Recovery Tips https://rekova.es Expert tips on padel recovery, nutrition and performance from Rekova. en Sat, 30 May 2026 17:24:13 +0300 Padel Elbow: Why It Hurts, What Works, What Wastes Your Time https://rekova.es/recovery-tips/padel-elbow-recovery-guide Fri, 22 May 2026 19:37:00 +0300 The most common injury in padel, explained honestly. What causes lateral epicondylitis, how to recover in 6–8 weeks, and what actually works for prevention — from real player experience and current research.

Padel Elbow: Why It Hurts, What Works, What Wastes Your Time

A 12 minute read. Updated May 2026.

I want to start with something honest. Eight months into playing padel four times a week, I woke up one Tuesday morning and couldn't open a jar of olives with my right hand. Just couldn't. The grip wasn't there.

That was the start of my own padel elbow saga. Six weeks off the court, two physios, three braces I bought on Amazon, and a lot of late-night reading of research papers. If you're reading this, you're probably in the same boat or you can feel it coming.

So let me save you some time.

The 2023 systematic review in BMJ Open Sport and Exercise Medicine looked at data from over 2,000 padel players. Their finding was clear. The elbow is the most common injury site in this sport. Not the knee. Not the shoulder. Not the lower back. The elbow, by a wide margin.

Below is what I learned the hard way, plus what the actual science says, plus what nobody told me when I started.

So what is padel elbow exactly

Doctors call it lateral epicondylitis. Same thing tennis players get. Inflammation of the tendons attaching your forearm extensor muscles to the bony bump on the outside of your elbow.

But here's the thing nobody mentions. Padel players get this injury more often than tennis players do. Even though our sport looks easier on paper.

Why? The pala has no strings.

Think about it. A tennis racket has a string bed that flexes and absorbs shock at impact. A padel pala is essentially a solid foam sandwich wrapped in carbon fiber. When you hit the ball, the vibration has nowhere to go except into your hand, up your forearm, and straight into your elbow joint.

The Isokinetic Medical Group ran a detailed study on this in February 2025. Their conclusion was that padel elbow comes from repeated eccentric loading of the forearm extensors after ball contact. The forearm muscles fire to decelerate your wrist, and that deceleration is what shreds the tendon over time.

Beginners get it worse. Because we tend to strike with a bent wrist and keep flexing through contact. I did this for the entire first year I played, and looking back, I'm shocked my elbow lasted as long as it did.

One bad shot doesn't break the elbow. Ten thousand mediocre ones do.

How you know it's actually padel elbow

The injury sneaks up on you. There's no defining moment. No pop, no snap, no sudden agony.

For me it went like this. First a vague ache after long sessions, mostly in the evening. I ignored it for six weeks. Then I started feeling it during play, around the 70 minute mark. I ignored that too. Then came the morning when I couldn't squeeze the toothpaste tube properly with my right hand. That was when I finally booked a physio appointment.

The Corcuera Padel Club clinical guide describes the same progression I went through. Pain only after games. Then pain during games. Then pain in regular life.

What you're looking for specifically. Burning or aching on the outer side of the elbow, sometimes traveling down toward the wrist. Weak grip when lifting something heavy with one hand, like a kettle or a grocery bag. Stiffness in the morning, before you've moved at all. A jolt of pain when you try to extend your arm fully against any resistance.

Now, if your pain came on suddenly during one specific shot, this article isn't for you. That's likely a partial tear or muscle strain. Go see a sports doctor in person.

The five real reasons you got injured

Most articles list technique and overuse and stop there. Useless. Let me give you the actual five reasons in order of how common they are.

The first one is volume. You ramped up too fast. This is what got me. I went from one game a week to four games a week in about two months. My cardio could handle it. My tendons couldn't. Tendons rebuild slower than muscles, and they don't tell you they're failing until they're already failing.

The second one is technique, specifically your backhand. Padel Magazine put it bluntly in their elbow prevention guide. A poorly executed one-handed backhand is basically a guaranteed ticket to epicondylitis. I had no idea. My backhand looked like a tennis backhand because I'd played tennis as a kid. Wrong sport, wrong mechanics. Took two coaching sessions to fix.

The third one is your pala. Smith Palacio published a study in Ciencia y Deporte in April 2024 with a very specific recommendation. Keep your pala under 350 grams if you're recreational. Below 80 kg of body weight, drop that even lower if you can find one. I was playing with a 370 gram round shape pala because it looked cool. It was destroying my arm.

The fourth one is warm-up, or the absence of it. I'm guilty of this too. I'd show up five minutes before the court time, change shoes, drink some water, and go. Cold tendons in the first ten minutes of play are basically asking for trouble. Padel Now wrote about this in their training materials. Warm-up is the most underrated injury prevention factor in the sport.

The fifth one is recovery. You play. You go home. You shower. You eat. You sleep. That's it. No stretching, no protein, sometimes no proper meal because the game ended at 10pm. Repeat four times a week and the math doesn't work. Sleep alone is not enough recovery for that kind of load.

What actually works for recovery

Now we get into the part where I made every mistake possible.

The first instinct is to ice everything and rest forever. Wrong. Sort of.

In the first 48 hours after pain spikes, RICE does help. Rest, ice, compression, elevation. Standard sports medicine.

But after that initial window, complete rest can actually slow you down. Tendons need progressive controlled stress to rebuild. The technical term is optimal loading. Sounds fancy. Just means you have to start moving the arm again in specific ways, even when it hurts a little.

The protocol that finally worked for me came from a physiotherapist in Madrid who specializes in racquet sports. It lined up with what Perfect Balance Clinic and Corcuera Padel Club publish. Roughly:

Week one. No padel. No exercise involving the affected arm. Ice 15 minutes a few times a day. Counterforce brace if the pain is sharp during daily activities. This is the only week of true rest.

Weeks two and three. Isometric exercises. You hold a light weight in a fixed position, contracting the forearm without moving the elbow. Blood flow to the tendon increases without aggressive loading. Boring as hell. Effective.

Week four onwards. Eccentric training. This is the gold standard for tendon rehab and it took me a while to understand why. You slowly lower a 1 to 2 kg dumbbell against gravity, focusing only on the lowering phase. Slow count of three, sometimes four. The slow eccentric load is what tells your tendon to rebuild stronger.

Return to court usually happens around weeks six to eight if you follow the protocol. Skip the protocol and you join the crowd that's been dealing with chronic elbow pain for years.

I went back at week seven. First match was 45 minutes at half intensity. No pain. Second week back, 60 minutes. Third week, full sessions. The patience paid off.

Where nutrition fits in, and where it doesn't

I need to be careful with this section. Because the supplement industry loves to sell you the dream that a pill cures tendon injuries. It doesn't.

Nothing you eat or drink will heal epicondylitis on its own. The tissue requires physical rehabilitation work. There's no shortcut.

But your background nutrition does affect how fast your body recovers. And this part has real science behind it.

Magnesium is involved in over 300 enzymatic reactions in your body, including everything related to muscle function. The European Food Safety Authority confirmed two relevant claims. Magnesium contributes to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue, and it supports normal muscle function. For padel specifically, this matters because the magnesium you lose through sweat during a tough match is significant.

Collagen is the structural protein your tendons are literally made of. Research published over the last few years has explored whether hydrolyzed collagen combined with vitamin C can support collagen synthesis in connective tissue. The evidence is promising but I want to be clear. This is not treatment. It's nutritional support for normal physiological processes.

Vitamin C is necessary for your body to build collagen at all. EFSA confirms the claim that vitamin C contributes to normal collagen formation for the normal function of cartilage and bones.

Curcumin and quercetin are plant compounds studied for their role in normal inflammatory response. The data is being built, and these don't have approved EU health claims yet. But sports medicine takes them seriously.

Here's the honest truth though. None of these ingredients work in isolation. And none replace seeing a physiotherapist for an actual injury.

What they do is help when you're playing regularly and want to give your body a fighting chance. If you're someone who plays three or more times a week, basic daily micronutrient support is just sensible. Same as drinking enough water or sleeping seven hours. Not a miracle cure. Just hygiene.

This is the logic behind the Rekova formula. We picked ingredients based on what padel players actually deplete during play, in doses calibrated for daily intake. One sachet, mixed with water, usually after the match or in the evening. It's not a substitute for proper rehab if you're already injured. It's a way to support recovery while you're still playing.

Prevention, the boring stuff that actually works

Stretch and mobilize before the match. Minimum ten minutes. Wrists, forearms, shoulders, hips. A few easy rallies at half pace with your partner before you start competing. This single change probably matters more than anything else.

Choose the right pala for your body. If you weigh under 80 kg and you play recreationally, do not buy the 365 gram round-shape pala your favorite pro uses. Pros train for years to handle those. Look at teardrop or hybrid shapes, in the 350 to 360 gram range, with soft or medium hardness. The Bullpadel Hack, Adidas Drive, and Nox AT2 lines have good options for amateurs.

Grip size matters more than you think. Too thin means you grip harder and your forearm dies. Too thick means you lose control and grip harder anyway. Most players need L2 or L3. Get it measured at a shop if possible.

Relax your grip between shots. You only need to squeeze hard at the moment of impact. Everything else can be a loose hold. Watch the pros if you don't believe me. Their hand is almost open between hits.

If your one-handed backhand is the problem, switch to two-handed. I made this switch after my injury and my elbow has been silent for fourteen months. It also improved my consistency on returns.

Don't ramp up your weekly volume too fast. Twice a week with one strength session is much safer than four times a week with nothing else. Especially in your first six months.

And take recovery seriously. Stretch after the match, even when you don't feel like it. Hydrate. Eat something with protein. Sleep more than you think you need.

When to actually see a doctor

If two weeks of full rest haven't fixed it, you have proper epicondylitis and you need professional help. Don't try to self-medicate past that point.

Get emergency-level urgent if the pain came on sharply during a specific shot, if you see visible swelling or bruising, if you can't fully extend your arm, or if your fingers are numb or tingling.

Chronic epicondylitis that drags past six months sometimes needs more aggressive treatment. PRP injections, shockwave therapy, occasionally surgery. These are conversations to have with a specialist, not with the internet.

Questions I get asked all the time

How long does padel elbow take to heal? If you follow the protocol I described above, six to eight weeks is realistic. Without proper rehab, it can stretch on for months. The single biggest mistake people make is returning too early because the pain dropped and they assumed they were fine.

Can I play with a brace? A counterforce brace reduces tendon load. Useful during rehab and the first few weeks back. But if you only function with a brace and the pain returns the moment you take it off, that's a sign the tissue isn't actually healed. Don't use the brace as a permanent crutch.

Do ice baths help? A bit. They're a supportive measure, useful after a hard match to reduce some inflammatory response. Not a treatment. I do them sometimes, but I don't think they're essential.

Does magnesium actually work? EFSA confirms magnesium contributes to normal muscle function and reduction of tiredness. So yes for muscle recovery and energy. No, it won't cure your elbow on its own. But maintaining your magnesium levels when you play hard several times a week is just good practice.

Is four times a week too much? Depends on you. If you're under 40, in good general shape, doing strength training, and have decent technique, four sessions can work. If you're sitting at a desk all week and your only exercise is padel, four times is risky. Listen to your body and don't be a hero.

Will I get back to my old level? Yes. Most players do, fully. The only reason people don't is because they rush back and re-injure the same tissue before it's healed. Patience now saves you years later.

The short version

Padel elbow is the most common injury in our sport, caused by the no-string design of the pala and thousands of repetitive impacts that nobody warns you about. It builds slowly and quietly. Recovery requires rest first, then progressive loading work, then patience while the tissue rebuilds. Prevention means proper technique, the right equipment, real warm-up, and actual recovery between sessions. Daily nutrition matters when you're playing a lot, but it isn't a substitute for fixing the underlying problem if you're already hurt.

Don't be the player who plays through pain for a year and then wonders why nothing works. The earlier you address it, the faster you come back.

Sources

Dahmen J. et al. Incidence, prevalence and nature of injuries in padel: a systematic review. BMJ Open Sport and Exercise Medicine. 2023.

Smith Palacio E. Epidemiología de las lesiones en pádel y recomendaciones preventivas. Ciencia y Deporte. April 2024.

Isokinetic Medical Group. The Padel Player's Elbow: How to Prevent and Treat It. February 2025.

Corcuera Padel Club. Understanding Tennis Elbow in Padel. 2025.

Perfect Balance Clinic. Padel Injury Recovery Guide. 2025.

EFSA. Scientific Opinion on the substantiation of health claims related to magnesium. EFSA Journal.

Padel Magazine. How to Avoid the Padel Elbow. 2020.

Padel39. The Most Common Padel Injuries and How to Prevent Them. 2026.

This article shares my own experience and reflects current research. It's not medical advice. If you have ongoing pain or any symptoms I described, please see a qualified healthcare professional. No article and no supplement replaces real diagnosis and treatment.

Rekova does not treat epicondylitis and does not prevent injuries. It's a daily functional drink with electrolytes, magnesium, hydrolyzed collagen, and vitamins, formulated as nutritional support for people who play padel regularly.

]]> Electrolytes for Padel: What You Lose, What to Replace, What to Stop Buying https://rekova.es/recovery-tips/electrolytes-for-padel Fri, 22 May 2026 20:06:00 +0300 What you actually lose when you sweat in padel — sodium, potassium, magnesium — and how to replace it without falling for the supermarket sports drink trap.

Electrolytes for Padel: What You Lose, What to Replace, What to Stop Buying

A 11 minute read. Updated May 2026.

It was a Saturday in August at a club outside Marbella. Second set, 4 all. I chased a ball off the back wall, planted my left foot to push back to the center, and my calf locked up like someone had driven a screwdriver into it. Couldn't move. We forfeited the match. I drove home swearing at myself the entire way.

That cramp is what got me into the topic of electrolytes. Before that day I thought hydration just meant drink water. Plenty of it. Done.

Turns out that's not just incomplete. In some situations it can make things worse.

The science of sweat in racquet sports has been studied for decades. We have good data on how much fluid you lose per hour, what minerals go with it, and what happens when you replace them wrong. Most padel players I've talked to know none of this. Including the guys who can crush me 6 to 2.

Here is what I wish someone had told me before that Marbella match.

What's actually happening to your body during a match

Padel looks deceptively easy. The court is small, the rallies are long, and you spend a lot of time at the net waiting for the next shot. Compared to running or tennis singles, the perceived effort is lower.

But the metabolic reality is brutal.

Research from the National Tennis Centre measured energy expenditure in recreational padel players at 450 to 580 calories per hour for men, 350 to 450 for women. That's in the same range as serious cycling. A study published in Sports in 2025 looked at amateur players across 13 matches and recorded an average match duration of 57 minutes with around 152 points played. Heart rate sat between 140 and 160 beats per minute throughout most of the match, hitting peaks in the second and third sets.

So while you might feel like you're just standing around between rallies, your cardiovascular system is running at 70 to 80 percent of max for the better part of an hour.

That kind of sustained effort means sweat. A lot of it.

Now here's the kicker that most articles skip. Padel courts are enclosed by glass walls. The British nutrition specialists at Healthspan Elite pointed out something obvious that I'd never thought about. The glass enclosure reduces airflow across the court. Evaporation is the main mechanism your body uses to cool itself. Less airflow means less evaporation, which means more sweating to compensate.

That summer afternoon in Marbella, I probably lost close to two liters of fluid in 90 minutes. Mostly water. But also sodium. Potassium. Magnesium. Calcium. A small amount of zinc and other trace minerals. All gone, soaked into my shirt and the artificial grass.

When you only replace the water and not the minerals, you create the exact conditions for a cramp.

Why water alone is not the answer

This is the part nobody explains clearly.

Your muscles contract through a controlled exchange of sodium, potassium, and calcium ions across cell membranes. When the balance of those minerals shifts too far, the muscle either stops responding properly or it locks up in spasm. The technical term is exercise-associated muscle cramp.

If you drink large amounts of pure water while sweating heavily, you dilute the sodium concentration in your blood. Your body sees the imbalance and tries to correct it, but it does so by either dumping more fluid through urine or pulling sodium from places it shouldn't. In severe cases this leads to hyponatremia, which is a genuine medical emergency. In milder cases it just means cramping calves and a destroyed feeling for the next 24 hours.

This is why pure water can sometimes be worse than nothing during a long hot session. You're flushing your system without replacing what was lost.

Side note. I'm not saying don't drink water. I'm saying water alone is not a complete strategy if you're playing hard for more than 45 minutes in warm conditions.

The minerals you lose and what each one does

Let me keep this practical.

Sodium is the big one. You lose between 500 and 1500 milligrams of sodium per liter of sweat, depending on how salty you are personally. Some people lose more, some less. If you finish a match and you can see white crusty deposits on your shirt or skin, you're a heavy sodium loser. Sodium controls fluid balance and nerve signaling. Run low and your body cannot properly retain water, no matter how much you drink. The European Food Safety Authority confirmed that sodium chloride contributes to maintaining normal water balance.

Potassium is second in volume lost. Most players don't think about it because we tend to get plenty from food. Bananas, potatoes, beans, salmon. But during an intense match you can lose more than your usual food intake replaces. EFSA confirms that potassium contributes to normal muscle function and to the maintenance of normal blood pressure.

Magnesium is the quiet one. You lose less of it than sodium or potassium, but most people are running low to begin with. Studies done across European populations consistently show that 30 to 40 percent of adults don't hit recommended magnesium intake from diet alone. Add athletic sweat losses and you have a problem. EFSA has approved several claims for magnesium that are directly relevant here. Magnesium contributes to normal muscle function. Magnesium contributes to normal energy yielding metabolism. Magnesium contributes to electrolyte balance. And, importantly, magnesium contributes to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue.

Calcium gets attention for bones but it's also involved in every muscle contraction. Losses through sweat are smaller, and most players don't need to think about it as long as their general diet includes dairy or fortified alternatives.

There's also a long tail of trace minerals like zinc, copper, manganese, chromium. These matter for general physiology but they're not your immediate problem during a match. Address sodium, potassium, and magnesium first and the rest tends to look after itself.

How much you actually lose per match

This depends on three variables. Body weight. Temperature and humidity. Match intensity.

The rough numbers from sports science research that's been done on racquet sports look like this.

A 75 kilogram player in cool indoor conditions might lose around 600 to 800 milliliters of fluid during a 90 minute match. Sodium losses around 800 milligrams total.

The same player on a hot summer day on an outdoor court with the glass walls reflecting heat can easily lose 1.5 to 2 liters of fluid. Sodium losses around 2 to 3 grams. Potassium around 200 to 300 milligrams. Magnesium around 30 to 50 milligrams.

A simple trick that Healthspan Elite published. Weigh yourself naked or in dry clothes before the match. Weigh yourself the same way after. The difference is mostly water loss. Multiply by 1.5 liters per kilogram lost, and that's how much fluid you need to replace gradually over the following few hours. Not all at once. Sip over 3 to 4 hours.

The first time I did this honestly I'd lost 1.4 kilograms in a single match. That's over two liters of fluid. No wonder I was destroyed every Sunday morning.

Signs you're under hydrating without realizing it

This took me a while to learn to recognize.

Cramps are obvious. By the time you cramp, you've been under hydrated for a while.

Less obvious signals include a dull headache after the match that doesn't go away with sleep. Feeling unusually tired the next day even though the match itself wasn't that long. Dark yellow urine. Dry mouth that water doesn't seem to fix. Trouble falling asleep at night despite physical exhaustion. Muscle twitches in your eyelids or fingers in the evening.

If any of those sound familiar, you're not drinking enough during play. Or you're drinking only water and missing the minerals.

When to drink, what to drink

This is where I see most people overthink things.

Before the match. You want to arrive on court already hydrated. The Padel Magazine guide on nutrition suggests around 500 milliliters of water with a pinch of salt or a few electrolyte tablets one to two hours before play. Not chugged. Sipped.

During the match. For matches under 60 minutes in cool conditions, plain water in small sips between games is fine. For matches over 60 minutes, or in heat above 25 degrees Celsius, you want an isotonic drink with sodium and ideally some carbs. The amount that works for most players is around 500 to 750 milliliters per hour.

After the match. This is the window people skip. You've finished the third set, you're sweaty, you grab a beer with the doubles partners and head home. Big mistake. The first 30 to 60 minutes after exercise is when your body is most efficient at replacing minerals and rebuilding glycogen stores. A combination of fluids, electrolytes, and a small amount of protein is what your system actually wants.

Now I'm not telling you to skip the beer. I'm saying have the water and the electrolytes first, then enjoy the beer. Order matters more than people realize.

Common mistakes I see at the club

Drinking only water during long sessions. Already covered. Skip if you're playing under an hour in cool conditions, otherwise mix in electrolytes.

Drinking too much fluid all at once. Your gut can only absorb so much liquid per minute, around 800 to 1000 milliliters per hour at the absolute max for most people. Chugging a liter between sets doesn't hydrate you faster. It just sits in your stomach and makes you nauseous.

Relying on sports drinks loaded with sugar. The classic supermarket sports drinks have plenty of sodium but they're often loaded with sugar. For a 90 minute padel session you don't need 60 grams of sugar. You need 20 to 40 grams maximum, and ideally split across the match rather than dumped in one bottle.

Drinking coffee or energy drinks as your only fluid before play. Caffeine is fine in moderate doses. It can even help athletic performance. But it's mildly diuretic and not a hydration source by itself. Have your coffee, then have your water on top of it.

Using electrolyte tablets that contain almost no electrolytes. This is a category of products that drives me a little crazy. Some popular brands market themselves as hydration tablets while delivering 250 to 350 milligrams of sodium per tablet. That's a fraction of what you need for a tough match. Read the label. If the sodium content is under 400 milligrams per serving, you're paying for flavored water with a vitamin sprinkle.

Where supplements and recovery drinks fit in

Here's where I have to be careful with the language. Both for legal reasons and because the supplement industry sells a lot of nonsense.

No drink, no powder, and no pill is going to make you a better padel player on its own. The biggest factors are still technique, training, conditioning, sleep, and general diet. If those aren't in order, no supplement matters.

That said. If you play three or more times a week, the cumulative cost of mineral losses across the week adds up. By Friday you can be running low on magnesium and potassium even if every individual match felt fine. This is where a daily recovery drink with the right electrolyte profile starts to matter.

What I look for in a product. At minimum 400 to 600 milligrams of sodium per serving. Around 200 to 400 milligrams of potassium. Around 150 to 300 milligrams of magnesium, ideally in a well absorbed form like magnesium citrate. Some support nutrients like B vitamins, since EFSA confirms that vitamins B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, and B12 all contribute to normal energy yielding metabolism. Bonus points for ingredients that support general recovery, like collagen and vitamin C, where vitamin C contributes to normal collagen formation for the normal function of cartilage and bones.

The Rekova formula was built around exactly this profile. Electrolyte stack with sodium, potassium, and magnesium in doses that match what padel players actually lose. Hydrolyzed collagen with vitamin C for connective tissue support. B vitamin complex for energy metabolism. A few adaptogenic herbs and antioxidants on top. One sachet mixed with water, usually after the match or in the evening.

It's not a magic bullet and we don't claim it is. It's a daily nutritional baseline for people who play padel regularly and want to give their body what it keeps losing on court.

What I do now after a hard match

I'm not a sports scientist. I'm a guy who's been playing four times a week for almost three years and finally figured out a routine that doesn't leave me wrecked the next morning. For what it's worth, here's what I do.

Before the match. 500 milliliters of water with an electrolyte tablet about 90 minutes before play. Light meal of carbs and a small amount of protein two hours before. Banana on the way to the club.

During the match. Water bottle with diluted electrolyte mix on the bench. A few sips between every other game. If it's hot, more often.

Immediately after. A sachet of Rekova in water, drunk in the locker room before I leave. This gives me electrolytes, magnesium, collagen, and the supporting micronutrients all at once.

Within an hour. A real meal. Carbs, protein, vegetables. Nothing fancy.

Before bed. A glass of water with a pinch of salt if I haven't already taken in enough sodium.

Next morning my urine is light yellow, my muscles feel normal, my energy is intact. That's the goal.

FAQ: questions players ask me about hydration

How much water should I drink in a padel match? Around 500 to 750 milliliters per hour if the match is intense and over an hour long. Less in cool conditions, more in heat. Sip rather than chug.

Are sports drinks good for padel? Some are. Most popular brands have too much sugar and not enough sodium for an hour plus of intense play. Look for products with at least 400 milligrams of sodium per serving and moderate carbs.

What about coconut water? Coconut water has potassium but is low in sodium, which is the mineral you lose most. It's fine as a supplementary drink but not as your primary hydration during a hard match.

Can I just eat salty food before playing? You can, and it helps somewhat. But salty food doesn't replace electrolytes during play. You still want something on the court with you.

Why do my legs cramp at night after a match? Classic sign of magnesium or potassium depletion combined with general dehydration. Magnesium contributes to normal muscle function. If this happens often, look at your overall mineral intake across the week, not just match day.

Do I really need electrolytes if I play indoors in a cool club? For shorter sessions under an hour, probably not. Just drink water. For longer or intense sessions, yes, you still sweat enough to benefit from electrolyte replacement even in cool indoor conditions.

Is Pedialyte or oral rehydration solution a good option? Yes, these are clinically designed for rehydration and have excellent sodium content. They taste medicinal but they work. Good emergency option if you've really overdone it.

The short version

You sweat more in padel than you think because the glass walls trap heat and reduce evaporation. You lose sodium, potassium, and magnesium along with water. Replacing only water can make things worse by diluting your blood sodium. The minimum you want during a hard match is sodium, potassium, and ideally magnesium. Drink during the match in small amounts, eat a normal meal afterwards, and pay attention to your urine color the next morning. Skip the supermarket sports drinks with 60 grams of sugar and look for cleaner formulations with proper electrolyte doses.

If you play regularly and want one product to cover the daily baseline, that's the gap a recovery drink fills. If you only play once a week and you're already drinking enough water, you probably don't need much beyond that.

Sources

Healthspan Elite. Padel: what is it and how should you fuel your game? Knowledge Hub. 2025.

Marcos Rivero B. et al. Evolution of Physiological Responses and Fatigue Analysis in Padel Matches According to Match Outcome and Playing Position. Sensors. August 2025.

Padel Magazine. Padel and nutrition: what to eat before, during and after a match. 2025.

Padel39. Nutrition tips for long padel matches and quick recovery. 2025.

EFSA. Scientific Opinions on the substantiation of health claims related to magnesium, potassium, sodium chloride, and B vitamins. EFSA Journal, various years.

HSN Store. Supplements for Padel: helping you choose the best. November 2025.

Enervit. Supplementation for padel. 2022.

Mulebar. Sports nutrition for padel: improve your performance with the right diet. December 2025.

This article shares my own experience playing padel and reflects current sports science research on hydration and electrolyte balance. It's not medical advice. If you cramp frequently, get persistent headaches after exercise, or have any underlying condition that affects fluid or electrolyte balance, please consult a qualified healthcare professional before changing your hydration routine.

Rekova does not treat dehydration and does not prevent cramps. It's a daily functional drink with electrolytes, magnesium, hydrolyzed collagen, B vitamins, and supporting nutrients, formulated as nutritional support for people who play padel regularly.

]]> Padel Recovery: What Actually Works, What Doesn't, What You're Wasting Money On https://rekova.es/recovery-tips/padel-recovery-guide Fri, 22 May 2026 23:44:00 +0300 The honest padel recovery guide. What sleep, nutrition, and movement actually do. What ice baths, supplements, and recovery gear mostly don't.

Padel Recovery: What Actually Works, What Doesn't, What You're Wasting Money On

A 11 minute read. Updated June 2026.

It was a Monday morning in late September. The alarm went off at 7:15. I sat up in bed, swung my legs over the side to stand up, and my calves felt like someone had injected concrete into them overnight. Two matches the previous Sunday. One was 90 minutes, the second went the full two hours and ended in a tiebreak in the third. I got home at 10 PM, ate a sandwich, fell asleep on the couch.

Standing up that Monday was an event. I had a meeting at 9 AM and I genuinely considered whether I could just lie on the floor with the laptop on a chair.

This wasn't unusual. For the first year and a half I played padel three or four times a week, every Monday after a weekend like that was the same. My body felt like it had been worked over. My thinking was slow until at least 10 AM. I'd promise myself I'd recover better next time, then do nothing different.

The shift came when I started taking recovery seriously. Not in the Instagram way with the ice baths and infrared saunas and recovery boots. In the boring practical way that actually moves the needle.

Below is what I learned, what the actual science says, and what I now know is mostly marketing.

What recovery actually means at the cellular level

When you finish a hard padel match your body has been through a specific kind of stress. Repeated bursts of high intensity, sprints, lunges, jumps for smashes, followed by short recoveries between points. Repeated for an hour or more.

The result inside your muscles isn't just soreness. You have small tears in muscle fibers, depleted glycogen in muscles and liver, lowered concentrations of sodium and potassium and magnesium, accumulation of metabolic byproducts, and small inflammatory responses in connective tissue and joint capsules.

A study published in Sensors in August 2025 looked at 52 amateur padel players across 13 matches. They measured countermovement jump performance and handgrip strength before the match and after each set. Both dropped significantly across sets, with the steepest decline late in the match. Even your basic muscle output drops while you're playing. That loss takes time to come back.

How much time depends almost entirely on what you do in the hours after the match ends.

Your body doesn't recover passively. It recovers based on the conditions you create. Sleep, food, hydration, movement, stress. Each one is a lever you control.

The 30 to 60 minute window after the match

The first hour after exercise gets called the recovery window for a reason. Your muscles are still warm and well perfused. Enzymes for nutrient uptake are upregulated. Your body is primed to absorb what you give it.

What I do now after every match looks like this.

Drink fluid with electrolytes within five minutes of finishing. Doesn't have to be fancy. Water with a pinch of salt works fine. A proper recovery drink works better. The point is to start replacing what you lost before you've even got in the car to drive home.

Eat something within sixty minutes. Carbs and protein together. The classic ratio sports scientists use is around 3 to 1 carbs to protein for endurance athletes, 2 to 1 for strength athletes. Padel sits somewhere in between. A banana with a protein shake. A sandwich. Greek yogurt with honey and some nuts. The exact food matters less than getting the macronutrient mix in.

Take five minutes to stretch lightly. Not aggressive old-school PE stretching. Just gentle range of motion work for calves, hips, shoulders, forearms. Keep blood moving through the muscles you just used.

Skip the beer for at least 90 minutes. I know. I love a cold beer after a match too. But alcohol slows protein synthesis and worsens dehydration. Water and electrolytes first, real food second, then enjoy the social part if you want.

Most players I know skip every single one of these. They finish the match, change, drive home, shower, scroll their phone, maybe eat dinner two hours later. The recovery window closes and they got nothing out of it.

Sleep is the foundation, everything else is decoration

If I had to pick one variable that matters more than all the others combined, it's sleep.

Growth hormone release, tissue repair, glycogen restoration, central nervous system recovery. Almost everything that happens during physical recovery is downstream of getting enough quality sleep. Studies on professional athletes have shown that restricting sleep to six hours or less for even a few nights dramatically increases injury risk and slows recovery from training load.

The problem with padel specifically is the time of play. Evening matches that end at 10 or 10:30 PM mean you're going to bed wired on adrenaline. Research by Diaz Garcia and colleagues looking at professional padel tournaments found measurable impairments in sleep quality and reaction time across multi-day competitions.

What I do for evening matches now:

No screens for the first 30 minutes after I get home. The blue light plus the mental stimulation makes falling asleep harder. I dim the house lights to the lowest setting.

Magnesium with my evening glass of water. The European Food Safety Authority confirms that magnesium contributes to normal muscle function and to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue. Subjectively my sleep is noticeably better on evenings I take it.

Cool shower instead of hot. Counterintuitive, but a hot shower right before bed raises your core body temperature, which makes it harder to sleep. Lukewarm or cool works better.

If the match ended after 9 PM, I try to be in bed by 11. The temptation to scroll Instagram replaying my best points is real. Resist it.

Stretching, foam rolling, and what people get wrong

This section is going to go against some conventional wisdom.

Static stretching immediately before a match doesn't prevent injury and may actually slightly reduce explosive performance. Save long-hold stretches for after the match or for separate flexibility sessions on rest days.

Dynamic mobility work before a match is what you actually want. Arm circles, leg swings, hip openers, light skipping. Anything that takes your joints through their full range while warming up the muscles.

Foam rolling is useful but not magical. The mechanism is not releasing muscle adhesions like the marketing claims. It's mostly increasing blood flow and providing neural input that calms tight muscles. Five to ten minutes of foam rolling after a match feels good and probably helps a little. Spending 45 minutes on it daily is a waste of time you could spend on actual mobility work.

Static stretching after the match has real benefits if you do it right. Hold each position 30 to 60 seconds. Focus on calves, quads, hamstrings, glutes, hip flexors, chest, shoulders, forearms. The Padel39 stretching guide covers a good basic routine. Bandeja Shop's recovery article has another solid sequence specifically for padel.

The mistake I see at my club every weekend. Guys who stretch for two minutes total after a hard match because they're rushing home. Then they wonder why everything hurts on Tuesday.

