Do Todays Players Practice Too Much?

In the past top players played more matches than players do today. So why are we constantly hearing about exhaustion, fatigue, injuries and calls for a shorter schedule and longer off season.

The explanation could be in something else we hear a lot of talk about. Training blocks (these sound paticuarly arduous...), gym work, personal fitness trainers and long practise sessions.

Its not just the match schedule that is wearing out todays players but the amount of work they put into preparation. Do todays players overtrain? Should they ditch all that extra curricular stuff and concentrate on match play

Why do people lack the basic understanding of professional sport? Of course players are going to train hard. Professional sport has evolved from the old days where there were hardly any lucrative rewards for winning. Players now earns millions easily for their performance and the demands of modern sport means they will train harder. I really think tennis has the most ignorant of fans when it comes to the demands of modern sport and what is required to stay on top. Look at football. Players train harder, get stronger and faster, a much appreciated part of the game. Ronaldo does 3000 Sit ups every training session. Pele for example in his day was not even doing a quarter of that. Kobe bryant takes a 1000 shots every practice session with 500 free throws and spends hours in the gym. All also a much appreciated part of the game. Kobe is one of the most talented if not the most talented player in NBA yet he trains harder than every one. An interview here give further insight


www.m.mensfitness.com/leisure/entertainment/kobe-bryant

Tennis has a stigmatization and ignorance from a small section of it, notably it's rich and pampered fans normally the old who thinks tennis should be in a way they want it to be. Do you want to see players going for drinks a night before matches or turning up on court without adequate preparation and practice. Safins career was ruined by injuries from his life style. A lack of conditioning before matches as he was busy partying.

The sport has changed and players train harder than ever. You will not be successful if you don't. There is nothing like over practicing. The calls for a shortened season is justified in many ways. Professionalism has improved and the tour requires more from the players in terms of performance so cutting the season by 2 weeks for example wi not be a disaster. Does not mean they should rather cut on their training.

3000 push-ups per training session?

Looks like someone told you a little fib and you believed them.

Just have a think about how long 3000 push-ups would take.

Oh sit ups actually and that was confirmed by teamates. Still tremendous had work.

Confirmed by team-mates to you? Or do these team-mates sit and count them for him for hours?

Either way, it's not true.

There is no physiological benefit from doing 3000 sit-ups anyway. The fact that if he could do 3000 sit-ups, they're not really doing much for him. He may as well do 100 with a bit more resistance.

djloves exactly the kind of tennis fan i described above. Ignorance a requirement. May be you can google to find the press conferences or become a credible journalist, gather such info and write it in your article. Either way i don't care what you think about that. No wonder he is the 2nd best player in the world, he works harder.

Nah. I'm just realistic about it.

If you think about it logistically, you'll realise that what you're saying isn't really possible.

Why do you always say stuff, and then ask other people to google it. You're the one giving the facts that I'm saying are not true. Surely it's up to you to find the proof. Why would I put in a lot of effort to refute myself?

Are you honestly suggesting that his footballing career has been down to his seemingly rigourous (but altogether pointless) hours spent attempting to improving his core stability? He certainly doesn't need 3000 sit-ups to maintain his current level of core stability, and after doing it every day of his life, the gains will be non-existent.

The coaches at Real Madrid know this and that's why he won't be doing it.

Ivan Lendl's new morning training session for Andreas Murray:

3,000 sit ups
2,000 push ups
10,000 squat thrusts
50,000 star jumps
1,000 pull ups
5,000 step ups

3,000 m swimming
10,000 m running
50,000 m cycling

60 kg snatch lifts x 50
100 kg clean and jerks x 200

4 litres of Lendl's home brew.
50 mg of mama's special potion.

Too bad for you. Infact one of the Madrid players said this in a press conferences some time back and this article actually briefly mentions. Ignorance is not good i said.

www.news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/16533404.stm

To understand sport and it's demands like i do, you need to educate yourself on what is required for some in training. Actually learning about basketball training routines for some top players will be a good start.

