Does doing pushups have any advantage on playing?

[GregorTT425]

I'm curious if the pushup has any advantage or disadvantage on the playing. Will my hits be faster and stronger? Will I move faster or slower? Anything you have information about.

Apart from that, I'm curious what exercies should I consider to do to develop my physical strength might come in handy while playing. Endurance, stamina, etc...

Thanks.

 

[turbozed]

Given that pectorals and triceps provide almost zero power in hitting, and doesn't help your mobility either, then I'd say the answer is a resounding NO.

Strength: Heavy compound movements like squat, deadlift, rows, presses, etc.
Stamina: Zone 2 training with the cardio of your choice. Probably best to choose one that's easier on the knees (e.g. cycling instead of jogging). Wall sits are helpful for knee bending endurance.
Mobility: TT specific footwork exercises (2 points, Falkenberg, step-around, cross-step); foot and ankle strength/mobility exercises (this is important because the feet are often the weak link)

 

[igorponger]

MMA gloves (truncated fingers) will do best.

 

[Kuba Hajto]

I'm curious if the pushup has any advantage or disadvantage on the playing. Will my hits be faster and stronger? Will I move faster or slower? Anything you have information about.

Apart from that, I'm curious what exercies should I consider to do to develop my physical strength might come in handy while playing. Endurance, stamina, etc...

Thanks.

According to my personal trainer:
- Various planks, including bear blank and bear walking.
- Sitting down and standing up without using hands in various ways (core + legs)
- boxing (using proper technique)

 

[Kuba Hajto]

I was taught that if you base your power in your arms, you are doing this wrong. Ofc professional athletes do train arms as well. But if we are talking about us mere mortals, learning power transfer from legs and core and focusing on that usually yields better results.

 

[Joo Se Kev]

Push-ups would fall under the "general prep" category of exercises for table tennis. So, no, they won't help you "move faster or slower" or hit "faster or stronger" in a direct, 1:1 way. BUT...that doesn't mean they're not valuable!

TT players need to dedicate a significant portion of their physical training towards developing a base of athleticism that can then be "tuned" by more specialized and "sport specific" prep.

If you just train the exact muscles you use in table tennis, especially by simulating strokes with added load, you're filling a bucket that is already almost full (your TT practice sessions are providing that stimulus already).

Train the full body for strength and resilience so you can even out muscle imbalances and introduce movement variety.

This will reduce your chances injury and will allow you to tap into greater total power as you refine your technique!

BTW, I recently put out a 6 part series on which type of exercises table tennis players should focus on if you want a quick overview with visuals. They're IG reels so each vid is <60s.

 

[blahness]

Imo split squats and lunges are highly underrated in table tennis to really develop very good strength in the legs. The FH preparation position is a lunge, and we also receive short balls in a lunge position - so the direct applications are quite numerous.

For FH I think chest flies are the most similar exercise to the movement.

 

[Attitude]

Pushups train mostly your chest and triceps. While both muscles do play a role in tt-movements, they are not that significant. For example the only movement in which you COULD really activate your chest, would be more forward motions like a topspin, volley, or flat forward hits.
But then again, if you stand correctly (hips lower, knees bend and you upper body bend forward) the muscletension shifts more towards your shoulders either way.

So overall pushups can help you with upper body stability but wont help you getting faster or hitting harder.

Simple proof here is, that most bodily well developed players(usually good to observe with Hugo calderano, or Dima, who changes their shirts frequently in between sets) pack decent muscles at their shoulders, arms, abs and back (leaving the lower body out of the perspective), while their chest usually looks a bit underdeveloped from the point of view of a bodybuilder.

 

[igorponger]

muscularity is the best dress for man, muscularity renders women raptured, much like bloody fever . Sweaty man always smells fine.

 

[SFF_lib]

I'm curious if the pushup has any advantage or disadvantage on the playing. Will my hits be faster and stronger? Will I move faster or slower? Anything you have information about.

Apart from that, I'm curious what exercies should I consider to do to develop my physical strength might come in handy while playing. Endurance, stamina, etc...

Thanks.

You need a pair of well trained legs. Hamstrings, Quads, Glutes, calves must be trained equally. Speaking from many episodes of injuries, leg workout is paramount for performance and injury prevention.

The second most important is front and rear core.

 

[folie]

I believe that while you should train in endurance and mobility specifically for the task at hand (TT here), you should focus on muscle symmetry. That will prevent a lot of unnecessary strain and injuries in daily life as well as when you practice sports.
So don't ignore upper body training just because TT doesn't use it as much.

 

[Gozo Aruna]

I'm curious if the pushup has any advantage or disadvantage on the playing. Will my hits be faster and stronger? Will I move faster or slower? Anything you have information about.

Apart from that, I'm curious what exercies should I consider to do to develop my physical strength might come in handy while playing. Endurance, stamina, etc...

