Extend practice by 15 minutes for nutritional repair of muscles

by Robert Portman, Ph.D., and Mark Kovacs, Ph.D., USPTA

Serious tennis players and coaches plan out every practice in great detail. The session usually has specific goals and measuring sticks to evaluate overall progress. So it will probably come as a surprise to many coaches and players that a number of the major improvements in training actually start when players stop hitting tennis balls. To better understand why, let's first look at the state of muscles immediately after a hard practice.

Tennis practice or competition causes muscle damage. But exercise-induced muscle damage actually increases after exercise as a result of free radical formation and inflammation. There is also an increase in cortisol, a hormone responsible for breaking down muscle proteins for fuel. Finally, muscle energy stores are depleted and the athlete is at least somewhat dehydrated. All of these physiological consequences of hard exercise can and must be addressed with nutrition. Failure to take aggressive nutritional measures during this time can negatively impact tennis performance in the next practice up to 16 hours later. That's why the 15 minutes after a practice or match form the most important nutritional interval of the day.


Immediately following tennis practice or competition, the metabolic machinery responsible for repairing muscle damage and replenishing muscle energy stores goes into a heightened state of activation. This is referred to as the "metabolic window of opportunity." It seems logical that after strenuous exercise the normal response of your body is to restore and replenish and, in fact, that is what the research shows. When the right combination of nutrients is provided, while the metabolic window is open, the muscles become ultra-efficient in terms of repairing muscle and replenishing energy stores. However, this heightened state of activation does not last very long.

If you wait, you lose. Post-recovery nutrition has to be consumed immediately after your workout (ideally within the first 15 minutes) to deliver the maximum impact. Studies have shown that if an athlete waits two or three hours there is almost no benefit.

Ideal recovery nutrition
Minimally, tennis players should consume a beverage containing carbohydrate and electrolytes, such as a sports drink, following a practice or match. Studies have shown that this combination can impact post-exercise recovery. However, the latest research shows that when protein is added to a carbohydrate-electrolyte mixture there are significant additional benefits.

For example, researchers from the University of Texas and Montana State have published studies showing that a carbohydrate-protein sports drink (80 percent carbohydrate, 20 percent protein), in contrast to a carbohydrate-only sports drink, improved every measurement of muscle recovery, resulting in less muscle damage, better replenishment of muscle energy stores, faster rebuilding of muscle protein, and even superior rehydration. It is therefore not surprising that the carbohydrate-protein drink has also been shown to improve endurance performance in a subsequent workout up to 16 hours later.

The bottom line is that by extending your practice 15 minutes to include post-exercise nutrition, you will see dramatic results almost immediately.

Robert Portman, Ph.D., a well-known sports science researcher, is co-author of "Nutrient Timing" and "Hardwired for Fitness."
Mark Kovacs, Ph.D., USPTA, oversees the Sport Science Division for USTA Player Development Inc. and is also involved in the International Tennis Performance Association, a leading tennis-specific education organization focused on improving performance and reducing injuries in tennis athletes at every level.