'a reputed 3000 sit-ups a day'.

So this is your proof? It doesn't happen - trust me. And if it does, it's completely pointless, as I said. You want to try reading some of the fitness/bodybuilding forums on the matter.

Believe me sweetheart - I've competed at a sporting level that you could only dream of (and it wasn't even that good). From what you've 'learned' from sitting in front of your computer and TV (whilst spouting off endless guff), I've done in practice. So don't try to take that line of condescension with me.

Guys

There was (and I am not making this up) a young top junior tennis player whose dad used to be (or so he claimed) an Egyptian international standard goal keeper way back when. His 10 year old son was forced to run round the Sussex coach with a backpack containing bricks since his dad believed that was the way to toughen him up.

One of the top juniors under 11 some five years ago I doubt he's even playing the game any more.

You can't make up stories like as, sadly, there are those crazy enough to believe it's the way forward. The reality is that practice is one thing; having the necessary talent and correct program in place to make sure it pays off is quite another.

Lol djloves our sweet heart, so you know know better than Ronaldo's teamates? For some one who apparently has competed in sport at a high level, you seem to know so little and add absolutely nothing to the topic here to start with. What kind of sport did you compete in again? Lawn bowling? Or professional touch rugby

My friend you need to expand your knowledge on a topic like this and this requires educating yourself on various sports and practice regimes and what they do these days.

You're the one who seems to attribute Ronaldo's status as second best player in the world to doing 3000 sit-ups a day. (which is either completely false, or a sign that he suffers from OCD.)

I had a brief read, and it seems that he doesn't do these as part of training, but in front of the TV in his spare time. Does he have these teammates counting him in front of the TV?

I would imagine, given the man's personality, that it's partly down to OCD and partly down to fabrication.

So, in conclusion, it's very doubtful that he does 3000 sit-ups a day but I don't doubt that he made the claim. Secondly, 3000 sit-ups a day don't give you perfect abs and they certainly don't make you a great footballer.

Have you ever played any sport? I certainly doubt it. I wasn't even that good, but I don't think you would have to be to have more practical experience that you. But keep spouting off like you're something special, I know you won't stop, you've been doing it for years.

Which is which? Did you play professional sport at a high level or you were never good at it so did not try or you just take up a character on the internet?

So you've concluded Ronaldo doing 3000 sit ups is OCD and or his teamates are lying or he is wasting his time ? What an important sport luminary you are. Thanks to the world class platform that is 606v2

You are actually the one alluding to the 3000 sit ups as a reason for his game, i just simply pointed out an example from my first response to show how hard a players work these days.

3,000 sit ups does seem quite a lot.

At 2 secs per sit up that's 6,00 sit ups.

That's about 1 hr and 40 minutes if all done in one go. Apparently (or so it's claimed on his fan's web site ) he does all this whilst watching TV.

Sounds to me a little bit like angler with his enormous carp claims that no-one else managed to see. Maybe we need to check with the Guinness Book of World Records?

Ronaldo spends time at the swimming pool as part of his training.

Yes to us it seems alot but to a professional paid millions, it's not. Infact you'll be suprise the kind of training these guys do. I'll recommend a read on training and gym work for basketball players and footballers especially.

Simple_Analyst wrote:

So you've concluded Ronaldo doing 3000 sit ups is OCD and or his teamates are lying or he is wasting his time ?

It's one (or a combination of) the three. I said he was making it up though, not his teammates. But I would imagine he's just throwing out a ballpark number, I would be sceptical about his ability to count that high.

Certainly, as i'm sceptical about your ability to leave your couch and play a sport in your back- yard, yet alone at professional level.

SA apologies for my poor maths.

3,000 sit ups at 2 secs/sit up = 6,000sec = 100 minutes.

I'll write out 100 times: I must try harder at maths.


Regarding his credibilty I've no doubt that he does train incredibly hard and still find time for all those after work activities he gets involved with.

