Need Help...Want to Improve Endurance, Maintain Strength

[counterpuncher64]

Hi all,

So basically, I've been away from exercising for a couple of months and although my lifts and body weight are roughly the same, my endurance has gone down noticeably. Therefore, I want to improve endurance and burn off some of the fat I've gained, but at the same time, I want to maintain or slightly improve my strength. I'm still fairly beginner in terms of my lifts (maybe an advanced beginner at most):

Bench: 160
Squat: 150 (lol dunno why I bench more than I squat)
Rows: 100x5
Deadlift: 200-210
^all 1RM except rows

so I still want to become stronger, but my main focus is endurance. What I need help with is figuring out the optimal way to schedule lifting with all the running/endurance work so that I don't get too exhausted and overtrain. For lifting, I was thinking about just running rippetoes (it's low volume, no nonsense and focuses on the big lifts) 2x a week and then do light cardio the day of lifting, longer duration runs on non-lifting days, weekends off. But does anyone know what's the better way to go about reaching my goals?

Thanks!

 

[charliefedererer]

Hi all,

So basically, I've been away from exercising for a couple of months and although my lifts and body weight are roughly the same, my endurance has gone down noticeably. Therefore, I want to improve endurance and burn off some of the fat I've gained, but at the same time, I want to maintain or slightly improve my strength. I'm still fairly beginner in terms of my lifts (maybe an advanced beginner at most):

Bench: 160
Squat: 150 (lol dunno why I bench more than I squat)
Rows: 100x5
Deadlift: 200-210
^all 1RM except rows

so I still want to become stronger, but my main focus is endurance. What I need help with is figuring out the optimal way to schedule lifting with all the running/endurance work so that I don't get too exhausted and overtrain. For lifting, I was thinking about just running rippetoes (it's low volume, no nonsense and focuses on the big lifts) 2x a week and then do light cardio the day of lifting, longer duration runs on non-lifting days, weekends off. But does anyone know what's the better way to go about reaching my goals?

Thanks!

Every tennis player struggles with building/maintaining strength, cardiovascular endurance, speed and agility training, and continuing to work at stroke improvement and continue match play.


Congratulations on actually doing some strength training. (Many think about it, but never get around to it.) Even moderate strength increases can really help your tennis - often in less direct ways than power increases, but by being able to practice tennis more without injury, and even in unusual ways like being able to get into a very agressive but balanced trophy position to explode out of.

I think you should carry out your plan of doing your "starting strength" lifts twice a week, while working more on your cardiovascular training and see how it goes.

If it seems you are losing strength, or stop gaining strength, you can go back to a three times a week regimen.


Some long runs are fine, but you may want to consider this advise on running from the USTA:

" When training the players the USTA works with, we usually do some sort of "running" four to five times a week. The running session usually lasts between 20 – 40 minutes, but there is a lot of variety in the types of running we do.

You’ll note that we put running in quotation marks, because much of what we do is different from the long, slow distance running many tennis players are familiar with – there is some long distance running, but the “running” sessions also involve footwork/tennis agility work, or interval runs. The type of running depends upon the periodized strength and conditioning schedule of the player.

Generally, the long distance running and longer interval repeats (400s and 800s) are done during the preparation phase when you are getting ready for the season. Shorter, higher intensity intervals (20s, 40s, 60s, 100s, 200s, and 400s) and on-court footwork/tennis agility are the main focus during the pre-competition phase in the weeks leading up to main competition or competitions. During the competition phase of the season, on-court footwork/tennis agility is the “running” focus.

Recognizing that each player is an individual, we adjust the plan depending upon the player’s cardiovascular endurance, agility and their physical and physiological strengths and weaknesses."
- http://www.usta.com/Improve-Your-Game/Health-Fitness/Training-and-Exercise/Conditioning/

Some links to consider:

"High Intensity Interval Training" (HIIT)http://www.intervaltraining.net/hiit.html

USTA agility drills http://assets.usta.com/assets/1/USTA_Import/USTA/dps/doc_437_269.pdf

[It actually takes much more discipline to run sprints and agility drills than to just do long jogs, but the results are worth it.]


For an overall view of tennis training, check out Sports Fitness Advisor, Tennis Training Section:http://www.sport-fitness-advisor.com/tennis-training.html


It will always be good to have a plan.

You just have to be flexible enough to modify it depending on the results you are seeing.

Good luck!

edit: one more thing. There is much too much emphasis on "eating big", or taking a lot of protein to gain strength. Realistically, unless you are lifting a lot more weight, you are not working hard enough to see more than an ounce or two a week of real muscle hypertrophy. All the rest of the excess food (carbohydrates, fat and protein) are all broken down by the body into two carbon chain molecules that are then reassembled in the body as its well programmed way of avoiding future starvation - that is as long carbon chain fat
molecules. And that means you get too overweight to move at your absolute best - like Djoker and Rafa.

