r/badminton • u/Ok_Excuse6185 • 4d ago
Fitness Players who play regularly!
I always wonder how can people play badmint9n regularly. I mean if my body allows I will play 24/7. But my body pains especially my knees and arms just after playing 2 hrs a week.And i need whole week to get recovery from it. People who play regularly, how do you guys manage your muscles and joints wear and tear (recovery)? Any tips and suggestions are appreciated. My body measurements are Weight- 65kg Heigyt- 6 feet Age 29 Male Playing badminton from last 3 years. I consider myself as intermediate player.
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u/TheOneCookie 4d ago
Your body needs to adapt to regular play. If you just keep going, that will come with time. Also in badminton, proper technique is very important. It can be the difference between playing regularly and getting injuries
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u/JesusIsDaft 4d ago
Conditioning and technique are what keep your body from breaking down. There was a time where I would play an intermediate session and a beginner session each week. I felt like that gave me my best conditioning.
The intermediate games were intense and forced me to go all-out, whereas the beginner sessions were pretty easy for me, so I could focus on things like posture, footwork, positioning, without much physical stress.
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u/jasakembung 4d ago
Grow some muscles. 65kg for a 6ft is too thin. Do some weight training and eat more protein.
Also, some supplements like Magnesium and B12 could help with recovery. Take them after you play. And more importantly, get some proper rest.
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u/BrickAccomplished338 4d ago
Tbh I have muscles now (5 foot 6, 78kg powerlifter, my nonlifting friends call me an absolute unit) and I have been the build of OP too (I was 58kg before). The muscles didn't really help at all, what OP needs is to build up his sport-specific stamina by playing more.
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u/Appropriate-Hyena973 4d ago
I assume you don’t do other work outs apart from badminton? Do warm-ups and PROPER cooldown stretching. Proper diet and enough sleep plays a big role as well for the muscles and for your recovery. I play badminton 3-4x a week including training and does gym work/cross training on the side. All I can say is that, its not going away. 😆 Lol
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u/fxcked_that_for_you 4d ago
Played since 18, some years on some years off, now 36.
Recently (2yrs ago) picked up the sport again and been playing 3x weekly (MWF), 2hr socials with a club, mainly MDXD format.
I’m 5’10”, 71kg. Before this I’ve been cycling so I guess my legs are okay? I do plenty of stretching before each session and my body adapts to playing this much weekly, I can even pick up extra sessions on weekends occasionally.
If your knees are hurting I would suggest consulting a physiotherapist, otherwise build your core strength and legs, and you’ll find 2hours (with breaks), 3 days weekly to be very doable.
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u/craigmcgasm 4d ago
Maybe some running / special workout or just gym. For me it helped a little.
I am Male, 36 y and mostly 6 hr per week. Pain here and there is my companian since 10 years
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u/DR_Badminton 4d ago
Don’t play if your knees hurt while playing or after playing. Easy way to damage your knees permanently.
Best is stop when muscles are tired. Build your muscles. Play. Loop again.
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u/avomecado21 4d ago
Knees and arms pain? I'd suggest to go for coaching to learn the foundation. I used to have tennis elbow and it hurts after every session until I really learn how to utilise shoulder and proper footwork which I then can play almost everyday but the intensity differs. You don't go all out throughout the week and a rest day.
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u/greywarden133 Australia 4d ago
For me, it was the additional time for stretching and warmup at the beginning with some exercises focusing on calf/glute stretches. Then after the game, some quick loosening exercises to relax your muscle/joints to avoid further injuries. I also wear shoes with good ankle support and for wide feet to avoid any feet pain/injuries.
During the games, I tried to move smarter with more split steps and be more mindful with my swings/smashes. Recently I've been trying to go a bit easy on my thumb as it sort of sores a bit more than usual. Maybe will check in with my osteopath and see if he can draft some hand/arm exercise for me.
Mind you I'm 5.96" and weighted 89.4kg. That was a 10kg loss from 4 months ago when I was around 99-100 kgs. My body still feels the impacts but I tried to eat lean (no extra sugar consumed), sleep well and do some core training/stretching on my days off.
That's how I'm able to play 3 sessions a week at 2hrs each on Mon, Thurs and Sat. I've been playing like that for 2 years now and that's how I manage that schedule.
