How many tennis players can run one mile in under 5 minutes 30 seconds?

atatu said:
Yeah, Chuck Kriese used to make his guys at Clemson run 5:15, here is an excerpt from his book:

"The players meet every morning at 6am for the first two weeks of their college careers. Many who attempt the regiment quit soon after the running begins. Those who stick it out get to finally hit tennis balls during the third week. But more importantly, they gain a special sense of pride that they continue to build on throughout their careers and lives....The challenge that the athlete faces through basic physical training is important on more than a physical level. The experience tears away the props that are often used to hide any of those initial insecurities encountered by young athletes....I sincerely believe that a tough program of running and physical conditioning is an essential component of excellence for any and all athletic teams."
Click to expand...

I think this is what Chuck Kriese was trying to say:

1- You can not run a mile in under 5:15 if you go to party, hook up, and get drunk the night before. You have to decide what is more important to you. Do you want to be the best that you can be or just another face on college campus and be forgotten?
2- Life is hard. There are two pains in life. There is the pain of discipline and the pain of disappointment. If you can handle the pain of discipline, then you’ll never have to deal with the pain of disappointment.


In the summer, I see quite tennis players do hill training three times a week at Rockville Maryland. They start tennis training after running the hill twenty times. I am not sure if I can last three times. The hill is quite steep and about 100 yardsincline: https://www.google.com/maps/@39.076...kbKkTEviFoSwuNQwB=w203-h114-k-no!7i1080!8i609
 
I can run at that speed for one-eighth of a mile and then collapse. Running at that speed puts a lot of stress on your joints and my fingers are often numb from it as the body diverts bloodflow to the large muscles. It's good to do for fun but I wouldn't train that way at my age and with my disabilities.
 
Rosstour said:
Catabolic effects

The average trained long-distance runner has a vertical leap 7" shorter than the average untrained athlete.

The worst part is that people get into it as they get older which is absolutely the worst time to do so. Causes muscle weakness which leads to injuries.

Read this:

www.healthline.com

Does Running Build Muscle? All You Need to Know

If you're looking to gain muscle, you may want to know whether running will help your efforts. This article explains whether running builds muscle.
www.healthline.com www.healthline.com
Click to expand...

I think the lesson there is "don't train like a distance runner if you're a tennis player"... Even the lower-volume people in that study are doing 5-7 hours a week.

Not one is going to experience muscle wasting from 2 or 3 20-30 minute runs a week. I think most rec tennis players would benefit from it.
 
RVT said:
I think the lesson there is "don't train like a distance runner if you're a tennis player"... Even the lower-volume people in that study are doing 5-7 hours a week.

Not one is going to experience muscle wasting from 2 or 3 20-30 minute runs a week. I think most rec tennis players would benefit from it.
Click to expand...

Agreed, but I prefer to throw in a lot of speed and elevation changes to make the training more explosive.
 
Before my five year new dad hiatus, I was playing mostly serve and volley. Now I am playing get to the ball and try to do anything to get it over the net. I want to get back to my old game but right now I can’t really serve, my groundstroke timing is not great and my volleys are just ok. It will come back, give me six months.
 
As someone who's been competing as an endurance athlete for the last 20 years, my own thought is that it really doesn't translate all that much. Tennis is an alactic sport with a large anaerobic component to it--and a small aerobic component. Meanwhile any effort over 4 minutes is primarily aerobic. It's just not the same thing.

I'm sure I'm was in better tennis shape than someone who does nothing but plays tennis twice a week for an hour and is 20 lbs overweight... but the reality is that when I started playing tennis again, it took a while to get used to the explosive movements. I do see some utility in some light endurance running, but realistically if you're trying to increase tennis fitness you should be doing movements similar to what you do a tennis court--plyometrics, running lines, and footwork drills are going to be a lot more relevant.
 
bobleenov1963 said:
Saw the kid again at the local high school track and tennis court this morning, and I had an interesting conversation with both his physical trainer and tennis coach.

The tennis coach, from Romania here in the US on six months visitor visa, will not coach any tennis player who can not run a mile in 5 minutes and 30 seconds or less. Not only that, he will not coach any tennis player who can not run the full marathon (26.2 miles) in under 3 hours and 30 minutes. Otherwise, he will not waste his time on a player. His reasoning is that in today's tennis, fitness is the most important thing. He said that just about all Jr. tennis players, 16 years old and above, in Romania can run a mile under 5 1/2 minutes and 3 1/2 hours on a full marathons.

