In the traditional gaming world, we run, jump, sprint, grab and do a lot more physical activities, which results as physical fitness benefits for the players. Esports, is however a totally different world compared to most traditional professional sports. And while most of the action in eSports takes place in a digital form engaging reflexes, fitness is becoming a serious concern for professional players. Unlike the common stereotype of “sitting on a couch all day eating candy bars and gaming” most eSports players are now looking out for new ways to stay fit and in form while pursuing their passion for online gaming.

It’s quite common for the global professional eSports players to practice between 12 and 14 hours per day, which leaves very little time for a healthy meal and good night’s sleep. The busy lifestyle and constant sitting habits may even lead top-tier players to suffer serious injuries.

The most common reason behind the increasing demand of physical fitness activities among the digital players is the lack of physical activities, but the long hours of gaming have also been found to be detrimental to an esports player’s mental and physical health. In order to ensure the physical and mental fitness of the players for better gaming experiences, the legendary esports teams like Fnatic and Team Vitality are implementing physical training and nutritional advice to improve cognitive functions and faster reaction times.

Most professional players across the world that are competing at the highest level have already understood the importance of a healthy body for a healthy mind to achieve better gaming results, flowing which they’re already exercising and doing things to lead a healthy lifestyle. Experts claim that the eSports industry is expected to grow in the future and will reach a value of $1.65 billion by 2020. Integrating the physical fitness strategies in the real-life is essential as it will really improve the quality of practice the players have and also their mindset as a whole.

Esports Injuries Are on the Rise

It may come as a surprise to many as eSports involves sitting and playing on the digital setup. Not just the athletes suffer from injuries and face health risks, the professional eSports players are also subject to deal with various kinds of injuries the same way athletes of any other sport do.

Despite the lack of athletic activity, gaming for hours on end takes a toll on the body and mind.

“Lee Flash,” the Young Ho underwent surgery in 2011 to repair his tendonitis. Another professional player, Clinton “Fear” Loomis, was benched by tennis elbow in 2014. The physicians also confirm that continual rapid movements over prolonged periods of time can cause inflammation.

The career of the professional esports players is incredibly short-lived, which means they play as many as games they can with the intense force of fingers. The overuse of hands can quickly lead to carpal tunnel syndrome. The condition is caused due to the intense pressure on a nerve in a wrist that can lead to numbness in the fingers. There’s medication process available to help deal with this situation, but can sometimes require surgery to alleviate the often painful symptoms.

Many players go through the great deal of wrist pain issues, which leads to end of their gaming career and depression. This highlights how the mental disorders can also play a big part in a gamer’s overall health condition, especially as most players enter the professional gaming world during the young adulthood.

Physicians recommend not to play through the pain as it will likely aggravate the injury. If left untreated, any kind of injury gets bad enough that you take notice, it clearly needs to be attended to. Just like the physical injury can cause trouble to traditional sports athletes, esports injuries are also subjected to reduce the performance levels of esports players as well.

Here are some of the most common types of esports injuries:

Low back pain: Constant sitting and less physical activities may result to the tingling or numbness in the buttocks, due to the less blood flow. Also players may feel the numbness in feet or legs. This kind of pain only increases when you are sitting for long periods.

Wrist pain: Esports players use their fingers a lot while playing the games, which results in numbness in the fingertips or hands. It results in weakness in the strength of your grip and also results in wrist pain.

Upper back pain: Upper back pain is another common symptom of eSports gaming physical problems. The symptoms of upper back problems may include general aching or tightness at the base of their neck or shoulders.

Collapsed lungs: The leading cause of collapsed lungs is poor posture and inactive lifestyle of the professional esports players. Those suffering from lungs problems often feel pain in the chest, shoulders, or back and difficulty breathing. Other reasons that lead to the problem may include unhealthy diet and bad breathing techniques, often observed in these athletes.

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: This is the most common injury among the professional esports players, if not all esport athletes, possibly resulting in ending their careers. Early symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome include the numbness and tingling but, as time passes use of the hand becomes more and more difficult. The prime cause for this problem is the continuous sitting and the intense repetitive movement of the fingers and hand causes swelling. Your fingers are put under immense pressure, especially the median nerve found in the carpal tunnel, which will carry information from the hand to the brain and vice versa.

Being a relatively new kind of sport, most physicians are working with these athletes and still studying the potential health problems of esports to help them stay away from the potential health issues they may deal with while playing. Physicians believe that long-term problems have only begun manifesting themselves on more seasoned players.