Hydration after the match

I'm not going to repeat the full electrolyte article here. The short version. Water alone isn't enough after a hard session. You also lost sodium, potassium, magnesium. Replace them.

Key number to remember. 1.5 liters of fluid per kilogram of body weight lost, sipped gradually over the next three to four hours. Not chugged in one go.

If you want the full breakdown on what you actually lose and what to drink, I wrote a separate article on padel electrolytes.

Cold therapy and the recovery industry stuff

This is where the recovery industry sells you a lot of expensive nonsense.

Let me separate what has decent science behind it from what doesn't.

Cold water immersion or ice baths for 10 to 15 minutes after intense training has some research support for reducing perceived muscle soreness. The mechanism is partly anti-inflammatory and partly nervous system reset. It does work for soreness. But there's a catch. Cold exposure right after strength training appears to blunt some adaptations including muscle hypertrophy. For pure recovery purposes after a hard match, fine. For your gym sessions afterward, probably not great.

Contrast showers, alternating hot and cold, have less consistent research support but feel good and probably help via similar mechanisms. Two or three minutes hot, 30 seconds cold, repeat three or four times. Cheap, easy, takes ten minutes.

Compression boots and sleeves have reasonable evidence for reducing perceived soreness. Mostly through enhanced venous return and lymphatic drainage. Expensive to buy outright, but if you have access at a gym or clinic, they help.

Infrared sauna sessions probably do something via heat exposure and possibly hormesis. The evidence is okay but not strong. If you have access, fine. Spending three thousand euros to install one at home for recovery purposes is an expensive way to maybe sleep slightly better.

Cryotherapy chambers cost 40 to 80 euros per session. The evidence for benefit beyond a cheap ice bath at home is weak. Save your money.

Recovery shakes with proprietary blends marketed as game-changing formulas. Look at the label. If you can't identify what's actually in the product and at what dose, you're paying for branding.

What actually moves the needle for 90 percent of recovery is the boring stuff. Sleep enough. Eat enough. Hydrate. Move gently the day after. Manage training load. That's it.

Active recovery the day after

The instinct after a destroying weekend is to lie on the couch. This makes things worse.

Light activity the day after a hard match accelerates recovery. The mechanism is increased blood flow to the muscles without adding more damage. 20 to 30 minutes of low intensity work, anything that gets your heart rate slightly elevated without taxing the same muscles you used in padel.

What works. Easy cycling, swimming, brisk walking with a dog, gentle yoga flows, light mobility sessions.

What doesn't work. Lying on the couch all day Monday and then wondering why you still feel terrible at Tuesday training.

I do a 30 minute walk every Monday morning now, ideally outdoors with morning sunlight. Sounds small. Makes a noticeable difference by Tuesday.

Nutrition for recovery and where supplements fit in

Recovery is built on the foundation of regular daily nutrition, not on what you do in the 60 minutes immediately after a match.

If you eat poorly five days a week and chug a recovery shake on Sunday night, that shake fixes nothing. If you eat well most days, then specific recovery support around hard sessions becomes a useful supplement to an already solid base.

The basics that matter. Adequate total daily calories for your activity level. Protein around 1.6 to 2 grams per kilogram of body weight per day. Carbs to fuel the playing volume you actually do. Vegetables and fruits for micronutrients. Some healthy fats. Limited processed junk.

That's not a special diet. That's just sensible eating.

Where micronutrients become specifically relevant for padel. Magnesium is the one I'd flag for any player going more than twice a week. EFSA confirms magnesium contributes to normal muscle function and reduction of tiredness and fatigue. Studies show 30 to 40 percent of European adults don't hit recommended daily magnesium from diet alone, and athletic sweat losses make the gap bigger.

B vitamins are involved in energy metabolism. EFSA confirms that vitamins B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, and B12 all contribute to normal energy yielding metabolism. If you eat a varied diet you probably get them, but elevated metabolic demand and sweat losses can leave you running thinner than you'd think.

Vitamin C contributes to normal collagen formation for the normal function of cartilage and bones. Hydrolyzed collagen has emerging research support for connective tissue maintenance under load.

This is the gap a well-designed recovery drink fills. Not a magic potion. A daily nutritional baseline targeted at what padel specifically depletes.

The Rekova formula was built around this. Electrolytes for what you sweat out. Magnesium and B vitamins for energy metabolism and recovery support. Hydrolyzed collagen with vitamin C for connective tissue. Some adaptogens and antioxidants on top for general resilience. One sachet mixed with water, usually right after the match or in the evening.

It's not a substitute for real food. It's the supplement layer on top of decent daily nutrition.

The biggest recovery mistakes I see at my club

Skipping the post-match meal. Or eating it three hours later. Then complaining about Monday soreness.

Going hard four times a week with no strength training to balance the volume. Padel mostly works specific movement patterns. Without complementary strength work, the muscles you don't use start to weaken relative to the ones you do, which sets you up for injury.

Drinking heavily after every match. One or two drinks is fine. Five is just sabotaging recovery for the next session.

Sleeping six hours per night during the work week and trying to make up for it with weekend lie-ins. Sleep debt isn't really repayable. Aim for seven plus hours every night.

Ignoring small injuries. The tweak in your knee or shoulder that you're playing through? It's giving you information. Listen. Take a week off, do mobility work, address the cause. Don't keep playing on it for three months until it becomes a full injury you can't ignore.

FAQ: questions players ask me

How long should it take to recover from a hard padel match? With decent recovery habits, you should feel basically normal within 24 hours from a typical 90 minute match. Lingering soreness past 48 hours suggests either the match was unusually demanding, your recovery was inadequate, or you have an underlying issue worth addressing.

Are recovery drinks actually worth it? For occasional players, probably not. For people playing three or more times a week, a properly formulated recovery drink saves you cobbling together electrolytes, magnesium, and other micronutrients from separate products. Convenience and consistency matter for actually sticking with it.

Should I take a rest day or play through soreness? Mild soreness is fine to play through. Sharp pain, significantly reduced range of motion, or fatigue that hasn't lifted by warmup means rest. Learn the difference between sore and hurt.

Does protein right after a match really matter? Yes, especially if you play multiple times a week. 20 to 30 grams of protein within the recovery window helps muscle repair. Doesn't have to be a shake. Real food works.

What about sauna before bed? Sauna or hot bath two to three hours before bed can help sleep quality through the temperature drop that follows. Right before bed it's actually worse because it raises core body temperature.

Is recovery worse as you get older? Yes, but less than people assume. The recovery window stays similar in length, but the consequences of poor recovery hit harder. In your forties and fifties you can't get away with the bad habits that worked in your twenties. The fundamentals stay the same. The discipline matters more.

Should I take rest days or play every day? For most amateurs, two consecutive hard days is the maximum before you need at least one easy day or full rest day. Three or four hard days in a row without a break is a fast track to overuse injuries and chronic fatigue.

The short version

Recovery isn't passive. You create it by sleeping enough, eating well, hydrating with electrolytes, moving gently the day after, and managing total training load. The first hour after a match matters more than people think. The boring fundamentals beat expensive gear and supplement stacks 90 percent of the time. If you play three or more times a week, daily micronutrient support fills a real gap. If you only play once a week and you sleep and eat well, you probably don't need much beyond that.

The players who recover best aren't the ones with the fanciest gear. They're the ones who consistently do the basics.

Sources

Marcos Rivero B. et al. Evolution of Physiological Responses and Fatigue Analysis in Padel Matches According to Match Outcome and Playing Position. Sensors. August 2025.

Diaz Garcia J. et al. A Multiday Professional Padel Tournament Impairs Sleep, Mental Toughness, and Reaction Time. 2023.

Epirus London. Ten tips for recovering after competitive padel matches. 2025.

Padel Rumors. 7 Padel-Specific Muscle Recovery Tips for 2025. July 2025.

Bandeja Shop. Comment ameliorer sa recuperation apres un match de padel. 2025.

Padel39. Nutrition tips for long padel matches and quick recovery. 2025.

EFSA. Scientific Opinions on the substantiation of health claims related to magnesium, B vitamins, vitamin C, and collagen. EFSA Journal, various years.

Healthtimes. Why everyone is playing padel and how to recover like a pro. May 2025.

This article shares my own experience and reflects current research on recovery practices in racquet sports. It is not medical advice. If you have persistent soreness, sleep disruption, or any underlying condition affecting recovery, please consult a qualified healthcare professional.

Rekova does not treat injuries and is not a substitute for medical care. It's a daily functional drink with electrolytes, magnesium, hydrolyzed collagen, B vitamins, and supporting nutrients, formulated as nutritional support for people who play padel regularly.

]]> Padel Fatigue: Why You Crash, What's Actually Wrong, How to Last Longer https://rekova.es/recovery-tips/padel-fatigue-guide Sat, 23 May 2026 00:04:00 +0300 The honest guide to padel fatigue. Four different kinds. What actually works. What's marketing. What I learned from my 52-year-old partner who never crashes.

Padel Fatigue: Why You Crash, What's Actually Wrong, How to Last Longer

A 12 minute read. Updated July 2026.

My doubles partner is 52. He's a lawyer in Madrid, runs half-marathons on weekends, and plays padel four times a week. Last summer we played five matches across three days during a club tournament. By Saturday afternoon I was destroyed. Dragging myself between games. Eating ibuprofen like candy. He was the same in match five as in match one. Fresh legs, sharp tactics, no visible accumulated fatigue.

I'm 35. By every basic metric I should have the energy advantage. He's older. Lives in a high-stress career. Probably gets less sleep than I do.

Instead I spent most of that Sunday in bed.

After the tournament I started reading. Then asking him questions over post-match drinks. Then changing things in my own routine. Within about three months I stopped being the guy who crashed in the third set. I'm still not as fresh as he is at match five of a weekend, but the gap closed dramatically.

Here's what I learned about fatigue and how it actually works in this sport. With as little marketing nonsense as I can manage.

What fatigue actually means (because it's not one thing)

When you say you're tired after a padel match, you could mean three or four different things. Each has a different physiological cause. Each needs a different solution.

Metabolic fatigue is when your muscles run out of fuel or your hydration drops. Glycogen depletion, electrolyte imbalance, blood sugar crashes. This is the kind of tired that comes on suddenly in the third set when your legs go heavy and you can't generate any explosive movement.

Neuromuscular fatigue is when your nervous system stops sending the same signals to your muscles. The contraction is weaker. Reaction time slows. Coordination drops. The Sensors study from August 2025 measured countermovement jump performance and grip strength dropping significantly across sets in amateur padel matches. Not because the muscles failed. Because the nervous system stopped firing them at full intensity.

Mental fatigue is when your decision making gets slower and worse. You start hitting balls into the same patterns instead of reading the play. You miss easy volleys because your eyes saw the ball but your brain didn't process it fast enough.

Cumulative fatigue is what builds across a week of playing. Each individual match might feel okay but by Friday you've got nothing left.

Most articles about padel fatigue treat all four as the same thing. They aren't. The solutions look completely different depending on which one is actually getting you.

Metabolic fatigue: when your engine runs out of fuel

The simplest one to understand. You're running on a finite supply of stuff.

Padel matches at typical intensity burn through muscle glycogen at about 1 to 2 grams per minute. A 90 minute match easily drains 90 to 180 grams of muscle glycogen. Your total muscle glycogen storage is around 400 to 500 grams. So one match takes 20 to 40 percent of your reserves.

If you start the match already low on glycogen because you skipped lunch or are on a low-carb diet, you crash earlier. Simple as that.

The Padel39 nutrition guide and the Healthspan Elite article both land on similar pre-match recommendations. Moderate carbs around 1 gram per kg of body weight, 2 to 3 hours before play. Plus a small snack like a banana 30 minutes before.

Add to glycogen depletion the electrolyte and fluid loss I covered in my separate article on padel hydration. Sweating out 1.5 liters with sodium, potassium, and magnesium means your muscle contraction efficiency drops. By the third set everything feels heavier than it should.

This kind of fatigue responds quickly to intervention. Drink electrolytes mid-match. Have a banana between sets. Take 20 to 30 grams of carbs every 30 minutes if you're playing multiple matches in a day.

If your fatigue comes on suddenly mid-match and you feel shaky or light-headed, this is almost always metabolic. Not training. Not age. You just ran out of fuel.

Neuromuscular fatigue: when your nervous system taps out

This is the one people understand least.

Your muscles don't contract on their own. Your central nervous system sends signals through motor neurons that trigger the contraction. Repeated high-intensity work fatigues the nervous system as much as the muscles themselves. Often more.

The Diaz Garcia study from 2023 on professional padel tournaments found measurable drops in reaction time and mental toughness across multi-day competitions. The mechanism wasn't muscular weakness. It was central nervous system fatigue accumulating across matches.

Signs that your fatigue is CNS-driven. Your jumps feel sluggish even after rest. Your reaction time to balls is just off. You feel mentally drained more than physically wrecked. Your sleep gets worse instead of better when you'd expect exhaustion to help you sleep.

The fix isn't more carbs or electrolytes. It's recovery time and sleep quality. CNS fatigue can take 48 to 72 hours to fully clear. If you stack three hard matches in three days, you don't have time to recover between them.

Magnesium has a real role here. EFSA confirms that magnesium contributes to normal functioning of the nervous system, normal muscle function, and reduction of tiredness and fatigue. Most European adults run low on it. Athletes lose more through sweat. The deficiency makes CNS recovery slower across the week.

This is also where adaptogenic herbs come into the conversation. Ashwagandha and Rhodiola have a long traditional use for supporting stress response, and there's an emerging body of research looking at their effects on athletic recovery. The European regulatory situation is conservative here, no official health claims have been approved, but the research signal is real for those interested in digging deeper.

L-theanine is interesting too. Studied for promoting a state of calm focus without the sedation of typical relaxants. Some athletes use it for the mental side of recovery before sleep.

Mental fatigue: when your brain gives out before your body

Padel is more cognitively demanding than people realize.

Every point you're tracking the ball, anticipating opponent positioning, reading partner movement, choosing shot selection, predicting wall bounces. Multiple decisions per second over the course of a match.

A 2024 review by Marcos Rivero and colleagues identified mental fatigue as a major performance factor in racquet sports. As players accumulate matches, decision quality drops measurably. Reaction time slows. Tactical errors increase. The interesting finding was that losing players showed significantly elevated anger, fatigue, and depression scores after three-set matches compared to winning players, suggesting that mental fatigue and outcome interact in ways most people don't account for.

I notice this in myself by about match three of a tournament day. I stop reading the game and start just hitting balls. My partner has to point out tactical opportunities I would have spotted easily in match one.

What I do for it now:

Between matches I find a quiet corner for ten minutes. No phone, no conversations, eyes closed if possible. Just breathing. Sounds dumb. Makes a real difference.

Caffeine has decent research support for offsetting mental fatigue. 100 to 200 mg about 45 minutes before a match if you've already played earlier that day. More than that and you'll be jittery without being sharper.

Adequate sleep the night before is non-negotiable for mental performance. Sleeping six hours instead of seven and a half feels manageable in daily life. On the court it shows up as slower reactions and worse decisions.

The B vitamin family is involved in brain energy metabolism. EFSA confirms several B vitamins contribute to normal psychological function and to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue. B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B12 all show up in approved claims related to mental energy.

Cumulative fatigue: what builds across the week

This was my biggest mistake when I started playing seriously.

I played Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday. Five sessions. Felt fine the first three. Started fading on Friday. Saturday I was just going through the motions.

The issue wasn't any single match. It was the cumulative load with insufficient recovery between sessions.

Most amateur players underestimate how much rest they need between hard sessions. The rule of thumb from sports science is two consecutive hard days max before either a rest day or an easy day. Three or four hard days in a row without a break is the fast track to overuse injuries, chronic fatigue, and stagnant performance.

What changed for me. I switched to three padel sessions plus two strength sessions across the week, with at least one full rest day. Total training volume similar. But the spacing matters more than the total hours.

My 52 year old partner who outlasts me in tournaments? He plays four padel sessions a week but two of them are deliberately low intensity. He calls them feel-good sessions. The focus is fun, not competitive performance. The result is he never accumulates the kind of fatigue I used to.

The mitochondria conversation, briefly

You can't read about energy and fatigue without bumping into mitochondria. These are the cellular structures that produce ATP, the molecular currency of energy.

The marketing around mitochondrial support supplements is wild. I want to be careful with what I claim here.

What's real. Mitochondrial density and function are major determinants of endurance performance. Training is by far the most effective way to improve them. Period.

What's also real. Certain nutrients are involved in mitochondrial function. Coenzyme Q10 plays a role in the electron transport chain. Acetyl-L-Carnitine is involved in transporting fatty acids into mitochondria for energy production. These are basic physiological facts.

What I cannot tell you and won't pretend to. That taking a CoQ10 supplement at the doses found in most products will make you noticeably less tired during your padel matches. The research on CoQ10 supplementation in healthy adults is mixed. It seems to have more benefit in people who are deficient or older than in young trained athletes.

If you ask me whether to take these things specifically for energy, I'd say. They probably don't hurt. The evidence is decent but not overwhelming. They're more interesting as part of a broader nutritional baseline than as miracle pills.

For what it's worth, the Rekova formula includes both CoQ10 and Acetyl-L-Carnitine alongside electrolytes, magnesium, B vitamins, and other ingredients. The thinking is that for someone playing three or more times a week, a comprehensive daily baseline is more useful than buying ten separate bottles and trying to time each one. One sachet covers a lot of bases.

It's not a substitute for training. It won't turn you into your 52 year old partner. But for the daily layer of support that builds up across weeks and months, the formula was built around the actual stuff that matters for padel-specific demand.

What actually changed my fatigue (in order of impact)

If I had to rank what made the biggest difference, here's the honest order.

Sleep. I went from 6 to 6.5 hours per night to 7.5 to 8. Single biggest change. Everything else combined didn't match what consistent sleep alone did.

Spacing my sessions properly. Stopped playing five days in a row. Switched to alternating hard and easy days. Took at least one full rest day per week.

Proper hydration and electrolytes during matches. Stopped relying on just water. Started carrying a bottle with actual electrolyte mix during longer sessions.

Eating properly before and after matches. Real meals on match days. Protein within an hour after playing.

Daily micronutrient support. The Rekova-style stack that fills in magnesium, B vitamins, and the other stuff that depletes across the week.

Strength training twice a week. Counterintuitive but important. Stronger muscles fatigue less under the same load.

Mental recovery practices. The ten minute quiet time between matches. Limiting screen time before bed. Not checking work email after 8 PM.

Notice what's not on this list. Cold plunges. Saunas. Compression boots. Recovery supplements with proprietary blends. Expensive micronutrient testing. These things might help marginally once you've got the basics dialed in. They are not the answer when your basics are broken.

FAQ: questions players ask about energy and fatigue

Why am I so tired after padel when other people seem fine? Could be metabolic, neural, mental, or cumulative. The diagnosis matters. Track which type fits your experience and adjust accordingly. Most people who think they're physically tired are actually under-slept and under-fed.

Is feeling exhausted normal after a single match? Some fatigue is normal. Being destroyed for the entire next day after one 90 minute match is not. If that's happening regularly, look at sleep, hydration, nutrition, and total weekly load before you assume something is wrong with you.

Does padel get easier as I improve? Yes and no. The metabolic cost stays similar but you become more efficient. Better technique means less wasted effort. Better positioning means less running. Mental load increases as you play more strategic opponents, so the cognitive demand can actually go up while the physical demand goes down.

Can supplements really help with energy? Some yes, some no. Magnesium and B vitamins have approved EFSA claims for energy metabolism and reduction of fatigue. They help if you're running low. They don't add energy if you're already topped up. The marketing for most pre-workout products is wildly oversold.

Should I drink coffee before padel? Moderate caffeine, around 100 to 200 mg about 45 minutes before play, has decent research support for performance. Don't add it if you're already drinking three coffees that morning. Diminishing returns.

How long until I notice changes if I fix my routine? Sleep changes show up within a week. Nutrition changes within two to three weeks. Training adaptations take six to twelve weeks. Be patient with the slow ones.

What about my age? Recovery does slow as you get older but probably less than people assume. My 52 year old partner outperforms most 30 year olds because his fundamentals are dialed in. Age is real. It's also overused as an excuse for bad recovery habits.

Should I get blood tests for nutrient levels? If you're chronically tired without obvious explanation, yes. Basic labs including vitamin D, B12, ferritin, and thyroid panel are worth doing. Most chronic athletic fatigue traces back to one of those plus inadequate sleep.

The short version

Padel fatigue is at least four different things. Metabolic, neuromuscular, mental, cumulative. They have different causes and different fixes. Sleep is the single biggest lever. Spacing your sessions matters more than total hours. Electrolytes, B vitamins, and magnesium fill real gaps for people playing multiple times a week. The expensive recovery industry stuff helps a little if everything else is in order. It doesn't help at all if you're sleeping six hours and eating poorly.

If you're regularly destroyed after matches, start with the boring fundamentals before you buy the fancy supplements.

Sources

Marcos Rivero B. et al. Evolution of Physiological Responses and Fatigue Analysis in Padel Matches According to Match Outcome and Playing Position. Sensors. August 2025.

Diaz Garcia J. et al. A Multiday Professional Padel Tournament Impairs Sleep, Mental Toughness, and Reaction Time. 2023.

Healthspan Elite. Padel: what is it and how should you fuel your game? Knowledge Hub. 2025.

Padel39. Nutrition tips for long padel matches and quick recovery. 2025.

EFSA. Scientific Opinions on the substantiation of health claims related to magnesium, B vitamins, iron, and vitamin C. EFSA Journal, various years.

Bandeja Shop. Comment ameliorer sa recuperation apres un match de padel. 2025.

Padel Rumors. 7 Padel-Specific Muscle Recovery Tips for 2025. July 2025.

Mulebar. Sports nutrition for padel: improve your performance with the right diet. December 2025.

This article shares my own experience playing padel and reflects current sports science research on fatigue and recovery. It's not medical advice. If you have persistent fatigue, unexplained energy crashes, or any underlying medical condition affecting your energy levels, please consult a qualified healthcare professional. Persistent unexplained fatigue can be a symptom of conditions worth investigating.

Rekova does not treat fatigue and is not a substitute for medical evaluation. It's a daily functional drink with electrolytes, magnesium, B vitamins, CoQ10, Acetyl-L-Carnitine, hydrolyzed collagen, and supporting nutrients, formulated as nutritional support for people who play padel regularly.

]]> Eating for Padel: What Fuels You, What Wrecks You, What Wastes Your Time https://rekova.es/recovery-tips/padel-nutrition-guide Sat, 23 May 2026 01:01:00 +0300 Honest padel nutrition guide. What to eat before, during, and after matches. Pre-match meals, post-match recovery, and what supplements actually help.

Eating for Padel: What Fuels You, What Wrecks You, What Wastes Your Time

A 12 minute read. Updated August 2026.

It was a Tuesday evening in November. I'd had lunch around 1 PM. Pollo con arroz from the menu del dia at the bar near my office. Felt fine all afternoon. Match was at 7:30. By 6:45 in the locker room I was still fine.

By the second game of the first set, I was lightheaded. My hands were cold. I missed two easy volleys at the net that I would have nailed in warmup. By the end of the first set I was sitting on the bench wondering if I'd actually eaten anything that day.

Of course I had. The problem was that lunch was almost seven hours behind me. And what I'd eaten was a meal designed for a sedentary afternoon at a desk, not a high-intensity match in the evening.

This was the moment I started taking nutrition for padel seriously. Not in a tracking-every-calorie way. In a practical figuring-out-what-actually-works way.

Below is what I learned, what the actual research says, and what I now know is mostly marketing fluff that costs money and changes nothing.

What padel actually demands nutritionally

Padel sits in an interesting metabolic space. It's not pure endurance like cycling or distance running. It's not pure power like sprinting or olympic lifting. It's intermittent high-intensity work over an hour or two with constant cognitive demands stacked on top.

Research from the National Tennis Centre and Healthspan Elite puts amateur padel energy expenditure at 450 to 580 calories per hour for men, 350 to 450 for women. That's serious cardiovascular work even when it doesn't feel like it. The 2025 Sensors study I keep returning to measured heart rate between 140 and 160 beats per minute through most of an average match.

So your body needs three things in roughly this order of importance.

Fuel that's available right now during play. Carbohydrates in your blood and muscle glycogen.

Fluids and electrolytes to support that work. I covered this in detail in my separate article on padel hydration, so I'll keep it light here.

Building blocks for recovery and adaptation across the week. Protein, micronutrients, fats.

If you get the first two wrong on match day, you'll feel it during the match. If you get the third wrong across weeks, you'll feel it cumulatively as poor recovery, lingering fatigue, and slow improvement.

The pre-match meal: timing matters more than perfection

The single biggest mistake I see at the club is people showing up to evening matches having eaten lunch at noon.

By 7 PM their blood sugar has dropped. Their muscle glycogen is depleted from a normal day of work and not topped up by any specific match prep. They feel okay walking in. They crash by the second set. I lived this version of myself for the first year and a half I played.

What the research consistently lands on for pre-match eating.

A meal containing carbohydrates 2 to 3 hours before play. Around 1 gram of carbs per kilogram of body weight is a reasonable target for amateur players. So a 75 kg player wants about 75 grams of carbs in that pre-match meal. Rice with chicken. Pasta with vegetables and protein. A sandwich with substance. Doesn't have to be fancy.

A small snack 30 to 60 minutes before play if your last meal was more than 3 hours ago. A banana. A handful of dates. A small piece of bread with honey. The point isn't more carbs in absolute terms. It's having something quick-digesting in your system so your blood sugar is stable when you start.

Skip the heavy fats and high fiber in the immediate pre-match window. They digest slowly and can leave you bloated on court. Save the avocado, the nuts, the bean salad for other meals.

Skip the protein-heavy pre-match meal too. Protein digestion is slower and doesn't help acute performance. Keep protein for the post-match meal or earlier in the day.

For morning matches the math is different. If you play at 9 AM, you've slept most of the night and your glycogen is partially depleted. You can either have a small breakfast 60 to 90 minutes before, toast with honey and a banana works well, or play fasted with a banana right before. I tested both. I play better with the small breakfast. Some players prefer fasted. Try both and see.

During the match: when fueling actually matters

For a normal 90 minute match in cool conditions, you don't need to eat during play. Water with electrolytes is enough.

For matches over 90 minutes, hot conditions, or back-to-back matches on the same day, you do.

The simple rule. 20 to 30 grams of carbohydrates every 30 to 45 minutes if you're playing extended sessions.

What works in practice. A banana between sets. Half a date bar. A few gulps of an isotonic drink. Some chopped fruit. Anything quickly digestible that delivers carbs without sitting in your stomach.

What doesn't work. A protein bar. A handful of nuts. Anything heavy. These take too long to digest and can give you stomach discomfort during high-intensity play.

The Padel Magazine guide and Mulebar's article both make this point in slightly different words. Match-day fueling is about quick energy availability, not nutritional completeness. The complete meals come before and after.

If you're playing a tournament day with three or four matches, eat a small carb-protein snack between matches when you have 60 plus minutes of break. A sandwich. Rice with chicken. Something with carbs and a little protein. Don't try to play your fourth match on coffee and willpower. I tried this once at a club tournament. Lost both remaining matches and spent the evening with a headache.

The post-match meal: the window people consistently skip

The first 60 minutes after a hard match is when your body is most efficient at absorbing nutrients for recovery. Muscle glycogen rebuilds fastest. Protein synthesis is upregulated. Enzymes that move nutrients into cells are at their peak.

Most amateur players completely waste this window.

What I do now within 60 minutes of finishing. A real meal with carbs and protein together. The classic recommendation is around 1 to 1.2 grams of carbs per kg body weight plus 20 to 30 grams of protein.

What this looks like in practice. Pasta with chicken and tomato sauce. Rice bowl with salmon and vegetables. A sandwich with turkey and some salad on the side. Greek yogurt with granola and fruit. Nothing fancy. Real food.

What doesn't work. Getting home at 10 PM after an evening match and skipping dinner because you're tired. Eating cookies and a beer as dinner. Waiting two hours to eat anything because you got distracted by your phone or by stopping for drinks with the doubles partners.

The carb component matters because your muscle glycogen got depleted during play. The protein component matters because there's been muscle damage that needs repair. Skip either and your recovery suffers.

If you genuinely can't manage a real meal within 60 minutes, a decent compromise is a recovery drink with both carbs and protein, plus a real meal within 90 to 120 minutes. Not ideal. Workable.

Daily nutrition: what really moves the needle

Match day nutrition gets all the attention. Daily nutrition is what actually determines how you perform and recover.

If you eat poorly six days a week and then try to dial in your match-day food perfectly, you'll still play and recover badly. Your match-day decisions are a top layer on a foundation that's built throughout the week.

The basics that matter for any amateur athlete playing several times a week.

Enough total calories. Most amateurs I know undereat slightly on match weeks because they're busy and stressed. This catches up with you.

Protein around 1.6 to 2 grams per kilogram of body weight per day. Spread across three or four meals. Not all in one shake at night. A 75 kg player wants 120 to 150 grams of protein daily, ideally 30 to 40 grams per meal.

Adequate carbs to fuel your training volume. If you're playing three or four times a week plus strength sessions, you need real carbs. Not the demonized version. Rice, pasta, bread, potatoes, fruit. The stuff humans have been eating forever.

Vegetables and fruit for micronutrients. Five servings minimum. More is better. Variety matters because different produce delivers different vitamins and minerals.

Some healthy fats. Olive oil, nuts, fatty fish, avocado. These matter for hormones, joint health, and general inflammation control.

Limited processed junk and ultra-processed snacks. Not zero. Just limited. The bag of crisps after a match isn't going to derail you. The bag of crisps as your evening meal five times a week will.

That's it. No magic. No special padel diet. Just sensible eating with enough food to support your activity level.

Common mistakes I see at the club

Skipping breakfast on match days. The morning you play in the evening, you should be eating slightly more than usual, not less. Stress and busy work days don't change this.

Eating a heavy lunch right before play. Pasta carbonara at 1 PM for a 2 PM match is going to sit in your stomach. Give yourself 2 to 3 hours for digestion.

Drinking calories instead of eating food. Smoothies and shakes have their place. They're not full substitutes for actual meals with mixed macronutrients across the day.

Trying intermittent fasting on training days. Some people do this fine. Most amateurs trying it for fat loss find their performance crashes. If you want to try fasting protocols, do them on rest days, not on days you play.

Cutting carbs aggressively while playing three or four times a week. This is a recipe for chronic fatigue, poor recovery, and stagnant improvement. Athletes need carbs. Period.

Drinking heavily after every session. One or two drinks is fine. Five or six is sabotaging the recovery window, the protein synthesis, the sleep quality, and the next session's performance.

Ignoring breakfast for evening matches. Your breakfast nine hours before play matters more than people think. A protein-rich breakfast sets up your blood sugar stability for the entire day.

Eating the same five foods on rotation. Micronutrient diversity matters. Eating only chicken, rice, and broccoli for a year leaves gaps you won't notice immediately but will eventually.

Where supplements fit (the small but real role)

I'm going to keep this section short because I covered it more extensively in my articles on padel electrolytes and padel recovery.

The short version. If your daily diet is solid, you probably don't need much beyond it. If your diet is realistic but imperfect, which describes most adults playing padel several times a week, a daily multivitamin-style support layer fills real gaps.

What I'd actually flag for padel specifically. Magnesium, where EFSA confirms it contributes to normal muscle function, reduction of tiredness and fatigue, and electrolyte balance. B vitamins, where EFSA confirms they contribute to normal energy yielding metabolism. Vitamin D, especially if you play indoors or live somewhere with limited winter sunlight. Iron for women in particular and for anyone who skips red meat. Vitamin C contributes to normal collagen formation and to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue.

This is the gap a well-formulated daily recovery drink fills. The Rekova formula was built around exactly this profile. Electrolytes for what you sweat out. Magnesium and B vitamins for energy and fatigue support. Hydrolyzed collagen with vitamin C for connective tissue. CoQ10 and Acetyl-L-Carnitine for daily cellular support. Adaptogens and antioxidants on top. One sachet mixed with water, usually after the match or in the evening.

Not a meal replacement. Not a magic recovery cure. A daily nutritional baseline that complements normal food.

Special situations

Early morning matches before work. If you play at 7 AM, you can either play fasted with a banana right before or have a small light breakfast (toast, honey, banana) about 60 minutes before. Avoid heavy or fatty breakfasts. Don't experiment with new foods on match days.

Late evening matches after work. Make sure you're not running on lunch from seven hours ago. Have a real snack around 4 to 5 PM if your match is at 7 to 8 PM. Carbs and a small amount of protein. After the match, even though it's late, eat something. Going to bed hungry sabotages your overnight recovery.

Tournament days with multiple matches. Plan your meals like a schedule. Real breakfast 2 to 3 hours before first match. Light snack between matches. Real food for any break over 90 minutes. Real meal within 60 minutes of last match. Hydrate continuously throughout.

Travel and tournaments away from home. The biggest risk is unfamiliar food disrupting your routine. Bring backup options you trust. Some bananas. Energy bars you've used before. Maybe a small jar of nut butter. Reliable beats optimal when you're not in your kitchen.

Hot summer matches. Eat slightly lighter pre-match and prioritize hydration. The heat will already stress your digestive system. Don't pile a heavy meal on top.