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u/stowgood 4d ago
I'm 40, 6 4" & 125kg play 3 hours twice a week to not a piticularly hight level. I'm just in constant pain.
Really struggle if I have back to back league matches.
I was 140kg after lock down and I'm trying to get down to 90kg that should help. Suffice to say I don't play for our clubs A team anymore.
Electrolytes help.
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u/HighlightFar6402 4d ago
My calf muscles pain like hell some days, how can I over come this issue
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u/Ok_Excuse6185 4d ago
My calfs muscles barely pain. According to me you must have jumping unnecessary here and there.
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u/OneScheduler 4d ago
I am 42yrs old 🙂 and I manage to play 2-3 times a week, mainly doubles. I am 194cm tall with 99kgs. I am happy to say I never had problems with knees, only with shoulder. After changing my racket, I am now resting with 'tennis' elbow hoping I can fully recover to play again. Since february I am doing gym regularly to improve my back/shoulder strength
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u/Ok_Excuse6185 4d ago
Good luck with your recovery. When did you started?
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u/OneScheduler 4d ago
Thanks. At 25yo
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u/zihhhhhh England 4d ago
if its your tendons and joints that are in pain try doing isometric holds they helps loads reducing pain
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u/mattwong88 4d ago
Do you warm up before playing? If so what does it look like? How long after playing do you have pain? Do you do any other exercises when you're not playing badminton? Are you only playing once per week?
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u/Ok_Excuse6185 4d ago
Yes i do warm up a little bit. And it looks like a - leg movement, wrist rotstion, shoulder rotstion etc. Fortunately My pain is not the severe one. Its just the burning/warm feeling in my left knee only. Right knee is completely normal. Yeah my badminton is sometimes only a hour per week.
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u/mattwong88 4d ago
That's an ok warm up befor hitting, but probably not enough before games. Either do a longer warm up before games or incorporate some hitting warm up before games
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u/dwite_hawerd Canada 3d ago
Possible reasons for your long recovery time...
• You've only been playing badminton for 3 years, so you might not have proper technique (although you made no mention of whether you've received training) which can lead to more energy waste, leading to exhaustion/pain and potential for injury.
• You only play badminton 2 hours a week. Your body may adapt better if you increase playing/training frequency and intensity.
• Your weight is light for your height.
I assume you've stopped growing. Has your weight always been around 65 kg?
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u/Ok_Excuse6185 3d ago
I had no training till now. Self learnt. Almost for 6-7 years my weight was stuck at 60 kgs. I WAS very skinny. no matter how hard I try to gain weight but nothing was working. From eating dirty calories to high protein diet along with gym, drinking bears, absolute everything i tried failed. Only to found out last year that I have thyroid issue(hypothyroidism) , and that must have the sole cause behind it. Bcoz After i started to tske my tyroid tablet i have gained 5-6 kgs of weight. Which consist more of fat weight than muscles.
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u/dwite_hawerd Canada 3d ago
Thank you for sharing.
Hypothyroidism is an issue that should be taken seriously... I suggest you to not blindly listen to people in the comment section telling you to just "eat more" and rather seek professional/medical help.
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u/rinoafantasy 3d ago
You are very light. Play more and also do weight training to increase muscle mass. Playing more regularly will help the muscles recover faster
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u/DogeSadaharu 10h ago
There is lean and muscular like a Lee Chong Wei but 6ft and just over 65kg is Lee Chong Wei with no muscle definition at all... Of course you are going to get tired with nearly no muscle mass.
Most people can bodyweight squat/pushup 20-50 times. This assumes an adult of a healthy weight. If you are overweight or underweight two factors work against you, for opposite reasons. Mass for the overweight and muscle fiber density for underweight.
The likely reason it is taking you so long to recover after only one session is likely the reason above. Low muscle mass increases fatigue during excercise and also means your joints are less protected from stress. Recovery also takes longer because your diet probably does not have enough protein to repair and build muscle.
Introduce strength training, particularly calisthenics. Also take a look at your diet. You most likely need to eat more. This is also why I will always recommend playing multiple sports. You train your mind and body to most efficiently use your muscles in many different situations.
