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Tennis as exercise
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Wimbledon kicks off in England, Monday June 22 and will draw in some of the world's most competitive athletes in the tennis world. These athletes are known for their fierce serves, smashing backhands, and quick reflexes. They are constantly moving from one side of the court to the other and almost seemingly leaping from the back of the court to the front with the goal of keeping that little ball in play. To watch these players compete it is obvious how fit these athletes need to be to outlast and triumph over their competitor. Not only does their fitness level show in their ability to stay in play for sometimes 2-3 hours, but it also shows in their muscular physique.
Looking at the fit bodies of players like Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams is enough to inspire the lay person to grab a partner and hit the courts. As it turns out, tennis is a great way to build cardiovascular stamina, muscular strength, agility, and flexibility. Tennis uses the entire body. Running, sprinting and lunging for balls is an excellent leg workout while knocking power shots across the net builds upper body strength. Agility andflexibility are gained from the constant lateral movement of the game. An hour long competitive game of tennis can burn around 300 to 400 calories on average. (Calories burned during exercise is affected by body weight, intensity of workout, conditioning level and metabolism).
If you are looking for something to bring you out of a fitness rut, try throwing in some tennis lessons or games and discover muscles that you forget that you had. Fitness can be achieved outside of the gym and tennis can offer a full body workout while challenging the body in new ways.
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