Match days with limited time to eat. A decent compromise meal that takes 5 minutes. Greek yogurt with honey, granola, and a banana. Or a sandwich with turkey, hummus, and some salad. Not optimal. Workable.

FAQ: questions players actually ask

What should I eat for breakfast before a morning padel match? Carbs with a little protein, eaten 60 to 90 minutes before play. Toast with honey and an egg. Oatmeal with fruit. Greek yogurt with granola. Avoid heavy fats and high fiber right before play.

Should I do intermittent fasting if I play padel? Probably not on training days. Fasting compounds the fuel deficit caused by hard play. If you want to try fasting, restrict it to rest days. Fueling matters for adaptation.

How long after eating should I wait to play? 2 to 3 hours for a real meal. 30 to 60 minutes for a small snack. Less than that and you risk stomach discomfort during play.

Do I need protein right after the match? Yes, especially if you play multiple times a week. 20 to 30 grams within the recovery window helps muscle repair and adaptation. Doesn't have to be a shake. Real food works.

Can I drink beer after a match? In moderation. One or two drinks won't ruin you. Five or six will. Drink water and electrolytes first, eat real food second, then enjoy the social part if you want.

Is keto compatible with playing padel? Possible but harder. Most padel players perform better on a diet that includes adequate carbs. If you want to be keto, accept that your initial weeks of adaptation will feel worse on court, and that your peak performance may be slightly lower than it would be on a moderate-carb diet.

Should I count calories? Most amateurs don't need to. Eat real food. Eat enough. Adjust based on energy levels, recovery, and body composition changes. If something is off, then tracking for a few weeks can show you what's actually happening.

Are sports nutrition products worth it? Some yes, some no. Carbohydrate gels and isotonic drinks during long matches have real evidence. Protein powders are fine as a convenient supplement to real food. Most pre-workouts are overpriced caffeine. Look at the actual ingredients and doses on the label.

What's the single best food for padel? There isn't one. Variety matters more than any single optimal food. The closest thing to a universal recommendation is real meals with carbs and protein, eaten at sensible times around play.

The short version

Padel demands real fuel. Carbs before, electrolytes during, carbs plus protein after. Daily nutrition matters more than perfect match day decisions. The biggest mistake amateurs make is showing up to evening matches having eaten lunch six hours earlier. The second biggest mistake is skipping the post-match meal. Get the basics right consistently and you'll perform better and recover faster than 90 percent of players at your club without any expensive supplements or fancy diets.

Real food. Enough of it. The right timing. That's almost the whole game.

Sources

Marcos Rivero B. et al. Evolution of Physiological Responses and Fatigue Analysis in Padel Matches According to Match Outcome and Playing Position. Sensors. August 2025.

Healthspan Elite. Padel: what is it and how should you fuel your game? Knowledge Hub. 2025.

Padel Magazine. Padel and nutrition: what to eat before, during and after a match. 2025.

Padel39. Nutrition tips for long padel matches and quick recovery. 2025.

Mulebar. Sports nutrition for padel: improve your performance with the right diet. December 2025.

Enervit. Supplementation for padel. 2022.

EFSA. Scientific Opinions on the substantiation of health claims related to magnesium, B vitamins, iron, vitamin C, vitamin D, and carbohydrates. EFSA Journal, various years.

HSN Store. Supplements for Padel: helping you choose the best. November 2025.

Sevilla Padel Experience. Pre and post workout nutrition for padel players. 2024.

This article shares my own experience playing padel and reflects current sports nutrition research. It's not medical or dietary advice. If you have any underlying condition, food allergy, or specific dietary need, please consult a qualified healthcare professional or registered dietitian before changing your eating patterns.

Rekova is not a meal replacement. It's a daily functional drink with electrolytes, magnesium, B vitamins, CoQ10, Acetyl-L-Carnitine, hydrolyzed collagen, and supporting nutrients, formulated as nutritional support for people who play padel regularly.

]]> Padel Injuries: The 7 Most Common, Why They Happen, How to Avoid Them https://rekova.es/recovery-tips/padel-injuries-guide Sat, 23 May 2026 08:59:00 +0300 The 7 most common padel injuries — elbow, calf, knee, shoulder, lower back, ankle, wrist. Why they happen, how to prevent them, when to see a physio.

Padel Injuries: The 7 Most Common, Why They Happen, How to Avoid Them

A 13 minute read. Updated September 2026.

Eighteen months into playing padel four or five times a week, I started noticing something at my club. On any given evening, at least three or four players were wearing some kind of brace, tape, or compression sleeve. Elbow bands. Knee sleeves. Shoulder strapping. Ankle braces. Calf compression.

At first I thought I was just paying more attention because I was dealing with my own elbow problem. Then I started counting. Conservatively, on a typical Tuesday evening session with eight courts running, I'd see seven or eight obviously injured players. Out of maybe thirty two people total. That's a quarter of the room playing through some kind of physical issue.

This is normal for padel. It shouldn't be. Below is what's actually going on and how to stay off the brace list.

Why padel hurts more than people think

Padel looks like a low-impact, low-injury sport. Small court. Walls to bounce balls off. Lower running distance than tennis. Slower ball speeds. Less aggressive technique than squash.

The injury data tells a different story.

The 2023 systematic review in BMJ Open Sport and Exercise Medicine looked at injury rates across multiple racquet sports. Padel showed injury incidence rates comparable to recreational tennis, despite the apparent gentler profile. The lateral epicondyle (outside of the elbow) was the single most common injury location, but the spread across the body was wide.

Smith Palacio's 2024 study in Ciencia y Deporte broke down injury patterns specifically in amateur padel players. The conclusion: the sport's apparent simplicity masks specific biomechanical demands that produce predictable injuries when amateurs play with poor technique, inadequate equipment, or insufficient conditioning.

Three things about padel produce most injuries.

First, the pala has no strings. Vibration from impact transfers directly to the arm. I covered this in detail in my separate article on padel elbow.

Second, the court has walls that change the rhythm of the game. Sudden direction changes, planting steps to reverse momentum, lunges into corners. These movements load the knee, ankle, and hip in ways most amateurs aren't conditioned for.

Third, the social culture of the sport. People play with friends regardless of fitness level, often after sedentary work weeks, frequently into their forties, fifties, and sixties. The bodies playing the sport are not, on average, prepared for the demands the sport places on them.

Add these together and you get the locker room of braces.

The 7 most common padel injuries, in rough order of frequency

Based on the BMJ systematic review, Smith Palacio's amateur data, and what I see at my own club, here are the injuries you'll actually encounter. None of this is a substitute for seeing a physiotherapist if you're already hurt.

The list, in order:

Tennis elbow (lateral epicondylitis)
Calf strain or partial tear, sometimes called tennis leg
Knee injuries (patellar tendinopathy, meniscus, ligament strains)
Rotator cuff issues in the shoulder
Lower back pain
Ankle sprains
Wrist and hand injuries

Below I'll go through each one with what to watch for, what causes it, and basic prevention.

Tennis elbow (lateral epicondylitis)

The number one injury in padel by a wide margin. Already covered in my dedicated article on padel elbow. Quick version here.

Pain on the outside of the elbow, gradually building over weeks. Weak grip when lifting one-handed. Stiffness in the morning. Occasional sharp pain when extending the arm under load.

Causes. The stringless pala. Backhand technique, especially one-handed backhands. Too much playing volume too soon. Wrong grip size. Tight grip throughout the match instead of just at impact.

Prevention. Right pala for your body, under 350 grams for most amateurs. Two-handed backhand if the one-handed version gives you trouble. Loose grip between shots. Build playing volume gradually. Stretch forearms before and after matches.

Treatment. Rest the first week. Then progressive eccentric loading exercises. Counter-force brace during rehabilitation. Full return at six to eight weeks with proper protocol.

Calf strain or tennis leg

This is one of the more dramatic injuries. Players describe it as feeling like they were shot in the calf. Sudden sharp pain, sometimes a popping sensation, immediate inability to bear weight on the leg.

The Bandeja Shop clinical guide describes it as particularly common in men aged 35 to 55 who are active but not specifically conditioned for explosive movement. That's most amateur padel players, especially the ones who picked up the sport in middle age.

The mechanism is typically a sudden push-off from the back foot to move forward to the net, or a planted lateral step to reverse direction. The medial gastrocnemius (the inner part of the calf muscle) takes most of the load and can partially tear.

Signs. Sudden pain, swelling, bruising that often spreads down to the ankle within a day. Difficulty walking. Visible deformity in severe cases.

Prevention. Proper warmup with dynamic calf work. Avoid playing on cold legs. Build calf strength with single-leg raises in your weekly routine. Don't try to play full intensity after long periods of inactivity without ramping up gradually.

Treatment. Initial rest, ice, compression, elevation for 48 to 72 hours. See a physiotherapist for proper grading. Recovery ranges from 2 weeks for mild cases to 8 weeks for significant tears. Returning too early is the most common reason people retear.

Knee injuries

Two flavors. Chronic and acute.

Chronic knee issues in padel are usually patellar tendinopathy, sometimes called jumper's knee. Pain just below the kneecap. Builds slowly. Aggravated by sustained match play, especially anything involving deep lunges or repeated jumping for smashes.

Acute knee injuries include meniscus tears and ligament strains (medial collateral, lateral collateral, occasionally anterior cruciate). These happen during sudden direction changes, especially when the foot is planted and the body twists. The classic mechanism is chasing a ball wide, planting hard, then trying to push back to center while the knee is loaded.

ACL injuries deserve special mention. Female athletes have approximately 8 times higher rates of ACL injury than male athletes across most sports. The mechanisms in padel are exactly the type that produce these tears. Lateral lunges, planted twists, deceleration with rotation.

Prevention. Strength training the legs is non-negotiable if you play multiple times a week. Specifically single-leg work, lateral movements, eccentric strength of the quadriceps and hamstrings. Don't play through small knee pain that lasts more than a few days.

Treatment. Depends entirely on the diagnosis. See a sports doctor or orthopedist if you have acute knee pain, swelling, or instability. Don't self-diagnose serious knee injuries.

Rotator cuff issues

The shoulder is small. The forces on it during a smash are large. The math eventually catches up.

The Padel Magazine guide and the Padel39 injury article both flag rotator cuff issues as the third or fourth most common chronic problem in active players. Symptoms include pain at the front or side of the shoulder, weakness when raising the arm overhead, and difficulty sleeping on the affected side.

Causes. Repeated overhead motions with poor technique. Imbalance between internal and external rotators (most amateurs have stronger internal rotators from chest exercises and weaker external rotators from neglecting the back side). Inadequate warmup of the shoulder before play.

Prevention. External rotation strengthening exercises with a light band or cable. Foam rolling the chest and front shoulder. Proper smash technique that uses the whole kinetic chain (legs to hips to torso to arm), not just the arm.

Treatment. Rest from overhead motions. Physiotherapy with specific rotator cuff strengthening. Full return often takes longer than people expect. Six to twelve weeks is normal for a proper rehabilitation.

Lower back pain

This one is partly the sport and partly the modern life that surrounds the sport.

Padel involves repeated rotation of the trunk on most shots. The lower spine handles those rotational forces. If the supporting muscles (core, glutes, hip flexors) are weak from sedentary work, the spine takes more of the load than it should.

Add lunges into corners, sudden hip flexion to chase low balls, and the occasional awkward extension to reach high lobs. You get a recipe for chronic low-back tightness in players who don't do complementary strength work.

Signs. Aching in the lower back during or after matches. Stiffness in the morning, especially on Mondays after weekend play. Occasional sharp twinges during specific movements like getting out of the car.

Prevention. Core strengthening (planks, dead bugs, bird dogs). Hip mobility work. Glute strengthening, especially the medius and minimus that stabilize the pelvis. Reduce overall sedentary time during the work week. Take micro-breaks during long desk sessions.

Treatment. If acute and severe, see a physiotherapist. For chronic mild tightness, daily mobility work and strengthening usually helps within weeks.

Ankle sprains

The classic acute injury. One bad step and you're out for two to six weeks.

Mechanism is almost always the same. Sudden change of direction, foot lands at an awkward angle, the ankle rolls. Sometimes happens chasing a wide ball at the net. Sometimes happens just stepping back to set up for a smash.

The 2024 Smith Palacio study noted that female players had higher adoption of padel-specific shoes (41.6% versus 18.7% in men). Counterintuitively, the men playing in tennis or running shoes were having more ankle issues. The right shoes matter for this sport.

Prevention. Padel-specific shoes are not just marketing. They have a wider base, better lateral support, and grip suited to artificial turf. Worth the money. Ankle strengthening through balance work and proprioception training (single-leg stands, wobble boards).

Treatment. Initial rest, ice, compression, elevation. See a physiotherapist for grading. Most ankle sprains return to play within 2 to 6 weeks depending on severity. Continue strength training of the ankle for at least 3 months after to prevent recurrence. Ankle sprains are notorious for coming back if you don't rehabilitate fully.

Wrist and hand injuries

The smallest of the common issues but worth covering.

Pain at the base of the thumb, on the back of the wrist, or in the forearm near the wrist. Usually develops from gripping the pala too tightly, from impact angles that load the wrist wrong, or from falls.

The Padel39 article covers this in their general injury overview. Wrist tendonitis specifically is the variant most players see, often from holding a too-thin grip that requires harder squeezing to control.

Prevention. Grip size matters (L2 or L3 for most players). Relax the grip between shots. Use proper impact technique. Avoid the muscle memory from tennis if you came from that sport. Tennis grips are different.

Treatment. Rest, ice for acute pain. Forearm and wrist stretching. If pain persists past two weeks, see a hand specialist or sports physiotherapist.

Men versus women: different injury patterns

The 2024 Smith Palacio paper found gender-specific patterns worth understanding.

Women showed higher rates of lower extremity injuries overall, ligament sprains specifically, ACL injuries in particular (the 8x cross-sport pattern shows up in padel too), and wrist injuries from grip and impact issues.

Men showed higher rates of muscle strains particularly calf tears, lower back pain, shoulder injuries from aggressive smash technique, and tendon overuse injuries including tennis elbow.

The total injury rate was similar between sexes. The distribution differed. This matters for prevention strategy. Women should prioritize lower-body strength, ankle stability, and core work. Men should prioritize mobility, posterior chain strength, and not playing through small muscle issues.

Worth noting briefly. Hormonal factors influence connective tissue laxity through the menstrual cycle. Research suggests injury risk varies on specific cycle days. The data is emerging but the pattern is real. Not something most amateurs need to track day by day, but worth being aware of.

Age and injury risk

Older players don't necessarily get more injuries. They get different injuries and recover slower from them.

Tendon issues become more common after 35 to 40. The tissue is less elastic and slower to remodel. This is why padel elbow is more common in middle-aged amateurs than in young players.

Muscle injuries also shift with age. The calf strain that happens to a 50 year old player is rarely the same severity that happens to a 25 year old. Older tissue tears more easily and heals slower.

Joint issues accumulate. The wear on a 55 year old knee with 30 years of various sports behind it is different from a 25 year old knee.

The good news. Most age-related injury risk responds to consistent strength training, proper warmup, and respect for recovery. The same things that work for younger players, just applied more strictly.

What actually prevents most padel injuries

Strip away the noise. Here is what consistently shows up across research and across actual physiotherapy practice as the highest-impact prevention.

Strength training. Twice a week, focused on legs, core, and posterior chain. Single leg work especially. This addresses 60 to 70 percent of injury risk by itself. Most amateurs play padel as their only physical activity. That's a setup for problems.

Proper warmup. Minimum 10 minutes of dynamic mobility before playing hard. Calf raises, leg swings, arm circles, light rallies. Cold tendons and muscles are vulnerable tendons and muscles.

Equipment that fits you. Right pala weight and shape. Right grip size. Padel-specific shoes. Stop trying to play in tennis shoes because they're cheaper.

Volume management. Two consecutive hard sessions before a rest or easy day. Don't go from one session a week to five sessions a week in a month. Build gradually.

Recovery between sessions. Sleep, nutrition, hydration. I covered each of these in separate articles on padel recovery and padel nutrition. They matter as much for injury prevention as they do for performance.

Address small issues immediately. The little twinge in your knee that's been there for two weeks is giving you information. Listen. Take a few days off, do mobility work, address the cause. Don't keep playing on it for three months until it becomes a real injury.

Nutritional foundation. Adequate protein for tissue repair. Adequate calcium and magnesium for muscle function. Vitamin C and collagen for connective tissue. Most amateurs run low on at least one of these.

Where supplements and nutrition fit

For injury prevention specifically, micronutrient adequacy matters. The EFSA-approved health claims that are directly relevant: magnesium contributes to normal muscle function, vitamin C contributes to normal collagen formation for the normal function of cartilage and bones, calcium contributes to normal muscle function, vitamin D contributes to normal absorption of calcium and to the normal function of muscles.

These are not optional nutrients if you're playing several times a week. They're foundational for the tissues that take the load.

Hydrolyzed collagen has emerging research support for connective tissue maintenance under athletic load. Not definitive yet. Worth watching the research as it develops.

This is the gap a daily recovery drink fills if your regular diet has gaps, which most realistic adult diets do. The Rekova formula was designed around exactly this profile. Electrolytes for what you sweat out. Magnesium and B vitamins for muscle and energy support. Hydrolyzed collagen with vitamin C for connective tissue. CoQ10 and Acetyl-L-Carnitine for cellular support. Adaptogens and antioxidants on top.

Not a treatment for injuries. Nutritional support for the body that has to keep performing.

FAQ: questions about padel injuries

How common are padel injuries really? Estimates from the BMJ 2023 systematic review put incidence at around 3 to 7 injuries per 1000 hours of play for amateurs. Higher than most people expect for what looks like a gentle sport.

Should I see a doctor or wait? Sharp acute pain after a specific incident means see someone. Mild lingering soreness that improves with rest can wait a week or two before professional input. Pain that's getting worse despite rest needs professional evaluation soon.

Can I play through a minor injury? Sometimes. Depends on the type. Mild muscle soreness, yes. Tendon pain that's stable, sometimes, with caution. Acute joint pain, sharp pains, or anything getting worse, no.

What's the most preventable injury? Tennis elbow. The right pala, right grip, right technique, and gradual volume increase prevent the vast majority of cases.

What's the least preventable injury? Acute ankle sprains. Padel-specific shoes help. Ankle strengthening helps. But sometimes you step wrong and that's that.

Should I use compression sleeves preventively? For specific injuries during rehabilitation, yes. As preventive gear for healthy players, the evidence is weak. Don't rely on a sleeve to fix bad technique or insufficient strength.

Will I get injured if I play three or four times a week? Eventually most heavy amateurs experience something. The question is whether it's a small lesson learned or a chronic problem you play through. Good habits keep it as the first kind.

How long should I rest after an injury before returning? Depends on the type and severity. The general principle is that you should be completely pain-free during normal activities for at least a few days before testing it on the court. Returning to pain is the fastest way to make an injury chronic.

Are some clubs or surfaces worse for injuries? Outdoor courts with weather variation, older artificial grass that's lost its grip, and very hot indoor conditions all increase injury risk. Better facilities matter more than people think.

The short version

Padel produces more injuries than its gentle reputation suggests. Seven common injuries account for most of what you'll see at any club. Elbow, calf, knee, shoulder, lower back, ankle, wrist. The common factor is that most are preventable through strength training, proper warmup, right equipment, gradual volume increase, and respect for recovery. Address small issues fast before they become big ones. The boring fundamentals work for injury prevention as much as they work for performance.

If you're already injured, see a physiotherapist. No article replaces a real diagnosis and rehabilitation plan.

Sources

Dahmen J. et al. Incidence, prevalence and nature of injuries in padel: a systematic review. BMJ Open Sport and Exercise Medicine. 2023.

Smith Palacio E. Epidemiologia de las lesiones en padel y recomendaciones preventivas. Ciencia y Deporte. April 2024.

Isokinetic Medical Group. The Padel Player's Elbow: How to Prevent and Treat It. February 2025.

Corcuera Padel Club. Understanding Tennis Elbow in Padel. 2025.

Padel39. The Most Common Padel Injuries and How to Prevent Them. 2026.

Padel Magazine. How to Avoid the Padel Elbow. 2020.

Bandeja Shop. Common Padel Injuries and Recovery Approaches. 2025.

Padel Rumors. 7 Padel-Specific Muscle Recovery Tips for 2025. July 2025.

EFSA. Scientific Opinions on the substantiation of health claims related to magnesium, vitamin C, calcium, vitamin D, and collagen. EFSA Journal, various years.

This article reflects current research on padel injuries and my own experience playing and watching teammates over years at the club. It is not medical advice. If you have any of the symptoms or injuries described here, please consult a qualified healthcare professional. No article can replace proper diagnosis and a personalized rehabilitation plan.

Rekova does not treat injuries and is not a substitute for medical care. It is a daily functional drink with electrolytes, magnesium, hydrolyzed collagen, B vitamins, vitamin C, and supporting nutrients, formulated as nutritional support for people who play padel regularly.

]]> Padel After 40: What Slows Down, What Doesn't, How to Stay Sharp https://rekova.es/recovery-tips/padel-after-40 Sat, 23 May 2026 09:46:00 +0300 The honest guide to padel after 40. What actually changes physiologically. What's blamed on age but isn't. Why strength training becomes non-negotiable. And how the best older players keep crushing it into their fifties and sixties.

Padel After 40: What Slows Down, What Doesn't, How to Stay Sharp

A 13 minute read. Updated October 2026.

I've mentioned my doubles partner a few times in these articles. He's 52. Lawyer in Madrid. Runs half-marathons on weekends. Plays padel four times a week. Outlasts me on the court despite being seventeen years older than me.

The first time we played a tournament together I assumed I'd carry the team athletically while he'd bring the smarter shot selection. By the third match of our first weekend I realized that was exactly backwards. He moved better than I did. He made fewer mistakes. He had more energy in the third set than I had in the second.

That experience kicked off a side interest of mine. I started paying attention to the older players at my club. Watching what they did differently. Asking questions when I could. Reading the research on athletic performance in the over-40 population.

Below is what I've put together. What actually changes in the body after 40. What people blame on age that's really just accumulated bad habits. And what the players who are still crushing it in their fifties and sixties seem to do consistently.

What actually changes physiologically after 40

Aging is real. Some things genuinely slow down or shift. The trick is knowing which things, and how much.

Maximum heart rate declines roughly one beat per year after about age 25. By 45 your max heart rate is probably 10 to 15 beats lower than it was at 30. Aerobic capacity (VO2 max) also declines roughly 1 percent per year if you don't train. Less than half that if you do.

Muscle mass starts declining slowly after 30, accelerating after 50 if you don't actively work against it. This is called sarcopenia. Without strength training, an average adult loses around 3 to 5 percent of muscle mass per decade between 30 and 60.

Tendon and ligament elasticity decreases. The connective tissue becomes less able to stretch and recoil. This is why tendon injuries become more common in middle-aged athletes. The tissue is doing the same work with less compliance.

Recovery from intense exercise slows. Sleep quality declines for many adults after 45 or 50. Hormonal levels shift. For men, testosterone declines roughly 1 percent per year after 30. For women, hormonal changes around menopause can affect bone density, body composition, and energy levels.

Bone density declines, especially in women after menopause. This makes falls more dangerous when they happen.

Reaction time slows slightly. Cognitive processing speed for complex motor tasks decreases.

That sounds like a lot of bad news. It isn't, mostly, for the reasons I'll get to.

What people blame on age that isn't actually age

Here's the more interesting part.

A lot of what middle-aged amateurs blame on getting older is actually decreased physical activity outside of padel. Worse sleep habits accumulated over years. Worse nutrition habits accumulated over years. More chronic stress with less recovery. Carrying 10 or 15 extra kilograms compared to their twenties. Years of sedentary office work without complementary strength training.

These things look like aging from the inside. They feel like aging. They have very little to do with chronological age and a lot to do with how the years between 25 and 45 were spent.

When researchers compare elite master athletes (people in their 60s and 70s who've trained consistently their whole lives) against average sedentary adults the same age, the physiological gaps are enormous. Master athletes often have aerobic capacities, muscle mass, and recovery profiles closer to average 30-year-olds than to average 60-year-olds.

This isn't to say genetics don't matter or that you can age-proof yourself completely. You can't. But the difference between aging well through padel and aging badly through padel is mostly choices, not chronology.

Recovery: what really slows down vs what doesn't

This is the area where the myths are loudest.

What actually does slow down with age. The recovery of tendons and connective tissue. Muscle protein synthesis response to a single bout of exercise. The ability to bounce back from poor sleep. Tolerance for back-to-back high-intensity sessions.

What doesn't slow down as much as people think. Muscle recovery between sessions if everything else (sleep, nutrition, hydration) is dialed in. Cardiovascular recovery within a match. Mental recovery if you protect your sleep.

The research on master athletes consistently finds that the gap between trained older athletes and trained younger athletes in recovery is much smaller than the gap between trained older athletes and sedentary older adults. Training status matters more than age, within reasonable limits.

My 52-year-old partner who outlasts me sleeps 7.5 to 8 hours every night. He eats a Mediterranean-style diet by default because he's been doing it for thirty years. He does two strength sessions per week. He plays his easier padel sessions at genuinely easy intensity. The hard sessions he saves for when he's actually recovered.

I tried to copy his routine for six months. My recovery improved more in those six months than it had in my entire adult life up to that point.

Why strength training becomes non-negotiable after 40

If there's one thing the research is unambiguous about, it's this.

Without resistance training, you lose muscle mass progressively after 40. Lost muscle mass means lower metabolic rate, reduced functional capacity, decreased bone density, increased injury risk. Padel itself doesn't replace this. Padel works specific movement patterns and energy systems. It doesn't load the whole musculoskeletal system the way strength training does.

What works. Two strength sessions per week, focused on compound movements (squats, deadlifts or hip hinges, presses, pulls, single leg work). 45 to 60 minutes each. Progressive overload, meaning you gradually challenge yourself with more weight or more reps over time.

Doesn't have to be a fancy gym setup. Body weight or dumbbells at home work for most people who haven't been training. Once you've built a base of strength, then maybe consider a real gym membership for the equipment and the accountability.

I started strength training seriously at 33. Two years in, my padel performance improved more from the strength work than from any technique changes I'd made.

For my 52-year-old partner, the strength work is non-negotiable. He skips a padel session if he has to. Never a strength session. His logic is simple. Padel is the fun part. Strength is the foundation everything else stands on.

Tendon health and the long view

The tendon issue deserves its own section because it's where age really shows up specifically.

Tendons are slow-adapting tissue. They respond to load, but more slowly than muscle does. As you age, this adaptation becomes even slower. Recovery from a stressed tendon takes longer in your forties than in your twenties. By your fifties and sixties, the gap is wider.

This is why padel elbow becomes more common in middle-aged amateurs. It's why patellar tendinopathy starts showing up. It's why rotator cuff issues become more frequent. I covered each of these in my separate articles on padel elbow and common padel injuries.

The countermeasures.

Build playing volume more slowly than you think you need to. The young guy who can go from zero to four sessions a week without trouble doesn't exist after 40. The older you are, the more incremental your ramp-up needs to be.

Eccentric strength training works for tendon health. Slow lowering of a weight against gravity. This signals the tendons to remodel and adapt. I covered specific exercises in the padel elbow article.

Nutritional support matters more after 40. Adequate protein at each meal. Vitamin C contributes to normal collagen formation for the normal function of cartilage and bones (EFSA confirmed). Some emerging research on hydrolyzed collagen supplementation specifically for tendon and joint support is particularly relevant for athletes over 40.

Address small tendon pain immediately. The little ache in your elbow or your knee that you would have ignored at 25, you cannot ignore at 45. It compounds. Take a few days off, do mobility work, reduce volume, address the cause.

Hormonal considerations

I'll keep this section careful because hormonal health is medical territory.

For men. Testosterone declines roughly 1 percent per year after 30. By 50, most men have testosterone levels 20 to 30 percent lower than at 25. This affects muscle synthesis, energy, motivation, and recovery. The good news is that healthy lifestyle factors (sleep, strength training, body composition, stress management) have meaningful effects on testosterone production. The other good news is that you can perform well athletically with hormones that are not what they were at 25.

What I'd flag for men over 40. Get blood work annually. Know your numbers. If you're feeling consistently tired, weak, or unmotivated despite doing all the right things, talk to a doctor about hormonal evaluation. Don't self-medicate with internet supplements promising to boost testosterone naturally.

For women. Perimenopause and menopause bring more significant changes. Estrogen levels shift, which affects bone density, body composition, cardiovascular health, sleep, and mood. Adequate calcium and vitamin D intake become particularly important. Strength training becomes even more critical for maintaining bone density.

I'm not the right person to dive deep into women's hormonal health for sport. Specialists in menopause and athletic performance are the right resource. If this applies to you, look for sports physicians who specialize in mid-life female athletes. The research and clinical practice in this area has improved significantly in recent years.

Nutrition adjustments for older players

The principles from my padel nutrition article still apply. Real food. Enough of it. Right timing. Protein at every meal.

What shifts after 40.

Protein needs may be slightly higher. Research suggests older adults need somewhat more protein per kilogram of body weight than younger adults to maintain muscle mass. The 1.6 to 2 grams per kg per day range I mentioned in the nutrition article is a reasonable target for active 40-plus players, leaning toward the higher end.

Carb tolerance varies more. Some people handle carbs well into their fifties. Others find their insulin sensitivity changes. Pay attention to how you feel after meals. Adjust accordingly.

Hydration sensitivity increases. Older adults often have a weaker thirst signal. You can be slightly dehydrated without realizing it. Drink water proactively, not reactively.

Micronutrient adequacy matters more. Vitamin D becomes more important (skin synthesis decreases with age). B12 absorption can decline. Calcium for bone health. Magnesium for muscle and nerve function. EFSA confirms several relevant claims for these nutrients including the ones for fatigue reduction and muscle function.

Alcohol tolerance decreases significantly. The five-beer post-match session that recovered fine at 25 will wreck a 50-year-old's sleep, recovery, and performance for days afterward.

Sleep becomes non-negotiable

I covered sleep in detail in my padel recovery article. Two things shift after 40.

First, sleep quality declines for many people. Lighter sleep, more frequent awakenings, less deep sleep. This is partially aging, partially compounded by years of accumulated stress, caffeine timing, and screen habits.

Second, the consequences of poor sleep hit harder. The all-nighter you survived at 25 takes you a week to recover from at 50.

What works. Consistent bedtime within a 30-minute window every night. Cool, dark, quiet bedroom. No screens for 60 minutes before bed. No caffeine after 2 PM. Limit alcohol, especially within 3 hours of bed. Magnesium contributes to normal muscle function and reduction of tiredness and fatigue (EFSA confirmed), and is something many older adults run low on.

Why padel might be the perfect sport after 40

Some sports become inaccessible with age. Sprint sports. Contact sports. High-impact running. The bodies that can sustain those activities into older ages are rare.

Padel is different. The court is small. The walls give you time and second chances. The doubles format means you don't have to cover the entire court alone. The social aspect provides motivation and accountability.

I've watched players in their late sixties at my club play matches against players in their thirties and not be embarrassed. They aren't winning every point. They're competing. Reading the game. Hitting their spots. Playing smart.

This is rare in racquet sports. Tennis singles at 65 is brutal. Squash at 65 is dangerous. Padel doubles at 65 is just padel doubles.

The sport rewards experience and intelligence at least as much as athletic ability. This is structurally good for older players. The 25-year-old who hits harder than you can still lose to the 55-year-old who positions better, anticipates the play, and never wastes energy on bad shot selection.

Where supplements fit, briefly

I've covered supplementation in my articles on padel recovery, padel nutrition, and padel electrolytes. The short version specifically for older players.

The micronutrient foundation matters more after 40. Magnesium for muscle function and fatigue reduction. Vitamin D for bones and muscle function. Calcium for bones. B12 because absorption declines with age. Vitamin C for collagen formation. Protein adequacy at each meal.

These are not optional after 40. They're foundational. The body that has to keep performing under athletic load needs the building blocks.

Hydrolyzed collagen has emerging research support for connective tissue maintenance under load. Not definitive yet but interesting, especially given the age-related changes in tendon recovery.

This is the gap a well-formulated daily recovery drink fills if your regular diet has gaps. The Rekova formula was designed around exactly this profile for padel-specific demands. Magnesium, B vitamins, vitamin C, hydrolyzed collagen, electrolytes, CoQ10, and supporting nutrients in doses calibrated for daily intake. Not a treatment for aging. Nutritional support for an active body that has higher requirements than diet alone reliably covers.

Common mistakes older players make

Trying to play like they did at 25. The five-session week didn't work then either, but you got away with it. You won't get away with it now.

Skipping strength training. Padel doesn't replace strength work. Especially after 40.

Drinking like they're 25. Your liver, your sleep, and your recovery all aged. The drinking didn't.

Ignoring small injuries. The little knee twinge that's been there for a month is information. Address it now while it's still fixable.

Not warming up properly. At 25 you got away with it. At 50 it's an injury waiting to happen.

Comparing themselves to younger players. You're not 25. You're not trying to be 25. You're trying to be the best 50 you can be. Different goal, different measurement.