Today is the last day of the kid's training because schools start next week here. He ran a mile in 5 minutes and 25 seconds. The tennis coach is also going back Romania next week.

Interesting conversation.
Click to expand...

Yep I can believe that on the mile. The marathon though - wow, Thats intense. 26 mile marathon takes a lot of training. Im not sure how many tennis players can train for a marathon, but I do believe fitness is a massive part of winning tennis.

I remember for soccer tryouts in high school we had to run the mile in 6 mins or less to make the team. We had a state championship so that line of thinking seemed to make sense to me.

I could do 5:30 mile in high school. Now, no way. I probably can do low 7s. But this is something I may try at some point and see. Im doing peloton training now and working on that v02 max. I think under 7 for 35+ adults is a solid score.
 
Power Player said:
I personally think that is a huge deal. A lot of bad tennis shots happen because of high heart rate, imo.
Click to expand...

It's huge in recreation tennis and with seniors. A lot of overweight seniors have to resort to tricks to compensate for low cardio capacity.

David Ferrer is a tennis player known to have maximized his physical talents. Not a big guy, not a powerful guy but everyone who played him knew that he was going to give it his all for the whole match. I think that he made it to top 4 in the world in a time where he was playing against much bigger guys.

On Marathons, I think that Serena Williams and Caroline Wozniaki ran marathons. There was an Asian lady that ran them too. I can't recall any on the ATP though I'm sure that some have run them.

I used to play a guy that was 6'5", had a 120+ MPH serve and weighed about 240 pounds. If I won the first set, I won the match. I could tell from the temperature, humidity and the amount of sunlight as to who would win because he would be gassed by the end of the first set if it was warm and humid enough.
 
Last edited:
Saw the same kid again at the local high school track and tennis court today. He gained about 10 lbs in muscle and is a lean mean machine. I saw him did Plyometric exercises and Yoga for an hour. Work on his serve for another hour. He then did 200 pushups and 200 pullups. Finally, he ran one mile in 4 minutes and 38 seconds.
 
bobleenov1963 said:
Saw the same kid again at the local high school track and tennis court today. He gained about 10 lbs in muscle and is a lean mean machine. I saw him did Plyometric exercises and Yoga for an hour. Work on his serve for another hour. He then did 200 pushups and 200 pullups. Finally, he ran one mile in 4 minutes and 38 seconds.
Click to expand...
Wow, I'm most impressed by the pull ups and the 4:38 !
 
Bambooman said:
Does the kid find it odd that you follow him around?
Click to expand...

My wife and daughter were also playing tennis on the nearby court while I was working out & practicing my golf swing. The kid's dad was also there and he was a golf nut like me so we chat. Apparently the kid is not only a really good tennis player but he is only a very good golfer, according to his dad. He plays golf on his HS varsity golf team in the fall at the #1 position and tennis in the spring, also at the #1 position.

yossarian said:
“I stalked a kid for 2+ hours”
Click to expand...

LOL... Yes I was stalking his dad for 2+ hours.
 
Bambooman said:
There's also a bunch of people who did the same who are fine. Also people who haven't ran a step who have shot knees too. You never know.
Click to expand...

LOL... You're only kidding yourself. There are "very few" people who smoke all their lives and live for a very long time without any health complications but the overwhelming majority of smokers will die young with multiple health complications along the way.

People who run everyday will likely develop knees/legs problem when they get old.
 
bobleenov1963 said:
LOL... You're only kidding yourself. There are "very few" people who smoke all their lives and live for a very long time without any health complications but the overwhelming majority of smokers will die young with multiple health complications along the way.

People who run everyday will likely develop knees/legs problem when they get old.
Click to expand...
Some gave up running/moving for Pickleball
 
bobleenov1963 said:
LOL... You're only kidding yourself. There are "very few" people who smoke all their lives and live for a very long time without any health complications but the overwhelming majority of smokers will die young with multiple health complications along the way.

People who run everyday will likely develop knees/legs problem when they get old.
Click to expand...
Nope. That's a myth.
Comparing smoking to exercise? OK.
 
