Is Ping Pong Good Exercise for me?
Probably the primary question everybody asks when deciding to play table tennis for the first time.
Well, if you are looking for a fun experience that has more benefits than any other exercise, is suitable to play by all ages and abilities, and can be played even in the house.
The answer to the question is ping pong good exercise is a resounding yes.
Ping Pong, or as professional players call it, Table Tennis, is what you need to keep yourself motivated, sharp, and healthy at the same time.
Because of all these unique features that target your physical and mental health, people in more than 200 counties are now playing ping pong.
They even have ping pong tables in their schools, clubs, health centers, and workplaces.
So, if you want to learn more facts about this amazing sport, stay tuned till the end.
How to Start Playing Ping Pong?
Before I get into benefits and other important table tennis information, you must know how to play it properly.
One of the best facts about ping pong is that there is no need to buy any special or expensive equipment to start playing it.
It’s estimated that almost 1 million people play with ping pong tables in outdoor locations like parks or train stations. So all you need to start this game is a racket, a ball, and a friend to play with.
Before starting the game, make sure to stretch your body correctly.
Ping pong is a very safe sport with a low injury rate, but warming up to increase flexibility and range of motion before the game is highly recommended.
Basic Ping Pong Rules
After warming up, there are a few rules and setups similar to regular table tennis you should know:
- Any player who reaches 11 points wins the match.
- Players can win a point when their opponent fails to hit the ball over the net and back to their side of the table.
- If both players get 10 points, the winner is the first to reach a lead of 2 points. The game winner is the one who wins 2 out of 3 matches.
What Are the Health Benefits of Playing Ping Pong?
Playing ping pong is easy to follow and well suited for all ages. It doesn’t matter if you are 50 or 15, have disabilities or not, or are fit or overweight. You can still play ping pong and have fun.
Joint Health
Since it’s a joint-friendly game, all the older people can share a great time with others playing it.
Muscle Development
In addition, playing ping pong requires arm strength for hitting and directing the ball, legs for dashing between the corners of the table, and core muscles for keeping yourself balanced. It’s a great way to get fit and tone up muscles.
Depending on the speed and level of your play, you can work out your thighs, shoulders, and calves. It’s even possible for you to burn an efficient amount of calories if you do it daily.
Heart Health
The more you play, it’s more probable for you to find the game more able to raise your heart rate and improve your blood circulation. As a result, it can reduce or prevent developing cardiovascular diseases like stroke. In addition, it may also have a positive effect on your cholesterol levels or blood pressure too.
Better Reflexes
One of the best ways to improve reflexes is by playing an intense game of ping pong. When playing table tennis like an actual match, professional players have to be fast to get points and win the game.
Increased Focus
Along with these, they also have to concentrate and quickly move their body when needed. As a result, when they play ping pong regularly, they will get their reflexes well improved.
With all these fantastic benefits, the low injury rate makes this Olympic game so popular worldwide.
With ping pong, everyone can have much fun with their friends, build strength, speed up movements, tone up muscles, improve focus and concentration, and be more balanced without getting injured.
What Muscles Are Used Most in Ping Pong?
First, remember to follow the rules and position yourself properly behind the table. Then, if you want to move faster, keep your eye on the ball and bend your knees.
After making these crucial changes in your posture, your thighs, hamstrings, and calves get used every time you move toward the ball.
When you figure out how to get in a proper position, it’s time to correctly hit the ball over the net. For this purpose, shoulders and upper and lower arms should be used.
You also need to use your core muscles to make a quick rotation of the torso when it’s needed.
With all these muscles getting used during ping pong, you can consider it an excellent exercise for getting fit and losing some extra pounds.
Can You Lose Weight and Get Fit by Playing Ping Pong?
When it comes to losing weight, there is a simple rule that says the calorie consumption must be more than what we receive.
In this case, as I mentioned, everyone who plays ping pong regularly can expect to get fitter and lose some pounds.
Burn Calories
But remember, the number of calories burned during this game differs for everyone. Depending on the gender, diet, other exercise plans, and playing style, you can burn 280 calories to 600 per hour. For women, the minimum amount of calories burned per hour is 240.
Better Than Walking?
A remarkable fact about playing ping pong is that it burns more calories than walking. So, now you can play ping pong with your friends in the morning instead of going for a walk.
This way, you can strengthen your social relations, burn more calories, and have more fun.
Is Ping Pong Good for Your Brain?
Table tennis is extremely helpful for your brain because it challenges more mental abilities than almost any other sport.
Every single detail of this game requires full concentration and mental abilities.
For example, when playing ping pong, you must analyze your opponents’ movements, the ball’s trajectory, your racket’s stance, and your body’s position. Then you must understand where your ball should hit next – in a fraction of time.
All these requirements will end up making your brain sharper. According to the famous brain physician Doctor Daniel Amen, ping pong is considered “The Best Brain Sport in the world” because of all these positive effects and exceptional benefits.
As this aerobic sport can stimulate different brain regions, you can experience growth in your brain cells by playing it. This is why doctors and researchers consider ping pong an excellent exercise for patients with early Alzheimer’s.
The MRI tests indicate that playing ping pong can improve your memory. In addition, these tests show that if you play table tennis, you can delay getting Alzheimer’s for five years.
The hand-eye coordination made in this game is the key player in fighting or preventing Alzheimer’s and dementia.
In summary, you can improve these mental attributes by playing ping pong:
- Hand-eye coordination – especially if you play with your weak hand.
- Reflexes –the more you play, the faster you get.
- Concentration and focus – due to your total concentration on the ball and your opponents.
- Your mental conditions- like early Alzheimer’s or dementia.
Final Words on Is Ping Pong Good Exercise
Ping pong is one of the least expensive sports in the world. You can find its tables everywhere now. Not only is ping pong a beautiful game for everyone at every age, but you can also play it even if you have disabilities.
You can play table tennis for 30 minutes daily to improve your reflexes, blood circulation, muscle strength, and concentration and fight early Alzheimer’s.
Maybe I’m too obsessed with playing ping pong in my game room, but as the information provided in this article confirms, you can’t find anything to say against it.
So, with all these incredible benefits, it’s not just the package you were looking for. It’s also the world’s best brain sport you can play.
