What are S&C priorities?

[Tranqville]

I have 3 regular tennis practices 1.5-2 hours per week, and I plan to add two 1-hour morning strength and conditioning sessions on my off-tennis days. I plan to do it with a professional trainer. The reason I post this to the forum is that most trainers work with young competitive players, so not sure if they would fully understand an older recreational player needs.

I'm just over 50 y.o.: in somewhat decent shape, 4.0-level technique and no major issues/limitations, slightly overweight. I have had some foot issues over the past few years: achiless tendonities, plantar fasciitis, extensor tendonities: mostly recovered but not 100%, the issues are lingering around and flare up occasionally.

How do I structure my S&C sessions, what should be a priority? Should I focus on injury prevention at my age, or focus on my tennis weaknesses, such as lack of explosiveness and anaerobic endurace? What should I priorize among:

- Mobility
- Flexibility/stretching
- Post-tennis recovery (foam roller, stretching etc)
- Strength
- Explosiveness
- Core stability
- Athletic posture
- Footwork
- Anaerobic endurance


Very roughly, how would you structure a 1 hour session? Any suggestions most greatly appreciated!

 

[GAS]

If you're hiring a S&C professional, let them figure that out for you.

 

[Tranqville]

If you're hiring a S&C professional, let them figure that out for you.

Please let me quote myself: "The reason I post this to the forum is that most trainers work with young competitive players, so not sure if they would fully understand an older recreational player needs."

 

[GAS]

Oh I understood perfectly what kind of guy you are.

 

[LuckyR]

I have 3 regular tennis practices 1.5-2 hours per week, and I plan to add two 1-hour morning strength and conditioning sessions on my off-tennis days. I plan to do it with a professional trainer. The reason I post this to the forum is that most trainers work with young competitive players, so not sure if they would fully understand an older recreational player needs.

I'm just over 50 y.o.: in somewhat decent shape, 4.0-level technique and no major issues/limitations, slightly overweight. I have had some foot issues over the past few years: achiless tendonities, plantar fasciitis, extensor tendonities: mostly recovered but not 100%, the issues are lingering around and flare up occasionally.

How do I structure my S&C sessions, what should be a priority? Should I focus on injury prevention at my age, or focus on my tennis weaknesses, such as lack of explosiveness and anaerobic endurace? What should I priorize among:

- Mobility
- Flexibility/stretching
- Post-tennis recovery (foam roller, stretching etc)
- Strength
- Explosiveness
- Core stability
- Athletic posture
- Footwork
- Anaerobic endurance


Very roughly, how would you structure a 1 hour session? Any suggestions most greatly appreciated!

Depends if you want to preserve what you have (moving forward), or gain beyond what you currently possess.

To be honest from a purely tennis matchplay perspective, your greatest gain is unlikely to be from physical improvement.

 

[socallefty]

Wonder which would be better to improve the tennis of an older rec player? Playing 5 times a week or playing thrice plus two strength/conditioning gym sessions? My money would be on the first option as I feel like playing tennis keeps the right muscles fit/strong to play more tennis at a rec level.

I‘ve played a mix of singles/doubles/practice daily for a decade with breaks only when I travel or it rains. As long as I replace my strings and shoes regularly, I don’t get any repetitive overuse injuries. Most injuries have been from falls and running into the fence.

 

[PKorda]

Wonder which would be better to improve the tennis of an older rec player? Playing 5 times a week or playing thrice plus two strength/conditioning gym sessions? My money would be on the first option as I feel like playing tennis keeps the right muscles fit/strong to play more tennis at a rec level.

I‘ve played a mix of singles/doubles/practice daily for a decade with breaks only when I travel or it rains. As long as I replace my strings and shoes regularly, I don’t get any repetitive overuse injuries. Most injuries have been from falls and running into the fence.

I'd say there's benefit to cross training and working different muscles so i'd say some strength/conditioning would be useful to maintaining fitness. Personally wouldn't skip playing to workout if had the choice but from a purely fitness perspective it's prob option 2. From a tennis perspective it prob depends on the person. Not everyone can use the same muscles/tendons 5 days a week so there is some risk of injury, whether it be tennis elbow, shoulder, etc.

 

[Tranqville]

As long as I replace my strings and shoes regularly, I don’t get any repetitive overuse injuries.

On a sidenote: after how many hours of play do you replace your shoes, the standart 60?

 

[socallefty]

On a sidenote: after how many hours of play do you replace your shoes, the standart 60?

Make sure you change shoes often if you are prone to PF. These days the support of tennis shoes runs out faster than the sole wears out. Then the shoe feels loose, players then overtighten shoelaces to get a tighter fit, this causes uneven stresses and can lead to PF pain, Achilles tightness, calf strains, knee pain etc.

Soft light shoes lose their support after 30-45 hours on hard courts for me (I weigh 220 lbs) and heavier durable shoes last 60-80 hours in terms of support. After that my feet/knees start ‘talking’ to me in terms of aches and pains which disappear with a new pair of shoes from the same model. If you are lighter they may last longer, but at some point the support will wear out well before the shoe and sole ‘look‘ bad.

Regular runners will periodically use a new pair to see if it feels much better to do a long run wearing the new shoes rather than their usual pair. That is how they decide when to replace their old pair.

 

[WildVolley]

I have 3 regular tennis practices 1.5-2 hours per week, and I plan to add two 1-hour morning strength and conditioning sessions on my off-tennis days. I plan to do it with a professional trainer. The reason I post this to the forum is that most trainers work with young competitive players, so not sure if they would fully understand an older recreational player needs.

I'm just over 50 y.o.: in somewhat decent shape, 4.0-level technique and no major issues/limitations, slightly overweight. I have had some foot issues over the past few years: achiless tendonities, plantar fasciitis, extensor tendonities: mostly recovered but not 100%, the issues are lingering around and flare up occasionally.

How do I structure my S&C sessions, what should be a priority? Should I focus on injury prevention at my age, or focus on my tennis weaknesses, such as lack of explosiveness and anaerobic endurance? What should I prioritize among:

....

The priority for the over 50 player has to first focus on injury protection, especially in the areas where tennis players tend to get injured. IMO, it won't be a lot different than for other athletes with respect to the lower body. However, tennis players also are more susceptible to back, shoulder, and elbow issues than some other sports. A good trainer should have you doing exercises like the 'Throwers 10' to protect the shoulder (many working the rotator cuff) and specific exercises for the hands and elbow. I'd also think that the conditioning should include overhead work with things like dumbbells or kettlebells.

A good program for a tennis player will also involve rotational exercises at some point in the program. Things like throwing a medicine ball off a wall by rotating into the throw.

Last, I'd think that a good program for a tennis player should include some sprinting and jump work, though this needs to be carefully structured to avoid injury and allow proper recovery times. Explosive power will diminish far more quickly than strength as people age. It isn't unusual for a guy over 60 who works out to still be surprisingly strong in things like grip strength and traditional barbell movements: what is sometimes called 'old-man strength.' It's very unusual for a guy over the age of 60 to still be able to jump high and sprint fast. Being able to move fast is crucial in tennis.

I'd expect that a good S&C coach will ask about your sport, past injuries, and do assessments in terms of strength and range of motion. Most will have you do some general strengthening whole body exercises, perhaps squat or deadlift, along with upper body stuff. The good coach is going to also introduce exercises more tailored to your sport fairly early in the general strengthening phase of training.

 

[Tranqville]

Thank you for your insights, @WildVolley, this is exactly the information I was looking for!

 

[Icsa]

Knee injuries and inflammation in general are also things to keep an eye on at this age. Recovery times are critical to staying healthy.