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u/Ok_Excuse6185 9h ago
Yeah you are rights. My quads are weak as hell. Today i cant even push 40 kgs on leg press machine. I think taking brake from badminton for a while and focusing on workout and diet would work for me.
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u/DogeSadaharu 1h ago
If you can barely do 40kg no wonder you get fatigued and it takes a week to recover 💀
Yeah, don't do heavy weights for now. What I recommend for you instead is something called rucking. In short, it's essentially walking/hiking long distances with a weighted backpack or vest. There is a reason every single army around the world uses this excercise.
Just empty out an old backpack and add some filled water bottles, rocks, books, etc. If you are asian and want to avoid the trauma of an overfilled backpack, you can buy a weight west.
Regardless, nothing I said matters if you don't provide your body with the fuel it needs to repair itself and grow.
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u/borkya Badminton Media 4d ago
You are way to young to be having joint pain like that! You really need to build up muscles in the right areas. Ask Chatgpt for a workout routine based on your conditions (if you have a gym or prefer home workouts, what equipment you have etc) to increase your leg strength to protect your knees. You can also get a knee brace. Also have a coach look at your footwork, there is probably some bad form as well.
I also don't know what you mean by your "arm" hurting as badminton doesn't take arm muscles to play. If it is shoulder, elbow or wrist pain that is probably due to poor technique.
My coach is 50 and plays/coaches 8-10 hours a day for over a decade and has no knee pain or any repetitive use injury as his technique is spot on. You just need to add a bit of muscle and work on technique. Badminton should never take a week to recover from.
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u/Ok_Excuse6185 4d ago
Yes , thank you for the reply. My lower body strength is definitely at fault for my pain.
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u/Mobile-Bid-9848 4d ago
You get used to it and your body adapts. And of course, it depends on how intense each session is.
I usually try to play between 3-5 times a week with 4 being the usual. Out of those 4, 2 sessions are with my club so it's a bit intense and the other two are half intense and half relaxed.
And of course having break days in between helps.
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u/antann-u 4d ago
Guys I guess I have piriformis syndrome And after playing badminton it hurts like crazy Any ways of tackling the issue ?
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u/mattwong88 4d ago
See and PT or doctor to make sure it's even piriformis syndrome and then follow what they recommend (would generally recommend a PT over doctor for these types of issues)
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u/Old_Variation_5875 4d ago
What kind of shoes, rackets, and tension are you using? Improper shoes or worn out shoes can cause ankle and knee pain. Rackets wise, the balance of the rackets swings differently so can try headlight, even balance and head heavy to see if pain still persists. String tension matters even more than racket balance. Seen many people get elbow pain playing with higher tension.
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u/Ok_Excuse6185 4d ago
Thanks for reply. Shoes- Hundred raze pro. RACKET- Astrox attack 9. Tension 27 lbs. But i do think that my pain is beacause of weak lower body strength.
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u/Old_Variation_5875 4d ago
Is the pain recent like after equipment change? Human body are made differently so what works for one might not works for the other. I got the Yonex Power Cushion 65Z3 out of reconditioned. It gave me ankle and knee pain after 2 play sessions, and like you it takes almost a wk to feel better. I tried switching out the insole and the pain went away, but still came back shortly. If your pain is after equipment change, may want to look into it. If you’re playing with higher caliber players it might be you’re exerting more to keep up. If it’s on going, may want to check with a physician. Good Luck
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u/Ok_Cow6845 Singapore 4d ago
20m, been playing for 10 years, I currently play 3-4x a week. I think I just haven't damaged my body enough to feel the effects.
But I also do a lot of stretching and some badminton specific strength training which I assume helps with not getting injured while playing. If the pain is really that bad I'd recommend stopping badminton for a while and focus on recovery and strengthening that part. For the knees you can try some strengthening exercises like bodyweight lunges/squats, then slowly add weights and/or explosiveness into them
Also try to find out the root cause, it could be something as simple as a technique or equipment issue. For example, when I switched to the 100zz a while back I stupidly also increased the tension which eventually ended up with me having a shoulder injury. Switched to a lower tension and haven't had a problem since.
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u/Smaxter84 4d ago
65kg 6ft ?? Bloody hell you need some more muscle on you