Why Tennis is so good for you

Whether it’s a game of singles, doubles or practising on your own, tennis is a superb sport to keep you in shape whatever age you are. As well as the cardiovascular and muscular benefits, it helps to keep mentally sharp too. Here are some of the top ways tennis helps to keep you fit:

Whole body workout

Unlike some other sports, tennis is great for the whole body. The lower body is used when running, jumping and bending and the hitting of the ball works your trunk section, upper back and shoulders.

Better aerobic and anaerobic health

Playing tennis increases your oxygen intake, heart rate and improves the delivery of nutrients and oxygen to all your muscles. It also helps develops capillaries inside muscles, allowing them greater blood flow and supply. This results in improved muscle performance and stamina. Anaerobic health is improved which makes it easier to release quick spurts of energy for fast, reactive play.

Image credit

Burns calories and fat

The range of motion involved in tennis, such as running, swinging, pivoting, leaning and jumping all constitute a really tough workout and can burn a high number of calories. Tennis can burn more calories than other types of activity. Therefore, studies have consistently shown that it’s great for burning fat – around 400-600 calories an hour!

Better bone health

As well as building muscle, tennis is good for your bones too. Regular exercise increases bone mass and can reduce the amount of bone loss over time. You can play tennis all-year round now, not just during the summer, thanks to indoor courts offered in purpose-built indoor structures. For more information on Fabric Structures, visit https://www.spatialstructures.com/

Image credit

Healthy heart

Tennis has been described as a ‘thousand little sprint’s and it’s these fast-anaerobic movements that burn fat, raise heart rate and increase energy levels. The fast-slow, start-stop nature of a game of tennis is the optimal condition cardiovascular health. This can lower your risk of heart attack, stroke and heart disease.

Better balance, flexibility and coordination

You need to use your whole body in tennis, every time you hit the ball. These movements require flexibility, coordination and balance. The more you play, the stronger you become in all these aspects and the more flexible you become, the less risk you have of sustaining an injury.

Brain booster

Tennis is highly physical but it’s also a strategy game requiring mental planning, tactical thinking and creativity. The more tennis you play, the more neural connections are created in those areas of the brain. Studies have shown that tennis can boost brain function in terms of memory, behaviour, learning and social skills.

Other sports

Tennis is perfect for cross-training to play other sports. The fast-paced change of direction, sudden bursts of energy, running and return volleys all improve your endurance and sprinting. Just one game of tennis can see you run up to 3 to 5 miles!

Mood boosting

Exercise is great for boosting your mood and studies have shown that tennis players have higher self-esteem, are more optimistic and display less anxiety and depression than those who do no exercise or play different sports. So, what are you waiting for?




Leave a Reply
