Before You Start Pickleball…

Before you start taking up pickleball, you should assess your overall fitness and prepare yourself adequately to avoid a trip to the ER. I was taking a CPR class last week and the instructor said something interesting. Several Orthopedic Surgeons told her that Pickleball is keeping them really busy. I was curious about the impact of pickleball and did a little research and found that Pickleball injuries are on the rise (New York Times)! I’ve heard Pickleball being described as “easy” and “fun”. It seems like THE new couples activity for people over 45. All of this is great, however, if you’re going to play Pickleball (or any sport for that matter) and haven’t been active lately, there are some things you should do to help keep you healthy and injury free. Here are some tips on how to prepare yourself for your new hobby:

Cardio Program

Start a cardio program to help increase your stamina. Where you start depends on your overall health but you shouldn’t just jump on the court if you haven’t been active in awhile.

    • Minimum – Walking 1 mile with your heart rate at 65% of you maximum heart rate
    • Preferred – Jog on either the treadmill or outside for 1 mile with your heart rate at 75% of your maximum heart rate
    • Alternatives – Cycling, Swimming

Agility Exercises

Most of us, even those who are young and active, do not get enough agility training. Agility is needed to help prevent you from getting injured as you move laterally, backwards or diagonally on the court. When I first became a Personal Trainer, I almost injured myself by doing some ladder drills the first time I did them. Why? Because my ankles were not used to moving that way and my muscles lacked the appropriate coordination. Here are some agility drills recommended by Ace Fitness.

  1. Ladder drills
  2. Cone drills
  3. Hurdle drills

Muscle Strengthening and Toning

There are several muscle groups you should focus on to prevent injuries and increase your overall strength on the court.

  1. Multiplanar Lunge to balance: Front, Lateral, Reverse lunges to balance. Work up to 3 sets of 10 and then add dumbbells to the routine.
  2. External Shoulder rotation
  3. Other Shoulder Exercises: Shoulder Press, Plank, Side Arm Raise, Front Arm Raise

Last Thoughts

Warming Up: Ensure you warm up for at LEAST 5 minutes before you play

Recovery: Add stretching to your post game routine and ensure your body has enough time to recover between outings. Playing every day for 2-3 hours can sometimes be detrimental to your long term health. To prevent overstress and injury, add in some recovery days.

Resistance Training: Pickleball is great. However, there are many reasons why you should supplement your games with a good resistance training program. Resistance training will improve muscle mass, increase your metabolism, increase your bone density and improve your strength. You will not get these benefits from just playing Pickleball.

Enjoy yourself!

John

BEFORE STARTING ANY NEW ACTIVITY… check with your physician if appropriate. The exercises above are provided for your information only and you are responsible for ensuring that you are healthy enough to perform them and do them correctly.

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