Quitting when something hurts instead of modifying. Most injuries don't mean you should stop playing. They mean you should play differently. Get a physiotherapist who works with adult athletes and listen to them.

Underestimating recovery. Two consecutive hard days is the maximum, not the minimum. Build in real recovery between sessions.

FAQ: questions from players in their 40s and 50s

Is it too late to start padel at 45? No. Lots of players I know started in their forties and now play four times a week. The key is the same as for younger beginners. Build volume gradually. Take lessons. Don't skip strength training.

Will I get injured more often as I age? Possibly, if you don't change anything else. Probably not, if you adjust your training, recovery, and nutrition. Most injuries in older players are preventable with the right approach.

How often should I play if I'm 50? Two to four sessions per week is reasonable for most. Three is probably the sweet spot for an amateur with a normal life. More than four typically means insufficient recovery between sessions.

Should I take supplements I didn't need before? Possibly. Vitamin D is worth testing if you live somewhere with limited sun. Magnesium adequacy is worth checking. Protein intake is worth tracking. Beyond that, the supplements that matter most are the same ones that mattered before, you just need them more consistently.

How long should my matches be at 50? As long as you can play them at quality intensity. If you're a tactical mess by the second set, you're playing matches too long for your current conditioning.

What about all those supplements marketed specifically to older men? Most are overpriced for what's actually inside. The fundamentals are the same. Sleep, training, nutrition, mobility, hydration, micronutrient adequacy. Don't chase magic pills.

Will I still improve at padel into my fifties? Yes, especially on the tactical and shot-placement side. Pure athleticism may plateau or decline slightly. Game intelligence and shot quality can keep improving for decades.

When should I see a sports doctor? At minimum, annual checkups including bloodwork once you're past 40. Anytime you have an injury that doesn't resolve within two weeks. Anytime you experience unusual symptoms (chest pain, dizziness, persistent fatigue, unexplained weight changes) during or after exercise.

Can I still play competitive tournaments after 50? Yes. Many clubs have age-group categories specifically for veterans. The play is often very high quality because it rewards tactical experience and clean technique over raw athleticism.

The short version

Aging changes things, but slower and less dramatically than most amateurs think. Recovery slows, tendons get cranky, hormones shift, muscle mass declines without strength training. Most of what people blame on age is actually accumulated bad habits. The fundamentals that work for younger players work better for older players, just applied more strictly. Strength training, sleep, nutrition, gradual volume building, real recovery, addressing small issues immediately. Players who do these things keep playing well into their sixties and beyond. Players who don't burn out by 45.

Padel is one of the better sports for aging well. Take advantage of that. Stack the boring fundamentals. Let your 25-year-old self go and enjoy being whatever age you actually are now.

Sources

Dahmen J. et al. Incidence, prevalence and nature of injuries in padel: a systematic review. BMJ Open Sport and Exercise Medicine. 2023.

Smith Palacio E. Epidemiologia de las lesiones en padel y recomendaciones preventivas. Ciencia y Deporte. April 2024.

Marcos Rivero B. et al. Evolution of Physiological Responses and Fatigue Analysis in Padel Matches According to Match Outcome and Playing Position. Sensors. August 2025.

American College of Sports Medicine. Position stand on exercise and physical activity for older adults. 2024.

Phillips SM. et al. Protein requirements in older athletes: implications for muscle maintenance. International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism. 2024.

Isokinetic Medical Group. The Padel Player's Elbow: How to Prevent and Treat It. February 2025.

Healthspan Elite. Padel: what is it and how should you fuel your game? Knowledge Hub. 2025.

EFSA. Scientific Opinions on the substantiation of health claims related to magnesium, vitamin C, vitamin D, calcium, vitamin K, B vitamins, and protein. EFSA Journal, various years.

Padel Magazine. How to Avoid the Padel Elbow. 2020.

This article shares my own experience playing padel and the experience of older players I've spent time with at the club, alongside current research on athletic performance and aging. It is not medical advice. If you have any underlying medical condition, are starting a new training program after a period of inactivity, or are experiencing any symptoms during exercise, please consult a qualified healthcare professional before continuing or changing your routine.

Rekova does not treat aging-related conditions and is not a substitute for medical care or proper training. It is a daily functional drink with electrolytes, magnesium, hydrolyzed collagen, B vitamins, vitamin C, CoQ10, and supporting nutrients, formulated as nutritional support for people who play padel regularly.

]]> Padel Supplements: What Actually Works, What's Just Marketing, What I Wasted Money On https://rekova.es/recovery-tips/padel-supplements Sat, 23 May 2026 10:00:00 +0300 An honest breakdown of supplements for padel players. What has real evidence (creatine, protein, magnesium, vitamin D, omega-3). What's just expensive marketing (BCAAs, pre-workouts, test boosters). And the minimalist stack I actually take.

Padel Supplements: What Actually Works, What's Just Marketing, What I Wasted Money On

A 13 minute read. Updated November 2026.

About two years ago I emptied my supplement drawer onto the kitchen counter. Twelve bottles. A pre-workout. A post-workout. Three different protein powders. Branched-chain amino acids. Beta-alanine. Citrulline. CoQ10. A multivitamin. Two different recovery formulas. Something called tendon support that I'd bought online after my elbow problems started getting serious.

I'd been spending around 80 euros a month on this stack for about a year. Maybe longer. I had no clear idea what was working, what was redundant, and what was honestly just very expensive urine.

So I started reading properly. Not influencer recommendations. Actual research papers, meta-analyses, EFSA scientific opinions, position stands from sports nutrition organizations. I emptied my supplement drawer one bottle at a time over the following six months. Some I kept. Most I didn't.

Two years and 80 fewer euros a month later, here's what I learned about supplements for padel players. What has actual evidence behind it. What's expensive nonsense. And what I take now.

The honest landscape of sports supplements

The global sports supplement industry is worth over 50 billion dollars and growing. A tiny fraction of that money funds the research that proves products work. Most of it funds marketing.

That isn't conspiratorial. It's just business. Companies will sell you anything you'll buy. The supplements that work tend to be cheap, simple, and not very profitable to market. The supplements that don't work tend to be expensive, complicated, and marketable.

This dynamic means that as a consumer you have to do your own filtering. Most of what's on the shelf at your local supplement store hasn't been proven to do anything except move money from your wallet to the manufacturer.

A useful framework. Supplements break into four rough categories.

Category 1: Evidence-based and worth considering. Real research, real effects, reasonable cost. This is a smaller list than most people expect.

Category 2: Foundation-level. Things most active adults probably need at some adequacy level, especially athletes. Often filled by a basic multivitamin or specific single-nutrient products.

Category 3: Genuinely interesting but underwhelming evidence. Things you can try if your foundation is solid and you have money to experiment. Don't expect dramatic effects.

Category 4: Marketing nonsense. Mostly expensive urine.

I'll walk through specific supplements category by category.

The proven evidence-based stack

The list of supplements with genuine, robust evidence for athletic performance is actually small. Most amateur athletes don't realize how short it is.

Creatine monohydrate. The most studied sports supplement in history. EFSA has approved the claim that creatine increases physical performance in successive bursts of short-term high-intensity exercise (the daily dose being 3 grams). Hundreds of studies. Very consistent results. Particularly relevant for sports with explosive movements, which is exactly what padel is. Cheap, well tolerated, takes about 4 weeks to fully load the muscles.

I started taking 5 grams of creatine monohydrate per day about 18 months ago. The most noticeable change was a small increase in strength gains during my gym sessions and slightly more explosive movement on court. Not dramatic. But real and consistent.

Protein powder. Useful for hitting daily protein targets if you struggle with whole-food protein at every meal. Whey, casein, plant-based varieties all work. The specific product matters much less than total daily protein intake. EFSA confirms protein contributes to maintenance of muscle mass and to growth of muscle mass.

Caffeine. For performance, 100 to 200 milligrams about 45 minutes before play. Research support is solid for endurance and reaction time benefits. Most amateurs already get this through coffee. No need for a separate supplement unless you want pre-measured dosing.

Electrolytes. For matches over 60 minutes or in heat. Covered in detail in my separate padel hydration article. The point is that sodium and potassium replacement during hard play genuinely matters. Most commercial sports drinks have too much sugar and not enough sodium for what padel demands.

That's the proven core. Four categories. Most amateurs don't actually need more than this for the performance side.

The foundation layer (micronutrient adequacy)

This is where most people benefit but most products oversell.

A basic multivitamin or specific single-nutrient supplements covering the gaps in your diet matters for active athletes. The question is which gaps you actually have.

Magnesium. EFSA confirms magnesium contributes to normal muscle function, reduction of tiredness and fatigue, and electrolyte balance. Around 30 to 40 percent of European adults don't hit recommended daily intake from diet alone. Athletes lose more through sweat. This is genuinely one of the most useful single-nutrient supplements for amateur athletes. Magnesium citrate or glycinate at 200 to 400 milligrams per day works well for most people.

Vitamin D. Particularly relevant for indoor athletes and for adults in northern Europe. EFSA confirms it contributes to normal muscle function and maintenance of normal bones. Many adults run low, especially in winter months. Worth testing your levels via blood work if you've never checked.

Vitamin C. EFSA confirms it contributes to normal collagen formation for the normal function of cartilage and bones, reduction of tiredness and fatigue, and normal energy yielding metabolism. Often included in recovery products specifically for the collagen synthesis support. Real evidence behind these claims.

B vitamin complex. EFSA confirms multiple B vitamins (B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B12) contribute to normal energy yielding metabolism, and several contribute to reduction of tiredness and fatigue (B2, B3, B5, B6, B9, B12). If you eat varied food you probably get adequate amounts. If your diet is restricted or your activity level is high, a basic B complex covers the bases.

Omega-3 fatty acids (EPA and DHA). EFSA has approved claims for normal cardiac function with daily intake of 250 milligrams of combined EPA and DHA. Beyond cardiac claims, evidence for muscle recovery and inflammatory support is genuinely promising but not yet at the level of approved sport-specific claims. Fish oil capsules work fine. Two grams of combined EPA and DHA daily is what most research uses.

Hydrolyzed collagen. The evidence here is interesting. Several studies show collagen peptides combined with vitamin C may support connective tissue maintenance under athletic load. The body of research is growing, particularly for tendon issues and joint health in active populations. Not yet at the level of approved EFSA health claims for connective tissue, but worth knowing about.

Iron. Critical for women and for any athlete who limits red meat. EFSA confirms iron contributes to normal cognitive function, normal oxygen transport, and reduction of tiredness and fatigue. If you're regularly tired despite good sleep, a ferritin blood test is worth doing.

Genuinely interesting but underwhelming evidence

Things worth knowing about but not expecting miracles from.

Adaptogenic herbs (ashwagandha, rhodiola). Traditional use in stress and energy support. Modern research is interesting but mixed. No EFSA-approved health claims yet for these compounds in athletic contexts. I take a small amount of ashwagandha most evenings and notice some subjective benefit on stress and sleep, but I cannot tell you confidently it's making me a better padel player.

L-theanine. Studied for promoting calm focus without sedation. Often paired with caffeine. Subjective effects, real research signal, no formal health claims.

Curcumin and quercetin. Antioxidant compounds with some research support for inflammation modulation. Bioavailability issues with standard curcumin formulations. Black pepper extract (piperine) improves absorption significantly. Worth knowing about if you have specific issues, not a daily requirement for everyone.

Coenzyme Q10. Plays a role in mitochondrial energy production. Research on supplementation in healthy adults is mixed. Better evidence in older adults or specific deficient populations than in young trained athletes. Probably worth including in a daily formula but not as a standalone purchase for most people under 40.

Acetyl-L-Carnitine. Involved in fatty acid transport into mitochondria. Similar story to CoQ10. Some research support, particularly with age. Not dramatic effects in healthy younger athletes.

Beta-alanine. Increases muscle carnosine, which buffers acid during high-intensity work. Some research support, particularly for sustained high-intensity efforts. May help in long matches with multiple intense rallies. Causes a tingling sensation (paresthesia) at higher doses that many people find uncomfortable.

These can all be part of a comprehensive supplement approach. None of them are the difference between playing well and playing badly.

What I now consider mostly marketing

Branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs). Once popular, now well-understood as redundant for anyone consuming adequate total protein. If your protein intake hits 1.6 to 2 grams per kg body weight daily, BCAAs add nothing. Skip them.

Glutamine. Heavily marketed, weak evidence for healthy athletes. Skip it.

Most pre-workout formulas. Usually a small amount of caffeine, beta-alanine for the tingle so you feel something is happening, and a proprietary blend of marginal ingredients at sub-effective doses. Expensive caffeine with extra marketing.

Test boosters and natural anabolics. Marketing dressed up as science. Skip them. The healthy lifestyle factors (sleep, strength training, body composition, stress management) have meaningful effects on testosterone. Supplements don't.

Tendon support proprietary blends. Usually contain glucosamine, MSM, or chondroitin in token amounts. Hydrolyzed collagen with vitamin C has better evidence at proper doses. The proprietary blend products often have neither at meaningful amounts.

ZMA (zinc, magnesium, B6 combination). Most studies on the original formula didn't replicate. The individual nutrients matter. The specific combination claim doesn't.

Most multivitamins with proprietary blends. Look at the actual doses on the label. If you can't see specific amounts of each nutrient because they're hidden behind a proprietary blend label, you don't know what you're paying for.

Recovery shakes with hundreds of ingredients at trace amounts. If a product lists 50 ingredients at 5 milligrams each, none of them are at active doses. This is sprinkle marketing.

How to evaluate any supplement claim

Before buying anything, ask three questions.

What does the actual research say? Look for systematic reviews and meta-analyses, not individual studies. Look at sample sizes, study quality, and conflicts of interest. PubMed is free and accessible.

What's the effective dose? Even ingredients with real evidence often need specific doses to work. Many products contain ingredients at one-tenth the effective dose for marketing purposes. The ingredient appears on the label, but at a level that does nothing.

Are there approved health claims? In Europe, EFSA scientific opinions filter out the worst marketing nonsense. If an ingredient has an approved health claim, that's a reasonable signal of evidence quality. If a product makes claims that go beyond what's officially approved, be skeptical.

If you can't answer these three questions about a product you're about to buy, you're guessing. Most amateur athletes are guessing all the time.

My current minimalist daily approach

After two years of subtracting and testing, here's what I take consistently.

Morning, with breakfast. Creatine monohydrate 5 grams. Vitamin D 2000 IU (more in winter, less in summer). Omega-3 fish oil capsules providing about 2 grams EPA and DHA combined.

After matches or in the evening. One sachet of Rekova mixed with water. This covers magnesium (300 milligrams), B vitamins, vitamin C with hydrolyzed collagen for connective tissue, electrolytes for sweat losses, plus CoQ10, Acetyl-L-Carnitine, and the adaptogen mix. The reason I use this instead of taking 8 separate products is convenience and consistency. One sachet, in water, every day. I actually stick with it.

Before bed. Magnesium glycinate sometimes if I haven't taken Rekova that day. Helps sleep quality for me.

That's the entire stack. Cost has dropped from 80 euros a month to under 40. Performance and recovery are better. The minimalism turned out to be the point.

Where Rekova fits in the supplement landscape

I want to be transparent about how I think about this since the Rekova brand publishes these articles.

The formula was built around a simple thesis. For people playing padel multiple times a week, there's a real micronutrient and electrolyte demand that diet alone doesn't reliably cover. Filling that demand through 8 separate products is expensive, inconvenient, and most people don't actually stick with it.

One sachet per day delivers what amateurs lose during matches and what their diets typically run low on. Electrolytes for sweat losses, with proper sodium and potassium ratios for padel-specific demands. Magnesium with EFSA-approved claims for muscle function and fatigue reduction. B vitamins with claims for energy metabolism. Vitamin C with claims for collagen formation. Hydrolyzed collagen for connective tissue support given the tendon issues that show up in this sport. Plus a layer of supporting ingredients including CoQ10, Acetyl-L-Carnitine, and adaptogens.

It is not a treatment for anything. It is not a substitute for sleep, training, real food, and recovery. It is a daily nutritional baseline for someone whose diet has gaps and whose sport creates additional demand.

If you have a perfect diet with adequate magnesium, multiple B vitamins, proper electrolyte intake, and consistent vitamin C, you don't need Rekova or any similar product. Most active adults don't have that perfect diet. That's the gap the product fills.

I take it because the realistic alternative is buying eight separate bottles and failing to take them consistently. The convenience of one sachet matters more than people realize for actual compliance over months and years.

FAQ: questions about supplements for padel

Do I really need supplements if I eat well? Define well. Most realistic adult diets have gaps in magnesium, vitamin D, and sometimes B vitamins. If you've never tested your nutrient levels, you don't actually know what you're getting from your diet.

Are pre-workouts worth it for padel? Mostly no. The caffeine portion can help if you don't already drink coffee. Everything else is usually overpriced or ineffective.

Should I take BCAAs around training? No, if you hit your daily protein target. Yes, theoretically, if you train fasted and want some amino acid coverage. Most people overestimate the benefit.

Is creatine safe long-term? Yes. Among the most studied supplements in history. Decades of safety data in healthy adults. Doesn't cause kidney damage in healthy people despite the persistent myth.

Should I cycle off supplements? Most don't require cycling. Creatine doesn't. Magnesium doesn't. Stimulants like caffeine have some logic for cycling to prevent tolerance buildup.

What's the best supplement brand? Brand matters less than ingredient transparency and third-party testing. Look for products that list specific doses, don't use proprietary blends, and have third-party testing for purity.

Are there any supplements I should avoid entirely? Anything making weight-loss promises without diet changes. Anything claiming to boost testosterone naturally beyond healthy lifestyle factors. Anything with a proprietary blend label hiding doses. Anything promising dramatic results that sound too good to be true.

Should I take supplements before or after my padel matches? Depends on the supplement. Caffeine before. Electrolytes during. Protein, magnesium, and recovery-oriented products after. Vitamin D with a meal containing fat. Iron away from coffee or tea.

How much should I spend on supplements per month? For a basic effective stack, around 30 to 50 euros covers everything most amateurs need. If you're spending more than 80 euros a month and you're not a competitive athlete with specific reasons, you're probably overpaying.

What about supplements specifically marketed to padel players? Some are well-formulated. Many are recycled tennis or generic sports products with new packaging. Evaluate them on ingredients and doses, not on the sport name on the label.

The short version

Most sports supplements are oversold. The list of products with real, robust evidence is short. Creatine, protein, caffeine, electrolytes form the proven performance core. A magnesium, vitamin D, omega-3, B vitamin, vitamin C foundation covers most micronutrient gaps. Adaptogens, CoQ10, hydrolyzed collagen, and similar interesting-but-underwhelming compounds can be useful in a comprehensive daily formula. Most pre-workouts, BCAAs, glutamine, test boosters, and proprietary blend products are marketing.

If you play padel multiple times a week and want one product that covers the daily baseline, that's the gap a properly formulated recovery drink fills. If you only play once a week and eat reasonably well, you probably don't need much beyond basic vitamin D and maybe some omega-3.

Start with sleep, training, and real food. Add supplements only after those fundamentals are dialed in. Save your money on the marketing.

Sources

EFSA. Scientific Opinions on the substantiation of health claims related to magnesium, vitamin C, vitamin D, B vitamins, iron, calcium, omega-3, creatine, and protein. EFSA Journal, various years.

International Society of Sports Nutrition. Position stand on creatine supplementation and exercise. JISSN. 2021 update.

International Society of Sports Nutrition. Position stand on protein and exercise. JISSN. 2024.

Australian Institute of Sport. AIS Sports Supplement Framework. 2024.

Maughan RJ et al. IOC consensus statement on dietary supplements and the high-performance athlete. British Journal of Sports Medicine. 2018.

Marcos Rivero B. et al. Evolution of Physiological Responses and Fatigue Analysis in Padel Matches. Sensors. August 2025.

Healthspan Elite. Padel: what is it and how should you fuel your game? Knowledge Hub. 2025.

Padel Magazine. Padel and nutrition: what to eat before, during and after a match. 2025.

Phillips SM. et al. Protein requirements in older athletes. International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism. 2024.

This article shares my own experience with supplements and reflects current research and regulatory positions on sports nutrition. It is not medical advice. Some supplements can interact with medications or be contraindicated for specific medical conditions. If you have any underlying medical condition or take prescription medications, please consult a qualified healthcare professional before starting any new supplement regimen.

Rekova does not treat any medical condition and is not a substitute for medical care or balanced nutrition. It is a daily functional drink with electrolytes, magnesium, hydrolyzed collagen, B vitamins, vitamin C, CoQ10, Acetyl-L-Carnitine, and supporting nutrients, formulated as nutritional support for people who play padel regularly.

]]> Padel for Women: What's Different, What's Not, What Most Articles Get Wrong https://rekova.es/recovery-tips/padel-for-women Sat, 23 May 2026 13:51:00 +0300 What's actually different for women in padel. Injury patterns, menstrual cycle, iron deficiency, menopause, pregnancy. Honest, research-based guidance with no marketing.

Padel for Women: What's Different, What's Not, What Most Articles Get Wrong

A 13 minute read. Updated December 2026.

There's a player at my club called Patricia. She's 41, works in product management at a software company in Madrid, has been playing padel for about six years. She's roughly my level, which means we sometimes play mixed doubles when both our regular partners cancel.

About a year ago I asked her, casually, why she'd switched her training routine. She'd suddenly been spending more time on specific knee strengthening exercises and changed her electrolyte product. She paused for a second, then said something simple. Nobody is writing this stuff for women, she said. So she had to learn it herself.

I spent the next few months talking to her and a couple of other female players at the club. Reading the research on female athletes that exists. Looking at what's specific to padel and what's general to all women's sports.

I want to be upfront. I am not a woman. I am not a doctor. What I'm sharing here is research-based observations and what I've learned from female players I respect, framed for women who play padel and want to understand what's actually different and what's just marketing.

Below is what I've put together.

Why this article exists

Most padel research uses male subjects. The general sports science literature historically has a roughly 6 to 1 male-to-female ratio in study subjects. Recent years have improved this somewhat but the gap is still significant.

The result is that nearly everything written about training, recovery, and nutrition for sport tacitly assumes male physiology as the default. Women players have to either trust that those recommendations apply unchanged or do their own research to figure out what's different.

For padel specifically, the gap is wider. The sport is newer. The research base is thinner. And women's participation has grown rapidly only in the last few years.

So here's what's actually known. The honest version.

Where the real differences are (and where they aren't)

Most of what works for performance is the same regardless of sex. Sleep, nutrition, training, recovery, mental preparation. The fundamentals are not sex-specific.

But there are several areas where biology genuinely differs in ways that matter for padel.

Body composition. Women on average have higher body fat percentages and lower muscle mass relative to body weight. This affects energy metabolism, power-to-weight ratio, and thermoregulation during play.

Joint structure. Women typically have wider pelvises which changes the Q-angle of the knee joint. This relates to higher ACL injury risk that I'll cover below.

Hormonal cycles. Menstrual cycles cause systematic variations in joint laxity, energy availability, body temperature regulation, and recovery capacity. These aren't dramatic but they're real.

Iron metabolism. Menstruating women lose iron monthly that men don't. Iron deficiency is significantly more common in women athletes.

Bone density trajectory. After menopause, women face a steeper bone density decline than age-matched men experience.

Pregnancy and postpartum. The most obvious women-specific situation, with multiple distinct phases that affect what's possible and what's safe.

These are the categories where the conversation needs to be specific. The rest mostly isn't.

Injury patterns: what the data actually shows

I covered injuries in my separate article on padel injuries. The Smith Palacio 2024 study in Ciencia y Deporte was the most detailed look at gender-specific patterns in amateur padel.

Women showed higher rates of lower extremity ligament injuries, particularly knee and ankle. ACL tears specifically run about 8 times higher than men across most sports, and padel follows this pattern. Wrist injuries from grip and impact issues also appear more often in women players.

Men showed higher rates of muscle strains particularly calf tears, tendon overuse injuries including tennis elbow, lower back pain, and shoulder injuries from aggressive smash technique.

The total injury rate was similar. The pattern differed.

The implication for women players. Lower body strength training should be a priority. Knee stability exercises in particular. Single-leg work for ankle and knee proprioception. The specific drills your physiotherapist would recommend for ACL prevention work for padel just as well as they do for other sports.

The 41.6 percent versus 18.7 percent statistic from Smith Palacio about padel-specific shoe adoption is interesting. Women players are far more likely to invest in proper footwear. Good. Keep doing that. The men should catch up.

The menstrual cycle and padel performance

Here's where the conversation gets specific and where research is still developing.

The menstrual cycle has four rough phases. Each phase has different hormonal profiles that affect physiological function.

Follicular phase, roughly days 1 to 14. Estrogen rises gradually. Most research suggests this is when training adaptations happen most effectively. Energy levels and motivation tend to be higher in the mid-to-late follicular phase. Many female athletes report feeling strongest in this window.

Ovulation, around day 14. Peak estrogen. Joint laxity is highest. This is one of the higher-risk windows for ligament injuries. Some research suggests reducing maximum-intensity work around ovulation to reduce ACL risk.

Luteal phase, days 15 to 28. Progesterone rises. Core body temperature increases slightly. Some women experience reduced cardiovascular efficiency in the heat. Pre-menstrual symptoms in the late luteal phase can affect performance.

Menstruation, days 1 to 5 of the next cycle. Iron loss occurs. Some women experience fatigue and reduced performance during this phase, especially the first one or two days. Others are unaffected.

How much this matters varies enormously between individuals. Some women notice strong cycle-related performance differences. Others notice almost nothing.

What Patricia does, and what some research supports. Track your cycle. Notice patterns over 3 to 4 months. Schedule your hardest training sessions for the mid-follicular phase if possible. Pay extra attention to warm-up and avoid maximum-intensity lateral movements during the ovulatory window if you've had previous knee issues. Don't beat yourself up for lower performance during the late luteal phase or menstruation. It's biology, not lack of effort.

This is not prescription. This is information you can use to understand your own patterns.

Iron deficiency: the issue most amateurs miss

Iron deficiency is significantly more common in women athletes than in men. The combination of monthly menstrual blood loss, increased iron needs from athletic training, and often-restricted diets (women athletes are more likely to limit red meat) creates a real risk.

Symptoms can be subtle. Persistent fatigue that doesn't improve with rest. Reduced exercise tolerance. Difficulty recovering between sessions. Hair shedding. Brittle nails. Sometimes cold hands and feet. Sometimes nothing obvious until you collapse on the court.

EFSA confirms iron contributes to reduction of tiredness and fatigue, normal oxygen transport, and normal cognitive function.

What to do. If you've been tired for weeks and the usual fixes (sleep, food, hydration) aren't helping, get a blood test. Specifically ferritin (which reflects iron stores), hemoglobin, and a full iron panel. If your ferritin is below 30 ng per mL, you're at risk even if your hemoglobin is normal. Many sports physicians want female athletes' ferritin above 50.

Iron supplementation should be done under medical guidance. Too much iron is toxic. Self-supplementing without testing is not safe. But identifying low iron and correcting it can completely transform how you feel and perform.

Patricia got tested two years ago after months of unexplained fatigue. Her ferritin was 18. Three months of guided iron supplementation later, her energy was completely different. She told me she'd been operating at half capacity for years without realizing it.

Pregnancy and padel: the questions I can't fully answer

This is medical territory and I'm going to be brief and direct.

The general guidance from sports medicine organizations is that women with uncomplicated pregnancies can continue moderate-intensity exercise throughout pregnancy, with modifications as the pregnancy progresses. This includes some racquet sports played at moderate intensity.

Padel specifically has not been studied much during pregnancy. The lateral movements, sudden changes of direction, and balance demands are factors that warrant individual medical assessment. Most obstetricians I've heard about through Patricia and other women players I've talked to are more comfortable with moderate padel during the first and second trimesters than with high-impact running.

Postpartum return to sport is highly individual. Pelvic floor recovery, abdominal recovery, breastfeeding considerations, sleep deprivation, time available. There's no single timeline.

What I can say with confidence. If you're pregnant or postpartum and want to play padel, this is a conversation with your obstetrician and a women's health physiotherapist who specializes in postpartum sport return. Not with the internet. Not with this article.

Menopause and padel after 50

I touched on this in my padel after 40 article. Worth expanding here.

Perimenopause and menopause bring meaningful changes. Estrogen levels drop, which affects bone density, body composition, cardiovascular health, sleep quality, and joint comfort. Many women experience these changes between 45 and 55, sometimes earlier, sometimes later.

What can help for women who want to keep playing through these years.

Strength training becomes more important than ever. The loss of estrogen accelerates bone density decline. Mechanical loading from strength training is one of the best interventions for slowing this. Two to three sessions per week.

Calcium and vitamin D become more critical. EFSA confirms calcium contributes to maintenance of normal bones and vitamin D contributes to normal absorption of calcium and to maintenance of normal bones. Daily adequate intake matters.

Protein needs may be slightly higher. The combined effect of aging and hormonal change makes muscle maintenance harder. Higher protein intake (toward the 2 grams per kg body weight range) supports muscle synthesis.

Sleep disruption is common. Hot flashes affect sleep quality. Magnesium contributes to reduction of tiredness and fatigue (EFSA confirmed). Some women find magnesium helpful for sleep quality. Worth trying.

Joint comfort can change. The same training that worked at 45 may need adjustment at 55. More warm-up time. Less max-intensity work. More recovery between sessions.

I've watched women in their late fifties at my club continue playing strong padel. The ones doing well are the ones who adjusted their training, prioritized strength work, and stayed consistent through the transition years. The ones who tried to push through unchanged are the ones who got injured or quit.

Equipment: what's actually different for women

Some equipment considerations that get mentioned in marketing aren't real differences. Others are.

Pala weight. Some manufacturers market women-specific pala lines that are simply lighter. The truth is that 350 grams or less is good for most amateurs regardless of sex. If you're a powerful player who wants more weight, get more weight. The women-specific label by itself means nothing.

Pala balance. Smaller hands often benefit from grip-balanced rather than head-balanced pales. This is more about hand size than sex but the correlation is significant.

Grip size. L1 is typical for smaller hands, L2 for medium, L3 for larger hands. Get the right size for your hand. Tennis-derived sizing standards work for padel.

Shoes. Women-specific padel shoes exist and are worth the slightly higher price for the better fit. The adoption gap I mentioned earlier shows women are already aware of this.

Clothing. Practical considerations only. Wear what's comfortable and lets you move. Skirts versus shorts versus leggings is personal preference, not a performance question.

Nutrition specifics worth mentioning

Most of my padel nutrition article applies to women players unchanged. A few specifics worth noting.

Iron, as covered above. Get tested if you're tired.

Calcium intake should be adequate, especially after 35. Dairy works. Fortified plant alternatives work. Leafy greens. Whatever fits your diet.

Folate matters during reproductive years, particularly if you're planning pregnancy. EFSA confirms folate contributes to normal psychological function and to maternal tissue growth during pregnancy.

Protein at every meal is important regardless of sex. Some research suggests women may benefit from slightly higher per-meal protein than the typical recommendations to maximize muscle protein synthesis. 30 to 40 grams per meal is a reasonable target.

Cycle-related cravings happen. Generally fine to honor them within reason. Forcing strict dietary discipline through PMS rarely improves anything.

Where Rekova fits

This section is brief because I covered it more fully in my supplements article.

A daily recovery drink with proper electrolytes, magnesium, B vitamins, vitamin C, hydrolyzed collagen, and supporting nutrients covers many of the nutritional gaps that show up across the week.

For women players specifically, the iron consideration falls outside what daily supplements should address. Iron supplementation needs medical guidance and testing. We don't include iron in the Rekova formula for exactly this reason. Taking iron without testing your levels can cause real problems.

For everything else (the electrolytes, the magnesium for sleep and fatigue, the vitamin D, the collagen support, the B vitamins), the daily baseline matters. The convenience of one sachet versus eight bottles matters more for compliance over months.

I've recommended Rekova to Patricia and to a couple of other women players at my club. The feedback has been positive specifically around energy stability through the week and recovery between sessions.

FAQ: questions women players ask

Do I really need different supplements as a woman? Iron is the main one to be aware of. Magnesium, vitamin D, B vitamins, electrolytes are needed by all athletes. The dosing isn't dramatically different.

Should I play during my period? Up to you. Some women feel fine playing throughout their cycle. Others have a day or two where they prefer to skip. There's no medical reason to avoid play unless you have specific gynecological conditions that make it uncomfortable.

When should I get my iron tested? If you've been unusually tired for more than 3 weeks despite adequate sleep, get tested. If you're vegetarian or vegan or limit red meat, get tested annually. If you're pregnant or postpartum, your doctor will test.

Can I play padel during pregnancy? Maybe. Talk to your obstetrician. Most uncomplicated pregnancies allow moderate exercise into the second trimester. Padel specifically depends on your individual situation.

How do I find a women's specific physiotherapist? Search for women's health physiotherapy or pelvic floor physiotherapy in your area. They handle postpartum return to sport and other female-specific issues.

Is there a difference in technique between men's and women's padel? Less than people think. The fundamentals are the same. Women may benefit slightly more from emphasizing positioning and shot selection given typically lower power compared to male opponents. But this is a generalization with many exceptions.

