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Is Pickleball Good Exercise? All You Need to Know

Is Pickleball Good Exercise? All You Need to Know

Pickleball involves aggressive movements that help keep a person fit in their daily routines. Is pickleball considered a good exercise?

Pickleball is considered a cardiovascular exercise. It involves a moderate level of training and can help a person lose weight and burn fat. Pickleball involves the movement of the human body in all directions with a bit of physical exertion. Thus, pickleball does qualify as a good exercise.

Pickleball is considered a good workout sport since it ticks all the requirements for which a person plays any sport. It is evident that the sport will eventually lead to physical fitness whenever a person decides to engage in physical activity or sport.

The person would no longer stay obese, and the health rate of the person would increase and enhance day by day. Playing pickleball as a regular sport has several benefits since it is an entirely ideal workout sport. Some of those benefits are elaborated below:

1. Good Workout Sport for Burning Calories:

If a person wishes to lose weight, the person must become consistent in burning calories. The reason is, burning calories eventually leads to fat loss, which results in losing weight. Pickleball is an excellent sport to burn calories.

Pickleball has been added by many smartwatch manufacturers as a trackable workout, so if a person has an apple watch or any other smartwatch on the wrist while playing the sport, they can easily track the number of calories burnt during their play.

Even though burning calories depends upon several factors, including age, health, and intensity.

But on average, it is seen that those who regularly play pickleball burn around 400-700 calories per hour during their gameplay. Experts also say that if a person chooses to play pickleball daily, he might burn 8-10 calories in a minute, which is very impressive!

By keeping this in mind, it is evident that pickleball is a good workout sport, which contributes efficiently to burning calories among those who are obese and badly want to lose some body fat.

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2. Good Workout for Weight Management:

It is said by professionals who emphasize healthy bodies and healthy souls that a person must take some time out of their schedules to bring out weight management techniques.

It is seen that pickleball is a sport that helps a person burn calories, just like other cardiovascular sports, so it is evident that it plays a significant role in weight management for people who wish to lose weight.

Other than this, engaging yourself in a good workout sport brings many other benefits to an individual’s life.

3. A good workout that Helps Boost the Mood:

It is pretty well known that whenever a person engages in physical activities, the body and the brain release natural chemicals, which generate positive feelings in the mind and body.

Those chemicals are endorphins, which boost the mood and play an essential role in cheering when released into the body.

4. Good Workout that Improves Musculoskeletal Function:

Pickleball is a sport that involves the usage of almost all the muscles of the human body, both upper and lower limbs. When these muscles are used regularly, it improves the motor and musculoskeletal functions of the human body.

It is very beneficial because, in older ages, it prevents coronary heart disease and maintains the human body’s flexibility.

5. Good Workout that Improves Balance and Strength:

Balance and strength can be improved with time through aerobic exercises. Pickleball is a workout sport that plays a vital role in improving the balance, coordination, and power of a person because with the regular use of muscles, they eventually grow strong.

Also, it enhances blood flow within the body, which qualifies the sport to be a good workout!

6. Pickleball as Doubles Play Workout:

Pickleball is considered a good workout allowing the player to play in singles and the doubles category. The central aspect which separates these categories is the length of the rallies in this game.

Rallies are expected to last longer in the doubles categories than the single ones. Due to this reason, the workout lasts longer in the doubles category.

The Doubles category of pickleball game is like a high-intensity cardio workout seen less in the singles game. Guards and glutes are the muscles used in playing the doubles game in pickleball.

A lot of motion is required up to 5-6 times in a single pickleball rally; that is an incredible workout. Besides these two muscles, squats and lunges are used as movements in pickleball games.

Mental Benefits of Pickleball as a Workout:

Apart from physical benefits, this sport also plays an essential role in a person’s mental health. As discussed above, playing pickleball releases chemicals that are good for boosting mood.

Some other benefits of playing pickleball over mental health are discussed below:

1. Improves the Blood Pressure:

The blood pressure level of the pickleball players gets regulated because the heart receives the blood pumped when a person gets involved in physical exertion.

As a result, the body releases chemicals such as endorphins which take the worries away from the minds of those playing the game.

2. Improves Social Life:

The most important benefit of participating in a group sport is that it enhances our socializing.

We get to meet new people, interact with them, and get to know different people of different ethnicities, which leads to knowing about cultural diversities.

Also, they play an essential role in developing and boosting a person’s confidence.