 

[maggmaster]

It is true, most strength gains are due to CNS training. The best way that I have found to maintain strength when moving into an endurance phase is to distill your weekly strength training split down into core exercises. I recommend bench, squat pullup. and either deadlift or some variety of row. Then before each endurance workout perform two of these exercises with low repetitions moving up to a sub maximal weight. So during an endurance phase my week might look like this.

Monday - Bench 5 * 5 starting at 70% of max moving to 85%
pullup 5 * 5
Endurance work( Generally I focus on total weekly mileage for endurance)

Tuesday - Squat 5*5 Same as above
Deadlift 5*5
Endurance work
Lather rinse repeat.

It is important to note that a base fitness level must already be in place before you start periodizing workout phases. I generally recommend that you be able to bench your bodyweight, squat OR deadlift 1.5 times your bodyweight and perform 10 strict form pullups.

 

[TennisLovaLova]

ok!
My coach at the gym designed a specific training for me to improve stamina and maintain strenght.

In french it is called EFGDA, it's a mix between Spartacus workout and another workout called tabatha.

1st and 2nd rounds: 30 sec exercise, 30 rest
3rd to 5th rounds: 40 exercise, 20 rest

The idea is to keep the BPM at least at 90% of the maximum rate

Each round is : goblet squat 20 Kgs, crunch abs, jumping on step, triceps, biceps, pecs, dumbell row, jumping on step, mountain climber, jumping on step, T push ups, single arm dumbell swing, dumbell push press.

The goal is to alternate from cardio to body shapping in the same round with high calory burning. That way, when you finish 5 rounds, you're physically OVER. You'll also loose weight, I lost 12 kgs in 2 months doing this + running at least 30 min / day at average speed 10.7 km/h.

I'll post a vid of that workout soon.

 

[mikeler]

One suggestion I'd make during strength training is not to rest too much in between reps. You see these people at the gym that do a set of exercises and then just sit there for 2 minutes resting. I like to rotate between different exercises so I'll move from machine to machine. By doing this, I still allow the muscles to rest some after each set but I also get the cardio benefit by moving between exercises quickly.

 

[CDestroyer]

Sprints help my endurance and speed the most.

 

[maggmaster]

Supersets are pretty awesome for tennis. For me, and I could be wrong so feel free to disagree, once you get past the basic trained level of strength, tennis players are benefited far more by working on explosiveness and endurance. I think I have said this before but I will say it again, since I started focusing on tennis training I really only work through two six week strength cycles per year.

 

[fuzz nation]

One suggestion I'd make during strength training is not to rest too much in between reps. You see these people at the gym that do a set of exercises and then just sit there for 2 minutes resting. I like to rotate between different exercises so I'll move from machine to machine. By doing this, I still allow the muscles to rest some after each set but I also get the cardio benefit by moving between exercises quickly.

I've greatly benefitted from this approach to my lifting. I should also note that I don't lift "big" weight at low reps. I do well with moderate weight at higher reps in the 15-20 range for my first set. If I limit my rest period to a quick ten-count or maybe a couple of slow, full breaths, I get right back at it while I'm still fatigued and the second or occasional third set will really eat me up.

My general endurance gets the biggest boost when I'm riding my bike maybe two or three times a week. It makes my legs much more happy, but I can stay sharper for longer stretches when I'm cycling.

 

[mikeler]

I've greatly benefitted from this approach to my lifting. I should also note that I don't lift "big" weight at low reps. I do well with moderate weight at higher reps in the 15-20 range for my first set. If I limit my rest period to a quick ten-count or maybe a couple of slow, full breaths, I get right back at it while I'm still fatigued and the second or occasional third set will really eat me up.

My general endurance gets the biggest boost when I'm riding my bike maybe two or three times a week. It makes my legs much more happy, but I can stay sharper for longer stretches when I'm cycling.

I generally aim for 12-15 reps for each set. Every now and then, I like to change it up and do a day with heavier weight and less sets.

 

[Pitmiksovic]

so I still want to become stronger, but my main focus is endurance. What I need help with is figuring out the optimal way to schedule lifting with all the running/endurance work so that I don't get too exhausted and overtrain. For lifting, I was thinking about just running rippetoes (it's low volume, no nonsense and focuses on the big lifts) 2x a week and then do light cardio the day of lifting, longer duration runs on non-lifting days, weekends off. But does anyone know what's the better way to go about reaching my goals?

Thanks!

I think that's a pretty good plan. Longer duration/lower intensity cardio will probably interfere the least with your strength training and it might actually help it.

 

[GuyClinch]

Not that I couldn't be wrong but what I have always heard is that difficult intense cardio is better for weightlifters then the long slow stuff.

If we are talking about tennis - I'd say jumping rope if you can do that. Other options would include running stairs or uphill sprints (which is what is recommended in 5/3/1 - which is a similiar workout regimen to what you are doing..)

Pete

 

[kishnabe]

Cardio machines are really weak and false. They are such gimmicks. Do Sprints with small breaks for most boost in Endurance and Speed.

