What type of cardio is playing tennis?

Playing tennis is considered a high-intensity interval or conditioning type of cardio exercise. During a tennis game, you engage in short bursts of intense activity followed by periods of rest or lower activity, making it similar to interval training. This type of cardio promotes cardiovascular fitness while expending a significant amount of calories 1.

Tennis and running offer distinct physical and mental benefits as forms of exercise, each engaging the body in different ways that cater to varied fitness goals.

Tennis vs. Running: A Comparison

1. Intensity and Type:

   • Tennis: It provides a mix of aerobic and anaerobic activity, with intense bursts of movement and rest periods during plays, mimicking high-intensity interval training (HIIT). This helps in building agility, quick reflexes, and strategic thinking as it requires constant changes in speed and direction 1.
   • Running: Particularly long-distance running, tends to be more continuous and aerobic. It enhances cardiovascular endurance, burns calories, and can be meditative in its repetitiveness, promoting mental perseverance and focus 2.

2. Energy Systems:

   • Tennis: Engages both aerobic and anaerobic metabolism because of its stop-start nature, which means it alternates between using oxygen for energy during longer points and stored energy sources during sprints to reach the ball.
   • Running: Primarily utilizes the aerobic system, especially over longer distances, using oxygen to sustain activity levels for an extended period.

3. Muscle Engagement:

   • Tennis: Requires the use of a wide range of muscles, with a strong focus on the lower body for running and lunging, the core for balance, and the upper body for hitting strokes. It also significantly enhances hand-eye coordination.
   • Running: Primarily targets the legs, focusing more on endurance muscle fibers, and fewer variations in muscle engagement compared to tennis.

4. Mental Aspects:

   • Tennis: It's not only physical but also a highly strategic game. It demands quick tactical thinking and mental resilience to adapt strategies instantly. The competition adds an element of psychological stress and reward.
   • Running: Provides a mental challenge, especially over long distances, where psychological endurance plays a critical role. It also offers stress relief and can contribute to improved mental well-being through the release of endorphins.

Conclusion

Both tennis and running are beneficial cardiovascular activities, but they serve different purposes and engage the body in diverse ways. The choice between them would depend on personal fitness goals, interests, and the specific physical and mental benefits one aims to achieve.

Incorporating tennis into your fitness routine could align well with Andrew Huberman's foundational fitness protocol. The protocol specifies three resistance training sessions and three cardiovascular training sessions per week, with one complete rest day. Tennis could potentially replace one of the cardiovascular days, considering its mix of aerobic and anaerobic demands which provide similar benefits to cardiovascular training, while also enhancing agility and coordination 1.

Here's a suggestion for integrating tennis:

1. Day 1 (Monday): Resistance training focused on legs.
2. Day 2: Tennis, replacing a cardiovascular session.
3. Day 3: Resistance training for another muscle group.
4. Continue: Follow the remaining structure of resistance and cardiovascular training from the protocol, or adjust based on personal needs.

This setup allows you to mix tennis into your routine without sacrificing the balance of resistance and cardiovascular training essential for overall fitness. Always adapt based on how your body responds, and adjust as necessary to maintain balance and avoid overtraining.

Playing tennis can replace one of the cardiovascular training days in Andrew Huberman's fitness protocol. He suggests incorporating varied movement practices, like tennis, which offer dynamic and three-dimensional movement, instead of just linear exercises such as running or cycling. This recommendation fits well with tennis, as it constitutes a comprehensive workout involving multiple aspects of physical fitness 1.

Tennis, involving dynamic and varied movements, can effectively replace the cardiovascular training day on Day 5 (Thursday) in Andrew Huberman's fitness protocol. This adjustment introduces flexibility and variation into the fitness regimen, aligning well with the principles of maintaining overall fitness and accommodating different physical activities 1.

Tennis, with its intense bursts of activity and sprint-like movements, can serve as an alternative to the High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) on Day 6 (Friday). This substitution can be beneficial since tennis naturally incorporates similar high-intensity movements, which can elevate the heart rate and improve VO2 max, much like structured HIIT workouts. The strategic exertion in tennis, especially when playing competitively, aligns with the principles of maintaining fitness diversity within a training schedule 1.

Since tennis involves both aerobic and anaerobic elements, it can effectively replace a HIIT routine. Tennis requires short, intense bursts of effort followed by brief periods of rest or lower activity—similar to the format of HIIT workouts. This structure helps improve both your cardiovascular endurance and muscular strength. Thus, integrating tennis in place of your HIIT session might be a more seamless transition, maintaining the intensity level required to achieve similar fitness benefits 1.

On the other hand, replacing a steady-state cardiovascular workout with tennis might not provide the same continuous aerobic endurance challenge, as tennis includes frequent breaks and variable intensity.

Considering your tennis training statistics, which include a substantial amount of time (over 60% of the session) spent in Zone 3 (70-80% of max HR), this indicates that tennis is providing a significant cardiovascular workout. This intensity level is beneficial for building aerobic capacity and endurance. Your average and maximum heart rates suggest a workout of moderate to high intensity, comparable to what might be achieved in a medium-intensity cardiovascular workout.

Given this, it might be more beneficial to replace your cardiovascular routine with tennis, rather than your HIIT routine. Tennis in this case appears to mirror the steady heart rate elevation associated with traditional cardio exercises but might not reach the peak intensity (seen in Zones 4 and 5) typically targeted in HIIT workouts. This can help maintain your cardiovascular fitness while also incorporating the varied physical and mental engagement that tennis offers.

However, if your cardiovascular workouts are typically of lower intensity (more time in Zones 1 and 2), and you want to maintain or improve high-intensity performance, keeping the HIIT sessions and replacing them with tennis might not yield the same benefits in terms of peak performance and high-intensity stamina.