Benefits to Brain:

Pickleball Workout Benefit

Explanation

Enhancement of the cerebellum function 

  • The hand-eye coordination and the footwork in the pickleball game activate the working of the cerebellum, a part of the brain.

  • It is an area at the bottom back corner of the brain that is involved in the function of cognitive flexibility and processes speed.tem 2

Increase in the gray matter of brain 

  • Research has proven that physical activities like tennis, badminton, and pickleball that involve the planning phase and decision factor during the gameplay are likely to improve the gray matter volume.

  • The decision for complex movements can revolve around either smashing the ball or dinking the ball softly over the net in a pickleball game.

  • The increase in the gray matter volume has shown the increased ability to evaluate the rewards and consequences.

Strengthening the hippocampus 

  • The hippocampus is the brain's structure located in the temporal lobe and is involved in the formation of memories.

  • Research has proven that games like pickleball, a kind of aerobic exercise, are likely to increase the size of the hippocampus and improve the player's memory.

  • Pickleball is a great game to improve memory by making players remember the score and serving style.

  • It is not easy for beginners to remember the serve and score points—learning and keeping a score record challenges memory and brain centers.

1. Production of Mood-Boosting Neurochemicals:

Pickleball is a heart-pumping sport that allows the production of natural mood-enhancing amino acids like L-tryptophan to enter the brain cells. It is a precursor to the neurotransmitter serotonin that helps balance the mood—physical activities like pickleball help alleviate depression and anxiety.

2. Reduction in the Cognitive Impairment:

Pickleball game helps in protection from dementia and decline in cognitive functions. In addition, the better supply of oxygen to the match during running sports benefits the brain by producing brain-derived neurotrophic factors, a positive stress response, and an improvement in insulin sensitivity levels.

Also Read:

Is Pickleball Hard on Your Joints?
Why Does My Lower Back Hurt After Pickleball?
Is Pickleball Good for Arthritis? What You Need to Know

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):

Is pickleball good for weight loss?

Pickleball is a game similar to tennis but is less aggressive than it. It involves a moderate level of exercise and keeps the body active. This game contributes to weight loss and is fun while play it. It is helpful to burn some fat that leads to obesity.

How much of a workout is pickleball?

This game is played on courts and indoors too. On average, a game that would last an hour could cause to produce a good amount of sweat in a person and would be good to burn up to 11 calories in a minute.

Does pickleball count as exercise?

Pickleball is considered a good exercise since it involves physical exertion and involves all of the muscle groups of the human body. It has a good impact on all the joints and tendons of the human body and is considered a good technique if a person wishes to lose weight.

How many times a week should a person play pickleball?

The American Heart Association recommends playing the game for 150 minutes per week. It means that, on average, if a set of three games is played on alternate days in a week, it would do the job.

What burns more calories, tennis or pickleball?

Tennis and pickleball are considered to be of the same family, or rather, they are called close cousins of each other. This is because both the games require exertion. However, tennis is much more aggressive than pickleball, so it burns more calories than pickleball.

Is pickleball counted as a good exercise?

Pickleball has counted as a good exercise as it does not put much stress and strain on the joints and muscles of the player. In addition, endorphins and amines are released during the game, which helps raise self-esteem and combat depression and anxiety.

How many times is a person allowed to play pickleball?

Pickleball is a game that can be played more than three times a week. Therefore, it allows the player to enjoy enough rest during each session.

Is a pickleball game considered a high-intensity interval training game?

It is a kind of HIIT that involves the player performing through aerobic means followed by some rest periods and then the exact repetition in a pattern.

Why is pickleball considered an addictive game?

Pickleball is an addictive game in which a player is given appropriate time to play and shoot the same shot twice. This game requires some practice that yields exercise and allows a player to have much fun.

Is the pickleball game confined to older adults only?

Pickleball games are confined to older adults and can be played by players of all ages. It is a great physical activity for beginners but can be enjoyed by all players.

How can a player build stamina in a pickleball game?

A player can build ample stamina in a pickleball game by walking and running. Likewise, a player can increase their life by a continuous brisk walk or a run. It assists the player that it’s time to get back to court and is also helpful for cardiovascular health.

Is pickleball counted as a cardio game?

Pickleball is a perfect combination of a game that offers hand-to-eye coordination and cardio training. It is a game that is flexible to anyone’s fitness ability and is a leisurely as well as fast-paced game.