got very serious again after lollygagging for about 5 years. Did Eric Cressey's maximum Strength program, which is a 16 week program. Really well put together and I like the results.

I now lift four to five times a week, with an upper/lower body split. I am also very big on preventative shoulder work, mobility/flexibility, and soft tissue work. I do serious conditioning about twice a week, like high intensity intervals/sprints.

I'm currently 5'10", 188# with about 11-12% body fat. Deadlift is currently 455#, bench 285#, squat 315# (butt to calves), and pull-up with 90# external load.

I supplement with creatine daily and protein shakes after workouts. I try to get my main nutrition from real/whole foods.

All the gym time has certainly helped my tennis - haven't been injured in 7 years of playing and I'm one of the fittest guys on court no matter where I go.
 
What kind of lifting do you do?
Squats, bench press, chest press, pull downs, leg extension, leg pull, leg press, and free weight stuff
How often?
2-4x a week
How does it affect your tennis?
Hit harder, more energy, feel more confident
Do you use any supplements?
Whey protein
 
Hondasteve said:
Been lifting for 17 years now. I recently got very serious again after lollygagging for about 5 years. Did Eric Cressey's maximum Strength program, which is a 16 week program. Really well put together and I like the results.

I now lift four to five times a week, with an upper/lower body split. I am also very big on preventative shoulder work, mobility/flexibility, and soft tissue work. I do serious conditioning about twice a week, like high intensity intervals/sprints.

I'm currently 5'10", 188# with about 11-12% body fat. Deadlift is currently 455#, bench 285#, squat 315# (butt to calves), and pull-up with 90# external load.

I supplement with creatine daily and protein shakes after workouts. I try to get my main nutrition from real/whole foods.

All the gym time has certainly helped my tennis - haven't been injured in 7 years of playing and I'm one of the fittest guys on court no matter where I go.
Click to expand...

285 bench... S**t. I feel like a wuss now
 
I lift a couple times a week, particularly with my legs. Tennis has beat them up pretty good over the years, and I've found lifting helps keep them less sore - as odd as that might sound.

I lift a little differently than traditional weight lifters. I use a technique called Slow Burn. It seems to be easier on the joints, and yet has done a great job for me with keeping my muscles fit.

Here's an article on how I lift.

"Fred Hahn's Slow Burn"

http://www.heartscanblog.org/2010/09/fred-hahns-slow-burn.html
 
Calling all those who do bench press as a tennis workout in the gym - DON'T DO IT. Bench Press is one of the least helpful exercises for this sport as
1) It is not healthy for your shoulder,
2) It creates over pronoation (hunch forward in extreme cases)
3) The motion is not beneficial for tennis, at no time do you need that push forward motion of bench press. A better upper body exercise would be push press.

Just my point after being lectured on creating Strength and Conditioning programmes.
 
I have been since October. I started with Starting Strength and have since modified the program a bit. The core of the program is squats, deads, press, and bench with pullups, dips, leg raises, and curls as assistance.

It has been good for my tennis game. More explosiveness and a leaner body really helps. And it just makes me feel fantastic in general.
 
rjg007 said:
Calling all those who do bench press as a tennis workout in the gym - DON'T DO IT. Bench Press is one of the least helpful exercises for this sport as
1) It is not healthy for your shoulder,
2) It creates over pronoation (hunch forward in extreme cases)
3) The motion is not beneficial for tennis, at no time do you need that push forward motion of bench press. A better upper body exercise would be push press.

Just my point after being lectured on creating Strength and Conditioning programmes.
Click to expand...

It creates a hunch if you're a curlbro who does nothing but curls and bench press because those are the glory exercises. If you're doing deadlifts, chins, cleans, and/or rows to create balance then you simply don't have that problem.

The motion is not necessarily beneficial for tennis but it's beneficial for health and strength, not to mention aesthetics. You can't just do a program solely consisting of tennis-related movements.
 
rjg007 said:
Calling all those who do bench press as a tennis workout in the gym - DON'T DO IT. Bench Press is one of the least helpful exercises for this sport as
1) It is not healthy for your shoulder,
2) It creates over pronoation (hunch forward in extreme cases)
3) The motion is not beneficial for tennis, at no time do you need that push forward motion of bench press. A better upper body exercise would be push press.

Just my point after being lectured on creating Strength and Conditioning programmes.
Click to expand...

I bench but im under no illusions that its helping my tennis game. I just do it for the ladies, nom sayin?
 
jonnythan said:
I have been since October. I started with Starting Strength and have since modified the program a bit. The core of the program is squats, deads, press, and bench with pullups, dips, leg raises, and curls as assistance.

