Padel: the sport of the moment
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https://www.volchem.it/post/bcaa-leucina-isoleucina-valina.htmlIt is the craze of the moment. Everyone is playing it. It is played all over Italy and it is an international trend. So many people play that sometimes it is even hard to find a free court. But are we really sure it is such an easy and harmless sport?
In a short time padel has become so fashionable that courts have sprung up like mushrooms, sometimes in the most unlikely places: in town centres and on the outskirts, inside gyms or in disused areas redeveloped in record time. Pretty much everyone plays, from sporting beginners to established professionals, from the most famous celebrities to office workers who have never held a racket before, all looking for a healthy hobby, an outlet for everyday stress that, in little time and for a modest outlay, can create a healthy, positive addiction.
From a strictly physiological and performance point of view, the sport of the moment falls into a very specific type of effort. The model is a medium-to-high intensity performance, not excessively long if you consider a single match, with a fluctuating pattern full of very fast, muscular, anaerobic alactic and lactic phases, alternating with moments of complete rest in a stop-and-go fashion.
Beginners should approach this sport not only by studying all the rules of the game, the most suitable equipment or the best playing partners, but also and above all the physical movements involved and the athletic foundations they need to develop in order to enjoy themselves without too much suffering, as well as the best dietary strategies to limit fatigue or at least recover quickly before the next match. First of all, it should be clear that, while the aim of the new activity may rightly be to get into the best possible shape, it should be equally clear that an athletically prepared body has a positive effect on athletic, sporting and physiological movement, in both the short and the long term. It would therefore be wise to focus on basic athletic preparation that includes a good aerobic base, developed perhaps through running, cycling or swimming, carried out regularly and at moderate intensity, on which to then build the specific muscular and biochemical effort. The usual weekly matches should in fact be combined with aerobic activity like the one described above, alternated with sessions on the court and in at least the same amount, so as to benefit both in building fitness and in recovering from the most intense efforts.
Given the specific dynamics of the sport, strength, endurance and muscle elasticity should also be considered; muscle fibres that are not adequately prepared, or not sufficiently rested, can respond with injuries that are painful and difficult to heal in the event of excessive stress, whether repeated or sudden. Paying attention to joint mobility and flexibility exercises, especially for the lower limbs, with particular focus on the knee and ankle joints, but also to the tone of the upper limbs, often prevents otherwise predictable injuries. Like tennis, padel is in fact a high-impact, asymmetric and very demanding sport when played at high intensity. The negative effects can also affect the spine and the joints involved in the specific movements, such as the shoulder and elbow, as well as making it harder to manage the effort from a purely energy point of view.
A body ready for an intense sport is generally a well-nourished body, with a weight within the physiological reference values, which approaches the moment of performance with full energy stores but without being weighed down digestively, as we have already had occasion to stress when talking about other sports. Given the nature of the performance, all energy sources will need to be available to support the body: carbohydrate metabolism will dominate, with extensive use of both complex carbohydrates and more refined, fast and easily depleted sources. Keep ENERGEN® to hand for the most intense moments: an energy gel of medium- and fast-release carbohydrates in a ready-to-use single-serve pack.
It is also because of these carbohydrate energy needs that good training involves getting used to efforts that build up high levels of lactic acid, produced precisely from glycogen and to be cleared quickly: sprints, stops and restarts, jumps and landings are the fundamental part of the game and the most demanding for these metabolic systems.
Of course, take care to include a good amount of protein in your daily diet to maintain lean muscle mass, which is so active in this kind of activity, and for post-workout recovery. Our BCAA tablets or liquids are ideal for this!
Finally, watch your micronutrients! Mineral salts and vitamins will help us maintain good cellular hydration and antioxidant levels: in this way we will be able to effectively prevent electrolyte imbalances that lead to muscle cramps or excessive fatigue, and to support all the connective tissue involved in absorbing shocks and impacts, minimising the effect of free radicals, reactive oxygen species and pro-inflammatory molecules.
In a short time padel has become so fashionable that courts have sprung up like mushrooms, sometimes in the most unlikely places: in town centres and on the outskirts, inside gyms or in disused areas redeveloped in record time. Pretty much everyone plays, from sporting beginners to established professionals, from the most famous celebrities to office workers who have never held a racket before, all looking for a healthy hobby, an outlet for everyday stress that, in little time and for a modest outlay, can create a healthy, positive addiction.
From a strictly physiological and performance point of view, the sport of the moment falls into a very specific type of effort. The model is a medium-to-high intensity performance, not excessively long if you consider a single match, with a fluctuating pattern full of very fast, muscular, anaerobic alactic and lactic phases, alternating with moments of complete rest in a stop-and-go fashion.
Beginners should approach this sport not only by studying all the rules of the game, the most suitable equipment or the best playing partners, but also and above all the physical movements involved and the athletic foundations they need to develop in order to enjoy themselves without too much suffering, as well as the best dietary strategies to limit fatigue or at least recover quickly before the next match. First of all, it should be clear that, while the aim of the new activity may rightly be to get into the best possible shape, it should be equally clear that an athletically prepared body has a positive effect on athletic, sporting and physiological movement, in both the short and the long term. It would therefore be wise to focus on basic athletic preparation that includes a good aerobic base, developed perhaps through running, cycling or swimming, carried out regularly and at moderate intensity, on which to then build the specific muscular and biochemical effort. The usual weekly matches should in fact be combined with aerobic activity like the one described above, alternated with sessions on the court and in at least the same amount, so as to benefit both in building fitness and in recovering from the most intense efforts.
Given the specific dynamics of the sport, strength, endurance and muscle elasticity should also be considered; muscle fibres that are not adequately prepared, or not sufficiently rested, can respond with injuries that are painful and difficult to heal in the event of excessive stress, whether repeated or sudden. Paying attention to joint mobility and flexibility exercises, especially for the lower limbs, with particular focus on the knee and ankle joints, but also to the tone of the upper limbs, often prevents otherwise predictable injuries. Like tennis, padel is in fact a high-impact, asymmetric and very demanding sport when played at high intensity. The negative effects can also affect the spine and the joints involved in the specific movements, such as the shoulder and elbow, as well as making it harder to manage the effort from a purely energy point of view.
A body ready for an intense sport is generally a well-nourished body, with a weight within the physiological reference values, which approaches the moment of performance with full energy stores but without being weighed down digestively, as we have already had occasion to stress when talking about other sports. Given the nature of the performance, all energy sources will need to be available to support the body: carbohydrate metabolism will dominate, with extensive use of both complex carbohydrates and more refined, fast and easily depleted sources. Keep ENERGEN® to hand for the most intense moments: an energy gel of medium- and fast-release carbohydrates in a ready-to-use single-serve pack.
It is also because of these carbohydrate energy needs that good training involves getting used to efforts that build up high levels of lactic acid, produced precisely from glycogen and to be cleared quickly: sprints, stops and restarts, jumps and landings are the fundamental part of the game and the most demanding for these metabolic systems.
Of course, take care to include a good amount of protein in your daily diet to maintain lean muscle mass, which is so active in this kind of activity, and for post-workout recovery. Our BCAA tablets or liquids are ideal for this!
Finally, watch your micronutrients! Mineral salts and vitamins will help us maintain good cellular hydration and antioxidant levels: in this way we will be able to effectively prevent electrolyte imbalances that lead to muscle cramps or excessive fatigue, and to support all the connective tissue involved in absorbing shocks and impacts, minimising the effect of free radicals, reactive oxygen species and pro-inflammatory molecules.