Ronaldo said:
Know guys who ran 10-20 miles/day who now, 30 yrs later can not run a block due to the shape of their knees.
Click to expand...
were they Kenyans? because they're the only folks doing 100-130 mile weeks...

It's been pretty well-established that overall, running and long-term knee problems are inversely proportional. Don't take my word for it--go to Pubmed and do some research. "I knew a guy"? As the saying goes, the plural of anecdote is not data... Overall, runners have healthier knees.
 
RVT said:
were they Kenyans? because they're the only folks doing 100-130 mile weeks...

It's been pretty well-established that overall, running and long-term knee problems are inversely proportional. Don't take my word for it--go to Pubmed and do some research. "I knew a guy"? As the saying goes, the plural of anecdote is not data... Overall, runners have healthier knees.
Click to expand...

this is true. There is no link between running and osteoarthritis
 
RVT said:
were they Kenyans? because they're the only folks doing 100-130 mile weeks...

It's been pretty well-established that overall, running and long-term knee problems are inversely proportional. Don't take my word for it--go to Pubmed and do some research. "I knew a guy"? As the saying goes, the plural of anecdote is not data... Overall, runners have healthier knees.
Click to expand...
Maybe 65-75 yo knees just are not what they used to be. Along with the rest of their body
 
Ronaldo said:
Maybe 65-75 yo knees just are not what they used to be. Along with the rest of their body
Click to expand...

sure. People age. The question is "do runner's knees age faster?", and it's a question that's already been extensively researched and answered. The answer is not only "no", but that the opposite is true. Not trying to be argumentative here, but honestly there seems to be an overall trend among rec tennis players to find convenient reasons not to train off-court, as if someone it's a healthier alternative? It's really not. An aging athlete would be best to incorporate some running, IMO--and the available research seems to suggest this is the case.

Should they be out doing mile repeats full throttle, or running 70mpw? probably not...
 
RVT said:
sure. People age. The question is "do runner's knees age faster?", and it's a question that's already been extensively researched and answered. The answer is not only "no", but that the opposite is true. Not trying to be argumentative here, but honestly there seems to be an overall trend among rec tennis players to find convenient reasons not to train off-court, as if someone it's a healthier alternative? It's really not. An aging athlete would be best to incorporate some running, IMO--and the available research seems to suggest this is the case.

Should they be out doing mile repeats full throttle, or running 70mpw? probably not...
Click to expand...
This was/is the idea of someone who I have known for over 35 yrs. His brother was a faster runner, 30 minute 10k but paid the price for the miles put in. Heck ran with a guy who ran two marathons in a day. Beyond my limited experience.
 
I’m a pretty good player and can make it up the stairs at my gym without being too winded. That’s probably the equivalent of a 5:30 mile I’d imagine….

That said I haven’t run a mile in many years.
 
Curtennis said:
I’m a pretty good player and can make it up the stairs at my gym without being too winded. That’s probably the equivalent of a 5:30 mile I’d imagine….

That said I haven’t run a mile in many years.
Click to expand...

Should play dubs with players at my club. You run a mile in one set covering the balls they let go overhead
 
RVT said:
sure. People age. The question is "do runner's knees age faster?", and it's a question that's already been extensively researched and answered. The answer is not only "no", but that the opposite is true. Not trying to be argumentative here, but honestly there seems to be an overall trend among rec tennis players to find convenient reasons not to train off-court, as if someone it's a healthier alternative? It's really not. An aging athlete would be best to incorporate some running, IMO--and the available research seems to suggest this is the case.

Should they be out doing mile repeats full throttle, or running 70mpw? probably not...
Click to expand...

For regular recreational runners, it is likely that one will NOT suffer from knees issue. For elite runners, that might be a different story.

If you read the report, it stated: there is NOT enough data to clear recommendation to long distance runners: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16790540/
 
In all my younger Corps years, as part of three-part annual PFT's (run 3 miles in under 28 min's), I never ran better than 8 min miles and was in fairly good shape, least I thought I was, throughout all those years. Saw enough formation runs and forced marches in full gear to last 10 men their entire lifetimes.

At 54, about the only way I wanna run a mile now is if there's a Lazy-Boy recliner at the half-way point.

