There are so many forms of exercise that make for a great weight loss workout but few can target all muscle groups at once.
One sport that beats an intense gym workout on this front is something everyone can try with just three things – a racket, a ball and a partner.
Tennis is seen as an excellent way to develop key elements of overall fitness including cardio, speed, agility and balance and can easily burn up to 775 calories in just an hour’s play on the court.
Studies show that for a competitive singles tennis game, the average person burns between 575 to 775 calories per hour, and even non-competitive play will still see you waving goodbye to 350-500 calories in an hour.
Speaking previously to Express.co.uk, Tim Benjamin, head of content at fitness app WithU, explained how tennis brings many other physical benefits like boosting aerobic capabilities.
He explained: “Similar to the benefits that come with HIIT workouts, the short, sharp, movements that are used to move around the tennis court are a great way for improving your cardio and lung capacity.”
What’s more, Tim claimed that while the sport trains your muscles to work better together, flexibility is also vital for both helping with movement and preventing injury.
The WithU expert added: “Flexibility helps performance in a variety of ways, such as by improving posture, preventing incorrect body alignment, and improving your balance.”
The benefits of tennis don’t stop there either as the sport is also a brilliant way to get more flexible. When serving the ball, you have to stretch and bend your body to hit it well.
Tim said: “The benefits of improving your range of motion can be felt off the court too.”
Other sports like running can also get better if you can move your body more, so it’s good to work on this.
Reduced reaction times are another key benefit that’s, not only important for tennis, but for everyday scenarios too.
Tim warned: “Whilst reducing your reaction times might seem insignificant, it can have big ramifications.”
If you get faster at reacting because of tennis, you’ll have more time to deal with things happening around you.
He added: “In a game of tennis this can be how the ball bounces, but the same principles apply to a variety of sports and activities.”
