can badminton benefit from weight training?

**thumpsky** · 06-04-2012, 02:02 PM

or this other high tech stuff

**faiyazk** · 06-04-2012, 08:51 PM

while weight training and resistance to build "sports" strength can definitely help in athleticism, i find just putting hours into that specific sport is much better than mimicking movements and strengthening muscles in the gym.
I play several sports which all use different movement and techniques, none are similar.

**AezranHakim** · 06-04-2012, 09:34 PM

Lol, of course it does

helps in game endurance, strokes and smashes....

**leongwaipak** · 06-10-2012, 09:20 PM

yes badminton can benefit from weight training BUT if you are too bulky and have too much muscle mass in certain muscles, it can actually restrict your flexibility and movement.

**Jonster** · 06-11-2012, 10:02 PM

Without a doubt, you can benefit in badminton by weight training. Thing about it. You build a stronger forearm for pronation and supination on your strokes. You train your quads and hamstrings, working on power training after creating a strength base, to move faster with more power. You work your lower back to prevent injury in the future. You work your core to dramatically improve the co-ordination or your body. This will allow you to raise your game and make you faster, stronger, less prone to injury (assuming you work on flexibility and exercises to prevent injury).

The trick to weight training and badminton? Weight train FOR badminton. All of those ripped, muscular bodies are because there are programs specifically designed to make your body look good. If you look at those strongmen who push cars or flip monster truck tires, are they incredibly good-looking in terms of muscle tone? No, they are big muscled, brutes who may not look the greatest but they are incredibly strong with goals to win strength competitions. If a strength trainer actually researches the body parts badminton players use and how they use them, it is easy to set up a program because once you see the used body parts, you create exercises based on the muscle groups.

Of course practicing strokes or footwork are invaluable but you can also work on weight training to excel your game further. You have to realize your goals though. If your number one sport is not badminton or you see it as a recreational hobby, chances are you won't weight train. If badminton is the sport you plan to compete in and want to challenge on whatever circuit you are capable of, this may be a worthy choice.

**leongwaipak** · 06-11-2012, 10:52 PM

Originally Posted by AezranHakim

Lol, of course it does

helps in game endurance, strokes and smashes....

Weight training doesn't help with endurance! It might even hamper it!

Just look up Jelena Jankovic tennis star's experience with weight training.
She lost mobility with the extra 7kg weight in muscles she had to carry.

Jogging, running and other cardio exercises helps with stamina and endurance.
So, I don't believe weight training by itself can help with endurance.

Again let's look at the top singles badminton players in the world:
1, Lee Chong Wei 170cm 60kg
2. Lin Dan 178cm 70kg
3. Chen Long 189cm 79kg

With the exception of Chen Long there's hardly any weight on these top players!
But everybody knows they are fast and strong.
And you can probably guess which of the three has the least stamina due to the extra weight they have to carry (and is the extra height an advantage for him?).

With doubles there is a lesser priority on endurance compared with singles players.
So weight training would help doubles players a bit more than singles players.

How about doubles then? The top two double's team in world in weight is:
Fu Hai Feng 70kg and Cai Yun 65kg.
Lee Yong Dae 73kg and Jung Jae Song 69kg.
Hardly muscle men right? but strong enough, good technique, fantastic speed and agility.

Actually Chen Long's size probably suits doubles play more than singles. any thoughts?

So in MY PERSONAL opinion yes, weight training can help with strength and power but again, don't overdo it and don't build unnecessary muscle bulk/weight for badminton..
Speed, agility, endurance and good technique are the key in badminton.

You can do an excellent smash with good technique than simply just with pure muscles.

**leongwaipak** · 06-11-2012, 11:00 PM

Good video Thumpsky, but I'd question how doing bench presses (which doesn't even move her legs) would help her hurdling?...

Again her sport hurdling is typically finished within 10-14 seconds..
Badminton is a game of 30-60 minutes for a match.
So weight training needs to match your goals and objectives...

Originally Posted by thumpsky

or this other high tech stuff

**Jonster** · 06-12-2012, 11:44 AM

Originally Posted by leongwaipak

Good video Thumpsky, but I'd question how doing bench presses (which doesn't even move her legs) would help her hurdling?...