Am I going then to simply swallow hook, line and sinker every claim he makes for how many miles he's run or however many other conquests he claims to have made. Erm? No, thanks as I wasn't born yesterday.

Of course Dj is right. Th eproblem with exercising too much is that you end up worn out and exhausted.

Nowadays drugs or "special diets" give you energy and stamina without having to do too much work. They still have to do some but it's done in a reasonable way.

Just listen to what Nadal and Serena, the 2 most muscular tennis athletes say about working hard:

Nadal says he hates training in the gym and hardly does.
Serena, when asked about her amazing fitness and abs seen on a picture this week, says she gets them by laughing!!!

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2085659/I-havent-date-forever-Serena-Williams-reveals-love-life-slow-unveils-new-outfit-Australian-open.html

Having said that tennis athletes can spend more than 30h/per week in the Gym. but in my view a lot is about stretching ad lifting small weight.

Lol which is which yet again ? DJ is right then he is not right.

Friends, stop being ignorant and expand your knowledge on this topic. Sport men train. And they train harder than ever before. At the gym, at practice and even at home.

Lol which is which yet again ? DJ is right then he is not right.

Friends, stop being ignorant and expand your knowledge on this topic. Sport men train. And they train harder than ever before. At the gym, at practice and even at home.

Lol which is which yet again ? DJ is right then he is not right.

Friends, stop being ignorant and expand your knowledge on this topic. Sport men train. And they train harder than ever before. At the gym, at practice and even at home.

Serena looks in pretty good shape... but that's another topic (actually probably more related to the initial one, but never mind

The problem with the internet and the endless claims made by all and sundry about this that and the other is that it's very difficult to verify who is peddling all sorts of lies, propaganda, half-truths and just plain spurious nonsense.

Seems that certain football payers web-sites (going by Ronaldo's anyway) might just be for the benefit of the adoring faithful who'll believe anything they're told. Tennis (for all its short-comings) doesn't appear to have quite the same blindly loyal and devoted hard-core element (well, not most of the posters hereabouts -with a few obvious exceptions ).

This topic is reminding me of Jon Fashanu in I'm a celebrity get me out of here doing press ups and counting 1,2, 3...... then changing it to 88, 89 ,100 when he realised the cameras were watching.

I never said they didn't SA. Saying that full time sports people train hard is hardly groundbreaking analysis is it?

I was only interested in the 3000 sit-ups rubbish.

But yep, most gym work for footballers and indeed tennis players is maintenance and injury prevention. They do a lot of plyometrics and SAQ type work.

Lol 3000 sit ups is rubbish yet confirmed by a professional sportman and his team mates. However your alleged professional sport participation at the highest level is credible and not rubbish, i believe you.

Coming back to tennis players (after all this IS a tennis forum) I always think of a quote from a certain John Lloyd in the days before he waffled on endlessly about the Davis Cup.

Commentating on McEnroe playing a match towards the end of his career Lloyd was asked how highly he rated Mac.

"How good is he? Well, for a start the guy hardly ever practices. Just gets out rackets for half an hour or so beforehand then gets on with it."

(Admittedly there's an element of artistic licence here as this was uttered prior to you tube... etc But you get the gist I hope)

DOn't dig yourself a bigger hole SA. 3000 sit-ups would be a huge waste of time. It's probably a typo. 300 would be a lot!

i defo think that the players pratice too much now, explains the amout of fatige and injuries they get..combine that with the amount they play, and you end up with burnout.

According to Ronaldo here - he does 'a little bit' of sit-ups.

http://thissportingbody.wordpress.com/2011/06/20/new-interview-with-cristiano-ronaldo/

On holiday he likes to play tennis (and doesn't do any sit-ups)

Tenez you said you were a physio... something? For who? 80 year olds and above? Or one of those physios who work at 3rd rate holiday resorts?

Simple_Analyst wrote:Lol 3000 sit ups is rubbish yet confirmed by a professional sportman and his team mates. However your alleged professional sport participation at the highest level is credible and not rubbish, i believe you.