Eat some protein before the Sprints, to preserve Muscle Tissue since the body would either resort to use the protein from before. This is assuming if you go past the 30-40 min mark where the body goes to other resources for energy since Carbs and Fat energy supplies decreases slightly. Even though at the intial stage the body does break muscle down if there is no protein.


Focus on whole body routines....like deadlifts. You want to keep strength workouts to a minimum but keep the body worked out. Still once a week do your normal workout.

There are other ways to go about....this is however the most straightforward method.

 

[SystemicAnomaly]

Cardio machines are really weak and false. They are such gimmicks...

What do you mean by this? Makes no sense to me. The primary functions of cardio machines are to strengthen and enlarge the heart and to improve lung function and other parts of the cardiorespiratory system (such as the muscles involved with respiration). By strengthening the heart, we improve its pumping efficiency and can also improve circulation efficiency (possibly reducing blood pressure). These benefits, among others, are accomplished by increasing our breathing and by elevating our heart rate up to the aerobic training zone for an extended period of time. What cardio machines do not do this?

Many mistakenly believe that, since tennis appears to be primarily a burst-mode activity, the aerobic system is not important. This is simply not true. The energy requirements for tennis utilize a combination of the aerobic system as well as 2 anaerobic systems:

~ An immediate energy system for short bursts (10 seconds or less). This is the so-called ATP-CP (creatine phosphate) energy system.

~ A short-term energy system which is the primary source of energy for activity lasting from 10 sec to 2 minutes -- Anaerobic glycolysis.

~ A long-term energy system for events lasting longer than 2 minutes -- Aerobic respiration.


It is not uncommon for the aerobic system to provide 40-60% of the energy needs for many tennis players. Tennis players should develop a good aerobic base thru sustained aerobic exercise. However, in order to completely improve endurance, we also need to train the anaerobic systems. Weightlifting programs will often do some of this. Interval training should also be employed toward this end (sprints or HIIT can be used for this).

http://dps.usta.com/usta_master/usta/doc/content/doc_437_23.pdf

 

[Chyeaah]

Hi all,

So basically, I've been away from exercising for a couple of months and although my lifts and body weight are roughly the same, my endurance has gone down noticeably. Therefore, I want to improve endurance and burn off some of the fat I've gained, but at the same time, I want to maintain or slightly improve my strength. I'm still fairly beginner in terms of my lifts (maybe an advanced beginner at most):

Bench: 160
Squat: 150 (lol dunno why I bench more than I squat)
Rows: 100x5
Deadlift: 200-210
^all 1RM except rows

so I still want to become stronger, but my main focus is endurance. What I need help with is figuring out the optimal way to schedule lifting with all the running/endurance work so that I don't get too exhausted and overtrain. For lifting, I was thinking about just running rippetoes (it's low volume, no nonsense and focuses on the big lifts) 2x a week and then do light cardio the day of lifting, longer duration runs on non-lifting days, weekends off. But does anyone know what's the better way to go about reaching my goals?

Thanks!

WTF. i dont know much about weights but if you do bench 160 pounds your crazy. How much is a person who is 15 meant to bench because i can only bench 25 kilos and im so weak.

 

[kishnabe]

What do you mean by this? Makes no sense to me. The primary functions of cardio machines are to strengthen and enlarge the heart and to improve lung function and other parts of the cardiorespiratory system (such as the muscles involved with respiration). By strengthening the heart, we improve its pumping efficiency and can also improve circulation efficiency (possibly reducing blood pressure). These benefits, among others, are accomplished by increasing our breathing and by elevating our heart rate up to the aerobic training zone for an extended period of time. What cardio machines do not do this?

Many mistakenly believe that, since tennis appears to be primarily a burst-mode activity, the aerobic system is not important. This is simply not true. The energy requirements for tennis utilize a combination of the aerobic system as well as 2 anaerobic systems:

~ An immediate energy system for short bursts (10 seconds or less). This is the so-called ATP-CP (creatine phosphate) energy system.

~ A short-term energy system which is the primary source of energy for activity lasting from 10 sec to 2 minutes -- Anaerobic glycolysis.

~ A long-term energy system for events lasting longer than 2 minutes -- Aerobic respiration.


It is not uncommon for the aerobic system to provide 40-60% of the energy needs for many tennis players. Tennis players should develop a good aerobic base thru sustained aerobic exercise. However, in order to completely improve endurance, we also need to train the anaerobic systems. Weightlifting programs will often do some of this. Interval training should also be employed toward this end (sprints or HIIT can be used for this).

http://dps.usta.com/usta_master/usta/doc/content/doc_437_23.pdf

Yes both aerobic and anaeroebic are needed for tennis. Sprints during points which involve anaeroebic system and aerobic system is used during recovery between points.

I just hate how cardio machines really don't make the the best improvements in a person. It mostly breaks down your muscles than improve your cardio system if you were to stay on the machine long. Cardio should very intense like hiit for the best improvements and the machines don't offer that.

Running, Sprinting is preferred over machines. Just like dumbells are preferred over weight machines. I agree, Weight lifting does also help the aerobic system and anaeroebic.