Training Pace

The Tennis Training Pace Calculator will answer this basic question for you, and suggest a number of key workouts. Because the calculator is based on research derived from your the workout paces from top class athletes, in other words, they're not impossible goal paces for world class tennis players. They're paces that should prove quite 'within' the range of your possibilities.

To use the Training Pace Calculator, follow these simple steps:

Special Note: Please read the brief but important Putting It All Together section at the bottom of the page.

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Endurance and Resistence Training for Tennis players

Easy runs
Top coaches and exercise physiologists believe that most runners/tennis players should do 80 to 90 percent of their weekly training at the easy run pace (this includes your long runs, done at approximately the same pace). Easy runs build your aerobic fitness, and your muscular and skeletal strength. They also are key to help you burn more calories and recover and regenerate for and from harder workouts.

High Paced runs
High paced runs will help you improve your running overall technique and economy. They are often described as 'hard but controlled' runs, runners use them to prepare for races of 10,000 meters to the marathon, in tennis this is the equivalent of preparation for 5 set matches, who can become marathons!

Here's an example of the latter: 4 x 1 mile at high pace with 2 minutes of recovery jogging between repeats. This type of training should not be done anymore than once a week, and it should make up no more than 10 to 15 percent of your total training.

Maximum-oxygen runs
Maximum-oxygen workouts help you improve your cardio response and pulmonary capacity. These workouts are often called 'interval workouts', runners use this when preparing for a race of 5'000 meters to 10'000 meters. 

You should do maximum-oxygen workouts no more than once a week, and they should make up no more than 6 to 10 percent of your total training. (When you run these workouts, you are running at or near 100 percent of your maximum oxygen capacity, which scientists call max VO2; hence the name for these runs.)

Speed-form runs
Speed-form workouts help you improve your running economy, form and leg speed. These are also interval workouts tailored to help you prepare for races of 800 meters to 5000 meters.

Here's an example of a good speed-form workout: 8 x 400 meters at speed-form pace with 3 to 4 minutes of recovery jogging between repeats. You should do speed-form workouts no more than once a week, and they should make up no more than 4 to 8 percent of your total training.

800s
The 800s you should train to the point where you can run 10 repeats of 800 meters in the same time: 4:11 (very slow), 3:29 (medium pace), or 2:45 (fast paced). Doing  800s once a week as part of your pre-season training. Start with perhaps 4 x 800 and build up to 10 x 800. Between the 800s, take a recovery jog that lasts as long as your 800s 4:11 (very slow), 3:29 (medium pace), or 2:45 (fast paced). A good 800 workout: 6 x 800 at pace with recovery jogs 4:11, 3:29, or 2:45. between the 800s .

The 400s
The 400s work like 800s, but at a 1:40 pace, train to the point where you can run 10 or more repeats of 400 meters in the same time: 1:40. This 400s are a slightly slower version of speed-form training, so to make up for the lower intensity, use more reps or less recovery time between reps.) A good 400 meter workout: 10 x 400 at pace with recovery 1:40 jogs between the 400s.

Long runs
Long runs form the foundation of all distance training programs. Long runs build everything from your confidence to your discipline to your fat-burning. There's great latitude in how fast you actually run, in general, slower is better than faster.

Let your long runs be your slow runs, and save your legs for other days of the week when you might do tempo runs or maximum-oxygen runs. But there are a thousand theories about how to do long runs, none of which have yet been proven superior to the others. The important thing is building up the distance and training your body to keep going for 3, 4, 5 or however many hours it's going to take you to win a tennis match.

IMPORTANT Read - Putting it all together

You must be aware that this section is dedicated to Endurance and Resistence training for Tennis players.  Because long runs and resistence training will make you slow and tennis players need speed, the speed training must be tied up to this in what is called a micro or meso cycle in a periodization plan.

Once you enter the speed training phase in a pre-competitive phase or competitive phase long runs are reduced to jogs at a very low pace (preferably on grassy areas or grass soccer fields)  of 3 Kilometers mainly as a recovery and regeneration tool followed by long stretching sessions.

Just because there are lots of different workouts for Endurance and Resistence doesn't mean that you should do them all every week. Just the opposite in fact. A blend of the following in combination with the on court training which has to follow the same principles of hard days and rest days is to be considered.

Hard days
Most beginning and intermediate players/runners do just two hard days a week. More advanced players/runners can do three hard days if they're very careful. Each of the following is a hard day workout: tempo runs, maximum-oxygen runs, speed-form workouts, 800s, long runs.

Hard days/Easy days
A hard day workout should usually be followed by one or (even better) two easy day workouts, easy days can of course include rest days and cross-training days.

Rest days
Most beginning and intermediate players should run 4 to 6 days a week. We recommend one or two rest days, when you do no training at all (or just take a relaxed 30-minute walk) and one or two cross-training days.

Cross-training days
With the boom in exotic fitness equipment, the world of cross-training has expanded dramatically in recent years. While research indicates that cross-training probably won't make you a faster runner, we believe it can make you a stronger and healthier and less injury-prone tennis player.
Tennis players do best with cross-training exercises that are non-weight-bearing. This includes swimming and aqua-running, strength-training, bicycling and rowing. Also non-impact exercises, which include Nordic skiing, elliptical training, trampolines and step climbing.

Weight Training
Tennis players can benefit greatly from weight training, but program must be supervised by specialist and focused in increasing strength without creating huge muscular mass and at the same time help increase speed and velocity. - This is a theme to be developed on its own.

This information provided by TennisCruz is not intended to replace the medical or training advice of your tennis coach, physical trainer, doctor or health care provider. Please consult your health care provider for advice about before starting any nutritional, diet, stretching, tennis and/or any exercise program. Also please read the DISCLAIMER section of this site.

Now that you are aware of the importance of using your training pace calculator for training....you will also realize that a real training program for tennis takes a lot more then that, I invite you to continue following my weekly articles on tennis strength training programs, but if you are in a hurry and wish to go ahead and start, I suggest you visit this website we are associated with:

The WorkOUT Pass which has developed a range of high-performance tennis workouts and training plans. There are various levels such as youth, high school, college and pro-level... all with complete day-by-day workouts...

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