Tennis is a high-impact activity that uses the body's anaerobic energy system. Based on the high-intensity, start-and-stop nature of the game, tennis affects your body in several positive ways, but can cause some stresses, too. Depending on whether you play singles or doubles, on clay or hard court, or play or practice, tennis will affect your body's physiology differently. Consider adding tennis to your fitness regimen to burn more calories and improve your ability to recover after strenuous bursts of activity.
Heart and Lungs
Tennis is an anaerobic sport, depending on how hard you play. Your can raise your metabolism to 100 percent of your maximum heart rate during a point, then train your cardiorespiratory to recover as you take a break between points. Seniors who play a slower game of doubles might not seem to be working as hard as professional athletes, but if they raise their heart rates to 80 to 90 percent of their maximum, the game becomes anaerobic. Depending on your starting condition, you can build heart and lung capacity and improve cardio stamina, or your ability to work over time.
Muscles and Bones
Playing tennis requires you to use almost all of your body's muscles. It calls upon your muscles' fast-twitch, or phasic, fibers, Dr. Jack Groppel explains on the ADDvantage website. Because practices and matches last anywhere from 30 minutes to several hours, tennis helps you build and maintain muscular endurance. As a weight-bearing activity, tennis helps build bone density and reduces your risk for osteoporosis. Like other physical activity, tennis shortens your muscles, so it's a good idea to do a good stretch after a workout or game.
Joints, Ligaments and Tendons
Because you leave the ground with both feet during ground strokes, serves, volleys and overheads, tennis is a high-impact activity. Not only does your entire body weight land on your feet, but due to gravity, the effect is even greater. The repetitive pounding your body takes on a tennis court can stress your knees and other joints, causing degradation and soreness. Repeated arm and leg movements can also cause repetitive-stress injuries. Areas most frequently affected include the knees, shoulder, elbow and wrist.
Weight Loss
Tennis points can last only a few seconds, with a 30-second point considered a long rally. Despite this, you burn more calories playing singles tennis than doing a hard aerobic workout for the same amount of time. An hour of singles burns 584 calories in a 160-lb. person, MayoClinic.com calculates, while high-impact aerobics burns 511 calories. Tennis also keeps your body's metabolism higher, longer, creating a longer "after-burn" of calories.
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