In my experience one of the most underrated aspects of improving at racquetball is physical training. In a sport where endurance, physical strength and focus are all factors, it is very important to take your performance abilities seriously. First we will cover some general guidelines for training.

Stay away from isolation exercises

In general, you will want to avoid isolation exercise. There are some exceptions to this rule, but heavy compound lifts should be the majority of your workout as an athlete. Not only is this good for your performance, but it is very important for your health. When heavily exerting yourself in a sport like racquetball you want your muscle groups to be as balanced as possible to prevent injury.

The PPL Workout

My Recommended workout plan is a PPL or Push Pull Legs routine. This workout routine is used for strength and bodybuilding. This routine is optimal because it can be tailored to fit different schedules, works all of the muscle groups and allows for plenty of recovery time.

This workout is particularly good for athletes. The workouts involve the body muscle groups as a functional unit which is optimal for performance.

This is a basic 3 day routine that I currently practice because it fits into my busy schedule. IF you feel you can do more, or you are able to fit more work in and feel comfortable with it, then try going for a 4th or even 5th day. I personally don’t recommend doing 6 days. I recommend Resting completely 2 days simultaneously per week.

3 Day PPL Routine

Monday – Push – Flat Barbell Bench Press – 4 sets of 6 Reps

– Overhead Press – 3 sets of 6 Reps

– Dumbbell Lateral Raise – 2 Sets of 8-10 Reps

– hanging leg raises – 3 sets each set go just up until failure

– Cable Crunch (alternate for hanging leg raises) – 3 Sets of 8-10 Reps

Wednesday – Pull – Straight Leg Dead lift or Sumo Dead lift – 4 Sets of 6 Reps

– Barbell Row – 4 Sets of 6 Reps

– Weighted Pull ups – 4 sets of 6 Reps

– Barbell curl – 3 Sets of 8 Reps

Friday – Legs – Barbell Back Squat – 4 sets of 6 Reps

– Dumbbell Lunges – 3 sets of 6 Reps

– Standing Calf Raise – 3 sets of 10 Reps

4 Days is still good for the schedule while also allowing for an extra day to pick up the slack where you may be lacking in the lower or upper body. If you are not lacking in a particular area than 5 days may be right for you. If you can’t get to the gym 5 days a week than you can simply alternate your focus weeks. For example I may do upper body focused weeks for 2 weeks and start off the week with a push day and end the week on Friday with a push day. I would then begin my lower body focus weeks by starting off with a pull day and ending on legs Friday.

4 Day PPL Routine

Upper Body Focused Lower Body Focused

Monday – Push day Monday – Push Day

Tuesday – Pull day Tuesday – Legs

Thursday – Legs Thursday – Pull Day

Friday – Pull Or Push Friday – Legs

5 Day PPL Routine

5 Days is what I would preferably do myself if I could. 5 days allows for maximum results for strength and size. I will give 3 Examples of the 5 day split. One for upper body focus, one for lower body focus. You can also interchange your rest days with any other day of the week. I recommend you take 2 days simultaneously, but if you feel comfortable, or your schedule calls for it, than go ahead and take days off apart.

5 Day PPL

Upper Body Focus Lower Body Focus

Monday – Push day Monday – Legs

Tuesday – Pull day Tuesday – Push Day

Wednesday – Legs Wednesday – Pull day

Thursday – Push day Thursday – Legs

Friday – Pull day Friday – Push day

Running

Running at least a few miles a week makes a huge difference in your cardiovascular stamina. I recommend staying off of treadmills and other assisted cardio machines. The reason for this is they are in fact assisted. For example, a treadmill moves the ground beneath you for you, rather than you having to literally push your body with your feet/legs. Instead you end up with a light cardio workout where you are essentially lifting your legs up and down. I Recommend running around 2-3 times per week. You should build up to a comfortable distance and intensity. Start off with a steady pace just faster than jogging. When you become tired, go ahead and walk until you feel you can run again. Avoid jogging as much as possible to avoid knee aches and injury. Simply Walking is also great cardio if you don’t feel comfortable running yet.

Supplementation

Supplements can be costly and seem unnecessary. The truth is that they are not necessary, but they can be a huge help. With a busy schedule it can be a huge pain to eat self cooked, healthy and timely meals. These are some the supplements I used to make sure I stay as healthy as possible as conveniently as possible.

Protein Powder

quality protein powder is a very easy way to get a good percentage of your protein down for the day in a simple shake you can take on the go. Not only are these drinks extremely convenient, but they are a very good quality protein which can be difficult to obtain through regular diet alone.

Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard 100% Whey Protein Powder

Optimum Nutrition is a trusted brand throughout the fitness community for its no nonsense, quality ingredient approach to crafting supplements. This protein powder has very low sugar per serving with only 1 gram per scoop. Whey isolate is the primary protein source with 5.5 grams of branch chain amino acids for optimal muscle growth and 24 flavors to choose from. Click here to get yours http://amzn.to/2hLVCnI

Fish and Krill Oils

There is a huge misconception that fats are bad for us. While this is partially true that in excess things like saturated fats (particularly when combined with processed carbohydrates) are bad, healthy fats are essential for the body. Even through a normal healthy diet many of us struggle to get the amount of fatty acids that we should be. Fish oil and krill oil in particular are highly recommended to ensure your fatty acid intake. These fatty acids have a staggering number of health benefits, but for performance these oils are particularly important for your joint health.

Kiva Omega-3 fish oil is made using wild caught, sustainable fish. This oil has been IFOS 5-Star certified for purity, potency, and freshness. Kiva Triple Strength Omega-3 fish oil contains 2,000 mg Fish Oil with 1,400 mg Omega-3 Fatty Acids (800 mg EPA, 600 mg DHA) per serving to support a healthy heart, brain, joint and immune system.

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