Tennis as a workout

I always thought that Tennis would be an expensive way to get a workout, and that it wouldn't be that great of a workout. Recently, a few family members of mine started playing Tennis pretty regularly, so I decided to give it a try as well. After trying it out, I realized that is was a much better workout than I had originally thought, especially if you are playing someone who is half-way decent at hitting the ball all over the court. Another thing I realized is that tennis was not nearly as expensive as I had once thought. Tennis balls are pretty cheap and last awhile, and tennis racquets can start as low as $15. Finding a free court to play on is usually easy to find as well.

Playing Tennis against my family members ended up being a pretty good Anaerobic workout. This workout kind of reminded me of a game of half-court basketball in which there were a lot of short bursts of energy with breaks in between the bursts. The Tennis workout also turned out to be a half-way decent upper body workout. When I got finished playing, I could tell that I had worked my arms and parts of my back pretty well. I would suggest playing for at least 30-45 minutes to make this workout worth it.

Using Tennis as a workout is only as good as you want to make it. Here are some tips on making it a great way to workout and burn some calories:

• Hustle and try hard. If you are hustling to get to the tough balls, you will get a much better workout than if you just give up on them.
• Play against someone who is of equal or only a bit better skill than you. If you play someone who is really good they will just be blowing shots by you all the time, and you won't be moving a lot. Also, if you are much better than your oppononent, you will be doing the same to them, and you won't have to move much in this case either.
• If you are a beginner playing a beginner, just work on trying to get the ball over the net. Getting some good vollies will better the workout as opposed to both players trying to hit winners all the time and hitting the ball long or into the net.

There are a few other things you should remember as well. Tennis is a sport where you are going really fast, then stopping quickly. Due to this, you need to make sure you stretch out well. Another thing to remember is to have fun while playing. If you are not having fun or do not find you enjoy tennis, it would better suit you to run or bike for your workouts. One last thing to remember is to drink plenty of water before, during, and after playing. Most of the courts that are played on are blacktop of some sort, and can heat up real fast. Make sure to drink plenty of water on a hot day to avoid overheating.

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