Best Workout Routines for Table Tennis + My Weekly Routine

As an avid table tennis player for over 10 years, both recreationally and competitively, I’ve learned that developing a proper training regimen off the table is just as important as honing your skills on the table. 

A strong, balanced physique provides the power, speed, agility, and injury resilience needed to perform at your best. 

After experimenting with different workout routines over the years, I’ve settled on a weekly plan that has elevated my game. But before getting into the specifics, let’s discuss the general benefits of physical training for table tennis and some FAQs.

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Benefits of Working Out for Your Table Tennis Skills

You may also like our other article: Do You Need To Be Physically Fit To Play Table Tennis?

Regular exercise provides many benefits for table tennis players. Here are some of the key ways it can improve your game:

Hand-Eye Coordination and Reflexes

Quick reflexes and hand-eye coordination are essential in table tennis. Exercises that develop these skills like reaction ball drills and coordination ladders help sharpen your ability to watch and react to the ball. 

Weight training also builds neural connections to enhance reflexes.

Speed and Agility

Table tennis requires lightning-fast movements to reach shots. Plyometric exercises like jumping lunges and lateral shuffles build powerful fast-twitch muscle fibers. 

Agility drills develop the ability to start, stop, and change direction quickly. This translates to better footwork and positioning at the table.

Core and Balance

Generating power begins with proper technique and strong core muscles. 

Exercises like planks, cable chops, and medicine ball toss build a stable core to allow better energy transfer from the legs and hips during strokes. Balance training also helps with positioning and footwork.

Injury Prevention

Table tennis involves repetitive motions that can strain muscles and joints. A proper strength training routine fortifies tendons and connective tissues against overuse injuries. 

Targeted exercises also address muscle imbalances that commonly lead to injuries. This helps maintain a healthy body for ongoing play.

In my experience, a regular workout program has increased my hand speed, quickness, power, and stamina. I’m able to sustain a high level of play through lengthy matches. 

My shots have better control and consistency. Weight training has also virtually eliminated nagging overuse injuries I used to deal with regularly like tennis elbow and shoulder impingement.

You may like our article: Most Common Mistakes in Table Tennis + How to Fix Them

Which Muscle Groups are Most Important in Ping Pong?

While nearly all muscle groups play some role due to the full-body nature of table tennis, the core and legs should be top priorities for players looking to use training to maximize performance.

Core Strength

Having a strong, balanced core connects the upper and lower body to provide a solid foundation for efficient mechanics and transfer of force on both forehand and backhand strokes. 

The abdominal muscles, obliques, lower back, and hips are most vital here for midsection rotational strength and multi-directional stability.

Leg Power

Developing powerful leg muscles enables the quick first step and rapid change of direction required by TT during rallies to chase down shots.  Strong legs also allow players to accelerate, decelerate, and jump swiftly into potent forehand smashes when the opportunity arises.

Grip Strength & Arm Endurance

While overt upper body muscle mass can slow down strokes, gripping strength, and shoulder & arm endurance are still imperative to be able to rip looping drives and placing serves with precision for hours on end. 

Targeted training maintains this without overbulking.

How Many Days/Hours Per Week Should You Train?

Finding the optimal balance between physical training and technical practice is critical for any aspiring table tennis athlete. 

It requires a commitment to avoiding injury while building a fitness base to support sharp play late into tournaments.

Working Out vs. Playing Table Tennis

Early in my development, I fell into the common trap of doing nothing but playing table tennis for hours on end day after day. I was so enthralled with improving techniques that I completely neglected complementary strength and conditioning.

This narrow focus worked well initially as my skills grew rapidly. But by age 16, the extreme playing volume took its toll in the form of nagging knee and shoulder problems. 

These overuse injuries forced me to take an extended break from training right as I was first being selected for key regional competitions.

It served as a huge wake-up call on just how essential full-spectrum physical preparation is even for youth players. So upon returning from rehab, I completely changed my training philosophy to incorporate more strength work and Array conditioning.

What is a Good Ratio?

Through years of trial and error along with guidance from coaches, I’ve settled on the ratio below:

• 3-4 days a week dedicated to focused physical training
• 4-5 days a week playing table tennis

In terms of hours, my current weekly benchmark is:

• 3-5 hrs doing sport-specific strength and conditioning workouts appropriately periodized by muscle groups
• 8-12 hrs total playing table tennis focused largely on drills along with situational point play

This ratio has enabled me to withstand 20+ hours of weekly training load without breaking down physically. My table tennis skills have also advanced further with a strong, balanced body as the foundation. 

This is what I have found to be optimal for me personally. But remember that everyone is different and you may have to experiment to find the right balance for your own training routine.

So pay close attention early on to properly balancing tactical work with strength and conditioning! Your body will thank you in the long run.

Cardio vs. Strength | Which is More Important?

When structuring the optimal training program for table tennis, an inevitable debate arises – should you prioritize cardiovascular conditioning or strength training? Which provides a better performance enhancement for match play demands?

In my personal journey, I have experimented extensively with programs emphasizing one or the other. 

Extended periods focused largely on distance running to build an aerobic base. Other training blocks centered almost exclusively on the weight room grinding out sets of squats and power lifts.

So over years of trial and error, I have come to the following conclusions on the cardio vs strength debate:

The Case for Cardio

There is no questioning the need for a solid cardiovascular foundation when playing table tennis competitively. 

The sport requires sustaining brief 5-10 second explosions of all-out effort followed by slightly longer windows of recovery repeatedly.

Having the lungs and heart capacity to spike exertion then effectively buffer lactic acid buildup prevents severe fatigue. 

The elite players can continue bouncing around the court appearing fresh late into matches because their fitness base is so strong.

I have also found strong correlations in my playing career between drops in conditioning and faltering results in tournaments. 