Hand salute to anybody who can run 5 min miles or 6 min miles for that fact.
 
Last edited:
Ronaldo said:
This was/is the idea of someone who I have known for over 35 yrs. His brother was a faster runner, 30 minute 10k but paid the price for the miles put in. Heck ran with a guy who ran two marathons in a day. Beyond my limited experience.
Click to expand...

Honestly, I think the issue there was probably more the speedwork required as a middle distance runner vs. the endurance training. As a bike racer I can tell you that cycling is littered with fast guys who were constantly injured in run training--but they tend to be 1,500 and steeple guys/gals vs endurance runners. That said, they tend to have the sort of injuries that heal once they reduce/eliminate the really high intensity (400M repeats,etc). It's a bummer for the guys you know, but if you play the numbers, running does seem to be a net win.
 
Rosstour said:
Catabolic effects

The average trained long-distance runner has a vertical leap 7" shorter than the average untrained athlete.

The worst part is that people get into it as they get older which is absolutely the worst time to do so. Causes muscle weakness which leads to injuries.

Read this:

www.healthline.com

Does Running Build Muscle? All You Need to Know

If you're looking to gain muscle, you may want to know whether running will help your efforts. This article explains whether running builds muscle.
www.healthline.com www.healthline.com
Click to expand...

Explosive running building up more muscle mass doesn’t mean that long distance running is something to be scoffed at. The bottom line is that any sort of consistent exercise is good. Even a 30 to 45 min walk every day.

I have always played sports that emphasized a lot of burst type motion, and exercised that way too, but those who want to do less explosive training/activities are good too as long as they will do it regularly.
 
You can't compare going all out with running development with just using running as a means of basic fitness. People tend to just hate running and come up with all sorts of reasons to avoid it.

Tennis played at a higher level is just as potentially destructive as overdoing mileage.
 
mcs1970 said:
Explosive running building up more muscle mass doesn’t mean that long distance running is something to be scoffed at. The bottom line is that any sort of consistent exercise is good. Even a 30 to 45 min walk every day.

I have always played sports that emphasized a lot of burst type motion, and exercised that way too, but those who want to do less explosive training/activities are good too as long as they will do it regularly.
Click to expand...

A 35-40 min walk every day is great. But that's not running.

In fact there is also research showing that walking is actually better for you than running, IIRC. I'll try to find it.

Here's just one

www.google.com

Brisk walk healthier than running – scientists

Both produce benefits but walking cuts risk of heart trouble by a greater amount when the same energy is expended
www.google.com www.google.com
 
bobleenov1963 said:
I should have excluded ATP players because I am very aware of their physical fitness.. Back in 2015, I saw Feliciano Lopez ran 1 mile in just under 5 minutes at the CitiOpen, and that was after his hitting session.

How many college tennis and rec players can run a mile in 5 minutes 30 seconds or less?
Click to expand...
If I had to give a percentage I would say ~80% of D1 players and >= 50% of 5.0+ players. Match play develops an ideal mix of fast and slow twitch muscle fibers to run at that speed with endurance.
 
Rosstour said:
A 35-40 min walk every day is great. But that's not running.

In fact there is also research showing that walking is actually better for you than running, IIRC. I'll try to find it.

Here's just one

www.google.com

Brisk walk healthier than running – scientists

Both produce benefits but walking cuts risk of heart trouble by a greater amount when the same energy is expended
www.google.com www.google.com
Click to expand...

I am not comparing which one might be better or worse. I am just saying that any exercise is good and beneficial. The key is to encourage folks to keep moving and doing something that they will stick with. That is better than saying what they do is not as good as higher intensity exercises which they might not stick with.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

dave333
Ways to get my mile faster in 2 days?
Replies
42
Views
2K
Ronaldo
Ronaldo
C
Stretching Duration to Increase Length - 30 seconds, 5 minutes or what?
Replies
15
Views
11K
SystemicAnomaly
SystemicAnomaly
DeepTopspinToBackhand
How can you build endurance but still be quick around the court.
Replies
5
Views
1K
SweatyGrip
SweatyGrip
B
fitness for tennis?
Replies
8
Views
960
BornAmish
B
P
High performance training
2
Replies
50
Views
3K
Pusher
P
Back
Top