Tennis Technology Tuesday
If it is not apparent from the frequent references, I listen to a lot of tennis podcasts. Earlier this year, I added Compete Like a Champion published by the USTA Player Development program to my subscription list. I have found it to be a frequent and credible source of practical training tips and advice.
The hosts of Compete Like a Champion periodically speculate that one of the reasons that Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal have exhibited unprecedented career longevity is because they are doing the majority of their conditioning and interval training on low impact cardio equipment such as an exercise bike or elliptical trainer.
Until very recently, the prescription for building endurance in tennis was to strap on the running shoes and pound the pavement for long distance. That is no longer the recommended practice. Jogging does not build the speed bursts needed for tennis. It is also hard on the joints. Almost no one currently recommends long distance running as tennis specific training anymore
Low Impact Interval Training
The fact that long distance running had fallen from favor in tennis is hardly breaking news. For me personally, I am predisposed to detect and act on any news or advice that straight up running is not beneficial for tennis. The very idea resonates with me.
I have an elliptical machine in my home gym. I have spent countless hours… jumping rope along side that piece of equipment. I would occasionally hop on it on those days when I could not play tennis as a vague substitute for the calorie burn. The elliptical never factored into my training plans as a primary device.
Recurring references to interval training on low impact devices during the Compete Like a Champion podcast prompted me to contemplate whether my elliptical could be effectively used for interval training. The fact that the USTA Player Development uses low impact devices for interval training is pretty much all that was shared. I was left to my own devices to figure out the how.
Elliptical Interval Training Program Design
While my elliptical trainer has pre-programmed modes marked as interval training, the periodicity of those are way longer than the interval bursts that are generally recommended for tennis. Additionally, exercise equipment tends to implement the intense intervals by upping the resistance. That is not really good for tennis training.
It became apparent that interval training on my elliptical would have to be implemented using constant settings on the device and varying my own intensity. As I have written about repeatedly, I highly recommend the Seconds Pro app for building custom personal interval training. “Seconds Pro Interval Timer App” provided download links and a more detailed description.
The average length of a tennis point is 35 seconds. The rules allow 25 seconds between points. Those numbers formed the basis for the high intensity and low intensity durations for each interval. I think of each interval as a “point.”
I start with a 5 minute warm-up at low intensity. I then do 36 repetitions of each point. For 35 seconds I pedal for as fast as I can. This is followed by 25 seconds of just basically keeping the pedals moving. The low intensity equates to walking around between the points. At the end, I do another 5 minutes of low intensity as a cool down.
Evaluating the Effect
I was really skeptical that intervals on an elliptical was going to provide the same intensity as my high impact training activities. As an engineer, I prefer measurement and data over opinion. This is where my Polar H10 Heart Rate Monitor comes in.
I was genuinely surprised to discover that the intensity of the training kept me pretty close to my 90% Maximum Heart Rate (MHR) point. In fact, the cardio profile was way more intense — therefore “better” — than my other high intensity interval routines.
The elliptical I selected when outfitting my home gym (pre-pandemic!) is the Schwinn 470. I selected this model on the basis of its rating from Consumer Reports and also because one of my co-workers who is about the size of the Fiend at Court Spousal Unit also has one and indicated that it is sturdy enough for his tall frame. It also has a relatively small footprint and space was at a premium for me.
This seems like a good time to mention that I regard my Polar H10 Heart Rate Monitor as an essential piece of training equipment. I am planning on devoting a full post to this device next week.
I have been doing the interval training routine outlined above over the past two weeks. It is a pretty intense burn. The Polar Beat app responds enthusiastically to every session. I think that this routine has become an enduring part of my training arsenal.
- Compete Like a Champion Podcast, USTA Player Development.
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