It has been good for my tennis game. More explosiveness and a leaner body really helps. And it just makes me feel fantastic in general.
Click to expand...

How do you feel playing tennis after squatting and deadlifting heavy like 3x a week? Drained?
 
accidental said:
How do you feel playing tennis after squatting and deadlifting heavy like 3x a week? Drained?
Click to expand...

Right now I only play once a week for an hour and a half or two hours on Saturdays - either a practice session or a league match. I squat heavy and deadlift on Wednesday, then on Friday I do a more moderate squat, then squat heavy again on Sunday before taking two days off.

I also play racquetball for 2 hours on Thursday.

So far I haven't really noticed any effect on racquetball or tennis, which sort of surprises me because I'm eating a caloric deficit and losing weight on top of all of it. I've always had pretty good endurance though. By the time I'm doing heavy squats again on Sunday, the last rep is noticeably harder than it was on Wednesday, but that's about it.

The outdoor season is about to start and I'll be playing tennis 2-5 times a week. We'll see how that goes. I'll obviously have to bump my calorie intake. I hope I don't have to drop volume on my lifts though. I do eat a lot of protein - 1-1.25 g per lb of bodyweight - and pound whey and dextrose after I lift. That seems to enhance my recovery a great deal.
 
jonnythan said:
It creates a hunch if you're a curlbro who does nothing but curls and bench press because those are the glory exercises. If you're doing deadlifts, chins, cleans, and/or rows to create balance then you simply don't have that problem.

The motion is not necessarily beneficial for tennis but it's beneficial for health and strength, not to mention aesthetics. You can't just do a program solely consisting of tennis-related movements.
Click to expand...

The best counteraction movement is bent over row. When we looked at it and discussed it in one of the teaching sessions we had we saw that bench was only good for bulking up and therefore should be used in a programme for contact sports, wrestling or MMA. A very similar exercise which would still give you the aesthetic result you are after but also benefit you in other ways is DB bench so you are still working similar muscles but also promoting stability in your core and shoulders which is inevitably going to help your tennis.
 
I like bent-over rows as a movement in theory, but I've found it just places so much isometric strain on the lower back at heavy weights that I stopped doing them and can't recommend them.

I wish my gym had a place I could do lying bench rows or inverted weighted rows or something like that. Instead for upper body pulls I'm doing a machine row and pullups.
 
Have you tried it with dumbells?
one-arm-dumbbell-bent-over-row-top-view.jpg

There is not as much strain on the back as there would be with the barbell. And you don't need to go heavy, 3 sets of 8-12 reps would do a lot of good in building up muscle in that area.
 
I have tried it with dumbbells. I forgot about using dumbbells because my gym's only go up to 70lb. Kinda stinks. You're right, though, DB rows are a great exercise.
 
rjg007 said:
The best counteraction movement is bent over row. When we looked at it and discussed it in one of the teaching sessions we had we saw that bench was only good for bulking up and therefore should be used in a programme for contact sports, wrestling or MMA. A very similar exercise which would still give you the aesthetic result you are after but also benefit you in other ways is DB bench so you are still working similar muscles but also promoting stability in your core and shoulders which is inevitably going to help your tennis.
Click to expand...

You dont bulk up in combat sports. There are weight classes and jumping up one is very difficult to do. Unless you are a heavyweight that is sitting at 240 and need to get up to the 260-270 range bulking up is really bad idea.
 
I prefer to do 12oz. curls.

I do the gym in spurts. I get motivated and start going regularly then life has a way of changing what I am doing. Lately I have been using the time I would usually be at the gym on the tennis court instead. I have lost substantial muscle but have burned alot of fat too. I plan on getting the gym back into rotation starting next week.

When my tennis game is good being stronger and in better condition always improves your game. I mainly just focus on muscle building and definition in the gym. I get all my cardio from playing tennis.

I am probably going back to this plan :

Monday: Upper Body

* Dumbbell Bench Press: 3 sets of 5 reps
* Overhead Press: 3 sets of 5 reps (shrug up at the top of these to hit your traps)
* Preacher Curls: 2 sets of 10-12 reps
* Pullups: Bodyweight - 3 sets to failure, max 15 per set


Tuesday: Lower Body

* Leg Press: 3 sets of 5 reps
* Weighted Lunges: 3 sets of 10 reps
* Box jumps (add height, shorten rest periods, or hold a medicine ball or something to add weight)
* Ab Wheels 1 set of 30 or Hanging leg raises: 3xfail (max 3x15)

Wednesday: Rest

Thursday: Upper Body
* Bench Press: 3 sets of 5 reps
* EZ-Bar Curls: 3 sets of 10-12 reps
* Cable Crossovers: 3 sets of 10-12 reps
* Dips: 3 sets to failure

Friday: Lower Body

* Squats: 2 sets of 10-12 reps
* Leg Extensions: 2 sets of 10-12 reps
* Straight leg deadlifts: 3x10
* Ab Wheels 1 set of 30 or Hanging Leg Raises
 
SlapChop said:
I prefer to do 12oz. curls.

