How often should you lift if you want to get as good as possible?
- Thread starter Piickle
- Start date
GodlessEndeavor
Professional
The number of days per week doesn't matter that much, and it's a matter of preference. Most serious gym goers probably do between 2 to 4 sessions per week.
What matters more is the number of hard sets you do per week for each muscle group. "Hard set" here means a set taken to muscular failure (you can't complete another rep) or very close to it.
I've heard people supporting between 6 to 20 hard sets per muscle group per week. It's a big range so I'd recommend starting at the lower end (6) and then changing things when you stop making progress (unable to add reps or increase the weight used).
What matters more is the number of hard sets you do per week for each muscle group. "Hard set" here means a set taken to muscular failure (you can't complete another rep) or very close to it.
I've heard people supporting between 6 to 20 hard sets per muscle group per week. It's a big range so I'd recommend starting at the lower end (6) and then changing things when you stop making progress (unable to add reps or increase the weight used).
WildVolley
Legend
Why are you lifting?
Lifting for bodybuilding will be different than lifting for sports like tennis. If your goal is to put on size, you'll be doing more volume and training more often than if you're lifting for being an athlete. Hypertrophy does seem related to lifting volume. So if you want to be big, you should lift lower weights and more sets than if you're training for a sport.
Tennis players, for example, don't want to put on too much mass, so they should be doing fewer reps in the big compound lifts like squat and deadlift. Given the other training demand, you probably only want to do heavy work in something like deadlift, once or twice a week for tennis. Many of the other exercises can be done more often (such as shoulder work) depending on how quickly your body is recovering.
Lifting for bodybuilding will be different than lifting for sports like tennis. If your goal is to put on size, you'll be doing more volume and training more often than if you're lifting for being an athlete. Hypertrophy does seem related to lifting volume. So if you want to be big, you should lift lower weights and more sets than if you're training for a sport.
Tennis players, for example, don't want to put on too much mass, so they should be doing fewer reps in the big compound lifts like squat and deadlift. Given the other training demand, you probably only want to do heavy work in something like deadlift, once or twice a week for tennis. Many of the other exercises can be done more often (such as shoulder work) depending on how quickly your body is recovering.
GodlessEndeavor
Professional
I disagree. If you look at the best tennis players, they almost universally have big lower body muscles and also reasonably big upper body muscles (although the upper body is typically less developed than the legs).
WildVolley
Legend
Have you ever seen Federer, Sinner, or Djokovic in person?
Most people will gain some size when they gain strength, but it is clear that in a movement and change of direction type sport like tennis, mass isn't very important. Tennis players don't need to push other people out of the way or take hits.
GodlessEndeavor
Professional
I've seen Djokovic on person. If you Google images of "Djokovic legs" they're definitely very developed. Same for Federer.
Sinner is a very lanky guy so his limbs look less muscular because of that. Being tall and lanky is a disadvantage if you want muscles that look as big as they are.
It's hard to compare yourself to different people since leverages and tendon insertions affect strength significantly, but if you look at only yourself, you can't gain much strength without also gaining muscle.
Strength is a byproduct of muscle size together with nervous system adaptations (along with genetic factors you can't change like the aforementioned tendon insertion points), but muscle size is by far the biggest factor.
Last edited:
WildVolley
Legend
It's all a matter of perspective. Djokovic looks very ripped, but I think most Americans would describe him as "thin." But then most Americans are overweight. Most gym bros would not see Djokovic, Federer, or Sinner as people who lift.
I'm not denying that most people will gain size as they gain strength, but there is a difference in the way that strength athletes like power lifters and strong men train compared to bodybuilders. The lifting difference is even more pronounced when it comes to some professional athletes looking primarily to gain strength as with many track athletes. A lot of track athletes will do sets with low reps and heavy weights. Less time will be spent under load, but it will be more explosive, maybe even Olympic lifts. Often athletes will even measure bar speed and stop sets when the bar moves too slowly.
We probably agree that for most people starting out weight lifting, even tennis players, that the sets should be lower weight and more reps until competence in the lifts has been developed. Unless you're genetically gifted, you won't put on much mass, at least not quickly.
Rosstour
G.O.A.T.
Federer's calves are massive and vascular
This isn't a distinction worth making IMO
I'm curious about this too. I need to start supporting my tennis with gym work, I'm getting injured too often now
Daniel Andrade
Hall of Fame
Tennis players are well developed in the muscles they target. Forearms, legs, etc.
WildVolley
Legend
Fed's calves are probably just due to his movement training and genetics. Have you ever seen Karatsev's calves?
Most beginners should lift two or three times a week. Take a day off between lifting sessions. But even once a week can give you benefits if you do it consistently.
