I’m 23 years young, 6’1’’ 182lbs. 7% bodyfat. I’m trying to come up with the ultimate training routine for myself. I’m a tennis player trying to become a player on the pro tour. I live in South Fl. I only work a couple hrs. a day at a tennis club giving lessons to kids & adults & stringing racquets. I have lots of time for working out, sprints, towing, agility & quickness, sprints on the beach. I play tennis every day & work with my boss/coach several times a week. I want to add more muscle. I would like to be at 195-205 lbs. (Ever notice how weak tennis players look?) Not me! I want to be built like a track athlete & gymnast. Big & powerful! My weak links are: abs, quickness & agility. Should I work on these traits more? I was doing the BFS program; but now more of a HIT training program. I’m going to start up some pool workouts along with some gymnastic type of training. Handstand dips, walking on hands, balancing. I’m also doing some Pliates training, just some basic stuff & medicine ball training. What do some of you think? Remember, I have nothin’ but time. So, I might as well train like hell. Also, how about 2 1hr. naps everyday? How about some deep breathing exercises? I’ve heard some great things about deep breathing. I stretch for about 45 mins. a day. Is that enough? So what would be the ULTIMATE routine for me?
Equipment I have: Glute/ham machine, 5 medicine balls ranging from 2-12 lbs. SuperCat vertical jump machine, squat rack, bench, dip bars, 600 lbs. of free weights, BFS dot drill pad, 1 18 inch. plyometric box, chin bar, mountain bike, some dumbbells, 2 grippers of Ironmind & one evil wheel. AND, lots of energy & DRIVE to be the best! I also eat very healthy. Lots of flaxseed oil. Comments welcomed, I need all of the advice I can get.
Dean, you have lots of questions and you want lots of details. You’re also right amongst weightlifting “tough guys” who no doubt look upon tennis players as whimps who should just go play with the plastic dumbells. But I empathise with you because I am a former college tennis player (Big South Champions in '98), so I know where you are coming from. The best advice I can give you is to learn as much as you can from the right sources. Read all the back issues of T-Mag. Get Poliquin’s book “The Poliquin Principles” and Ian King’s Book “Get Buffed”. This will provide you with excellent nutrition and training advise for adding functional size. Also, train your rotator cuff muscles once a week with real weights. I hope this helps. If you have a more specific question, don’t hesitate to ask.