When focusing too heavily on other training aspects, it shows up quickly in matches as I lose foot speed closing distances or refrain from making full committed shots sensing I lack the stamina to recover if extended in rallies.

The Case for Strength

However, over the long-term course of a career, I would argue that a foundation of solid strength underpinning flashy cardio fitness provides greater injury-prevention and performance benefits.

The essential stabilizing muscles around key joints like shoulders and knees seem to respond better to progressive weight training than simply doing cardio. 

Strengthening smaller muscle groups with multi-plane free weight and bodyweight moves provides a more comprehensive safety net protecting from overuse injuries compared to jogging.

Explosive power for quick reactive movements also improves more with targeted strength programs. 

Plyometric and Olympic lift training produces superior lateral speed strength for sudden change of direction adjustments mid-rally.  

So in summary, my stance is:

A baseline level of cardiovascular endurance is mandatory for sustaining high-level play. 

However diligent, well-structured strength training focusing on joint stability provides the most substantial long-term boosts in acceleration, movement efficiency, and injury prevention.

Ideally, a program scientifically periodizes both strength AND conditioning phases to maximize adaptive potential over a career. But if made to focus on one or the other, prioritize strength for the best risk-return ratio.

Workout Routines of Pro Table Tennis Players

As an aspiring player, I became obsessed for a while with researching the workout routines of elite professional table tennis athletes.

 I watched countless video interviews and read articles trying to extract pieces of their training regimens for analysis and adoption into my own programming.

The sheer volume of physical preparation most top pros dedicate time towards – even at the highest skill levels – opened my eyes early on to how critical comprehensive conditioning is. 

While tactical development obviously remains priority #1, the best players clearly understand the strong interplay between physical prowess and technical mastery.

Here are two full conditioning programs I uncovered from the top-ranked pros that give great insights into how the highest performers train:

Check out our pro player spotlight articles here.

Zhang Jike’s Regimen

Zhang Jike rose to prominence in 2011 by winning both World Championship and Olympic gold within a span of just 9 months – the only current male player in history to achieve such a remarkable double.

His physical preparation featured three signature components:

• 3 lifting sessions weekly mixing main compound lifts like back squats with more isolation exercises targeting smaller stabilizer and rotator cuff muscles. Preventative focus on balance and postural strength. 
• 2 days a week of steady cardiovascular training prioritizing building an aerobic base via longer tempo runs in the preseason before shifting to intense sprint interval training once competition picked up. This helped develop his capacity to sustain relentless attacking play.
• Mandatory full rest days during weeks for nervous system recovery and technical adjustments based on match analysis.

Ma Long’s Gold Medal Approach

Arguably the greatest table tennis player ever, Ma Long boasts an astounding 10 World Championship gold medals alongside back-to-back Olympic singles titles.

The secret to much of his success has been holistic physical maintenance – his training plan checks every box:

• 5 gym sessions weekly systematically targeting all muscles integral for table tennis fitness demands via compound lifts, bodyweight circuits, medicine balls, etc.
• Additional cardio intervals to continue building cardiovascular capacity.
• Plenty of “easy” steady state work like extended walks for active recovery.
• Stretching and foam-rolling muscle groups need extra TLC from high volumes of play.

By incorporating elements from these elite player routines like preventative rotator cuff work or full rest days, aspiring competitors can glean major competitive advantages over time. 

Study and adopt proven techniques from the best to progress your game furthest!

My Personal Weekly Workout Routine for Table Tennis

Through extensive personal trial and error combined with research into programs from elite players, I have landed on the weekly workout schedule outlined below.

The days are strategically split based on which physical attributes I most want to improve in that session. I also factor in adequate recovery by spacing the most demanding training days apart.

Here is a snapshot of my typical weekly training split:

Tip: If you’re unfamiliar with any of the exercises below, I would suggest searching for the exercise on YouTube and watching multiple videos to learn them correctly. Remember that proper form is just as important with these exercises as it is when learning the correct technique for table tennis strokes.

Monday (Legs/Core)

– Barbell Squats 

I focus Mondays on overall lower body strength via heavy squats along with core stability work. Building the posterior chain gives better force translation for movement in all planes.

Tuesday (Upper Body Power)

– Bench Press

– Overhead Shoulder Press 

I prioritize developing pushing power through the chest, shoulders, and arms for better shot-generation efficiency.

Wednesday

– Active Rest Day

Giving the nervous system 24 hours to recharge following two intense strength days maintains motivation and prevents injury risk. Light cardio or foam rolling only.

Thursday (Hip Mobility/Multi-Directional Speed) 

– Split Squats  

– Lateral Lunges

– Cone Drills

Thursday centers on hip and ankle mobility through unilateral moves allowing me to better control multi-directional speed when needing to rapidly change court positioning during rallies. 

Friday (Rotator Cuff/Injury Prevention Prehab)

– Face Pulls

– Band External Rotations

With shoulder health vital for the long term, I devote Fridays solely to joints. Higher reps use bands and cables to stabilize shoulders, elbows, and wrists to offset repetitive strain from so much play.

Saturday & Sunday

– Complete Rest or Active Recovery

Just easy light paddle sessions. Nervous system recovery makes you sharper and helps consolidate new technique learnings. 

Now Go Train!

This weekly split allows me to check every physical box – strength, power, endurance, speed, mobility – without overloading any one area day to day. Resulting in better-balanced fitness and injury prevention!

This full-body training approach allows me to develop the necessary strength, power, mobility, and stability to compete at the highest level in table tennis. 

While everyone’s body and needs are different, I hope this outline of my proven weekly routine provides some guidance on designing an effective training program tailored to your own table tennis goals. 

Always listen to your body and be willing to tweak things as needed. Consistency is key – stick to it, work hard, and the gains will come!