Importance of Physical Fitness for Esports Athletes

Exercise produces countless physical adaptations, allowing esports players to keep their muscles working and in proper conditions while they sit on the chairs whole day. Physical fitness can result a great support to players reach a higher level—both physically and mentally.

Improved mental and physical endurance helps players develop increased energy levels. As the players incorporate exercise into the daily routine, the cells in our body that contain mitochondria will increase due to increased demand on the body. The energy is not just felt in our muscles but also our brains as well. The increased energy level gives the players the added advantage they need during tournament to raise the bar both physically and mentally for an extended period of time.

Another major adaption for esports players is improved ability to combat stress. Although the exercise is its own version of stress on the body, but thinking about it positively and using it in the right doses allows players to improve their ability to handle the emotional stresses of gameplay.

Esports vs. Physical Health

This may sound obvious to you, but not every player integrates the strategy to ensure a healthy mind to enjoy the better gaming experience. Recently, a professional player, Hai Lam, currently of FlyQuest, went through a public struggle with his wrists while trying to maintain the mechanical rigors. He suffered from depression, which is also confirmed by the Cloud9’s Ray during the 2017 Summer Split.

Taylor Johnson, an eSports gaming expert, is dedicated at influencing all parts of a player’s development. He says that the players of professional eSports teams follow a strict schedule, working with coaches and team staff for practice. Also these experts follow strict eating and sleeping schedule that best allow them to deal with depression.

Their training is physical, including workout routines and ergonomics. The whole idea of the physical training is not only to keep players prepared for the big game, but ensure that they can show up to the tournament after that. The prime objective of the physical fitness training is to enhance the overall performance, health and wellness, of the players while reducing the risk of injury and extending game longevity.

How do Esports Players Train?

Esports, although seems a great job, but is more challenging than any other sitting job available out there. Being a professional esports player can be a challenging career, especially for those who are not familiar with physical health and fitness methods.

However, the most common challenge players face is that they need to put a lot of efforts in the initial stages for practice as there’s nothing better than practicing your esports skills. However, the regular sitting results in various health issues and you don not want to run the risk of overdoing it. The best way to deal with the issues you may face while enjoying your career as a professional player is to set up a training scenario that incorporates the average length of an esports match.

Professional players suggest the new joiners to get involved with the regular workout routine and drink plenty of water to enjoy better and safer gaming experience. A five-day workout will give your body the required flexibility that you need to lead the game.

Small healthy meals throughout the day rather than just one large meal will add to your nutritional needs as you play. It is suggested to avoid eating junk food, but replace it with the healthy fruits or salads as you don’t want to have a bunch of fats down there on your belly.

And an evening walk or running routine will be a great support to keep your lower back, upper back, legs and hands flexible. Breaking a sweat even sharpens the skills needed to compete. it gives you the required energy you’d need to compete harder.

Focused Diet

Along with the fitness workouts to maintain the blood flow and required flexibility to your body parts for better gamin, ensuring better diet plan also results in improved performance and mental conditions. There are hundreds of different diets eSports athletes can try, and nutritionists with all different kinds of ideas.

Experts recommend that esports players must have around 2,500 calories a day, with smaller males and most female players requiring around 2,000 calories a day.

For better health and mental conditions, it is advised to:

Cut down on salt, sugar and saturated fat

Eat five portions of fruit and vegetables per day

Choose wholegrain where possible

Drink plenty of fluids, especially water & juices

Eat some beans, pulses, fish, eggs, meat and other protein-rich foods

Have some dairy or dairy alternatives

Include some wholegrain, low-sugar cereal to your breakfast

For some effective results, it’s suggested to consult with a professional dietitian or nutritionist and as them to build a plan specifically suited to you.

Conclusion:

Esports is a growing industry and is likely to double in the coming few years. In order to maintain the better mental conditions for improved concentration and quick decisions, it is suggested to stay fit with some changes to your daily routine and keep taking small breaks while you play as sitting for long time may result in severe health conditions like back or neck pain.

Indulge in some fitness workout routine and add a pinch of healthy diet to your daily eating habits. Together, it will give a boost to your health conditions, resulting in better mental state.

Professional eSports players must start their day with 30 minutes of treadmill walk, then do a healthy mix of dumbbell curls, chest presses, smith machine shoulder presses, and leg presses. Some muscle stretching and jumping will be an added benefit. Professional players are already opting the healthy habits, and if you are not one of those, then it’s the right time to make some changes in your daily routine and make it a bit healthy.

It will give a boost to your physical fitness and enhance your mental state for better performance with improved concentration and ability to take better, quicker decisions.