Again her sport hurdling is typically finished within 10-14 seconds..
Badminton is a game of 30-60 minutes for a match.
So weight training needs to match your goals and objectives...

With mediocre knowledge of track and field, I would assume the reason for the bench press would be the upper body arm mechanics when running. As you learn to run properly, the use of your arms are vital in increasing your overall speed. As you pump your arms forward, you push your body forward with more momentum.

While this may not be initially effective, it really helps over a longer period of time.

**amleto** · 06-12-2012, 12:53 PM

Originally Posted by Jonster

As you pump your arms forward, you push your body forward with more momentum.

Not according to Newton's Laws of Motion!

**Capnx** · 06-12-2012, 07:36 PM

Originally Posted by leongwaipak

Good video Thumpsky, but I'd question how doing bench presses (which doesn't even move her legs) would help her hurdling?...

this info is taken from someone else' blog about the need for upper body and core strength and endurance:

A runner needs muscular endurance in the upper body and core just as much as in their legs. You're swinging your arms just as much as your legs are moving forward. There's no resistance to your arm movement other than some air, but they're still moving. If your upper body doesn't have muscular endurance then a domino effect can begin to happen. First the arms fatigue causing you to round your shoulders and slump. This puts more stress on your core. If your core is not strong, then it will begin to fatigue as well, causing even further decline of your running form. By now your legs are taking the full brunt of the domino effect. Not only has the core stopped providing a strong support and power system for the legs, now the legs are having to deal with poor running form and soon fatigue will consume the legs as well.

**Sander1337** · 07-15-2012, 06:51 AM

Interesting question.

I am not very bulky, people tell me I have about a perfect body for badminton as in muscular mass to be fast enough and powerfull enough.
I also have people in my training group who lack power because of the lack of muscles.
A friend of mine has the opposite; he does a lot of fitness/weight lifting and has become to muscular to play badminton; there is an other problem with this as well; weight lifting is addictive; once you get bigger you will want to be bigger than you are now, resulting in even slower muscle speeds... If you want to go weight lifting try to do usefull weightlifting. Dont go train biceps because you wont be needing them a lot. Better to train squats, shoulders, chest muscles, abs, and upper leg muscles... lower arm is hard to train but usefull as well...

**phili** · 07-15-2012, 07:33 AM

I guess the goal for weight training in badminton is to get stability. There is no point in getting bulky muscles cause they will only slow you down. Therefore you should focus your weight training on your back, abs, chest and shoulders.

***kwun*** · 07-18-2012, 03:12 PM

Lin Dan is only 70kg? he is so buffed!

**OhSearsTower** · 07-18-2012, 04:29 PM

well on 178cm thats a perfect weight
especially with his low bodyfat

he certainly does not have big muscles

**leongwaipak** · 07-18-2012, 08:17 PM

Originally Posted by kwun

Lin Dan is only 70kg? he is so buffed!

Well it's off wikipedia so I'm not sure how reliable it is. Anyone else got a better source?

squidoo puts his weight at 72kg

**b.leung** · 07-18-2012, 08:33 PM

I'm 5'6" 165cm 72-73 kg around 160 lbs
I play doubles and I do power lifting as part of my weight training
Heavy weights (what people use to gain muscle mass) is not part of my routine

Since getting back to competitive training, I've scaled back my strength training a lot
My body type is closer to JJS and markis kido

But then again, I did extensive research before designing my program, so you should too
It's not good to blindly go into something that works for some people

Power lifting and weight training will only work for a certain type of people

**OhSearsTower** · 07-19-2012, 05:14 AM

isnt powerlifting about big weights?

i do powerlifting too and add a few exercises (like pullups)
my weights are rather unimpressive but thats because im simply not strong enough and very cautios about technique and safety (rather than not wanting to work with higher weights)

i think those powerlifting exercises are very good for badminton players (in comparison with biceps curls for example)

also weight training will work for everyone, why on earth should there be a type of people who benefit from it and others not

the most difficult thing about weighttraining for me is the recoverytime
if i play badminton twice a week and go to the fitnessgym 2 a week i have tired legs in either badminton or squatting