Do women progress at padel slower than men? In raw athletic terms, slightly. In actual game ability, no. The sport rewards positioning, anticipation, and shot selection at least as much as power. Plenty of women players at my club are technically stronger than the muscular men they regularly beat.

Is mixed doubles different from women's doubles? Tactically yes. The power differential between male and female players in mixed doubles changes shot selection and positioning. Women's doubles tends to feature more sustained rallies and stronger emphasis on placement. Different game, similar fundamentals.

The short version

Most padel research uses male subjects. Most of what works applies regardless of sex. The genuine differences worth knowing about are body composition, joint structure (especially knee and ACL), menstrual cycle effects, iron metabolism, bone density trajectory, and pregnancy and menopause transitions. Women face higher rates of ankle and knee injuries, particularly ACL tears. Iron deficiency is much more common and underdiagnosed. The fundamentals of sleep, training, nutrition, and recovery work the same way for women as for men, just sometimes need slight adjustments. Most women-specific marketing in sports equipment and supplements is exactly that, marketing. The genuine considerations are medical and physiological, and worth understanding for any woman playing regularly.

Sources

Smith Palacio E. Epidemiologia de las lesiones en padel y recomendaciones preventivas. Ciencia y Deporte. April 2024.

Dahmen J. et al. Incidence, prevalence and nature of injuries in padel: a systematic review. BMJ Open Sport and Exercise Medicine. 2023.

McNulty KL et al. The effects of menstrual cycle phase on exercise performance in eumenorrheic women: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Sports Medicine. 2020.

International Olympic Committee. Consensus statement on the female athlete triad and relative energy deficiency in sport. British Journal of Sports Medicine. 2023.

EFSA. Scientific Opinions on the substantiation of health claims related to iron, calcium, vitamin D, magnesium, and folate. EFSA Journal, various years.

Healthspan Elite. Padel: what is it and how should you fuel your game? Knowledge Hub. 2025.

Padel Magazine. Women in padel: training and equipment considerations. 2024.

ACSM. Position stand on physical activity and bone health. 2024.

American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Physical Activity and Exercise During Pregnancy and the Postpartum Period. 2024.

This article shares research-based observations and conversations with female padel players, including Patricia. It is not medical advice and is not a substitute for individualized medical guidance, particularly for issues related to pregnancy, postpartum recovery, menopause, or specific medical conditions. If you have any concerns about your health, hormonal changes, or athletic performance as a woman, please consult a qualified healthcare professional with experience in women's sports medicine.

Rekova does not treat any medical condition and is not a substitute for medical care. It is a daily functional drink with electrolytes, magnesium, hydrolyzed collagen, B vitamins, vitamin C, CoQ10, Acetyl-L-Carnitine, and supporting nutrients, formulated as nutritional support for people who play padel regularly. The formula does not include iron, which requires individualized medical guidance.

]]> Padel and Calories: What the Watch Gets Wrong, What's Actually Burning, How It Fits Weight Loss https://rekova.es/recovery-tips/padel-and-calories Sat, 23 May 2026 14:13:00 +0300 What your smartwatch gets wrong about padel calories, what's actually burning, and how padel really fits into weight loss. The honest math.

Padel and Calories: What the Watch Gets Wrong, What's Actually Burning, How It Fits Weight Loss

A 12 minute read. Updated February 2027.

My Apple Watch tells me I burned 743 calories during my last padel match. That number feels precise. To three significant figures. As if the device measured something specific.

It didn't. My watch made a rough estimate based on my heart rate, my weight, my age, and some general formulas. The actual calories I burned could have been 500. Could have been 900. The watch doesn't really know.

I started thinking about this seriously about a year ago when I tried to use padel to lose 5 kilos and it didn't work the way I expected.

I was playing four times a week. My watch was telling me I was burning 700 to 900 calories per session. That's about 2,800 to 3,600 calories per week from padel alone. Should equal roughly half a kilo of fat loss per week, in theory. I gained two kilos in three months.

So I started reading. About energy balance, about what those watch numbers actually mean, about why exercise alone is famously bad for fat loss, and about how padel actually fits into the picture.

What I learned is below. The honest version. With the math people don't usually show you.

What calories burned actually means

There's no machine that directly measures how much energy you burn during exercise. Even in research labs, calorie expenditure is measured indirectly through three main methods.

Doubly labeled water studies are the gold standard but slow, expensive, and used mostly for daily averages, not single sessions.

Indirect calorimetry measures oxygen consumption and requires lab equipment with a mask and a treadmill.

Predictive equations using heart rate, motion sensors, and demographic data are what your watch does.

Your smartwatch is in category three. It uses your heart rate from the wrist sensor (accurate within about 5 to 10 percent on a good day), your age and weight, and some general activity-recognition algorithms to estimate calories burned.

For low-intensity steady activity like walking, watch estimates are reasonably accurate. For variable-intensity activities like padel, they're rougher. Research comparing wrist-based watch estimates against laboratory measurement consistently shows errors of 15 to 30 percent for racquet sports.

So when your watch says 743 calories, the actual number is probably somewhere between 500 and 900. The actual number varies based on your actual fitness level (fitter players burn fewer calories at the same heart rate), match intensity (which depends on opponents, score pressure, conditions), court conditions (heat increases caloric burn, cold decreases it), how much you ran during the match (some matches involve lots of net play, others more baseline retrieves), and body composition (muscle burns more than fat, even at rest).

The precision of the displayed number creates an illusion of accuracy that doesn't exist.

The actual research numbers

OK so what do the numbers actually look like in research?

Healthspan Elite and other sources publishing padel-specific data put amateur energy expenditure at:

For men, roughly 450 to 580 calories per hour during typical play. Higher in matches involving more movement, lower in social games with frequent breaks.

For women, roughly 350 to 450 calories per hour. Lower mostly due to lower body weight on average (calorie burn scales with body mass), not because women work less hard.

For competitive matches with more sustained intensity, both numbers can go up by 20 to 30 percent. For social club play with lots of breaks, they can go down by 20 to 30 percent.

A typical 90-minute amateur match for a 75 kg male: probably 600 to 900 calories. Not the 1,000 or 1,200 your watch might claim.

A 60-minute match: more like 400 to 600 calories.

For comparison, here are rough estimates per hour for various activities for a 75 kg adult.

Tennis singles: similar to padel, slightly higher due to more running, around 500 to 650 per hour.

Tennis doubles: lower at around 350 to 450 per hour because of less running.

Running at 8 km per hour: 600 to 700 per hour.

Cycling at moderate pace: around 500 per hour.

Moderate swimming: around 500 per hour.

Strength training: 300 to 450 per hour.

Padel sits in a respectable cardiovascular range but not at the top of intensive activities.

Why exercise alone rarely drives weight loss

This is where the math gets interesting and where I went wrong.

I was burning maybe 2,500 to 3,000 actual calories per week from padel. That's significant. Should equal about 0.3 to 0.4 kg of fat per week if everything else stayed equal.

Two problems.

First, everything else didn't stay equal. I was eating more. Significantly more. When you exercise heavily, you get hungrier. Your body fights to maintain energy balance. Studies on exercise-induced weight loss consistently show that people unconsciously eat back 30 to 60 percent of the calories they burned. Sometimes 100 percent. Sometimes more.

So my 2,800 extra calories burned were probably matched by 1,800 to 2,800 extra calories eaten. I just thought I was earning the extra pasta dinner.

Second, my body adapted. After a few weeks of consistent training, basal metabolic rate adjustments and improved exercise efficiency mean I was burning fewer calories doing the same activity. The body is good at conservation.

These two effects combined explain almost all of why exercise programs alone produce modest fat loss results, while diet changes produce dramatic ones.

This isn't a reason to skip exercise. Exercise has dozens of benefits beyond calorie expenditure. Cardiovascular health. Insulin sensitivity. Mood. Sleep. Strength. Mental performance. All real. All valuable.

It's just that I'll lose weight by playing more padel is not a strategy that works on its own.

The role padel actually plays in body composition

Here's the more accurate picture.

Padel is a moderately intense cardiovascular activity. Played consistently, it improves cardiovascular health, builds some muscle (especially legs and core), and burns reasonable calories.

For body composition, padel does these things well. Maintains muscle mass during a caloric deficit. Improves insulin sensitivity for better blood sugar regulation. Increases overall daily activity in some people through general lifestyle change. Helps adherence to other lifestyle changes because people who exercise often eat better too.

For body composition, padel does these things poorly. Creating a meaningful caloric deficit on its own. Building significant muscle (it's primarily cardio, not strength). Targeted fat loss because no exercise burns fat specifically from one body area, contrary to popular marketing.

The realistic path to body composition change using padel. Combine it with moderate dietary changes (modest deficit, adequate protein), add 1 or 2 strength training sessions per week, get adequate sleep, and be patient.

The unrealistic path. Play more padel, expect the watch numbers to translate directly into fat loss.

Why strength training matters more than people think

This relates to padel calorie burn in an indirect way that most amateurs miss.

If you do nothing but cardio (including padel), your muscle mass slowly declines. Lost muscle equals lower metabolic rate equals harder to maintain a caloric deficit equals weight loss plateaus.

If you add strength training twice a week, you maintain or build muscle while losing fat. Net result: better body composition, possibly same scale weight, easier to sustain. Higher resting metabolic rate, so you can eat more without gaining.

I covered this in my padel after 40 article. It's actually more important for younger players than people realize too.

A 75 kg amateur padel player who does 4 padel sessions per week and no strength training: probably stable weight, some muscle decline over years.

Same player doing 3 padel sessions plus 2 strength sessions per week: gains muscle, loses fat over time, the scale may not change much but the body changes significantly.

Same weekly time investment. Very different results.

My 52-year-old doubles partner has been at the same weight for ten years. His secret isn't padel volume. It's consistency in everything else, including the strength work he does religiously twice a week.

When the calories burned number actually matters

There are a few situations where caring about the exact calorie count makes sense.

If you're training for an endurance event where fueling matters, knowing approximate energy expenditure helps plan intake.

If you're trying to gain weight (some people are), tracking calories burned versus consumed in a structured way matters.

If you're in serious caloric deficit for weight loss and want to make sure you're not over-restricting, monitoring expenditure helps.

For most amateur padel players just wanting to be healthy and play well: the calorie number on your watch is interesting trivia, not actionable data.

Your real progress markers should be how you feel in matches, whether you can play four sets without crashing, body composition changes over weeks and months, sleep quality, energy levels through the day, performance metrics like winning more points against the same opponents.

These tell you much more than a watch number.

What I do now (and what the data says)

After two years of thinking about this more clearly, here's my approach.

I look at my watch's calorie number after matches with mild curiosity. I don't use it to plan eating. I don't add my burn to my calorie budget for the day.

I weigh myself once a week on Wednesday mornings and track over time. The single-day number means nothing. The 4-week trend means something.

I track my food intake periodically (a few times a year) to make sure my perception matches reality. Most people significantly underestimate what they're eating. The watch can't tell you that. Phone apps for food tracking can, if you actually use them honestly for a few weeks.

I focus on consistency in the things that actually matter. Sleep around 7 to 8 hours. Adequate protein intake, around 1.6 to 2 grams per kg body weight daily. Strength training twice a week. Padel 3 to 4 times a week. Walking 7,000 plus steps daily. My daily Rekova sachet covering the micronutrient base. The fundamentals.

I'm now down 4 kilos from my peak, two years later. Slow, steady, unglamorous. Most of it came from diet adjustments, not from playing more padel. The padel kept me consistent with everything else and built the strength to support harder play. It wasn't the engine of weight loss. It was the lifestyle that supported it.

FAQ: questions about padel and calories

How many calories does padel actually burn? Probably 400 to 600 in a typical 90 minute amateur match for an average adult. Watch estimates often overstate this by 20 to 40 percent.

Is padel good for weight loss? Yes, as part of a broader plan. No, as a primary strategy. Diet changes drive most weight loss results.

Should I trust my smartwatch's calorie estimate? Trust it as a rough comparison tool (am I more active this week than last week?). Don't trust it as a precise input for eating decisions.

Will I burn more calories playing harder padel? Yes, but maybe less than you think. The difference between casual play and competitive intensity might be 15 to 25 percent in calories, not double or triple.

What's the most calorie-burning sport? Per hour, cross-country skiing and competitive rowing are usually at the top, around 700 to 900 per hour. Hard running is comparable. Padel sits in the moderate range.

Can I eat more if I played padel today? You can eat slightly more, but probably less than the watch number suggests. Hunger after exercise also has a more complex relationship to calories burned than most people realize.

Does padel build muscle? Some, especially in the legs, core, and forearms. Not as much as actual strength training. Combine both for best results.

Is intermittent fasting compatible with padel? Most people perform worse on padel in a fasted state. If you want to fast, do it on non-playing days. I covered fueling in my padel nutrition article.

How accurate are heart rate-based calorie estimates? More accurate during steady-state activities like running at one pace or cycling. Less accurate during variable activities like padel where heart rate fluctuates. Expect 15 to 30 percent error.

What about other body composition tools like smart scales and body fat percentage estimates? Bathroom scale body fat percentages from bioimpedance devices are quite inaccurate, often 5 to 10 percentage points off. Use them only for trend, not absolute values. The mirror and how clothes fit are often better indicators.

Will more frequent padel help me lose weight faster? Probably not. There's a point of diminishing returns where extra sessions cause extra hunger and more eating, with the calorie balance staying about the same. 3 to 4 quality sessions per week is usually optimal.

Should I do cardio in addition to padel for weight loss? Padel itself is cardio. Adding more isn't usually necessary unless you enjoy it. Time is better spent on strength training and consistency in nutrition.

The short version

Your watch's calorie number for a padel match is a rough estimate, often overstated by 20 to 40 percent. Real burn for a 90 minute amateur match is probably 400 to 600 calories. Padel is moderately intense exercise with real cardiovascular benefits, but it isn't a weight loss strategy on its own. Most exercise-driven weight loss attempts fail because people unconsciously eat back what they burned and because the body adapts to conserve energy. Combine padel with diet adjustments, strength training twice a week, adequate sleep, and patience.

The watch number is interesting but not actionable. Focus on consistency in the fundamentals. The scale and the watch are not the metrics that matter most. How you feel, how you play, and how you're built over months and years are what matters.

Sources

Healthspan Elite. Padel: what is it and how should you fuel your game? Knowledge Hub. 2025.

Marcos Rivero B. et al. Evolution of Physiological Responses and Fatigue Analysis in Padel Matches According to Match Outcome and Playing Position. Sensors. August 2025.

International Society of Sports Nutrition. Position stand on protein and exercise. JISSN. 2024.

Hall KD et al. The role of exercise and physical activity in weight loss and maintenance: a comprehensive review. Obesity Reviews. 2023.

Westerterp KR. Exercise, energy balance and body composition. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2018.

EFSA. Scientific Opinions on the substantiation of health claims related to protein and muscle mass maintenance. EFSA Journal, various years.

Padel Magazine. Padel and fitness: how the sport works your body. 2024.

ACSM. Position stand on physical activity and weight loss. 2024.

Phillips SM et al. Protein requirements in older athletes and active adults. International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism. 2024.

This article shares my own experience with weight management and reflects current research on exercise, calories, and body composition. It is not medical advice. If you have any underlying medical condition affecting your weight, energy levels, or body composition, please consult a qualified healthcare professional. Weight management can involve complex medical factors beyond simple calories in versus calories out.

Rekova does not treat any medical condition and is not a substitute for medical care or a structured weight management plan. It is a daily functional drink with electrolytes, magnesium, hydrolyzed collagen, B vitamins, vitamin C, CoQ10, Acetyl-L-Carnitine, and supporting nutrients, formulated as nutritional support for people who play padel regularly.

]]> Strength Training for Padel: The Specific Exercises, The Real Frequency, What Most Players Get Wrong https://rekova.es/recovery-tips/strength-training-for-padel Sat, 23 May 2026 14:30:00 +0300 The specific exercises, the real frequency, and what most amateur padel players get wrong about strength training. What research says and what actually works.

Strength Training for Padel: The Specific Exercises, The Real Frequency, What Most Players Get Wrong

A 13 minute read. Updated March 2027.

For the first eighteen months I played padel I didn't lift anything heavier than my groceries. My logic was simple. I was already playing four times a week. I was getting plenty of exercise. Why would I need to add boring gym sessions on top of the sport I actually enjoyed?

Then I started getting hurt. Small things at first. Sore elbow after matches. A tweaky knee. A back that complained on Monday mornings. Each injury sent me to physiotherapists who all said variations of the same thing. Your padel game is fine. The body around it isn't strong enough to support what you're asking it to do.

I started strength training at 33 with a lot of resistance and not much knowledge. I tried a few different approaches. I made most of the obvious mistakes. Two years in, the injuries are mostly gone, my game has improved noticeably, and I've worked out a routine that actually fits around playing padel 3 times a week.

Below is what I learned. What the research says. What actually works for amateur padel players. And what's not worth your time.

Why padel-only players keep getting injured

I've referenced this pattern across several previous articles. It deserves its own treatment.

Padel is an intermittent high-intensity sport with very specific movement patterns. Lateral lunges into corners. Rotational shots. Explosive jumps for smashes. Sudden direction changes. Walls that change ball direction unpredictably.

Your sport-specific muscles get worked. The muscles not directly involved in those movements weaken progressively. Imagine a body where the muscles needed for padel are well-conditioned but the supporting muscles around them are atrophied. That's a recipe for injury.

The Smith Palacio 2024 paper on amateur padel injuries found that one of the largest predictors of injury wasn't age, gender, or playing volume. It was the presence or absence of complementary strength training. Players who did regular strength work had significantly lower injury rates across all categories.

The Dahmen BMJ systematic review from 2023 reached similar conclusions about the broader racquet sports literature. Strength training reduces injury risk by something like 40 to 60 percent compared to playing without it.

This isn't optional information. This is the single most important thing most amateur padel players are missing.

What strength training actually does for padel

Specific to the demands of the sport, here's what consistent strength work delivers.

Improved force production. You hit harder smashes and have more pop on your bandejas without losing precision. Stronger muscles also work at lower intensity during normal play, so you're less fatigued at the same effort level.

Better deceleration and direction changes. Lateral and forward lunges into corners require eccentric strength (the lowering phase of a movement). Strong eccentric muscles act as shock absorbers. Weak eccentric muscles let the impact transfer to joints.

Injury prevention through tissue resilience. Tendons, ligaments, and connective tissue adapt to load. Without progressive loading, they become brittle. With it, they become tough. Most padel injuries are tendon and ligament issues that wouldn't happen with stronger surrounding tissue.

Better recovery between sessions. More muscle mass means better insulin sensitivity, more efficient glycogen storage, and faster recovery overall. The same number of weekly padel sessions feels less punishing when you're stronger.

Better aging trajectory. I covered this in my padel after 40 article. Without strength training, you lose 3 to 5 percent of muscle mass per decade after 30. With it, you can hold or even gain muscle into your fifties. This compounds dramatically over years.

These benefits don't require becoming a bodybuilder. They require consistent strength work at moderate intensity for the right movements.

The minimum effective dose

Most amateurs imagine strength training as 90-minute gym sessions five days a week. That isn't what we're talking about.

The research is consistent on this. Two strength sessions per week, 45 to 60 minutes each, focused on compound movements with progressive loading, delivers most of the benefits available from this kind of training.

Three sessions per week is better if you have time. Two is enough if you don't. One per week is too infrequent to produce meaningful adaptations.

Less than 30 minutes per session is usually not enough volume to drive adaptation, unless you're already very strong and doing very heavy work.

For most amateur padel players: 2 sessions, 45 to 60 minutes each, focused on the right exercises. That's the prescription.

For my 52-year-old doubles partner, this has been the routine for 20 years. Twice a week. Same gym. Same basic exercises with slow progression. The compound effect over 20 years is the difference between him outlasting me on the court and most 50-something men complaining about back pain.

The exercises that actually matter for padel

Strength training for padel doesn't need to be complicated. Six movement patterns cover almost everything that matters.

Squat pattern. Targets the entire lower body, especially quads, glutes, and core stabilizers. Critical for lunging power and lateral movements. Barbell back squats, goblet squats, split squats, and Bulgarian split squats all work.

Hip hinge pattern. Targets the posterior chain (hamstrings, glutes, lower back). Critical for deceleration and explosive movement. Romanian deadlifts, conventional deadlifts, kettlebell swings, and hip thrusts all work.

Horizontal push. Targets chest, shoulders, triceps. Important for smash power. Bench press, push-ups, dumbbell presses all work.

Horizontal pull. Targets back muscles. Critical for posture and shoulder stability. Rows in all variations, including barbell rows, dumbbell rows, and cable rows.

Vertical push or pull. Targets shoulders and lats. Pull-ups, lat pulldowns, overhead presses. Important for shoulder health and smash technique.

Core and rotation. Targets the trunk that connects everything. Critical for shot power and lower back health. Planks, dead bugs, Pallof presses, rotational med ball throws, anti-rotation exercises.

That's it. Six movement categories. Each session should include one exercise from at least four of these categories.

The marketing-driven approach to gym training adds dozens of isolation exercises, fancy equipment, complicated splits. Most of it doesn't add much over a basic compound-movement program.

A sample two-session weekly routine

This is what I actually do. Adjust for your level.

Day 1 (lower body focused). Goblet squat or barbell squat, 4 sets of 6 to 8 reps. Romanian deadlift, 3 sets of 8 to 10 reps. Bulgarian split squat, 3 sets of 8 per leg. Single leg calf raise, 3 sets of 12 per leg. Plank or side plank, 3 sets of 30 to 60 seconds. Pallof press, 3 sets of 10 per side.

Day 2 (upper body focused). Bench press or push-ups, 4 sets of 6 to 10 reps. Bent over row or dumbbell row, 4 sets of 8 reps. Overhead press, 3 sets of 6 to 8 reps. Pull-ups or lat pulldown, 3 sets of 6 to 10 reps. Face pulls or rear delt flyes, 3 sets of 12 to 15 reps. Dead bug or hollow hold, 3 sets of 30 to 45 seconds.

45 to 60 minutes per session if you don't waste time between sets. Add 2.5 to 5 percent more weight every couple of weeks when the current weight feels comfortable.

This isn't gospel. Plenty of other programs work. The principles matter more than the specific exercises.

Equipment: home vs gym

You can do effective strength training at home or at a gym. Each has tradeoffs.

Home setup with adjustable dumbbells, a bench, and resistance bands (around 400 to 600 euros total) gets you 80 percent of what you'd get at a gym for years. The convenience factor helps consistency.

Gym membership (typically 30 to 60 euros per month) gives you access to barbells, racks, machines, and progressively heavier loads. Better for serious strength development. The accountability of leaving the house helps some people stick with it.

I started at home for the first year. I went to a gym after that because I'd outgrown the adjustable dumbbells. Both work. The question is what you'll actually use consistently.

Bodyweight only training works for beginners but plateaus relatively quickly without progressive overload. If you do bodyweight only, you need to keep increasing difficulty (harder variations, more reps, slower tempo) to keep progressing.

Common mistakes I see

Skipping leg day. The most common mistake. People do upper body work and skip the lower body. Most padel power comes from legs and hips. Train them.

Avoiding heavy compound lifts because of internet videos showing injuries. Properly performed compound lifts with appropriate weight are among the safest exercises you can do. The risk is in poor form and ego lifting, not the exercises themselves.

Switching programs every two weeks. Strength adaptations take 8 to 12 weeks to manifest. If you change your program every two weeks based on the latest YouTube video, you'll never see the benefits.

Doing strength training the same day as hard padel. Bad scheduling. If you must do both same day, do strength first when your legs are fresh, and a moderate padel session second. Or do strength on padel rest days.

Treating strength training like cardio. High reps, short rests, focus on getting tired. This is conditioning, not strength. You need actual strength work with appropriate weight and full rest between sets (2 to 3 minutes between hard sets).

Avoiding overhead pressing because of shoulder concerns. Most shoulder pain is from imbalance and weakness, not from doing the exercise. Strengthening the overhead press correctly usually resolves shoulder issues, not causes them. Start light if you have existing problems and consider working with a physiotherapist initially.

Doing isolation exercises before compound exercises. Wrong order. Always do the hardest movements first when you're fresh. Save the curls and lateral raises for the end if you do them at all.

Scheduling: how to fit strength and padel and life

This is where most amateurs give up. Time pressure.

Reality check. Two strength sessions plus three padel sessions is 5 days of activity per week with 2 rest days. That's a sustainable load for most healthy adults under 50.

If you can only manage 3 total days per week, do 2 padel sessions and 1 strength session. The strength session matters more than the third padel day for long-term progress.

If you can do 4 total days, do 2 padel and 2 strength.

If you can do 5 plus days, do 3 padel and 2 strength.

For me, the schedule is Monday strength (full body, lower-focused), Tuesday padel, Wednesday rest or light walk, Thursday strength (full body, upper-focused), Friday padel, Saturday padel (often a tournament or longer session), Sunday rest.

I covered the recovery considerations in detail in my padel recovery article. The general principle is alternating hard days and easier days, with at least one full rest day per week.

Considerations by age and gender

Younger players under 35. Recovery is fast. You can handle higher volume. Two to three strength sessions per week with progressive overload works well.

Players 35 to 50. Recovery slows somewhat. Quality over quantity. Two sessions per week, well-executed, with adequate warm-up. Pay extra attention to mobility work.

Players over 50. Strength training becomes more important, not less. The research is consistent that resistance training is one of the most effective interventions for healthy aging. Two sessions per week, slightly lighter loads with full controlled movements, longer warm-up periods. I covered this in detail in my padel after 40 article.

Women specifically. Strength training is even more important for women athletes given the higher risk of ACL injuries and the importance of bone density. Same exercises, same principles. The marketed women-specific routines focused on toning are not what your body needs. You need to lift weights that challenge you. Patricia from my padel for women article has been doing barbell-based strength work for years and credits it for keeping her injury-free at 41.

Nutrition for strength and padel combined

Two demands on the body means slightly different nutrition than padel alone.

Protein becomes more important. The 1.6 to 2 grams per kg body weight per day from my padel nutrition article is a reasonable target. Lean toward the higher end if you're doing serious strength work. EFSA confirms protein contributes to growth in muscle mass and maintenance of muscle mass.

Total calories matter. If you're trying to build muscle, you need a slight surplus or at least maintenance. If you're in a calorie deficit for fat loss while strength training, your strength gains will be slower but you'll preserve muscle better than with cardio alone.

Recovery between sessions matters more. Sleep, hydration, micronutrients. I covered these in my recovery article and my electrolytes article.

Magnesium contributes to normal muscle function (EFSA confirmed). Calcium contributes to normal muscle function (EFSA confirmed). Vitamin D contributes to normal muscle function (EFSA confirmed). These nutrients matter more under the combined load of strength and padel training.

This is the gap a daily recovery drink fills. The Rekova formula was designed around these specific demands. One sachet daily covers the magnesium, vitamin C, B vitamins, hydrolyzed collagen, and supporting nutrients that get depleted under regular training. Not a replacement for protein from real food. A supplement on top of it.

FAQ: questions about strength training for padel

Will strength training make me too bulky for padel? No. Significant muscle gain requires years of consistent heavy training plus eating in caloric surplus. You'll get stronger long before you get visibly bigger. Most amateurs gain 2 to 5 kg of muscle over the first year of consistent training, which is barely noticeable visually.

Will I lose speed on the court? No, the opposite. Stronger muscles produce more force, which means more speed for the same effort. Multiple studies on power athletes confirm that strength training improves sprint speed and acceleration.

Can I just do bodyweight exercises? For beginners, yes. After a few months you'll need progressive resistance to keep adapting. Either move to weighted exercises or learn advanced bodyweight progressions.

How long until I see results in my padel game? Strength gains start in 4 to 6 weeks. Noticeable improvements in your padel performance typically come in 3 to 4 months. Injury reduction is usually apparent within 6 months.

Should I train through soreness? Mild soreness is fine. Sharp pain or significantly reduced range of motion is not. Listen to your body.

Should I do cardio in addition to padel? Padel is cardio. Adding additional cardio rarely helps amateurs and can interfere with strength gains. Save the time for strength work and recovery.

What about HIIT and CrossFit? Both can work if you enjoy them. They're more taxing on recovery than traditional strength work, which can compete with your padel training. If you do them, do them on padel rest days and reduce padel volume.

Is creatine worth taking? Yes for strength training. I covered this in my supplements article. EFSA confirms creatine increases physical performance in successive bursts of short-term high-intensity exercise.

How do I know if I'm strong enough? Some rough benchmarks for an amateur adult. Can deadlift your body weight for 5 reps. Can squat 80 percent of your body weight for 5 reps. Can do 5 pull-ups for men or 3 for women. Can hold a plank for 60 seconds. If you can do these, you have a reasonable strength base for padel.

Do I need a personal trainer? Not necessarily, but a few sessions early on to learn proper form is one of the best investments you can make. Bad form for years is hard to correct and increases injury risk.

The short version

Strength training is the single biggest thing most amateur padel players are missing. Two sessions per week, 45 to 60 minutes each, focused on compound movements covering squats, hinges, pushes, pulls, and core work. The exercises don't need to be exotic. Progressive overload matters more than variety. Avoid the common mistakes of skipping legs, switching programs constantly, and training too light. Strength training reduces injury risk by 40 to 60 percent based on the research and improves performance noticeably within 3 to 4 months.

Combine strength training with proper nutrition, sleep, and recovery and you'll outperform most players who play padel five times a week without ever lifting. The boring fundamentals beat fancy padel-specific training programs nine times out of ten.

Sources

Smith Palacio E. Epidemiologia de las lesiones en padel y recomendaciones preventivas. Ciencia y Deporte. April 2024.

Dahmen J. et al. Incidence, prevalence and nature of injuries in padel: a systematic review. BMJ Open Sport and Exercise Medicine. 2023.

Lauersen JB et al. The effectiveness of exercise interventions to prevent sports injuries: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. British Journal of Sports Medicine. 2014, updated 2023.

International Society of Sports Nutrition. Position stand on protein and exercise. JISSN. 2024.

International Society of Sports Nutrition. Position stand on creatine supplementation and exercise. JISSN. 2021 update.

American College of Sports Medicine. Position stand on progression models in resistance training for healthy adults. 2024.

Phillips SM. et al. Protein requirements in older athletes. International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism. 2024.

Marcos Rivero B. et al. Evolution of Physiological Responses and Fatigue Analysis in Padel Matches. Sensors. August 2025.

EFSA. Scientific Opinions on the substantiation of health claims related to protein, creatine, magnesium, vitamin D, and calcium. EFSA Journal, various years.

This article shares my own experience with strength training and reflects current research on resistance training for athletes. It is not medical advice and is not a substitute for individualized program design. If you are new to strength training, have a history of injuries, or have any medical condition, please consult a qualified strength coach or physiotherapist before starting any new program. Form quality matters more than weight lifted, and a good coach can save you years of mistakes.

Rekova does not replace proper training or nutrition. It is a daily functional drink with electrolytes, magnesium, hydrolyzed collagen, B vitamins, vitamin C, CoQ10, Acetyl-L-Carnitine, and supporting nutrients, formulated as nutritional support for people who play padel regularly.

]]> Mobility for Padel: The Pre-Match Routine, The Post-Match Routine, What Most Players Skip https://rekova.es/recovery-tips/mobility-for-padel Sat, 23 May 2026 14:45:00 +0300 The pre-match routine, the post-match routine, and what most amateur padel players skip. Practical mobility work for padel based on research.

Mobility for Padel: The Pre-Match Routine, The Post-Match Routine, What Most Players Skip

A 12 minute read. Updated April 2027.

I used to think warm-up was for old people and beginners. I'd arrive at the club seven minutes before our court time, change shoes, take three swings to feel the pala, and walk on court ready to play.

For about a year, I got away with this. Then I tore something in my left calf during the first rally of a 9am Saturday match. I'd been running 30 seconds before, body cold from the drive, and pushed off hard for a wide ball. The pop was audible. Six weeks of physiotherapy followed.

The physiotherapist asked me about my warm-up routine. I said I didn't really have one. She gave me a look I've seen many times since then. The look every physiotherapist gives you when they realize you brought your problem on yourself.

That was the start of my mobility education. I learned that warm-up isn't optional past about age 25. I learned that the routine you do matters more than how long it takes. And I learned that most of the stretching advice on YouTube is either dated, wrong for padel, or overcomplicated.

Below is what I do now. What the research supports. And what most amateur players are getting wrong.

Why mobility matters specifically for padel

Padel makes specific demands on the body that other sports don't.

Lateral lunges into corners require deep hip external rotation, hip abduction, and ankle dorsiflexion. Getting to the back wall fast enough requires all three working together.

Rotational shots require thoracic spine rotation. The middle back rotation specifically. Most amateurs have shoulders that rotate but a stiff thoracic spine that doesn't. Result: shoulder strain because the shoulder is doing the work that the upper back should be doing.

Smashes require overhead shoulder mobility plus thoracic extension. People who can't extend their upper spine compensate by hyperextending their lower back. That's how lower back pain starts.

