Hi, I train with a coach including private lessons 3 hours on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday in the evenings. I also do badminton recreational drop in on Friday and/or Saturday to practice what I learned from the lessons. I sometimes use Sunday or Saturday as rest days. Mondays are my competitive ladders day. I am thinking of incorporating some arms, bicep, core and leg strengthening, but I find it difficult. I usually get too tired/sored from the badminton sessions. What would you suggest? Can someone help me devise a schedule? Thanks in advance!
I don't think weight training would help until you get proper hitting techniques and footwork. If you're not there yet, don't bother with weights. I would suggest regular running to increase stamina.
Thanks for the reply but could you explain the reasoning behind your suggestion for me? I was thinking that it would be good to incorporate weigh training (specifically the biceps and thighs) at this point to prevent injuries (such as golfer's elbow or knee's overused). Thanks for the clarification. If so, I will just continue my current routine and follow your suggestion until maybe a month or two when I have the good footwork or techniques down.
You say you are already tired/sore from training. Listen to your body! When building strength, you need to both train and rest! From what you've described, it looks like you're already training/playing 5-6 days a week. If you are determined to do weight training, just make sure you have a day's rest after before you train or play again. However as another user said, I don't think it will help your game much to start weight training. Badminton is not a sport of big, bulky muscles. Doing more footwork will build the leg strength you need to move. If you are concerned with not hitting far enough, consider your form first. There are small children who can clear full court because they have good form. If you are just looking for suggestions on how to improve outside of the training you get with your coach, I would recommend running and light bodyweight exercises (no weights). Focus on your legs and core (squats, lunges, crunches, etc.). I would recommend you NOT train (only) your biceps. You have lots of different muscles in your arm that balance each other out. If you train only your bicep, you can throw this balance off, and it can lead to injury. Also, you said you train with a private coach. S/He should be able to give you ideas on what you can do outside the gym to improve your game.
make sure you have a good stretch after the sessions. Do some running, skipping and and put on some light ankle weights. Interesting thing I heard over past couple of days is different countries have different philosophies with regard to weight training. Some have the players do very little and others do quite a lot in the gym.
Sorry folks, but I totally disagree! You are right: Weight training will not be crucial to a beginner/intermediate player to make him a better badminton player. But: It will help him to stay healthy, fit and avoid disbalances that are typical for badminton. By that, you avoid injuries, especially if you play badminton quite often. Therefore, I would strongly recommend to lift weights twice a week or so. And of course: No biceps training (lol), but exercises to develop your whole body: squats (!!!), deadlifts, bench press, shoulder press, barbell rows, pullups. And maybe the most important thing: core stability training.
That's ok. Those semi pro guys in Taufik's training centre hardly do any gym work. Different for different countries.
Thanks a lot for this detailed reply. It sounds like weigh training would not really benefit me since I would not be able to give enough rest to my body to really gain from it plus that badminton doesn't require you to be bulk. It also seems that cardio and endurance and techniques matter more than being bulk. But how could you ensure that you don't ever risk injuries like a golfer's elbow or knee weakening out due to too much playing? I was told by my coach to strengthen my biceps and thighs to prevent such injuries and that's why I want to incorporate weigh training for these areas.
What's worked well for me was to modify the P90X workout slightly. Instead of doing the whole 6 days workout, I only do the Chest & Back day and the Legs & Back day once a week each. I also do 2x250 skipping and the internal/external shoulder rotation exercises daily.
For exercises your legs, I do recommend bodyweight excercises like squats/lunges done with proper form. I'm not sure about the details/causes of golfer's or tennis elbow. However, if you want to work out just your bicep, work out at least your triceps as well to balance it out. Basically, work out the whole arm, instead of just one part, or you might cause injury instead of preventing it. IMO the best way to prevent injury is to warm up properly. After light jogging and jumping, I do a slow hitting warm-up. If you start out with easy drives before overhead shots, you can warm up your arm and shoulder without putting an excessive load on it.
Yup! Thanks for the advice and wisdom. I will work out the whole arm. Well, I think golfer's elbow has t do with having weak biceps and putting too much strain on the elbow. But also wrong technique causes it as well so as lack of warm up. Again, thanks for the tips. I will find a way to incorporate weigh training into my routine. Lunges I can do while getting the training.
Thanks! Did you also practice/play badminton while doing this? How did you manage both or incorporated them in your schedule?
Thanks! Did you also practice/play badminton while doing this? How did you manage both or incorporated them in your schedule?
You can always check out BWF Coaches Education Level 2 videos. There is a series of short videos on using free weights exercises (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kj3Xq9c4kJY) and also body weight exercises.
Legs and back on Mondays, chest and back on Thursdays, badminton on Saturday or Sunday. I don't do the other workouts to avoid overtraining. Rope skipping and shoulder stability exercises daily. These only take 15 minutes tops.
Because I think the focus should be on efficient footwork and getting the correct hitting skills which will take years to learn. Unless you're a truely professional player, I don't think big arms and thighs are needed to get more powerful shots. It does more harm than good to shift your attention to relying on more muscle power. Your body also develops naturally to adapt to the sport, and the best way to prevent injuries is again good footwork.