Did I say professional? I said high level. Sorry about that.

So do you think doing 3000 sit-ups per day is an effective and constructive method of improving core stability?

Simple_Analyst wrote:Tenez you said you were a physio... something? For who? 80 year olds and above? Or one of those physios who work at 3rd rate holiday resorts?

No respected professional would recommend that many sit-ups. If it takes that many it isn't effective and there are better ways to achieve the same results.

No I am not a physio and never said.

However I try not swallow everything I read, unlike others.

Simple_Analyst wrote:Tenez you said you were a physio... something? For who? 80 year olds and above? Or one of those physios who work at 3rd rate holiday resorts?

S_A I have no idea if Tenez is a physio, but if he is, does attacking a poster's ability/success at his job (about which you know nothing) reveal more about you than anyone else?

djloves whether it is or not is irrelevant to the discussion which is Ronaldo says he does 3000 sit ups which his teamates confirmed it even in a press conference. Which means Ronaldo works as hard as he wants.

Well i thought i read he said he was physio something last time. Only one that works for the above will recommend 300 sit ups to a world class pro.

SA you are ruining that abbreviation of SA damn it! I luv south africa/ SA you are making it worseeeee please stop!

How do his teammates no besides what Ronaldo tells them? He does that at home in front of the TV.

He doesn't do 3000 sit-ups per day, it was just one of those throwaway comments both from Ronaldo, and by whoever said it in this press conference of yours.

A top pro in any sport could easily get by on 20 minutes targetted and concentrated core stability as part of an overall conditioning programme. The fitness coaches at Real will have this in hand. As well as a few other things (operation puerto).

From JuliusHMarx link, Cristiano Ronaldo says himself that it is BS to say he does 3000 situps a day. In his own words "dat is BS, I do zero sit-ups on holiday and a few sit-ups during the season to maintain this six pack. The BBC correspondent Andy Brassel is reputedly a BS reporter who is an expert at $h1t" [translated from the original spanish].

Cristiano Ronaldo's interview http://thissportingbody.wordpress.com/2011/06/20/new-interview-with-cristiano-ronaldo/

Andy Brassel BS (reputedly) report http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/16533404.stm

Nore Staat you call the author a name. Perhaps you can call Ronaldo's teamates who claimed this to names? And where did Ronaldo say BS? He was asked 8000, he said he does a bit. Do you know what a bit is to him. Like the tennis fans i profiled in my first post, with your straw hats and all white dresses at Wimbledon with Strawberry in cream every June, you think every thing is easy and have no idea the kind of drills these professional
sportmen go through to maintain a high standard and entertain you. Whether you believe it or not is irrelevant. I do because a serious world class athlete like Ronaldo can easily do that.

Simple_Analyst wrote:Nore Staat you call the author a name. Perhaps you can call Ronaldo's teamates who claimed this to names? And where did Ronaldo say BS? He was asked 8000, he said he does a bit. Do you know what a bit is to him. Like the tennis fans i profiled in my first post, with your straw hats and all white dresses at Wimbledon with Strawberry in cream every June, you think every thing is easy and have no idea the kind of drills these professional
sportmen go through to maintain a high standard and entertain you. Whether you believe it or not is irrelevant. I do because a serious world class athlete like Ronaldo can easily do that.

I believe he is physically capable of it, I just don't believe he would because it is a complete waste of time and there are better ways to achieve the same benefits. If he does do it, he needs to get some proper advice about maximising his workouts and not expending unnecessary energy.

So what are we arguing about here if you believe it? The other pros and cons are irrelevant.

I believe he can do it, I just don't believe he does do it.

Ok that's to you then. You know better i guess.

Simple_Analyst wrote:Ok that's to you then. You know better i guess.

Unless you were in the room with him, you know no more than me. I am just going by what makes sense for a pro athlete to do.

To be fair to Ronaldo, he has to sit-up after every dive.