This guest post is written by NATHAN and GISELLE MARTIN from TENNIS FITNESS.
While a next level reality for many players is the natural ageing process, it need not prevent peak physicality. NATHAN and GISELLE MARTIN from TENNIS FITNESS explore some common misconceptions about age and athleticism. There are many misconceptions about age and athleticism.
Being 44 years old myself, I have had to realise things need to change. Those things are my attitude towards training, my recovery techniques and ultimately what, when and how I do actually train.
As we age, changes naturally occur in our bodies – it’s an unfortunate reality that we can’t stay young and in our prime forever. But with careful management, senior tennis players can nevertheless, ensure that they are physically peaking for their age and level of ability.
We are constantly being asked “What do Senior Tennis Workouts consist of” or “What type of Tennis Exercises for Seniors can I do”
Before we go into that let’s start putting things in perspective by examining the five key changes that naturally occur with age.
Before we go into that let’s start putting things in perspective by examining the five key changes that naturally occur with age.
The five key changes that naturally occur with age in Senior Tennis Players
1. Strength and Muscle Loss
After the age of 30, we lose muscle mass at an approximate rate of five per cent per decade. That affects you as an athlete in many ways. You will also lose strength, which is the underlying foundation for athletes of any age. Without a good strength base we are prone to injuries and reduced performance. It makes senior tennis workouts even more important than ever – the old saying to “use it or lose it” rings very true..
2. Aerobic capacity
Somewhat alarmingly, our aerobic capacity drops up to 10 per cent per decade. Reduced cardiac output and oxygen delivery to the muscles affects energy levels, recovery on court and endurance. You don’t have to train like a 20-year-old, but you do need to regularly push yourself out of your comfort zone. Training as a mature athlete should be as rewarding and challenging as it was 20 years ago. You might be shocked at your results if you do train the correct way.
3. Hormones
As we age our endocrine system – which is responsible for hormone release through glands throughout the body – changes. Hormones are chemical messengers and as athletes, they affect grow rowspaceth, metabolism and our immune systems. Some tissues become less sensitive to hormones and the amount of hormones released may also change over time. Our hormone levels not only affect how we perform, but more importantly as an athlete, how we recover too. Have you ever asked yourself, “Why don’t I recover that well a few days after I play or train?” This is why.
4. Weight Gain
As we age we lose muscle, which causes a decline in metabolism and this can, in turn, lead to weight gain. Metabolism is the rate at which you burn calories and unfortunately, it starts to slow down earlier than you might think. It starts its inevitable decline – as much as two–five per cent per decade – from age 25. So we know what you must be thinking: ‘Wow, so that’s why I find it hard to keep that weight off!’
5. Muscular Skeletal Problems
The most worrying issue we face as we age is the unavoidable loss of bone. After menopause, women lose bone at an average rate of two-three per cent year, while men of the same age lose bone at a rate of only 0.4 per cent annually.
So you can see that as we age, we’re also battling against nature – but hope is far from lost, as many prominent players have shown. We worked with Martina Navratilova as a mature athlete for three years, watching her win Australian Open and Wimbledon doubles titles, age 47, in 2003. It proved to us – and many others – that age is no barrier to success.
Senior Strength And Conditioning Program
By performing a senior strength conditioning program on a regular basis. you can help slow down the ageing process – Let’s see the benefits below:
1. INCREASE YOUR MUSCLE MASS
The more muscle you have the stronger you will get, the more stable your joints become and the less chance of injuries. Following an effective seniors tennis conditioning program will help slow down the muscle loss, improve strength, reduce bone loss, reduce weight gain and boost performance.
2. IMPROVE CARDIO OUTPUT
Research shows that following a high-intensity interval program for short bursts can help slow down the 10 per cent decline per decade in our aerobic capacity. Most importantly this increase in aerobic capacity will increase metabolism – and do wonders for that unwanted weight gain. Don’t be afraid if you hear “high intensity” as this can be relative to your abilities. That’s great news for your cardio output.
3. INCREASE FLEXIBILITY & MOBILITY
By improving flexibility and mobility you will feel more energized, be able to get your body into better positions, recover quicker and find yourself stronger and more powerful.
4. PERFORM A DYNAMIC WARM UP
The beauty of warming up, especially with dynamic exercises, is to open up the “chain of movement” rather than isolating a specific area or muscle. This is an important process before participating in any sport but especially in tennis, given its multi directional ranges and loading patterns.
5. PERFORMING BALANCE & REACTIVE EXERCISES
As we age we also lose some of our ability to control the firing, or activation, of our muscles. This leads to loss of coordination, reaction and strength. You will be surprised how much your balance and coordination will improve after a few weeks of following specific tennis exercises for seniors.
AN ACTIVE APPROACH Don’t sell yourself short and think you are past it. The less you do, the quicker you will lose what you have. Look past the age number and start to see what you can still do and how much you can still physically improve. It’s an attitude that will keep you active and not only move better, but eat better too.
Being Martina Navratilova trainer, I gained all this knowledge that I hoped one day I could share. So I did it!
A few months back I decided to start working on a Senior’s Tennis Strength and Conditioning Program and great news, it’s finally here!
“Senior Strength and Conditioning Program”
If you want to improve or even maintain your strength and conditioning, you need to follow specific senior tennis workout.
Our Senior Strength and Conditioning Program Includes Over 100 Specific Tennis Exercises for Tennis Players Over 40.
Some of what you will get in the 12 Week Program:n
Strength & Core Level 1 & 2
Fitness & Conditioning Level 1 & 2
Yoga & Balance Level 1 & 2
Mobility & Injury Prevention
Speed Endurance Level 1 & 2
Agility & Footwork Level 1 & 2
Periodisation Plans
Plus Many Bonus’s (monitoring sheet, reaction program, dynamic warm up program, access to us)
This program is for tennis players over the age of 40 years that feel their fitness and conditioning is letting them down on court.
Whether you are a SERIOUS tennis player or a SOCIAL player wanting to improve your game, whilst at the same time improving your tennis fitness, this program is for YOU!
Join the 1000's of Tennis Players over 40 years of age using off court training to improve their first step quickness, speed, power, reaction, balance and core stability.
It’s easier than you expect.
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