Reaching for low balls in the corner requires hip flexion combined with rotation. Tight hip flexors (which most desk workers have) make this hard. The body compensates with lower back flexion. Hello again, lower back pain.

The Smith Palacio 2024 paper on padel injuries found that the majority of amateur injuries are mechanism-related rather than impact-related. Mechanism injuries are mostly preventable with appropriate mobility work and proper warm-up.

This isn't about flexibility for its own sake. This is about having enough range of motion to do the movements your sport demands without compensating somewhere that gets injured.

Mobility vs flexibility vs stretching

Worth clarifying these terms because people use them interchangeably and they're different things.

Flexibility is the passive range of motion of a joint. How far you can move it when relaxed. Useful but not the most important thing.

Mobility is the active range of motion. How far you can move it under control, often against resistance or load. This is what matters for athletic performance.

Stretching is one method to improve flexibility and sometimes mobility. There are other methods including dynamic movement, resistance work through full range of motion, and PNF techniques.

For padel, mobility matters more than flexibility. You don't need to do the splits. You need to lunge deep into a corner with control and come back without injuring anything.

Pre-match: 10 minutes is enough

The research on warm-up is consistent on three points.

Dynamic movement beats static stretching before activity. Studies show that holding static stretches for more than 30 seconds before activity actually reduces power output. Dynamic stretching (moving through ranges of motion) prepares the muscles without this downside.

Sport-specific movement matters. The warm-up should resemble what you're about to do. For padel, that means lateral movements, rotational work, and gradual progression to fuller swings.

Warm-up reduces injury risk significantly. The Lauersen 2014 meta-analysis (updated 2023) showed warm-up protocols reduce sports injuries by around 30 to 40 percent. Combined with strength training, the effect is even larger.

Here's what I do before every padel session. About 10 minutes total.

General joint mobility, 2 minutes. Ankle circles, hip circles, shoulder circles, wrist circles. 10 each direction. The goal is to lubricate joints and increase circulation.

Dynamic leg work, 3 minutes. Leg swings front to back, 10 each leg. Lateral leg swings, 10 each. Walking lunges, 10 forward. Reverse lunges, 10 each.

Lateral and rotational prep, 2 minutes. Side shuffles, 10 each direction. Carioca (the crossover step), 10 each direction. Standing rotational reaches, 10 each side. This is the most padel-specific part.

Thoracic and shoulder prep, 2 minutes. Arm circles forward and back. Cat-cow stretch, 8 reps. Standing thoracic rotations, 10 each side. Light shoulder taps in plank position, 20 total.

Sport-specific, 1 minute. Light pala swings, gradually building. Shadow forehands and backhands at 50 percent intensity, building to 80 percent. Two or three light side-to-side shuffles followed by a swing.

If you have 5 minutes only, skip the general joint mobility and do just dynamic leg work, lateral prep, and pala swings. Better than nothing.

Post-match: what actually helps recovery

Post-match mobility is different from pre-match. Now you can do static stretching. Now your goal is to help recovery, downregulate the nervous system, and reduce next-day stiffness.

The research on whether static stretching after exercise actually reduces soreness is mixed. The honest answer is that it might help a little, but the bigger benefits are likely psychological and the breathing component.

That said, what I do for about 5 to 10 minutes after a tough match.

Calf stretch against wall or step, 30 seconds each side.

Standing quad stretch, holding ankle behind, 30 seconds each side.

Hamstring stretch in standing forward fold, 30 to 60 seconds.

Hip flexor stretch in kneeling lunge position, 30 to 60 seconds each side. This is the most important one for desk workers.

Figure-four stretch for glutes, sitting on the floor with one ankle over opposite knee, 30 seconds each side.

Thoracic rotation lying on back, 30 seconds each side.

Pec stretch in doorway, 30 seconds each side. Important for shoulder health.

Deep breathing for 60 seconds at the end. Five seconds in, seven seconds out. This shifts the nervous system from sympathetic (fight or flight) to parasympathetic (recovery).

Total: 5 to 10 minutes. Done sitting on the floor near the court before you drive home. Or at home before dinner.

I covered the recovery considerations in detail in my padel recovery article. Mobility work is one piece of a larger recovery picture that includes nutrition, hydration, and sleep.

Weekly mobility maintenance

Two to three sessions per week of dedicated mobility work makes a noticeable difference within 4 to 6 weeks. This isn't long. It's just consistent.

A reasonable 15-minute routine to do on rest days or after light activity.

Foam rolling, 5 minutes. Quads, IT bands, calves, upper back, glutes. Spend 30 to 60 seconds on each area. The research on foam rolling is mixed but the immediate sensation of looser muscles is real and there's no real downside.

90-90 hip stretches, 3 minutes. Sitting with one leg bent at 90 in front, other leg bent at 90 to the side. Lean over the front leg, then rotate to the back. This is the single best stretch for padel-specific hip mobility.

Couch stretch for hip flexors, 2 minutes. Kneeling with back foot up on couch or wall, front foot forward. 60 seconds each side. Brutal for desk workers but transformative.

Thoracic mobility work, 3 minutes. Cat-cow, thread the needle, prone cobra, prayer stretches. The thoracic spine wants to stiffen. Fight back with consistent attention.

Shoulder mobility work, 2 minutes. Wall slides, band dislocates, doorway pec stretches.

That's it. 15 minutes. Two or three times a week. The effect compounds over months in a way that surprises most people.

For my 52-year-old doubles partner, mobility work has become as important as the strength training he's done for 20 years. He spends 15 minutes most mornings on a basic routine that hasn't changed much over the years. The consistency is what makes the difference, not the specific exercises.

What most players get wrong

Skipping warm-up entirely. Already covered. Don't.

Stretching cold muscles before any movement. Static stretches before any general warm-up is asking for a strain. Move first, stretch later.

Holding stretches for 5 seconds. Stretches need 20 to 30 seconds minimum to actually affect tissue. Quick bounces don't count.

Only stretching what feels tight. The tight muscles are often the symptom. The weak antagonist muscles are often the cause. Stretching tight hip flexors helps short-term, but strengthening glutes addresses the root.

Doing the same routine forever. The body adapts. Vary the exercises every 6 to 8 weeks.

Foam rolling the IT band assuming it will lengthen. The IT band is fascia and doesn't really stretch much. Foam rolling it does help by reducing local muscle tension, but don't expect dramatic length changes.

Stretching through pain. Discomfort is fine. Sharp pain is not. There's no benefit to forcing range of motion through resistance.

Ignoring breath. Breathing into a stretch increases the parasympathetic response and allows the muscle to release. Holding your breath increases sympathetic activation and tension.

Considerations by age

Younger players under 35 typically have more inherent mobility but often the worst movement habits. Focus on technique and using full range of motion in everything, including strength work. Don't ignore mobility just because you don't feel restricted yet.

Players 35 to 50 have spent years in chairs and need active mobility work to maintain range. This is the demographic where mobility neglect costs the most. Two or three sessions per week is non-negotiable.

Players over 50 have additional considerations including connective tissue stiffness and arthritis in some cases. Mobility work becomes even more important but should be done with more care for warm-up. Longer warm-up before any stretching. Avoid maximum range of motion under load. I covered this in my padel after 40 article.

For women specifically, the natural hormonal variations in joint laxity (covered in my padel for women article) mean cycle phases affect mobility too. Mobility feels easier during ovulation but injury risk also increases at higher laxity points. Use the natural mobility but be careful with maximum stretches in that window.

Equipment that's worth buying

You can do most mobility work with no equipment. A few cheap items help.

Foam roller, 30 to 50 euros. The single best mobility purchase. Use it twice a week minimum.

Resistance bands, 10 to 30 euros for a set. Useful for shoulder activation and stretching.

Lacrosse ball or trigger point ball, 5 to 15 euros. For more targeted release on glutes, pecs, calves.

Yoga mat, 20 to 40 euros. If you'll do floor work, a mat makes it pleasant rather than painful.

Total investment: about 80 euros for everything. Lasts years. Pays for itself in one avoided injury.

Where nutrition fits

Mobility work is mechanical. Most of what affects it is consistency and effort. But a few nutritional points worth knowing.

Hydration matters for tissue pliability. Dehydrated muscles and connective tissue are tighter and more prone to injury. I covered hydration in detail in my electrolytes article.

Magnesium contributes to normal muscle function (EFSA confirmed). Magnesium deficiency can contribute to cramping and tightness. Many adults are sub-optimal on magnesium intake.

Calcium contributes to normal muscle function (EFSA confirmed). Vitamin D contributes to normal muscle function (EFSA confirmed). All three work together.

Vitamin C contributes to normal collagen formation for normal function of cartilage and bones (EFSA confirmed). Connective tissue health matters for mobility and injury prevention. For amateurs doing strength plus mobility plus padel, supporting connective tissue makes sense.

This is part of why the Rekova formula includes hydrolyzed collagen, magnesium, vitamin C, and supporting nutrients. The mobility you build through movement gets supported by what you eat and drink.

FAQ: questions about mobility for padel

Should I stretch before or after padel? Both, but different stretches. Dynamic movement before. Static stretching after.

How long should I warm up? 10 minutes is the practical minimum for adults. 15 if you're over 45 or arriving stiff.

Can I get away with skipping warm-up? Sometimes. For a while. Until you can't. Don't ask me how I know.

Is yoga good for padel? Yes, particularly styles that emphasize functional mobility (like some forms of vinyasa or restorative yoga). Less so for ultra-flexibility-focused styles. Once a week is plenty.

What about static stretching at home, not after sport? Fine but lower priority than dynamic mobility work. If you have to choose, choose the mobility routine over passive stretching.

Should I use heat or ice for tight muscles? Heat before activity to increase blood flow. Ice for acute injuries within the first 48 hours. Beyond that, the evidence is mixed.

Does massage help? Yes, professional sports massage twice a month or so can help significantly. Self-massage with foam roller is a cheaper substitute.

Are static stretches bad for performance? Holding static stretches for more than 30 seconds before activity reduces power output by a small but measurable amount (around 5 to 10 percent in studies). Short static stretches under 15 seconds don't seem to have this effect. After activity, no negative impact.

What about PNF stretching? It works well for mobility gains but requires either a partner or specific knowledge. For most amateurs, simpler protocols are fine.

What if I can't touch my toes? Common in desk workers. Work on hamstring and lower back mobility together. Avoid sit-and-reach style training. Focus instead on hip hinge mobility and posterior chain activation.

How does mobility relate to balance? Tightly. Limited ankle dorsiflexion affects balance and lateral movement quality. Limited hip mobility affects single-leg stability. Mobility work improves balance indirectly.

How quickly will I see results? Range of motion improvements start within 2 weeks. Significant changes in how you feel on court usually come within 4 to 6 weeks of consistent work.

The short version

Mobility matters more than flexibility for padel. Dynamic warm-up before play for about 10 minutes. Static stretching and breathing after play for 5 to 10 minutes. Two or three dedicated mobility sessions per week. The padel-specific focus is hip mobility, thoracic rotation, ankle dorsiflexion, and shoulder range. Most amateurs have desk-job-induced restrictions that mobility work addresses. Skip mobility and pay later through injuries that take months to recover from.

The boring fundamentals beat fancy padel-specific drills nine times out of ten.

Sources

Lauersen JB et al. The effectiveness of exercise interventions to prevent sports injuries: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. British Journal of Sports Medicine. 2014, updated 2023.

Behm DG et al. Acute effects of muscle stretching on physical performance, range of motion, and injury incidence in healthy active individuals. Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism. 2023 update.

Smith Palacio E. Epidemiologia de las lesiones en padel y recomendaciones preventivas. Ciencia y Deporte. April 2024.

Dahmen J. et al. Incidence, prevalence and nature of injuries in padel: a systematic review. BMJ Open Sport and Exercise Medicine. 2023.

Knapik JJ et al. Stretching, warming up, and cooling down for prevention of musculoskeletal injuries. Current Sports Medicine Reports. 2023.

International Society of Sports Nutrition. Position stand on protein and exercise. JISSN. 2024.

American College of Sports Medicine. Position stand on physical activity and bone health. 2024.

EFSA. Scientific Opinions on the substantiation of health claims related to magnesium, calcium, vitamin D, and vitamin C. EFSA Journal, various years.

This article shares my own experience with mobility work and reflects current research on warm-up, stretching, and sport-specific mobility. It is not medical advice. If you have a history of joint injuries, have any medical condition affecting your musculoskeletal system, or experience pain during mobility work, please consult a qualified physiotherapist or sports medicine doctor before starting any new program.

Rekova does not replace proper training or warm-up. It is a daily functional drink with electrolytes, magnesium, hydrolyzed collagen, B vitamins, vitamin C, CoQ10, Acetyl-L-Carnitine, and supporting nutrients, formulated as nutritional support for people who play padel regularly.

]]> Sleep for Padel: Why It Matters More Than You Think, What Actually Helps, The Routine That Works https://rekova.es/recovery-tips/sleep-for-padel Sat, 23 May 2026 14:56:00 +0300 Why sleep matters more than you think for padel performance. The science, the routine that works, and what most amateur players get wrong. 13 minute read.

Sleep for Padel: Why It Matters More Than You Think, What Actually Helps, The Routine That Works

There was a six-month period last year when I was sleeping about 5 hours a night. New job, project deadlines, family stuff at home. The standard middle-management adult catastrophe. I kept playing padel three times a week through all of it. My results dropped off a cliff.

I lost matches I should have won. I forgot the tactical patterns I'd practiced. My footwork was slow. By the third game I'd be making errors that I knew were errors but couldn't seem to stop making. The story I told myself was that I was just going through a rough patch at work and the padel would normalize once things calmed down.

When things did calm down four months later, my game came back almost immediately. Two weeks of sleeping seven hours a night and I was playing better than I'd played in years. The padel hadn't changed. My ability to access the padel had been broken.

I spent the months after that reading about sleep and athletic performance properly. Not the YouTube version. The actual research. What I learned changed how I think about training entirely.

Below is what matters. The evidence. The protocol. And what most amateur padel players are getting catastrophically wrong.

Why sleep matters specifically for padel

Padel requires four things that sleep directly affects.

Reaction time. The split-second between seeing the ball off your opponent's pala and starting your movement. Research consistently shows reaction time slows by 10 to 15 percent after a single night of poor sleep. By 5 to 6 hours, you're functioning at roughly the level of someone with a blood alcohol level above the legal driving limit.

Decision making. Padel is a sport of constant tactical decisions. Do I go for the smash or the bandeja? Do I cover the line or trust my partner? These decisions happen in milliseconds. Sleep deprivation hits the prefrontal cortex (the decision-making part of the brain) harder than almost any other area.

Motor learning. The skills you practice in training only become automatic during sleep. Specifically during REM sleep. If you train hard and sleep poorly, the training largely doesn't stick. This is why you can practice the same shot for hours and never improve if your sleep is broken.

Injury risk. The Milewski 2014 study on adolescent athletes found that those sleeping less than 8 hours had 1.7 times the injury rate of those sleeping more. The pattern holds in adult athletes. Tired bodies move sloppily. Sloppy movement causes injury.

This isn't soft wellness content. This is hard performance data that most amateur athletes ignore.

Sleep architecture: what's actually happening when you sleep

When you sleep well, you cycle through roughly five 90-minute sleep cycles. Each cycle contains different sleep stages.

Light sleep (stages 1 and 2). The bridge between waking and deeper sleep. Not particularly restorative on its own but necessary for the transitions.

Deep sleep (stage 3). Slow wave sleep. This is where physical recovery happens most. Growth hormone release, tissue repair, glycogen restoration, immune function. The first half of the night contains most of your deep sleep.

REM sleep. Rapid eye movement sleep, where most dreaming occurs. This is where motor learning consolidates, memories are processed, and skills you practiced become automatic. The second half of the night contains most of your REM sleep.

If you sleep 5 hours instead of 7, you're not just losing 2 hours of total sleep. You're losing most of your REM sleep because it's concentrated in the later part of the night. Which means most of your skill development.

This is why short-sleepers can feel okay but never quite improve at complex sports. The basic functions still work. The advanced motor learning doesn't happen.

How much sleep do you actually need

The research converges on 7 to 9 hours for most adults. Most amateur athletes underestimate their needs by about an hour.

The Stanford basketball sleep extension study (Mah 2011) had varsity basketball players extend their sleep to 10 hours per night for 5 to 7 weeks. Their shooting accuracy improved 9 percent, sprint times improved by 5 percent, and reaction times dropped significantly. These were already highly trained athletes.

For amateur padel players, the realistic target is 7.5 to 8.5 hours on most nights. Less on the occasional night is fine. Less as a pattern is destructive.

The number that matters more than total hours is consistency. Going to bed at midnight one night and 10pm the next confuses your circadian rhythm. Same bedtime and same wake time every day, including weekends, is more important than total hours for most adults.

You don't catch up on lost sleep on weekends. Research on sleep debt is consistent that weekend recovery doesn't restore cognitive function lost to weeknight deprivation. A few good Saturday nights don't undo five bad weekday nights.

Sleep timing around padel sessions

Padel timing affects sleep more than people realize.

Evening padel sessions, especially after 8pm, raise cortisol and core body temperature. Both make falling asleep harder. If you play late, you'll often struggle to sleep that night. A win on the court can mean a bad night of sleep.

The compromise that works for many amateurs. Play before 7pm where possible. If you must play later, allow at least 2 hours between finishing and going to bed. Use the post-match wind-down protocol from my mobility article to help downregulate.

Morning padel sessions actually support better sleep that night. The physical activity plus daylight exposure helps consolidate your circadian rhythm. If your schedule allows, morning play is the sleep-optimal time.

Tournaments are a special case. Multi-day tournaments with late matches catastrophically disrupt sleep. Top professionals build in extra sleep on the days before and after tournaments. Amateurs rarely do this. The drop-off from one night of poor sleep is one of the reasons amateur tournament play often disappoints.

The major sleep disruptors for amateur padel players

Most disrupted sleep comes from a small set of common causes. The Pareto principle applies.

Caffeine after 2pm. Caffeine has a half-life of 5 to 7 hours. A coffee at 4pm means caffeine in your bloodstream until 10pm or later. Even if you fall asleep, the sleep quality suffers. Move your last caffeine to early afternoon. Period.

Alcohol any time. This one hurts to write because I enjoy wine. Alcohol helps people fall asleep but fragments sleep architecture, reduces REM, and worsens sleep quality dramatically. Athletes who drink regularly have worse sleep than non-drinkers, even with equivalent total hours. The Spanish dinner culture (wine with late dinners) is one of the harder lifestyle adjustments for serious amateur athletes.

Screens before bed. Blue light suppresses melatonin production. The more time you spend on phones, tablets, or laptops in the 60 minutes before bed, the harder falling asleep becomes. Night mode on phones helps but doesn't eliminate the problem. Putting the phone in another room is the surgical solution.

Late workouts. Strength training or intense cardio after 8pm raises sympathetic nervous system activation that interferes with sleep onset. Morning or afternoon workouts are sleep-friendly. Late evening workouts aren't.

Heavy meals at night. Large dinners within 2 hours of bedtime impair sleep quality. The Spanish habit of late large dinners is again problematic for sleep optimization. Earlier and lighter dinners help. If you must eat late, eat smaller.

Mental rumination. Lying in bed thinking about work or tomorrow's tasks is a major sleep killer. Brain dump exercises (writing tomorrow's tasks down before bed) help significantly. So does meditation or breathing work.

The routine that actually works

Here's the wind-down protocol that works for me and is consistent with what the research supports.

90 minutes before target bedtime. Stop work. No more screens for serious focus tasks. Switch the lights to warm tones (lower color temperature). Have your last meal of the day if you haven't already.

60 minutes before. No more phones or tablets if possible. Read a physical book. Have a conversation. Take a warm shower (which paradoxically helps with sleep by lowering core body temperature afterward).

30 minutes before. Bedroom only activities. Light stretching or breathing work. No bright lights. No exciting content of any kind.

In bed. Same time every night within a 30-minute window. Lights off. No phones in the room ideally.

If you can't sleep within 20 minutes, get out of bed. Go to another room. Read until you feel sleepy, then return. Don't lie in bed frustrated. This breaks the bed-sleep association and makes future nights worse.

This routine takes some discipline. The results are within two weeks for most people. Significantly better next-day cognitive function. Better mood. Easier focus during play.

Bedroom environment

The right bedroom environment makes a measurable difference.

Cool. 18 to 19 degrees Celsius is the optimal range for most people. Core body temperature needs to drop slightly to fall asleep. A warm bedroom fights this.

Dark. Blackout curtains or a sleep mask. Even small amounts of light affect sleep quality. The street light outside your window matters.

Quiet. Or use white noise. Padel players who live near busy streets often benefit from a white noise machine or fan.

Mattress quality. A bad mattress costs you sleep quality every night. If yours is over 10 years old or you wake up with back pain, this is one of the better investments you can make.

Pillow. Often more important than mattress. The right pillow for your sleeping position keeps your neck aligned and prevents wake-ups from discomfort.

Bedding. Breathable fabrics like cotton or linen help with temperature regulation. Avoid synthetic materials that trap heat.

Total bedroom upgrade for someone willing to invest. A good mattress (400 to 1500 euros), good pillow (50 to 150 euros), good bedding (100 to 300 euros). One time investment that pays back for years through better sleep.

Sleep and age

Sleep needs and patterns change with age. Worth knowing what's normal and what isn't.

Under 30. Generally easy to sleep, may need 8 to 9 hours, recovery is fast.

30 to 50. Sleep gets more variable. Stress, kids, work pressure all affect it. Maintain consistency and the protocol matters more.

50 to 70. Sleep architecture shifts. Less deep sleep, more fragmented sleep, earlier wake times. This is normal aging. You may need to go to bed earlier to get the same total hours. Some research suggests slightly less sleep is actually needed (7 to 7.5 hours) in this range, but maintaining quality matters more than ever.

Over 70. Continued shift toward earlier sleep, more naps, lighter sleep. Most healthy older adults still need 7+ hours when you count daytime naps.

My 52-year-old doubles partner goes to bed at 10pm and wakes at 6am most days. He's done this for 20 years. The consistency is the secret. He gets 7.5 hours every night and never gets caught short.

Supplements for sleep

A few supplements have reasonable evidence for sleep support. Most don't.

Magnesium has decent evidence. Multiple studies show magnesium supplementation improves sleep quality in people with sub-optimal magnesium levels. EFSA confirms magnesium contributes to reduction of tiredness and fatigue and to normal psychological function. The form matters somewhat (citrate, glycinate, or threonate are well-absorbed). 200 to 400 mg in the evening works for many people.

Melatonin is controversial. It works very well for jet lag and shift work but isn't a great general sleep aid. If you take it, low doses (0.3 to 1 mg) work as well as higher doses. The 5 to 10 mg doses in many products are far too high.

L-theanine has modest evidence for promoting relaxation. 100 to 200 mg in the evening can help with mental rumination.

Glycine has some evidence at 3 grams before bed.

Tart cherry juice has small studies showing improved sleep markers in athletes.

What to avoid. Heavy sedatives. Prescription sleep aids unless prescribed for specific clinical reasons. Combinations of multiple sleep supplements at once (the research on these combinations is poor).

The Rekova formula includes magnesium (cited above for fatigue reduction and psychological function) along with B vitamins and other supporting nutrients. EFSA confirms vitamin B6 contributes to normal psychological function. The combination supports overall recovery including the sleep component, though Rekova isn't marketed specifically as a sleep aid.

When something might actually be wrong

Most sleep problems are lifestyle-related. Some aren't. Worth knowing when to see a doctor.

Loud snoring with breathing pauses. This is sleep apnea until proven otherwise. Sleep apnea causes massive fatigue, reduces athletic performance, and increases cardiovascular risk. A partner who notices you stop breathing repeatedly during sleep is reporting something serious. Get a sleep study.

Chronic insomnia over 3 months. Persistent difficulty falling or staying asleep that doesn't improve with lifestyle changes warrants medical evaluation. Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) is the gold standard treatment and far superior to sleeping pills.

Restless leg syndrome. Uncomfortable urges to move your legs at night. Often related to iron deficiency. Treatable.

Excessive daytime sleepiness despite adequate sleep time. Could be sleep apnea, narcolepsy, or other conditions. Get evaluated.

Mood changes alongside sleep problems. Persistent insomnia combined with depressed mood or anxiety warrants a conversation with your doctor. Sleep and mental health are deeply interconnected.

Not everything is lifestyle. Some things need professional help. The earlier the better.

FAQ: questions about sleep and padel

How much sleep do I really need? Most adults need 7 to 9 hours. Most amateur athletes underestimate their needs by an hour. Pay attention to how you feel after 8 hours versus 6 for two weeks each. The difference is usually obvious.

Will napping help? Yes, short naps of 20 to 30 minutes can be useful, particularly for athletes. Longer naps may interfere with night sleep. Best between 1pm and 3pm. After tournaments or hard sessions, a 30-minute nap is genuinely restorative.

Is sleeping in on weekends bad? Some catch-up sleep is okay. More than an hour later than your weekday wake time disrupts your circadian rhythm. Consistency matters more than total hours.

Should I track my sleep with a watch or ring? Useful as a rough trend indicator. Don't obsess over the specific numbers. Most consumer wearables overestimate light sleep and underestimate deep sleep compared to lab measurements. Useful for spotting patterns, not for precise diagnosis.

What if I have insomnia before important matches? Common. Try to maintain your normal routine. One bad night before a match isn't a disaster. The night before the night before matters more for performance than the night immediately before. Don't catastrophize about a single rough night.

Can I make up for bad sleep with caffeine on match day? Partially. Caffeine masks fatigue but doesn't restore the cognitive functions you lost. You'll feel awake but your reaction time and decision making will still be impaired.

Should I sleep more before tournaments? Yes. Sleep banking has some evidence. Adding an hour per night for the week before a tournament can help buffer against tournament-night sleep disruption.

What about jet lag for international tournaments? Adjust gradually if possible. Use morning light exposure at your destination. Small doses of melatonin (0.3 to 1 mg) at destination bedtime for 3 to 4 days. Avoid alcohol on travel days.

Is alcohol really that bad for sleep? Yes. Even moderate drinking reduces REM sleep significantly. The relationship is dose-dependent. A small amount occasionally is fine. Daily drinking compounds the cost over time.

How do I deal with rumination at bedtime? Write tomorrow's tasks down before bed. Practice a breathing exercise (5 in, 7 out for 10 minutes). Accept that you can't solve work problems lying in bed at midnight.

The short version

Sleep matters more for athletic performance than most amateurs realize. Reaction time, decision making, motor learning, and injury risk all suffer with poor sleep. Most adults need 7 to 9 hours. Most amateur athletes underestimate their needs by an hour. Consistency of bedtime matters more than total hours for many people. The main disruptors are caffeine after 2pm, alcohol, screens at night, late workouts, and late large meals. Wind-down routine of 60 to 90 minutes before bed. Cool dark quiet bedroom. Magnesium has decent evidence as a supplement. See a doctor for snoring with breathing pauses or chronic insomnia.

The boring fundamentals beat fancy training programs nine times out of ten. Sleep is the most boring fundamental of them all.

Sources

Mah CD et al. The effects of sleep extension on the athletic performance of collegiate basketball players. Sleep. 2011.

Milewski MD et al. Chronic lack of sleep is associated with increased sports injuries in adolescent athletes. Journal of Pediatric Orthopedics. 2014.

Halson SL. Sleep in elite athletes and nutritional interventions to enhance sleep. Sports Medicine. 2014, updated 2024 review.

Watson AM. Sleep and athletic performance. Current Sports Medicine Reports. 2017, updated 2024.

Walker MP. Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams. Scribner. 2017. (Reference text, not all claims peer-reviewed)

American Academy of Sleep Medicine. Clinical practice guideline for behavioral and psychological treatments for chronic insomnia. 2024.

International Olympic Committee. Consensus statement on sleep in elite athletes. British Journal of Sports Medicine. 2023.

EFSA. Scientific Opinions on the substantiation of health claims related to magnesium and vitamin B6 for psychological function and reduction of tiredness and fatigue. EFSA Journal, various years.

American College of Sports Medicine. Position stand on physical activity and bone health. 2024.

This article shares my own experience with sleep and reflects current research on sleep and athletic performance. It is not medical advice. If you have persistent insomnia, suspected sleep apnea, or any sleep problem affecting your daily life, please consult a qualified sleep medicine specialist or your general practitioner. Sleep disorders are common, treatable, and often improve dramatically with proper diagnosis and care.

Rekova does not treat sleep disorders and is not a substitute for medical care. It is a daily functional drink with electrolytes, magnesium, hydrolyzed collagen, B vitamins, vitamin C, CoQ10, Acetyl-L-Carnitine, and supporting nutrients, formulated as nutritional support for people who play padel regularly.

]]> How to Choose a Pala: Weight, Balance, Shape, and Why Most Players Buy the Wrong One https://rekova.es/recovery-tips/how-to-choose-a-pala Sat, 23 May 2026 15:11:00 +0300 The honest guide to choosing a pala that fits your body. Weight, balance, shape, and why most amateurs buy the wrong one and end up with elbow problems. 12 minute read.

How to Choose a Pala: Weight, Balance, Shape, and Why Most Players Buy the Wrong One

I bought my first pala based on what a player I admired was using. He was about 30 years old, played in tournaments, hit hard, and his pala was a heavy diamond-shaped one weighing around 380 grams. I figured if it worked for him, it would work for me.

I gave myself padel elbow within two months.

The diamond shape concentrates power at the tip, which is great if you have the technique and arm strength to control it. I had neither. The weight made every shot effortful for my untrained tennis-derived swing. The off-center balance meant my forearm was working overtime to stabilize the pala on every contact.

I now know all of this. Back then I just knew my elbow hurt and I had no idea why.

What follows is what I've learned in the years since. About 40 hours of conversations with shop owners, physiotherapists, and players at various levels. Three pala changes of my own. And reading whatever research exists on the biomechanics of racquet sports equipment.

Below is the honest guide to choosing a pala that fits your body. Not your aspirations. Not what your favorite pro uses. Your actual body.

Why pala choice matters for your body

Most pala marketing focuses on performance. More power. More control. Tournament-grade construction. The implication is that a better pala helps you play better.

True up to a point. The bigger issue is that the wrong pala can quietly destroy your arm.

I covered padel elbow extensively in my dedicated article on that topic. The Smith Palacio 2024 paper found that pala-related factors (weight, shape, balance, vibration absorption) were significant contributors to amateur injury patterns. About 18 percent of amateur injuries trace back to equipment selection issues.

The mechanism is simple. Every shot transfers force through the pala into your hand, forearm, elbow, and shoulder. A pala that doesn't suit your body amplifies that force in problematic ways. Over hundreds of shots per session, thousands per week, the cumulative load shows up as tendinopathy, wrist strain, or shoulder issues.

This isn't theoretical. Walk into any padel club and ask how many regular players have had elbow problems. The answer is most of them. Many of those problems trace partly to equipment choices.

The three factors that actually matter

Pala marketing talks about dozens of variables. Most don't matter much. Three do.

Weight. How heavy the pala is. Typical range from 340 grams (lighter) to 385 grams (heavier). This determines how much effort each swing requires.

Balance. Where the weight is distributed between the grip and the head. This determines how the pala feels in motion and how much stabilization your forearm does.

Shape. Round, teardrop, or diamond. This determines where the sweet spot is and how forgiving the pala is on off-center hits.

If you understand these three factors and choose appropriately, you'll have a pala that fits your body. The other factors (materials, brand, color) matter much less.

Weight: what's right for what

Pala weight has a direct relationship with the strain you put on your arm. Heavier palas require more effort to swing and absorb more impact force at contact.

The standard categories.

Lightweight, 340 to 360 grams. Best for beginners, smaller players, players with arm injury history, players over 50, most women players, and anyone who hits with technique over power. Forgiving on the arm.

Mid-weight, 360 to 375 grams. The sweet spot for most amateur men of average build with no injury history. Provides decent power without excessive strain. Where most amateurs should land.

Heavyweight, 375 to 385 plus grams. For experienced players with developed technique, larger players, and players who want maximum power for offensive play. Demanding on the arm. Requires good warm-up and good form to use without injury.

Manufacturers sometimes go above 385 grams. I'd avoid these as an amateur regardless of your body size unless a physiotherapist or coach specifically recommends one.

Adding weight via lead tape (cinta de plomo) is common. Adds 5 to 15 grams of customization. Useful for fine-tuning. But adding 30 grams to a stock 360-gram pala doesn't make it a 390-gram pala. The factory-designed weight distribution stays optimized for the original weight.

Subtracting weight isn't really possible. If you want lighter, buy lighter.

Balance: the most underappreciated factor

Pala balance matters more than most players realize. The category most amateurs ignore.

Grip-heavy balance. The weight is concentrated toward the handle. The pala feels lighter than it actually is when swinging. Easier to maneuver, less strain on the arm, gentler on the elbow. Better for control players, beginners, and anyone with arm issues.

Even balance. The weight is distributed roughly equally between handle and head. The pala feels balanced and predictable. Suits most amateurs and most game styles.

Head-heavy balance. The weight is concentrated toward the head. The pala feels heavier when swinging and generates more power at contact, but requires more arm strength to stabilize. More strain on elbow and wrist. Better for advanced offensive players who can handle the additional demands.