Could you give me some good exercises to target the forearms? Currently I’m doing:
Reverse biceps curls
Farmer’s carry
Kettlebell swing
Towel pulls (hands up and down)
Towel pulls (standing up)
Towel twists
Any suggestions on what to drop or add? This is meant to target my forearms.
onehandbh
G.O.A.T.
Were you trying to clear a small pile of debris with an explosive movement?
Or was it a giant pile requiring your maximum strength?
ZeroandOne
Rookie
I'm curious how someone balances lifting and playing tennis. I try to do balanced full body workouts with a kettlebelle once or twice a week but my muscles aren't recovering fast enough and I often feel sluggish and slow on court.
esgee48
G.O.A.T.
Older guy here.
3-5-10# bar bells for arms and shoulder. Just curls and squats while holding the extra weights. Some slow torso twists with 3/5# with arms extended. Sitting in chair, tense abdominal and back muscles and lean forwards and backwards no more than 20 degrees. Do HIIT for legs.
No gym workouts. Some stretching, then 15-30 minutes daily and I'm good. I use 336-340 gm racquets with 336-340 SW.
3-5-10# bar bells for arms and shoulder. Just curls and squats while holding the extra weights. Some slow torso twists with 3/5# with arms extended. Sitting in chair, tense abdominal and back muscles and lean forwards and backwards no more than 20 degrees. Do HIIT for legs.
No gym workouts. Some stretching, then 15-30 minutes daily and I'm good. I use 336-340 gm racquets with 336-340 SW.
I guess you haven't seen Sinner and Fritz?
socallefty
G.O.A.T.
You can play good rec tennis without lifting as long as you play tennis daily and do some leg exercises and stretching. I hear of so many people who lift getting injured as rec athletes don’t know the right way to do it probably. So one wonders if the incremental benefit outweighs the risks for a rec tennis player. If you are trying to get a college scholarship or go pro, you should probably lift.
Injured Again
Hall of Fame
I’m 62 and normally play intense singles tennis about five days a week and lift about five to six times a week. My lifting on all but one of those gym days consists of about 25 sets of exercises that work my entire body, using a weight and number of reps that is about 70-80% of what it would take to perform to failure with the same number of reps. I have one lifting day a week where I will go heavier and lift to failure. That day always is followed by a day without intense physical activity. Most often, I play in the morning and lift at night, just before going to sleep.
Several “rules” I follow:
- It takes a few months of this level of activity for the body to get used to it. If I take a month off due to injury or travel, I will be sore from the workouts for about a month before my body becomes used to the workload again.
- Consistency is key. Even on days when I am just not feeling it, I do the gym workout. I will physically feel better the following day even if I have to cut out a rep or two every set just to mentally make it through.
- Nutrition is really important. I drink a whey protein supplement immediately after tennis and again after the resistance training. Numerous studies show higher rates of muscle synthesis and repair with protein ingestion.
- Rest a lot. I sleep about nine hours a night.
- I take a nap after tennis if it really wipes me out.
- Workouts preceding tennis within the next 24 hours should never be to failure. I treat my daily workouts as pure maintenance, injury prevention, and to keep my body used to the level of activity. I’m not using those with any intention for any strength gains.
- Push hard during that one heavy lifting session. The whole idea is to work so intensely during this one that the daily lifting workouts feel easy.
- Warm up well before tennis. Hitting the courts with cold muscles makes recovery harder.
- Stretch a lot. I usually try to stretch a half dozen times throughout the day for 5-10 minutes each time.
- You should also add a workout to try and "translate" gym workouts into movement capability. Once or twice a week, I'll add about 30-45 minutes of sprint/cutting type movements, to allow my body to learn how to use that strength when the muscles are contracted eccentrically such as when you land or crouch deeply to make a sudden change in direction.
WildVolley
Legend
The true answer is there's no set schedule on how often to lift to get as good as possible. The ideal lifting schedule is going to depend on how quickly you can recover from the exercise.
socallefty
G.O.A.T.
You want to get good at tennis - first task is to play tennis everyday and other fitness routines should be in addition. All the juniors training to be pros or college players seem to do that during their season and so do the pros. They might take a few days off from playing during the season, but are likely playing almost every day otherwise. You might want to maybe cut back on tennis a couple of months during the year and focus on more weightlifting to build up the body.
sovertennis
Professional
All pro tennis players have a well developed lower body (glutes/legs), which comes from years of on-court training starting when they are very young.
JoJoHackshow
Rookie
Besides Berritini and Sinner LOL
GodlessEndeavor
Professional
Sinner has more muscle than you'd think by looking at him. He's long-limbed which spreads the muscle volume throughout a larger area and makes it harder to look muscular.
He was a high-level skier growing up, there's no way his legs are lacking in muscle.
Rosstour
G.O.A.T.
He's strong but he's an ectomorph. Never gonna be able to get much bigger than this.
Similar threads