Thanks.

Shikko!

Build strong powar legs.
Build also stable stance.

Good powar, good duraibo!
Good stance, good duraibo!

Legs, strong legs, I shed me tears of joy & happiness.

 

[JeffM]

Squats with weights are great, especially if one has weakness previously due to some injuries.

Cardio to improve stamina.

 

[Jslick89]

I believe TT players should build their work out regime around these main pillars:

CORE- this should include; side planks, single arm farmers carries, bird dogs, resistance band training, and any other pertinent ISOMETRIC exercise for the core.

LEGS- squats, split squats (a** to ground), calf raises (multiple variations), hamstring work, single leg RDLs, and most importantly, PISTOL SQUATS (these take a while to work out to, but if you are interested, i can provide you with a resource that has the progressions needed to be able to do so....in 2 months you should be able to pistol squat assuming you are within a healthy body weight and otherwise do not have any other injuries). I say pistol squats are the most important because they require strength, balance, and mobility...key tenants to success in TT.

Agility and stamina- the best way to improve this is movement drills IMO because it is the most similar to playing actual TT. if you have a robot you can actually practice this while actually hitting balls. even if you don't, you can still shadow your movement drills. Ti-long has some helpful videos on his youtube channel. wind sprints and cone drills are also helpful.

MOBILITY- there are so many different mobility exercises. think of these as similar to and inclusive of yoga type movements but not limited to simply yoga movements. Look at some of the mobility exercises that soccer players do when they are warming up for a game. hip openers on a mat with a kettlebell. leg swings. knees to chest. there's hundreds of these. does a certain part of your body feel stiff or immobile? google a mobility exercise that focuses on that part and start adding it to your weekly routine.

finally, i did want to say that i believe pushups are beneficial for TT players because they strengthen both your forearm and your wrists. As others have mentioned, stronger body parts will fortify you against injuries. Take your push ups to the next level by making them burpees. This is both a strengthening and aerobic exercise. Very good for TT players!

 

[Draycott old man]

I think it depends on how seriously you are taking your training and how much your body can take??? What makes Table tennis so amazing is you can be like me very unfit and still give fit young players a run for the money!!!! I believe technic is far more important than fitness!!! At a lower level!!! It's a good job as I'll never be fit again!!! But I have years of experience which is priceless!!!!

 

[latej]

I don't do other sports apart from TT nowadays (maybe some snowboarding in winter). Of all things, I personally feel I both need the most and at the same time also neglect the most, is the stretching after the training.

 

[Jslick89]

I think it depends on how seriously you are taking your training and how much your body can take??? What makes Table tennis so amazing is you can be like me very unfit and still give fit young players a run for the money!!!! I believe technic is far more important than fitness!!! At a lower level!!! It's a good job as I'll never be fit again!!! But I have years of experience which is priceless!!!!

technique is more important than fitness at becoming a better at table tennis, and yes, there are "unfit" players who will beat even the most fit of players, but that doesn't mean that those unfit players would not improve their own game if they became more fit.

As humans in general, we should always strive to improve our overall fitness, not just to be a better table tennis player.

 

[Comodoensis]

I'm curious if the pushup has any advantage or disadvantage on the playing. Will my hits be faster and stronger? Will I move faster or slower? Anything you have information about.

Apart from that, I'm curious what exercies should I consider to do to develop my physical strength might come in handy while playing. Endurance, stamina, etc...

Thanks.

Push-ups, and any form of physical training (bodyweight-based, or weight-lifting, both are fine) definitely bring benefits, as long as it's being done the right way

Focus on repetitions (affects stamina, endurance) and explosiveness (affects speed and reflexes). Also, make sure not using too heavy weights while doing any form of weightlifting trainings. It results in reduced explosiveness/speed/reaction.

 

[Der_Echte]

Pushups train mostly your chest and triceps. While both muscles do play a role in tt-movements, they are not that significant....

Hi Attitude,

I can see where you would be inclined to believe like this.

For the majority of shots, this may be so.

When faced with a low energy ball to your BH, where the shot you want to do depends on fast twitch lower arm movement, the inner part of triceps is VERY important here, the main force accelerating the lower arm.

This is the BH "Punch" or "Hit" that is a right handy shot to have... at amateur levels, we get a couple of these balls a little high to our BH every game. Being able to finish those high percentage adds a level or two to your game.

I think that is significant and why a good strength in triceps is a good idea.

Another aspect is for older players... we are not fit enough to step around the BH to play 6 FH shots each rally match after match... having a BH finishing shot (because of a good triceps) is a damn good combat multiplier in my book.

 

[Der_Echte]

@GregorTT425

I just explained some good reasons why good triceps strength is a good thing.

Many members have given good information, especially those who articulated the ecercise/training things that develop core strength/endurance that helps movement, stance, and leverage.