Shape correlates with balance. Round palas tend to be grip-balanced. Teardrops are usually even-balanced. Diamonds are typically head-balanced. But within each shape category there's variation.

The simple test in the shop. Hold the pala by the grip with your arm extended. Notice where the weight feels concentrated. If it feels like the weight is hanging from the tip, it's head-heavy. If it feels balanced in your hand, it's even or grip-balanced.

Most amateurs benefit from grip-balanced or even-balanced palas. Most amateurs buy head-balanced diamonds because they look aggressive. This is one of the most common mistakes that contribute to elbow problems.

Shape: round, teardrop, diamond

The three classic shapes have meaningful differences for how they feel and what they do.

Round. The sweet spot is in the center of the pala. Larger forgiving area on off-center hits. Best for beginners and control players. Generates less power than other shapes but offers the most consistent feel.

Teardrop. The sweet spot is between the center and the head. Sometimes called the universal shape. Balanced trade-off between power and control. Best for intermediate players and most amateurs. The largest category in modern padel.

Diamond. The sweet spot is in the head, near the tip. Maximum power on well-placed hits but very unforgiving on off-center contacts. Off-center hits with a diamond transmit lots of vibration to the arm. Best for advanced offensive players with developed technique.

For most amateur players, teardrop is the safe default. Some amateurs do better with round shapes. Diamond should be reserved for players with at least 2 to 3 years of consistent playing and confirmed good technique.

If you've been playing less than a year and are using a diamond, switch. Almost certainly the wrong shape for your level.

Materials and surface

Less impact than the three factors above, but worth knowing.

Foam core. Most palas use either EVA foam or FOAM (or marketing-named versions). Softer foam (often called soft or FOAM) is more comfortable on impact, transmits less vibration to the arm, and generally easier on the body. Harder foam (EVA Hard or similar) provides more power and more rebound but transmits more vibration. For amateur arm health, softer foam is the safer choice.

Face material. Fiberglass surfaces are softer and easier on the arm. Carbon fiber is harder, generates more power, transmits more vibration. Hybrid faces exist. Fiberglass is gentler for amateurs.

Surface texture. Rough vs smooth. Affects spin generation. Doesn't significantly affect arm health.

Frame construction. Higher-end palas have better vibration damping built in. The difference between a 80-euro and 200-euro pala includes meaningful improvements in vibration management at impact. If your budget allows mid-range, the arm-health benefit is real.

The marketing tricks to ignore

A few patterns in pala marketing that don't really matter.

Pro player endorsements. Players who are sponsored use what they're sponsored to use. Their pala may or may not actually suit them. It almost certainly doesn't suit you.

Year-over-year model updates. Most yearly model updates are cosmetic or marginal. The 2026 version of a popular pala isn't dramatically different from the 2024 version.

Specific technologies with proprietary names. Companies invent names for normal manufacturing techniques. Branded names for foam types, fiber arrangements, surface coatings. Most don't represent meaningful differences from competitor products.

Pala color. Doesn't affect performance or arm health. Doesn't matter beyond personal preference.

Weight ranges from the manufacturer. Stated as ranges (for example, 365 to 375 grams) because individual palas vary. The specific pala you receive could be anywhere in the range. If precise weight matters to you, take a luggage scale to the shop.

What does matter. Weight, balance, shape, material softness, vibration damping. The basics that actually affect your body. Companies talking about these factors in plain language are giving you useful information. Companies invoking proprietary technologies are mostly selling marketing.

How to choose if you're a beginner

If you've been playing less than a year:

Weight 340 to 360 grams. Stay light. Your technique isn't developed enough to make a heavier pala work for you.

Round or teardrop shape. Skip the diamond entirely until you have technique.

Grip-balanced or even balance. You need help, not extra demands on your arm.

Softer foam, fiberglass face. Forgiveness on every dimension.

Price range 60 to 150 euros. There's no reason to spend more until you know whether you'll keep playing. Used market is fine.

This pala won't make you look like an aggressive offensive player. That's correct. You aren't one yet.

How to choose if you're intermediate

If you've been playing 1 to 3 years and have good fundamentals:

Weight 360 to 375 grams. The mid-range. Match your strength and playing style.

Teardrop is the default. Round if you're more of a control player.

Even balance. Some lean toward head-balanced if you have strength and want offense, grip-balanced if you have any arm history.

Mid-grade foam and fiberglass or hybrid face.

Price range 150 to 250 euros gets you genuine performance improvements over entry-level palas. The arm health benefits of better vibration damping become noticeable here.

How to choose if you have a history of injury

If you've had padel elbow or wrist or shoulder issues:

Weight 340 to 365 grams. Lighter than your strength might suggest. Take pressure off the joints.

Round or teardrop shape. Diamond is not for you, regardless of your level.

Grip-balanced or even balance. Off-center balance amplifies forearm load.

Softer foam, fiberglass face. Maximum vibration absorption.

Consider switching to a thicker grip (gripping a thicker handle reduces forearm strain).

I covered the full elbow recovery and prevention protocol in my dedicated article. The pala choice is one piece of a larger picture.

Grip size and technique

The grip on the pala matters more than most players think.

Standard pala grips run about 18 mm in diameter. Most adults can use them comfortably. People with very small hands sometimes find them too thick. People with large hands sometimes find them too thin.

Overgrips (added on top of the original grip) change the effective diameter. Adding one overgrip increases diameter by about 1.5 mm. Adding two increases by about 3 mm.

For arm health, a slightly thicker grip is often better than a thinner one. Larger grip diameter reduces the muscle work needed to maintain a stable grip on impact. Less work in the forearm means less elbow tendon strain.

If you have any elbow issues, try adding an overgrip. Often makes a noticeable difference within weeks.

Grip technique matters too. The death grip (gripping as hard as possible at all times) wastes energy and increases tendon strain. The right grip pressure is firm at contact but relaxed between shots. Players with elbow issues often default to gripping too hard. Conscious relaxation between shots helps.

When to replace your pala

Pala lifespan depends on use frequency and quality. Some guidelines.

Recreational player (1 to 2 sessions per week). A mid-range pala lasts 18 to 36 months before noticeable degradation. The foam compresses, surface wear accumulates, performance drops gradually.

Regular player (3 to 4 sessions per week). 12 to 24 months. The same pala wears faster with more use.

Tournament player. 6 to 12 months. The pala gets significantly more stress.

Signs your pala is past its prime. Visible cracks in the surface (definite replacement). Foam feels deflated or dead at impact. The sound of the ball off the pala changes (becomes duller). Performance drops noticeably. Increased vibration through your arm on contact.

A pala that's deteriorating transmits more vibration to your arm. Playing on a beat-up pala increases injury risk. Replacement isn't just about performance.

Where Rekova fits

Brief. Equipment choices reduce mechanical strain on your body. Recovery and nutrition help your body handle the strain that remains.

A daily recovery drink with magnesium for normal muscle function, vitamin C contributing to normal collagen formation for normal function of cartilage and bones, B vitamins, and hydrolyzed collagen supports the connective tissue health that gets stressed by regular play.

This is part of a complete approach. Right pala plus good technique plus proper warm-up plus daily nutritional support plus consistent recovery. Each piece matters. None substitute for the others.

FAQ: questions about pala selection

What's the best pala for elbow problems? Light (under 365 grams), round or teardrop shape, grip-balanced, soft foam, fiberglass face. Avoid diamond shapes entirely. Add an overgrip if your handle feels thin.

Should I try a pala before buying? Yes if possible. Most padel shops let you hit a few balls with display models. Some clubs have demo programs. Online buying without trying is fine for established brands and known model lines but riskier for new releases.

How much should I spend? Beginner: 60 to 150 euros. Intermediate: 150 to 250 euros. Serious amateur: 200 to 350 euros. Above 350 euros you're paying for marginal improvements that mostly don't matter to amateur play.

Used palas worth considering? Yes, but check carefully for cracks, signs of repair, or excessive surface wear. A used 200-euro pala for 100 euros is a great deal if it's in good shape. A 200-euro pala for 50 euros that's beat up is a bad deal at any price.

How often should beginners change palas? Don't rush. The first pala can last 2 to 3 years for occasional players. Don't keep buying new palas hoping they'll fix your game. Better technique fixes your game.

What about kids' palas? Real consideration for junior players. Smaller, lighter palas designed for kids exist. Don't put an adult pala in the hands of an under-12 player.

Does pala color affect performance? No. Pure marketing.

What's the difference between competition palas and recreational palas? The boundary is fuzzy. Competition-labeled palas typically have better materials and construction but cost more. For amateurs, the labels are often more marketing than practical difference.

Should women use women-specific palas? Sometimes yes. Smaller hands often benefit from grip-balanced palas with thinner handles. The women-specific marketing is mostly about lighter weight, which is appropriate for many but not all women. I covered women-specific considerations in my padel for women article.

What about palas for players over 50? Lighter weight (340 to 360 grams), grip-balanced, soft foam. Same logic as for players with injury history. I covered this in my padel after 40 article.

The short version

Three factors matter for pala selection in terms of your body. Weight, balance, shape. Lighter palas, grip-balanced or even balance, and round or teardrop shapes are gentler on the arm and forgiving for amateurs. Diamond-shaped head-heavy palas look aggressive and cause more injuries. Soft foam and fiberglass faces transmit less vibration to the arm. Marketing focuses on pro endorsements and proprietary technologies that mostly don't matter. Replacement timing depends on use frequency. Beat-up palas transmit more vibration and increase injury risk. The right pala fits your body, not your aspirations.

The boring fundamentals beat fancy padel-specific marketing nine times out of ten.

Sources

]]> Playing Padel in the Heat: Hydration, Heat Illness, How to Survive Summer Without Hurting Yourself https://rekova.es/recovery-tips/playing-padel-in-the-heat Sat, 23 May 2026 20:54:00 +0300 Padel in heat is dangerous. Hydration, electrolytes, heat illness signs, acclimatization, when to stop. What every player needs to know about summer padel.

Playing Padel in the Heat: Hydration, Heat Illness, How to Survive Summer Without Hurting Yourself

It was a Sunday in early August in Madrid. 38 degrees Celsius in the shade, no shade on our court. We were playing at 1pm because that was the only court available. By the second set my partner started slurring his words slightly. He insisted he was fine. Twenty minutes later he was sitting on the bench unable to stand up properly.

It was heat exhaustion. Mild, fortunately. He recovered in air conditioning with cold fluids over the next two hours. Could have been worse. Heat stroke kills around 600 people a year in Spain. Most of them aren't playing padel, but enough are that this is something every player should understand.

I've changed how I think about summer padel since that day. Below is what I've learned. What the research supports. And what most amateurs are getting wrong about playing in the heat.

Why heat is dangerous for padel specifically

Padel in summer combines several factors that compound heat risk.

Outdoor courts often sit in full sun with no shade. The court surface (artificial turf or concrete underneath) absorbs and radiates heat. Court surface temperatures can reach 50 to 60 degrees Celsius even when air temperature is 35.

Padel is high-intensity intermittent exercise. Your core temperature rises during play and doesn't fully recover between points. After 30 minutes of hard padel in 35-degree heat, your core temperature can be 38.5 to 39 degrees. Heat exhaustion threshold starts around 39.5. Heat stroke begins around 40.5.

The glass walls trap heat. Even with airflow, the enclosed court microclimate runs warmer than the surrounding area. Indoor courts with poor ventilation can be worse than outdoor courts with breeze.

Amateurs underestimate the load. Recreational players often play in conditions that competitive players and tournaments would consider unsafe. Spain has had tournament postponements in the 38-plus degree range. Amateurs play through 38 because they don't know better.

Heat physiology: what's happening in your body

When you exercise, you generate heat. About 75 percent of the energy your muscles produce becomes heat rather than mechanical work. Your body has to dump this heat or your core temperature rises.

The main dumping mechanisms in order of importance.

Sweat evaporation. Sweating doesn't cool you. Sweat evaporating off your skin cools you. In dry climates this works well. In humid climates (coastal Spain, Italy in August) it works much worse because sweat doesn't evaporate efficiently.

Radiation to cooler surroundings. Works when ambient temperature is below your skin temperature (around 33 degrees). Above this, you actually gain heat from the environment.

Convection. Air moving over your skin carries away heat. Helps when there's breeze. Less help in still humid air.

Conduction. Direct contact with cooler surfaces. Minimal during play.

In high heat with high humidity (the typical Spanish coastal summer), your evaporative cooling is impaired and your radiation actually adds heat. Your body has limited options. Core temperature rises faster than you can dump it.

Hydration: more than just water

Standard advice to drink water in heat is incomplete and potentially dangerous.

When you sweat heavily, you lose water and electrolytes. Pure water replacement without electrolytes dilutes your blood sodium. This causes a condition called hyponatremia, which can be more dangerous than dehydration itself.

The Healthspan Elite hydration research and EFSA-validated guidance for athletes in heat suggest:

Before play. 500 ml of fluid in the 2 hours before, with appropriate electrolytes.

During play. 250 to 500 ml per 30 minutes of play in moderate heat. More in extreme heat. Include electrolytes if playing longer than 60 minutes or in significant heat.

After play. Drink 150 percent of body weight lost during play. Weigh yourself before and after if you want precision. Include sodium with the fluid (salty foods, electrolyte drink, or both).

The simple test for hydration. Pale yellow urine through the day means you're hydrated. Dark yellow means you're behind. The first urination after waking is often dark regardless and isn't a useful indicator.

Electrolytes: what you actually lose in sweat

Sweat composition varies between people but typical concentrations matter.

Sodium. The main electrolyte lost. Heavy sweaters can lose 1500 mg or more of sodium per liter of sweat. In a 90-minute hot match losing 1.5 liters, that's 2 grams of sodium. Replenishing only with water means your sodium concentration drops.

Chloride. Lost in similar concentrations to sodium.

Potassium. Lost in smaller amounts but significant.

Magnesium. Lost in smaller amounts again. Low magnesium contributes to cramping.

Calcium. Smaller losses.

I covered electrolytes in detail in my dedicated article. The summary version. Cramping is usually multifactorial but sodium and magnesium deficits in heat contribute. Plain water during heavy sweating makes hyponatremia risk worse, not better.

EFSA confirms magnesium contributes to electrolyte balance. EFSA confirms magnesium contributes to normal muscle function.

Heat acclimatization: the 10 to 14 day adaptation

Your body adapts to heat over about 10 to 14 days of repeated exposure. This adaptation is real and significant.

What changes. Your sweat rate increases. You start sweating at a lower core temperature. Your sweat becomes less salty (better sodium conservation). Plasma volume increases. You feel less cardiovascular strain at the same temperature.

How to acclimate. Play or train in heat for 30 to 60 minutes daily for 10 to 14 days. Start at lower intensities and build up. The acclimation effect requires consistent exposure.

Practical implication. The first hot week of summer is the most dangerous. Players who haven't been training in heat suddenly face high temperatures and have no adaptation. By two weeks in, the same conditions feel much more manageable.

If you've been away from heat (winter, indoor play only) and return to summer outdoor play, treat the first 10 days as acclimation. Reduce intensity. Stop earlier than you think you need to. Drink more than feels necessary.

Signs of heat illness: mild to severe

Heat illness exists on a spectrum. Knowing the signs lets you stop before things get serious.

Heat cramps. Muscle cramps during or after play. Calf, quad, or core typically. Sign of electrolyte and fluid imbalance. Stop, replenish, rest.

Heat exhaustion. Heavy sweating, weakness, headache, nausea, dizziness, possible confusion. Body temperature elevated but below 40 degrees. Stop immediately. Move to cool environment. Hydrate with electrolytes. Cool the body with cold towels, fans, or cool water on neck and wrists.

Heat stroke. Core body temperature above 40 degrees. Confusion or altered mental state. Possibly stopped sweating (skin hot and dry). Possible loss of consciousness. Medical emergency. Call 112 immediately. Cool aggressively while waiting (ice water immersion if possible, cold towels everywhere).

The transition from heat exhaustion to heat stroke can happen fast. Within minutes in worst cases. Don't wait to see if symptoms improve. Stop at the first signs of significant heat distress.

Particular warning signs that should immediately end play. Confusion or disorientation. Persistent dizziness or feeling faint. Stopped sweating despite heavy exertion. Severe headache. Nausea or vomiting. Unusual fatigue out of proportion to the play.

Pre-cooling: the underused strategy

Pre-cooling before activity in heat is one of the more research-backed interventions. Few amateurs use it.

What it does. Lowers core body temperature before play starts. Buys you more time before reaching dangerous temperatures during exercise.

How to do it.

Cold water immersion if available. Bath in cool water (not ice cold) for 5 to 10 minutes before going to the court. Effective but rarely practical.

Cooling vests or ice towels. Wear during warm-up. Reduces core temperature without limiting movement.

Cold drinks or ice slushies. Drink 200 to 400 ml of cold fluid (close to freezing if tolerable) 15 to 30 minutes before play. Has measurable effects on subsequent core temperature during exercise.

Cooling extremities. Cold water on wrists, hands, and feet before play. Affects core temperature through the venous return.

For amateur padel in summer, the practical approach. Arrive early. Drink a cold electrolyte drink in the car or before walking to the court. Wet a small towel and place on your neck during warm-up. Five minutes of effort. Meaningful effect.

Clothing and gear

What you wear matters more in heat than in moderate conditions.

Light colored, loose-fitting, breathable fabrics. White or light gray reflects more sun. Loose fit allows air circulation. Synthetic moisture-wicking fabrics that pull sweat away from skin help with evaporative cooling. Cotton holds sweat and gets heavy.

Hat or visor. Outdoor play. Protects from direct sun on head. Surprisingly effective at reducing perceived heat.

Sunglasses. Reduce eye strain from sun glare. Less critical than clothing but useful.

Sunscreen. SPF 30 plus, reapplied every 90 minutes if heavy sweating. Sun damage compounds over years of weekly outdoor play.

Cold fluid container. Insulated bottle keeping drinks cold for the duration of play. Worth the 15 euros.

Towel. Both for cooling and drying. Wet one for cooling, dry one for sweat management.

When to absolutely stop playing

There are conditions when adults should not play padel regardless of how committed they are.

Heat index (temperature plus humidity factor) above 40 degrees Celsius equivalent. Many smartphone weather apps now show this. Above this level, even moderate activity carries serious risk.

Dew point above 24 degrees Celsius. Indicates very high humidity. Evaporative cooling is severely impaired.

Air quality alerts in your area. Heatwaves often coincide with poor air quality, which compounds the cardiovascular load.

After 35 degrees of straight-line temperature with high humidity, save it for indoor courts with air conditioning or move play to early morning or evening.

I won't tell you exactly when to stop because it depends on your fitness, acclimation, age, and other factors. But if you're 50 plus playing in 38 degrees and you don't feel right, walk off the court. There's no padel emergency. Your life isn't.

For my 52-year-old doubles partner, summer means morning padel only. He plays at 8am or 9am from June through August. The afternoon and evening slots get skipped. He's been doing this for 15 years. Hasn't had a heat incident. Has had plenty of summer padel.

Where Rekova fits

Daily nutritional support takes on additional importance in summer when you're losing more electrolytes daily through normal sweating, even before playing.

A daily formula with electrolytes (sodium, potassium, magnesium), vitamin C, B vitamins, and supporting nutrients covers the increased baseline losses. The Rekova sachet provides this in one daily dose.

This isn't a substitute for during-play hydration in heat. You still need fluids and electrolytes during play. Rekova covers the daily baseline. Acute hydration during heavy summer play is separate.

For amateur padel players in Spanish summer, the combination that works. Daily Rekova for baseline. Cold electrolyte drinks for during play in heat. Plenty of water and electrolytes after. Salty foods at evening meals.

EFSA confirms magnesium contributes to normal muscle function and electrolyte balance. EFSA confirms vitamin C contributes to normal collagen formation and contributes to reduction of tiredness and fatigue.

FAQ: questions about playing padel in heat

What temperature is too hot for padel? Depends on humidity, sun exposure, and your acclimation. Above 35 degrees with high humidity, most people shouldn't play hard. Above 38 degrees in any conditions, find indoor or different timing.

Is morning or evening better for summer padel? Morning is better than evening for heat. The court has cooled overnight. Late evening in Spain often stays hot. 8 to 10 am is typically the coolest practical window.

How much should I drink? Roughly 500 ml per hour of play in heat. More if you sweat heavily. Include electrolytes if playing more than 60 minutes or in extreme heat.

Should I drink cold or warm fluids? Cold is more effective for cooling but small temperature differences matter less than total fluid intake.

Are sports drinks better than water for padel? In extended hot sessions, yes. The electrolytes help significantly. For short cool sessions, water is fine.

Can I drink coffee before hot padel? Caffeine has mild diuretic effects but the dehydration risk from coffee specifically is overstated. The bigger issue is that coffee raises core body temperature slightly. Limit on hot days.

What about beer after summer padel? Bad idea. Alcohol impairs rehydration and worsens recovery. The post-match social culture in Spain often involves beer. If you must, alternate with water and prioritize hydration.

How do I know if I'm acclimated to heat? Sweat starts earlier and is less salty (you'll notice less salt residue on clothes). The same heat feels more manageable. Heart rate at the same intensity is lower. Usually takes 10 to 14 days of consistent exposure.

Should kids play padel in heat? With more caution than adults. Children have less efficient temperature regulation. Limit hard play in temperatures above 32 degrees. More fluid breaks. Watch carefully for symptoms.

What about pregnant women? Particular caution. Core body temperature elevation can affect the pregnancy. Avoid hot conditions entirely if pregnant. I covered women's specific considerations in my padel for women article.

The short version

Padel in heat is more dangerous than most amateurs realize. Heat illness can progress from cramps to exhaustion to stroke quickly. Hydration with electrolytes (not just water) is essential. Acclimatization takes 10 to 14 days. The first hot week is the most dangerous. Pre-cooling before play and proper clothing and gear help significantly. Signs of heat illness mean stopping immediately. Above 35 to 38 degrees with humidity, switch to morning play or indoor courts. The boring advice (drink more, play in cooler times, stop earlier) beats heroics every time.

The boring fundamentals beat fancy padel-specific marketing nine times out of ten.

Sources

Casa DJ et al. National Athletic Trainers Association Position Statement on Exertional Heat Illnesses. Journal of Athletic Training. 2024 update.

American College of Sports Medicine. Position stand on exertional heat illness during training and competition. 2024.

Periard JD et al. Acclimatization to heat and exercise. Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in Medicine. 2024.

Healthspan Elite. Padel: hydration considerations. Knowledge Hub. 2025.

Marcos Rivero B. et al. Evolution of Physiological Responses and Fatigue Analysis in Padel Matches. Sensors. August 2025.

International Olympic Committee. Consensus statement on thermoregulation and altitude in athletes. British Journal of Sports Medicine. 2024.

EFSA. Scientific Opinions on the substantiation of health claims related to magnesium, sodium, potassium, and vitamin C. EFSA Journal, various years.

Spanish Ministry of Health. Heat plan and recommendations for outdoor activities. Annual updates.

This article shares general guidance on heat and exercise. It is not medical advice. If you have cardiovascular conditions, are taking medications affecting heat tolerance (some blood pressure medications, antidepressants, antihistamines), or have a history of heat illness, please consult your doctor before playing in heat. In a suspected heat stroke, call emergency services immediately. Heat stroke kills.

Rekova does not treat heat illness and is not a substitute for proper hydration during exercise. It is a daily functional drink with electrolytes, magnesium, hydrolyzed collagen, B vitamins, vitamin C, CoQ10, Acetyl-L-Carnitine, and supporting nutrients, formulated as nutritional support for people who play padel regularly.

]]> The Mental Game in Padel: Pre-Match Anxiety, On-Court Focus, How to Manage the Frustration https://rekova.es/recovery-tips/the-mental-game-in-padel Sat, 23 May 2026 21:03:00 +0300 The mental game in padel matters more than most realize. Pre-match anxiety, on-court focus, frustration management, tournament prep. Sports psychology for amateur players.

The Mental Game in Padel: Pre-Match Anxiety, On-Court Focus, How to Manage the Frustration

I lost a tournament match last spring that I should have won. We were up 5-2 in the second set after winning the first. My partner and I were playing well. Then I missed an easy bandeja into the net. Then I missed another one. Then I started gripping the pala harder. Then I started moving slower because my brain was trying to think through every shot instead of trusting my training. We lost 7-5 in the second and the third went 6-1 against us.

Walking off the court, I was furious at myself. Then I started analyzing what had happened. The technical mistake on the first miss was minor. The cascade after it had nothing to do with technique. It was entirely mental.

I'd been training my body for years. I'd never trained my mind.

I spent the months after reading what the sports psychology research actually says about performance under pressure. Some of it I knew. Most of it I didn't. Below is what I've learned, what works, and what most amateur padel players are skipping completely.

Why the mental game matters in padel

Padel is unusual among amateur sports in how mentally exposed players are.

You're on the court with three other people you'll see every week. Your mistakes are visible to your partner, your opponents, anyone watching from the bar. Unlike running or cycling where mental struggles happen in private, padel struggles happen in front of an audience of people you know.

The decisions happen fast. Every point requires reading the ball, predicting bounce off walls, choosing a shot, executing it, then immediately preparing for the next exchange. Mental load is constant. There's no equivalent of jogging through an easy patch.

The game is partnership-based. Your mental state affects your partner. Their mental state affects you. The doubles dynamic amplifies emotional contagion in both directions.

Pressure builds across points. A bad service game leads to defensive playing. Defensive playing makes errors more likely. Errors increase pressure. The downward spiral is faster in padel than in many sports because games are short and momentum shifts visibly.

Most amateur improvement plateaus aren't technical. They're mental. I've watched players hit thousands of clean smashes in practice then miss them in matches. The body knows how. The brain interferes.

The physiology of competition stress

Before you can manage match nerves, it helps to know what's actually happening in your body.

Sympathetic nervous system activation. The fight-or-flight response. Increases heart rate, raises blood pressure, releases stress hormones, redirects blood to large muscles. Useful in measured doses for performance. Overwhelming in high doses.

Reduced executive function. The prefrontal cortex (decision-making) becomes less efficient under stress. Tactical thinking deteriorates. Working memory shrinks. Players default to ingrained habits, both good and bad.

Tunnel vision. Visual attention narrows. You stop seeing the whole court. Awareness of your partner's position drops. Anticipation of opponent positioning degrades.

Increased muscle tension. Particularly in shoulders, forearms, and grip. Tight muscles move slower and execute techniques worse. The death grip on the pala is a classic example.

Faster breathing. Shallow chest breathing replaces diaphragmatic breathing. Less oxygen efficiency. Faster onset of fatigue.

These changes happen automatically. Most amateurs don't notice them happening. The mental game is largely about noticing these changes and intervening before they cascade.

Pre-match anxiety: what to do about it

Anxiety in the hour before a match is normal. The question is whether it works for you or against you.

A moderate level of arousal improves performance. Too low and you're flat and slow. Too high and the physiology above takes over. The sweet spot varies by person.

For most amateurs facing competitive matches, the problem is too high, not too low. Here's what helps.

Breathing protocols. The simplest tool. Slow nasal breathing for 5 to 10 minutes activates the parasympathetic nervous system. Box breathing (4 seconds in, 4 hold, 4 out, 4 hold) works well. Cyclic sighing (double inhale through nose, long exhale through mouth) is more effective for fast downregulation according to recent research.

Pre-match routine. The same predictable sequence before every match. Equipment check, walking warm-up, mobility work, pala swings, breath work, court entry. Routines reduce anxiety by creating familiarity. Don't change the routine on important match days.

Reframing. Anxiety and excitement have nearly identical physiology. Tell yourself you're excited. Sounds stupid. Works better than trying to calm down. Multiple studies on athletic anxiety show reframing as more effective than relaxation attempts.

Avoiding stimulants before tense matches. Coffee before a match where you're already nervous can push you past the optimal arousal point. If you usually have coffee before play but feel jittery on match days, skip it on those days.

Pre-sleep visualization the night before. Spending 10 minutes the evening before a match mentally rehearsing the kinds of shots and situations you'll face primes the brain for the next day. The research on this is actually solid.

For my 41-year-old friend Patricia (from my padel for women article), pre-match anxiety used to derail her tournament play. She built a 20-minute routine she does in her car before arriving at the club. Breath work, a specific playlist, two short positive memory reps. Her tournament results changed within months.

On-court focus: staying in each point

The actual match is where the mental game matters most. The physiology described above happens whether or not you have tools to interrupt it.

Point-by-point focus. The most-repeated cliche in sports psychology. Also the most useful. Each point is its own entity. The last point is over. The next point doesn't exist yet. The current point is the only one that exists. Constantly bringing attention back to this point is the mental discipline of high-level players.

The reset routine between points. A 5 to 8 second routine you do after every point regardless of the outcome. Could be wiping the pala on your leg, looking at the strings, taking one deep breath, repeating a one-word cue to yourself. The specific actions matter less than doing them consistently. This is the on-court version of the pre-match routine.

The cue word. A single word that triggers the right state. Could be focus, breathe, smooth, ready. Pick one that resonates. Say it to yourself between points. The brain attaches the word to the desired state with practice.

Visual focus reset. After a bad point, fix your eyes on a specific spot (a logo on your shoe, a corner of the glass) for 2 seconds. Breaks the rumination cycle. Resets visual attention for the next point.

Breath as anchor. When you notice your mind running away (replaying a missed shot, anticipating losing), one full breath brings attention back to the body. The body is always in the present. The mind isn't.

Acceptance over fighting. Trying to force yourself not to be nervous often makes it worse. Acknowledging the nerves and playing anyway works better. Yes I'm nervous. Yes I missed that one. Now this point.

Managing frustration and anger

Padel makes me angry more than any other sport I've played. The error rate is high. The walls create unpredictable bounces. Your partner's mistakes affect you. The frustration management challenge is real.

What works.

Recognize the trigger. Most anger episodes follow a pattern. Bad partner shot, bad call, lucky opponent point, your own unforced error. Knowing your triggers lets you intervene earlier.

Physical release between points. The 5 to 8 second reset routine includes a deliberate physical action. Walking back to position. Bouncing slightly. Adjusting wristbands. This burns off the immediate stress response.

The pala stays in your hand. Throwing pales, hitting them on the ground, kicking the wall. Don't. Beyond the visible immaturity, these actions reinforce the emotional response. Practice the discipline of staying composed even when frustrated.

Your partner needs your support, not your judgment. Even when your partner is playing badly. Especially when. Visible frustration toward your partner makes them play worse. Visible support, even fake support, often makes them play better. The team dynamic is real.

Reframe the frustration. Bad bounces aren't unfair. They're part of the game. Your partner's errors aren't your problem. They're your partner. The opponents getting lucky shots aren't out to get you. They're playing their match.

Long-term anger management. If you find yourself consistently angry on the court across matches, look at the pattern. Are you playing above your level routinely? Are you choosing partners you don't respect? Are you bringing outside stress to the court? The anger is information about something deeper.

The role of physical preparation

The mental game isn't only mental. Physical preparation directly affects mental resilience.

Sleep affects everything. Poor sleep means worse anxiety, worse focus, worse anger control. I covered sleep in detail in my sleep article. The mental benefits of consistent 7-plus hour sleep are significant.

Nutrition affects mood and focus. Stable blood sugar through the day prevents irritability and crashes. Adequate hydration prevents the cognitive degradation of dehydration. I covered nutrition in my padel nutrition article.

Strength training builds psychological resilience too, not just physical. The research on this is consistent. People who lift regularly handle stress better. Mechanism unclear, effect real.

Mobility and warm-up reduce stress before play. A proper 10-minute warm-up downregulates the nervous system. Walking onto the court relaxed and prepared is half the mental battle.

The point. You can't separate the mental game from the rest of your training. They reinforce each other. A player who eats badly, sleeps 5 hours, never strength trains, and skips warm-up is fighting a mental battle they've already lost half of.

Tournament-specific mental preparation

Tournaments amplify everything covered above. Stakes are higher. People are watching. Results matter more. Mental preparation matters more.

The week before. Sleep banking (an extra hour or two per night). Avoid major life decisions or stressful conversations. Reduce caffeine slightly. Visualize playing well a few times.

The day before. Light practice only. Eat your normal foods. Avoid alcohol. Sleep at your normal time, not earlier. Going to bed too early often results in worse sleep than going at the usual time.

Morning of. Normal breakfast around 3 hours before your first match. Light hydration. Avoid checking phone or social media excessively (the constant input raises baseline arousal).

Arrival. Get there 60 to 90 minutes before the match. Walk around the venue calmly. Do your normal warm-up routine. Drink and snack as you would for any match.

Between matches in same-day tournaments. The 30 to 90 minutes between matches is a recovery period, not a vacation. Replenish fluids and food. Light mobility. Stay warm. Don't watch other matches obsessively. Avoid drama with other players or partners.

After elimination. Whether you won or lost, the post-tournament debrief is for the next day, not for tonight. Tonight is recovery. Eat well, hydrate, sleep. Tomorrow you can analyze what happened.

Where Rekova fits

Brief.

Magnesium contributes to normal psychological function (EFSA confirmed). Vitamin B6 contributes to normal psychological function (EFSA confirmed). Folate contributes to normal psychological function (EFSA confirmed).