I do the gym in spurts. I get motivated and start going regularly then life has a way of changing what I am doing. Lately I have been using the time I would usually be at the gym on the tennis court instead. I have lost substantial muscle but have burned alot of fat too. I plan on getting the gym back into rotation starting next week.

When my tennis game is good being stronger and in better condition always improves your game. I mainly just focus on muscle building and definition in the gym. I get all my cardio from playing tennis.

I am probably going back to this plan :

Monday: Upper Body

* Dumbbell Bench Press: 3 sets of 5 reps
* Overhead Press: 3 sets of 5 reps (shrug up at the top of these to hit your traps)
* Preacher Curls: 2 sets of 10-12 reps
* Pullups: Bodyweight - 3 sets to failure, max 15 per set


Tuesday: Lower Body

* Leg Press: 3 sets of 5 reps
* Weighted Lunges: 3 sets of 10 reps
* Box jumps (add height, shorten rest periods, or hold a medicine ball or something to add weight)
* Ab Wheels 1 set of 30 or Hanging leg raises: 3xfail (max 3x15)

Wednesday: Rest

Thursday: Upper Body
* Bench Press: 3 sets of 5 reps
* EZ-Bar Curls: 3 sets of 10-12 reps
* Cable Crossovers: 3 sets of 10-12 reps
* Dips: 3 sets to failure

Friday: Lower Body

* Squats: 2 sets of 10-12 reps
* Leg Extensions: 2 sets of 10-12 reps
* Straight leg deadlifts: 3x10
* Ab Wheels 1 set of 30 or Hanging Leg Raises
Click to expand...

I see a lot of upper body pushes but not a lot of upper body pulls. Might want to add some rows or pullups or something like that in there.
 
maverick66 said:
You dont bulk up in combat sports. There are weight classes and jumping up one is very difficult to do. Unless you are a heavyweight that is sitting at 240 and need to get up to the 260-270 range bulking up is really bad idea.
Click to expand...

The point I was trying to make was that in the sports such as wrestling and MMA the movement of bench press is more relevant as you may be on the ground and have to push someone off you (similar movement). You can avoid bulking up by doing heavy weights at low reps.
 
I currently am doing wendler 5/3/1 and it's been pretty great so far. If you play a lot of tennis/competitively, I'd recommend doing just the main lifts + maybe bodyweight training because doing heavy ass deadlifts and then another 5 sets of 8-10 even at 60% weight will wear you out for matches fast. I found that doing just the main lift + running/interval training did wonders for my strength, speed. Watch your diet though, that's really the key to everything.
 
I have been lifting for 10+ years. Over the years as my knowledge has grown, I have evolved my workouts into various different classifications. I have very functional, dynamic workouts that involve multiple muscle groups of high intensity, lower weight, and higher rep count and I also do heavy lifting that's not nearly as funcitonal (say for instance bicep curls), and then workouts that fall in between the two. I tend to mix things up every month or two for the sake that my body quickly adapts to workouts now and also to stave off the boredom. I blend a lot of running and biking as well. I play tennis 3-4x a week also. I usually run or bike on the days I don't play. For the past 3 months I have been doing P90X just for a change up. I have no complaints about P90X. I do feel like I have developed more functional and sport specific workouts than P90, however to workout at your house beats all (IMO).
So to answer the question, when not on P90X, I lift 3X a week, plus some form of cardio everyday. Its a commitment, but I can't imagine not doing it. I walk a fine line between very fit and overtraining, but so far so good. Of course, as the years have passed I put more emphasis on a good dynamic warm-up before workouts and running/biking and stretching post-workout.
 
Last edited:
rjg007 said:
Have you tried it with dumbells?
one-arm-dumbbell-bent-over-row-top-view.jpg

There is not as much strain on the back as there would be with the barbell. And you don't need to go heavy, 3 sets of 8-12 reps would do a lot of good in building up muscle in that area.
Click to expand...

This seem to be a great exercise for the back. How often do you do this?
 
When it is included in your workout you should probably do it once or twice a week, it just depends on how much strengthening you want to do of that area.
 
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