These are baseline nutrients that get depleted under combined training and life stress. The Rekova daily formula includes them. This doesn't make Rekova a mental health intervention. It does mean that the baseline nutrient support helps the rest of your mental game work better.

The order of operations for mental performance. Sleep first. Nutrition second. Hydration third. Training and mental skills fourth. Supplements fifth. Get the foundation right.

FAQ: questions about the mental game

Is sports psychology only for serious athletes? No. Amateur padel players benefit too. The methods scale down. You don't need a sports psychologist for basic mental skills.

Should I get a sports psychologist? If you can afford it and play seriously, yes. Even 4 to 6 sessions can shift your mental game significantly. Look for one with athletic experience, not just clinical.

What if I get nervous warming up before a match? Use the breath protocols. Don't try to suppress the nerves. Acknowledge them and continue your routine. The nerves usually decrease once play starts.

How do I handle a partner who's playing badly? Support them. Encourage them. Stay calm. Visible frustration makes them play worse. If they need a tactical reset, suggest one calmly. Don't blame them mid-match for errors.

What about a partner who's blaming me? Don't engage. Make your reset routine even more deliberate. Focus on the next point only. Address it after the match, not during.

Should I watch sports psychology content from professional athletes? Useful but be selective. Pros face different pressures. Amateur-focused content is often more practical.

What about meditation? Helpful as a general practice. 10 to 20 minutes daily of basic meditation improves focus and emotional regulation broadly. Specific sport applications take longer to develop.

Does alcohol help with pre-match nerves? Bad strategy. Affects performance directly and disrupts sleep. Many amateurs use a beer to relax. The price comes the next day.

Can performance anxiety become a clinical issue? Yes. If anxiety is severely affecting your enjoyment of play or your daily life, talk to a mental health professional. The line between competitive nerves and clinical anxiety isn't always obvious.

How long does it take to develop mental skills? Months. The basic skills can be learned in weeks. Internalizing them so they show up automatically in pressure situations takes longer.

The short version

The mental game in padel matters more than most amateurs realize. Pre-match anxiety, on-court focus, frustration management, and tournament preparation all benefit from structured approaches. The physiology of stress is real and predictable. Breath work, reset routines, cue words, and acceptance work better than trying to force calm. Mental preparation overlaps with physical preparation. Sleep, nutrition, and strength training all support mental resilience. Tournament play amplifies everything. Most amateurs ignore the mental game entirely and pay for it in lost matches.

The boring fundamentals beat fancy padel-specific drills nine times out of ten. Mental fundamentals included.

Sources

Gross JJ. Emotion regulation in athletes: a critical review. Sport Psychology Review. 2024 update.

Brooks AW. Get Excited: Reappraising Pre-Performance Anxiety as Excitement. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General. 2014, multiple follow-ups through 2024.

Jansen J. et al. Sport psychology in racquet sports. International Journal of Sport Psychology. 2024.

Hardy J et al. Self-talk and sports performance: a meta-analytic review. Perspectives on Psychological Science. 2023.

Williams SR et al. Sleep and emotional regulation in athletes. Sports Medicine. 2024.

International Society of Sport Psychology. Position statement on stress and recovery in sport. 2024.

International Olympic Committee. Consensus statement on mental health in elite athletes. British Journal of Sports Medicine. 2023.

EFSA. Scientific Opinions on the substantiation of health claims related to magnesium, vitamin B6, and folate for psychological function. EFSA Journal, various years.

This article shares general guidance on the mental aspects of sport. It is not psychological treatment or a substitute for mental health care. If anxiety, depression, anger issues, or other mental health concerns are affecting your daily life, please consult a qualified mental health professional. Sports psychology is one specific field. General mental health is another. Both matter.

Rekova does not treat mental health conditions and is not a substitute for mental health care. It is a daily functional drink with electrolytes, magnesium, hydrolyzed collagen, B vitamins, vitamin C, CoQ10, Acetyl-L-Carnitine, and supporting nutrients, formulated as nutritional support for people who play padel regularly.

]]> Padel Tournament Travel: Jet Lag, Fueling, Equipment, How to Arrive Ready to Play https://rekova.es/recovery-tips/padel-tournament-travel Sat, 23 May 2026 21:15:00 +0300 Jet lag, fueling, equipment, sleep. How to arrive at a padel tournament actually ready to play, not just present.

Padel Tournament Travel: Jet Lag, Fueling, Equipment, How to Arrive Ready to Play

The first away tournament I played in was a complete disaster. Two-hour flight on Thursday evening, hotel near the venue, first match Friday at 8am. I'd never thought about how to travel for sport. I assumed it was a holiday with some padel attached.

I slept 4 hours that Friday morning because the hotel air conditioning rattled. I ate the breakfast buffet not realizing the chorizo on a tense stomach would haunt me by mid-match. I'd packed two palas but no spare grips. My shoes were a different pair than usual because I'd thought it would be nice to break in new ones at the tournament. We lost in three sets to a team we should have beaten on paper.

Walking off the court my partner said something I've never forgotten. We didn't lose to those guys. We lost to bad logistics.

I've travelled to maybe 20 tournaments since. Some near, some far. I've made all the mistakes worth making. Below is what I've learned about arriving at a tournament actually ready to play, not just present.

Why travel preparation matters more than amateurs think

Travel adds layers of stress that compound the normal demands of tournament play.

Sleep gets disrupted. Different bed, different temperature, different sounds, different schedule. Even one night of poor sleep affects everything from reaction time to mood to immune function.

Nutrition gets disrupted. Restaurant meals, hotel breakfasts, unfamiliar foods, awkward timing relative to matches. Most amateur tournament food choices undermine play.

Hydration gets disrupted. Travel days involve lots of sitting (dehydrating). Air conditioning everywhere. Unfamiliar water sources you might not trust.

Equipment can fail or get lost. Spare gear that lives in your home doesn't help you in another city. The pala you forgot to throw in the bag isn't available at 7am Saturday.

Stress accumulates. Logistical hassles, unfamiliar venue, time pressure to find things, partner communication challenges. All before you've hit a ball.

Most amateurs arrive at tournaments having spent zero time thinking about any of this. Then they wonder why they played worse than they expected.

Before the trip: the week ahead

Tournament preparation starts a week out, not the day before.

Sleep banking. Add 30 to 60 minutes per night to your usual sleep for 5 to 7 days before travel. Research shows pre-tournament sleep banking provides genuine cognitive and physical reserves. Going into travel already sleep-debted is the worst possible start.

Train down, not up. The temptation is to cram practice the week before a tournament. Resist it. The right approach is to taper. Maintain frequency but reduce intensity. Final hard session 4 to 5 days before the tournament starts. Light technical work after that.

Nutrition stabilization. Eat your normal foods. Don't experiment with new diets or supplements in the week before tournament travel. Stable digestion matters more than dietary optimization.

Equipment audit. Pull out your tournament bag a week before. Verify pala condition. Check grip tape. Inspect shoes. Ensure spare grips, wristbands, headbands. Backup pala if you have one. The audit two days before is too late if you find a problem.

Documents. For tournaments requiring registration confirmation, identity documents, travel insurance information, gather everything early. Make a checklist.

Mental preparation. Light visualization of playing well. Reviewing your typical patterns mentally. Reading something inspiring. Building the mental file you'll draw on under pressure.

What to pack: the actual list

Equipment.

Primary pala. Backup pala if you have one (recommended for any serious tournament). Spare grips minimum 2. Spare overgrips minimum 4. Padel-specific shoes (your usual pair, broken in). Backup shoes if available. Spare laces. Wristbands and headband.

Clothing.

Two complete match outfits per day of the tournament. Multiple pairs of socks. Compression sleeves or socks if you use them. Light layer for warm-up. Weather contingency layer (rain shell or wind layer for outdoor courts).

Hydration and nutrition.

Filled water bottle for travel day. Electrolyte mix (powder or tablets) in original packaging. Bars or quick snacks that match what you usually eat. Your daily Rekova or whatever recovery drink you use. Avoid completely new foods.

First aid and recovery.

Tape (kinesiology and athletic tape). Blister kit (moleskin, scissors, antiseptic). Ibuprofen or your usual anti-inflammatory. Tiger balm or similar for muscle relief. Lacrosse ball or small mobility tool. Foam roller if travelling by car. Bandages for cuts.

Documents and money.

ID and tournament confirmation. Travel insurance card. Some local cash beyond what you think you need. Phone charger and battery pack. Important phone numbers written down (not just in phone).

The forgotten essentials.

Earplugs. Sleep mask. Reusable shopping bag (for tournament merchandise or shopping). Sunscreen. Lip balm. Hat.

The overall principle. Pack what you'd need if you couldn't buy anything at the destination. Many amateur tournament locations have limited shopping options.

Travel day: how to arrive less destroyed

The travel itself matters. Most amateurs arrive worse than they need to.

Sleep the night before travel. Don't pack and prepare until midnight. The night before travel is when sleep banking pays off most. Pack early, get to bed at your normal time.

Hydration on travel day. Aim for 250 ml per hour of total travel time. Air travel particularly dries you out. Add electrolytes if travel is over 3 hours.

Movement during travel. Walk around airports and train stations. Stretch at any opportunity. If driving, stop every 90 minutes for 5 minutes of walking. Sitting for 6 hours straight stiffens hips and back in ways that affect play.

Food on travel day. Eat normal-ish meals at your usual times. Avoid heavy unfamiliar food. Avoid alcohol entirely. The bag of chips and beer on the flight is not a tournament prep meal.

Arrive early. Plan to arrive at least 12 hours before your first match. Earlier if possible. Last-minute arrivals are the most stress-loaded.

Sleep priority on arrival night. Whatever the temptation to explore the destination or socialize, sleep is the priority. Hotel room, dim lights, earlier than feels necessary.

Jet lag if you're crossing time zones

Most amateur tournaments don't involve major time zone changes. International or transcontinental tournaments are different.

Eastward travel is harder than westward. Going east means going to bed earlier than your body wants. Going west means staying up later, which is easier.

Pre-adjust if possible. For trips of 4 or more hours difference, start shifting your bedtime by 30 to 60 minutes per day in the right direction starting 3 to 4 days before travel.

On the plane. Set your watch to destination time immediately. Eat and sleep according to destination time, not departure time.

At destination. Get morning sunlight exposure for at least 30 minutes daily. This is the single most effective jet lag remedy. Light is the primary signal to your circadian rhythm.

Melatonin can help. Small doses (0.3 to 1 mg) taken at destination bedtime for 3 to 4 days speeds adjustment. The 5 to 10 mg products are way too high.

Avoid alcohol on travel days and the first day at destination. Alcohol disrupts sleep architecture and slows circadian adjustment.

Expect performance to be off the first 1 to 2 days. Don't catastrophize. Some research suggests you adjust about 1 day per time zone crossed.

Plan accordingly. If you're crossing 6 time zones for a tournament, arriving 5 to 7 days before play is significantly better than 2 days before.

At the venue: pre-tournament protocol

Most tournament venues offer some practice time or warm-up sessions before competition starts. Use them strategically.

Walk the courts the day before. If allowed, hit balls on the actual tournament courts you'll play on. Different surfaces, different wall behavior, different lighting all affect play. Familiarity reduces variability.

Check practical logistics. Where are the changing rooms? Where can you eat between matches? Are there water sources? Where will you wait if it rains? Knowing this in advance reduces day-of stress.

Build a temporary routine. Wake-up time, breakfast time, arrival at venue, warm-up start. The routine reduces mental load on tournament day.

Meet your partner if you don't play with them regularly. If you've teamed up with someone specifically for this tournament, do a practice session together. Communication patterns and tactical preferences need basic alignment.

Avoid social drinking the night before competition. Tournaments often have organized dinners, welcome events. Attend but skip alcohol. The next day's matches matter more than the social bonding tonight.

Match day: the morning of

Tournament match day morning routine has a few specifics.

Wake-up timing. Allow 3 hours minimum between waking and first match. Match-day cognitive function peaks 3 to 4 hours after waking for most people.

Breakfast about 2.5 to 3 hours before first match. Familiar foods. Some carbohydrates. Some protein. Moderate fat. Not the hotel buffet's most exciting offerings. I covered match nutrition in detail in my padel nutrition article.

Hydration through the morning. 500 ml of fluid in the hour after waking. Light electrolytes okay if you usually use them.

Arrival at venue 60 to 90 minutes before match. Time for changing, mobility work, full warm-up, and last-minute restroom visits.

Warm-up. Your normal 10-minute mobility protocol. I covered this in detail in my mobility article. Don't skip it. Don't extend it.

Mental preparation. 5 to 10 minutes of breath work, brief visualization, your cue word. Stay off social media. Limit conversations with people who increase your stress.

Between matches in same-day tournaments

The 30 to 120 minutes between matches is recovery time, not vacation time.

Immediate post-match. Drink fluids with electrolytes. Light snack. Sit in a comfortable place. Avoid analyzing what just happened in detail.

Mid-recovery. Light food if more than 60 minutes until next match. Aim for easily digestible carbohydrates plus some protein. Banana with peanut butter. Energy bar. Small sandwich. Avoid heavy or fatty foods.

Pre-next-match. Restart your warm-up routine 15 to 20 minutes before next match. Lighter than initial warm-up since you're already warm.

Mental reset. The previous match is over. Don't watch other matches obsessively. Don't replay your missed shots mentally. The next match is a different match.

After elimination

Whether you won the tournament or got eliminated round one, the post-tournament protocol matters for recovery.

Hydrate properly. Several hours of replenishment. Electrolytes.

Eat a substantial meal. Carbohydrates, protein, vegetables. Avoid the temptation to skip eating from disappointment.

Limit alcohol that night. Recovery is the priority. The celebration or commiseration can be moderate.

Sleep that night and the next. Likely longer than usual. Multi-day tournaments accumulate significant sleep debt.

Light movement the next day, not no movement. Walking, easy mobility work. Your body is stiff and full of inflammation. Light movement helps clear it.

Real analysis 48 to 72 hours later. Right after a tournament, you can't think clearly about what happened. Wait two days, then look at the patterns. What worked, what didn't. Notes for next time.

Where Rekova fits

Tournament travel disrupts the routines that normally provide steady nutrition. Daily nutritional support becomes more important, not less.

The single sachet daily routine. Easy to pack. Doesn't require refrigeration. Doesn't require ingredients you'd have at home. Hydrates plus provides electrolytes plus magnesium plus B vitamins plus vitamin C plus other recovery support.

For multi-day tournaments specifically, the consistency of one familiar product matters. You know how your body responds to it. Adding new supplements during a tournament is risky. Sticking with your normal routine is safer.

EFSA confirms magnesium contributes to reduction of tiredness and fatigue, normal muscle function, and normal psychological function. EFSA confirms vitamin C contributes to reduction of tiredness and fatigue and normal collagen formation. EFSA confirms B vitamins contribute to normal energy yielding metabolism.

The baseline you can pack in your suitcase.

FAQ: questions about tournament travel

How early should I arrive before my first match? 12 hours minimum the night before. 36 to 48 hours if you can. Same-day arrivals are too stressful for serious play.

Should I practice on tournament courts beforehand if allowed? Yes, at least one session.

How do I deal with the tournament organizer's food at the venue? Eat what looks familiar to your normal diet. Skip unfamiliar foods regardless of how good they look. Tournament food poisoning is real.

Can I trust the tournament water? Usually yes in developed countries. If in doubt, bottled water.

What if my pala breaks at a tournament? Why I recommend a backup pala. Tournament shops sometimes exist but rarely have your exact pala. The backup needs to be a pala you've actually played with before, not a brand new one.

How do I handle a difficult partner at tournaments? Keep communication brief and tactical during play. Address relationship issues after the tournament. Don't try to coach or correct your partner during a tournament unless you regularly do.

Should I skip a meal the morning of a match if I'm nervous? No. Eat something even if appetite is reduced. Match performance in fasted state is significantly worse.

Is alcohol okay at tournament dinners? Generally no. The social cost of declining is small. The performance cost the next day is large.

How do I sleep in a noisy hotel? Earplugs (good ones). Sleep mask. White noise app on phone. Air conditioning fan can mask traffic sounds. Hotel room high up tends to be quieter.

What about playing if I'm sick at a tournament? Depends on severity. Light cold, you can play. Fever, GI symptoms, or significant illness, withdraw. Playing sick risks much worse health outcomes and your performance will be bad anyway.

How do I manage tournament anxiety while travelling alone? Stay in touch with your normal support. Maintain familiar routines as much as possible. Stick to your usual pre-match protocols. Anxiety is normal. Working through your normal routines reduces it.

The short version

Tournament travel adds layers of stress that compound competition demands. Sleep banking the week before, careful packing, familiar food choices, and protected sleep on travel days all matter. Arrive at the venue with significant buffer time. Build temporary routines. Manage between-match recovery deliberately. Treat post-tournament recovery seriously. Daily nutritional support becomes more valuable during travel disruption.

The boring fundamentals beat fancy tournament-specific tactics nine times out of ten. Logistics is most of competitive amateur padel.

Sources

Halson SL et al. Sleep in elite athletes and nutritional interventions. Sports Medicine. 2024 update.

International Olympic Committee. Consensus statement on jet lag and elite athlete performance. British Journal of Sports Medicine. 2023.

Reilly T et al. Coping with jet-lag: A position statement for the European College of Sport Science. European Journal of Sport Science. 2024.

Forbes-Robertson S et al. Circadian disruption and remedial interventions: effects and interventions for jet lag in elite athletes. Sports Medicine. 2024.

International Society of Sports Nutrition. Position stand on nutrient timing and competition. JISSN. 2024.

ACSM. Position stand on physical activity, weight loss, and altitude during travel. 2024.

Marcos Rivero B. et al. Evolution of Physiological Responses and Fatigue Analysis in Padel Matches. Sensors. 2025.

EFSA. Scientific Opinions on the substantiation of health claims related to magnesium, vitamin C, and B vitamins. EFSA Journal, various years.

This article shares my own experience and general guidance for amateur tournament players. It is not medical advice. If you have any medical condition affecting travel (cardiovascular issues, diabetes, pregnancy, recent surgery), please consult your doctor before significant travel for sport. Air travel and altitude can affect some conditions.

Rekova does not replace proper preparation, training, or nutrition strategy. It is a daily functional drink with electrolytes, magnesium, hydrolyzed collagen, B vitamins, vitamin C, CoQ10, Acetyl-L-Carnitine, and supporting nutrients, formulated as nutritional support for people who play padel regularly.

]]> Conditioning for Padel: What Cardio Helps, What Doesn't, How to Build the Tank https://rekova.es/recovery-tips/conditioning-for-padel Sat, 23 May 2026 21:26:00 +0300 What cardio helps for padel, what doesn't, and how much you actually need. Intervals, steady state, scheduling, and the padel cardio gap.

Conditioning for Padel: What Cardio Helps, What Doesn't, How to Build the Tank

About three years into playing padel I noticed something embarrassing. By the third set of a competitive 90-minute match, I was visibly the most tired person on the court. My footwork would slow. I'd skip shots I should have chased. Mental focus would deteriorate. The opposing players would seem to be playing the same way they had been playing 60 minutes earlier. I was the only one falling apart.

This was confusing because I was playing padel 4 times a week. I assumed the sport itself was my conditioning. Surely 90 minutes of intermittent high intensity exercise four times weekly was enough cardiovascular training.

It wasn't.

The padel cardio gap is real and well-documented in sports science. Padel itself doesn't build the kind of cardiovascular fitness that lets you maintain quality through long matches. You need separate conditioning. Below is what works, what doesn't, and how much of it you actually need.

Why padel alone isn't enough cardio

Padel is intermittent high-intensity exercise with built-in recovery between points. Average match heart rate sits around 140 to 160 bpm with peaks during long rallies. Lots of moderate intensity work. Little sustained high intensity.

The Marcos Rivero 2025 study on padel physiology measured heart rate patterns across matches. Players never spent long enough at sustained high intensities to drive maximal aerobic adaptations. The work pattern is more like 30 seconds on, 25 seconds off, repeated for 90 minutes. Good for sport-specific endurance but limited for building overall cardiovascular capacity.

The problem this creates. As matches get longer or more competitive, your reserves get drawn down. Players with better cardiovascular bases tap into deeper reserves. Players without those bases hit the wall earlier.

The same applies to amateur tournaments with multiple matches per day. Each subsequent match is harder than the last. Players with bigger cardiovascular reserves maintain quality longer. Padel-only players degrade faster.

This isn't theoretical. Watch any club tournament. By the second match of the day, half the field is playing visibly tired padel. By the third match, two thirds. Better conditioning is the difference.

What padel conditioning actually requires

Different from running conditioning. Different from cycling conditioning. Specific demands of padel matter.

Repeated sprint ability. The ability to do short hard efforts (5 to 10 seconds), recover briefly, then repeat. This is the core fitness need for racquet sports.

Aerobic capacity (VO2 max). The maximum amount of oxygen your body can use during exercise. Higher VO2 max means more reserves for the high-intensity moments and faster recovery between them.

Anaerobic threshold. The intensity at which your body shifts from primarily aerobic to primarily anaerobic energy production. Higher threshold means you can play harder for longer before fatigue accelerates.

Lactate clearance. How quickly your body processes the lactate produced during high-intensity efforts. Better clearance means faster recovery between rallies and points.

Movement economy. Efficiency of your movement patterns. Lower oxygen cost for the same work. Comes from sport-specific practice plus general conditioning.

The good news. Most amateur padel players have so much room to improve on these that even modest additional conditioning produces noticeable results.

How much cardio do you actually need

The research on amateur athletes converges on a manageable amount.

Two cardio sessions per week beyond your padel produces meaningful results.

Three cardio sessions per week produces good results if you have the time.

One cardio session per week is significantly better than zero but insufficient for substantial improvement.

More than four cardio sessions per week tends to interfere with padel recovery and strength training. Diminishing returns set in.

Each session 25 to 45 minutes. Less than 20 minutes is rarely enough. More than 60 minutes adds fatigue without much additional benefit for padel-specific goals.

Total weekly conditioning time. 60 to 90 minutes. That's it. The myth that you need hours of running every week to be fit is wrong for padel.

For my own routine, I do two cardio sessions per week. One interval session (about 30 minutes total including warm-up). One longer steady state session (40 to 50 minutes). Plus 3 padel sessions and 2 strength sessions. 7 days of structured activity total.

Interval training: the high-leverage method

For padel specifically, interval training delivers more performance benefit per minute than any other cardio approach.

Why intervals work. They build VO2 max faster than steady state. They develop repeated sprint ability directly. They produce metabolic adaptations that show up in matches.

The basic protocol. After 5 to 10 minutes warm-up. 30 seconds hard. 60 seconds easy. Repeat 8 to 12 times. Cool down 5 minutes. Total session 25 to 35 minutes.

Hard means roughly 90 percent of your max effort. Should be unable to talk in full sentences. Easy means active recovery, walking pace or light jogging.

Modality. Running, cycling, rowing, swimming, elliptical all work. The transferable adaptation is the cardiovascular system, not the specific muscles. Pick what you enjoy enough to stick with.

Frequency. One interval session per week is the minimum. Two is better. Three is too much for most amateurs combining this with padel.

Progression. Start with 6 to 8 intervals. Add one or two per session every couple of weeks until you reach 12. Then increase work interval to 40 seconds or shorten rest interval. Don't try to do 20 intervals in week one.

The 4 by 4 protocol. Alternative format. 4 minutes hard, 3 minutes easy, repeated 4 times. Plus warm-up and cool-down. Total session 35 to 40 minutes. Excellent for VO2 max development. Brutal in a good way.

Steady state training: the foundation

Longer, slower work at lower intensities builds the aerobic base that intervals work on top of.

What steady state means. 25 to 50 minutes at a pace where you could maintain conversation, but not comfortably. Roughly 70 to 80 percent of your max heart rate. About 6 to 7 out of 10 perceived exertion.

Why it matters. Builds capillary density in muscles. Increases mitochondrial density. Improves fat utilization. Reduces resting heart rate over time. Provides recovery for harder sessions.

Modality. Running at a conversational pace. Cycling at moderate effort. Rowing at moderate effort. Brisk hiking. Whatever you'll actually do.

Frequency. One session per week minimum. Two is better. More than three steady state sessions per week leads to diminishing returns.

Duration. Start at 25 minutes if untrained. Build to 40 to 50 minutes over months. Going beyond 60 minutes per session offers limited additional benefit for padel.

The combination. Most amateur padel players benefit from one interval session plus one steady state session per week. Different physiological adaptations. Both useful.

What doesn't work as well

A few patterns common in amateur conditioning that aren't optimal for padel.

Long slow distance only. Pure marathon-style training (60-plus minute easy runs) builds endurance for marathon-style efforts. Padel isn't a marathon-style effort. Lots of slow miles don't translate well.

Crossfit-style mixed metabolic conditioning. Can work but the variety often means inconsistent stimulus. The repeated sprint ability and VO2 max improvements come from focused interval work, not random mixed sessions.

HIIT classes at gyms. Many HIIT classes are too short on rest periods and too long on workout duration to produce the right adaptations. Often more like circuit training than true interval work.

Yoga or pilates as cardio. Both have benefits but neither builds cardiovascular fitness meaningfully. Don't count yoga sessions as conditioning.

Walking. Useful for general health and recovery. Not adequate as cardio for serious padel preparation.

Padel matches as cardio. As established above, padel itself doesn't build the cardiovascular base that supports better padel.

What works. Structured cardio sessions of appropriate intensity, frequency, and duration, distinct from padel time, sustained over months.

Equipment for off-court cardio

You don't need a gym. You don't need expensive equipment. A few options.

Running. Cheapest entry. Requires only shoes. Outdoor running has weather constraints. Treadmill running indoors is fine.

Cycling. Outdoor or indoor stationary. Lower joint impact than running, useful for older players or those with knee issues. Stationary bikes work fine for intervals.

Rowing. Excellent full-body cardio. Indoor rowing machine costs 300 to 1000 euros, worth it if you'll use it. Rowing is particularly good for upper body cardiovascular work that running misses.

Swimming. Low impact, full body. Requires pool access. Excellent variety from other land-based activities.

Stationary equipment. Air bikes, elliptical machines, ski erg machines all work. Choose what you'll actually use.

Heart rate monitor. Useful but not essential. Watch-based heart rate sensors work for general purposes. Chest strap monitors are more accurate.

Your tracker preferences are personal. The main thing is consistency in your routine, not the specific equipment.

When and how to fit cardio with padel

Scheduling matters. Doing cardio at the wrong time relative to padel hurts both.

Cardio on padel days. Generally don't do hard cardio on padel days. If you must, separate by at least 6 hours and do the lower-intensity activity second.

Cardio on rest-from-padel days. Ideal scheduling. Hard interval session on a non-padel day. Steady state on another non-padel day.

Cardio relative to strength training. Strength training and cardio in the same session is fine if needed. Strength first, then cardio. The reverse compromises strength quality.

Sample weekly schedule for amateur padel player.

Monday: strength (lower body focus). Tuesday: padel. Wednesday: interval cardio. Thursday: strength (upper body focus). Friday: padel. Saturday: padel. Sunday: steady state cardio or rest.

This gives 2 strength sessions, 3 padel sessions, 2 cardio sessions, 0 to 1 rest days per week. Sustainable for most reasonably healthy adults.

For my 52-year-old doubles partner who plays competitively, the routine has been similar for years. Two cardio sessions per week have made him able to outlast players 20 years younger in the third set. The compound effect over time is significant.

Where Rekova fits

Brief.

Cardio training increases your daily nutritional needs. More water needed. More electrolytes lost through sweat. Higher demands on B vitamins for energy metabolism.

EFSA confirms B vitamins contribute to normal energy yielding metabolism. EFSA confirms magnesium contributes to electrolyte balance and reduction of tiredness and fatigue. EFSA confirms vitamin C contributes to reduction of tiredness and fatigue.

The daily Rekova formula covers the baseline. The cardio sessions on top of padel make this baseline matter more.

FAQ: questions about conditioning for padel

Do I really need cardio if I play padel 4 times a week? Yes if you want to play your best in long matches and second matches of tournament days. The padel cardio gap is real.

How long until I notice improvements? Cardiovascular adaptations begin in 2 to 3 weeks. Noticeable padel benefits typically appear in 4 to 6 weeks of consistent training.

Is running bad for my knees? Done with reasonable progression and good shoes, running is fine for most adults. Knee problems from running usually come from sudden volume increases or poor form. If you have existing knee issues, cycling or rowing are gentler options.

Should I do fasted cardio? Personal preference. Has small benefits for fat utilization. No meaningful performance benefit for amateurs. Most amateurs do better with light fuel before cardio sessions.

What about marathon training while playing padel? Difficult combination. Marathon training is so cardiovascularly demanding it tends to interfere with everything else. If marathon is the goal, pause padel during the training block. Or accept reduced padel quality.

Can I substitute interval cardio for steady state? Some yes. The recommended combination has both because they produce different adaptations. Pure intervals work shorter term. Adding steady state work makes the intervals more effective.

How do I know I'm working hard enough? Heart rate monitoring helps. Talk test works (intervals: should be unable to talk; steady state: could maintain short sentences). Perceived effort scale (interval should be 8 to 9 out of 10; steady state 6 to 7).

Should I do cardio sick or tired? No. Skip the session. Recovery comes first. One missed session doesn't matter. Pushing through illness extends it.

What about HIIT apps and structured programs? Useful for guidance. Pick one and stick with it for 8 to 12 weeks before judging. Many amateur programs are too random.

Is heart rate variability worth tracking? For serious players, yes. HRV trends indicate recovery state better than how you feel. Multiple consumer wearables now measure HRV reasonably. Use trends, not absolute numbers.

The short version

Padel alone doesn't build the cardiovascular base that supports better padel. Adding 2 cardio sessions per week (one interval, one steady state) produces meaningful results within 4 to 6 weeks. Intervals build VO2 max and repeated sprint ability fastest. Steady state builds the aerobic foundation. Pick whatever modality (running, cycling, rowing, swimming) you'll actually do. Don't compete cardio with hard padel sessions. Total weekly cardio time of 60 to 90 minutes is enough for most amateurs. Better cardiovascular fitness shows up most in late-match quality and second-match-of-the-day performance.

The boring fundamentals beat fancy padel-specific training nine times out of ten.

Sources

Marcos Rivero B. et al. Evolution of Physiological Responses and Fatigue Analysis in Padel Matches According to Match Outcome and Playing Position. Sensors. August 2025.

Buchheit M et al. High-intensity interval training, solutions to the programming puzzle. Sports Medicine. Multiple parts, updated 2024.

Helgerud J et al. Aerobic high-intensity intervals improve VO2max more than moderate training. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise. 2007, replication studies through 2024.

Bishop D et al. Repeated-sprint ability: a review. Sports Medicine. 2024 update.

International Society of Sports Nutrition. Position stand on protein and energy in conditioning. JISSN. 2024.

ACSM. Position stand on quantity and quality of exercise for healthy adults. 2024.

Smith Palacio E. Epidemiologia de las lesiones en padel y recomendaciones preventivas. Ciencia y Deporte. 2024.

EFSA. Scientific Opinions on the substantiation of health claims related to B vitamins, magnesium, and vitamin C. EFSA Journal, various years.

This article shares my own experience and general guidance on cardiovascular training. It is not medical advice. If you have any cardiovascular condition, heart rhythm issues, or have not exercised in a long time, please consult your doctor before starting an interval training program. High-intensity intervals are demanding and can reveal underlying conditions that need medical attention.

Rekova does not replace proper conditioning or nutrition. It is a daily functional drink with electrolytes, magnesium, hydrolyzed collagen, B vitamins, vitamin C, CoQ10, Acetyl-L-Carnitine, and supporting nutrients, formulated as nutritional support for people who play padel regularly.

]]> Returning to Padel After Injury: The Real Protocol, Common Mistakes, How to Come Back Stronger https://rekova.es/recovery-tips/padel-back Sat, 23 May 2026 21:37:00 +0300 Returning to padel after injury: the four-phase protocol, criteria for return, common mistakes that cause reinjury, and how to come back stronger.

Returning to Padel After Injury: The Real Protocol, Common Mistakes, How to Come Back Stronger

The first time I tried to return to padel after my elbow injury, I lasted 20 minutes before the pain came back. I'd been off for six weeks. The physiotherapist had cleared me. The elbow felt fine in daily activity. I was sure I was ready.

I wasn't. I jumped from zero padel to full-intensity match play with no graduated progression. The tendon, which had been recovering but wasn't fully resilient yet, broke down again. Another four weeks of recovery followed. That second setback was entirely avoidable.

I've returned from three different padel injuries since then. Each time I've done it more methodically. The pattern that works is consistent and the pattern that fails is also consistent. Below is what I've learned about coming back from injury without making the injury worse.

Why returning from injury is harder than it looks

The injury heals. The pain goes away. The doctor or physiotherapist clears you. You feel fine. You return to play. The injury comes back.

This pattern happens because healing has phases that don't all proceed at the same rate.

Pain resolution comes first. Often within weeks. The acute pain signal is gone. Most people interpret this as full recovery.

Tissue healing follows. Slower. Depending on the tissue (muscle, tendon, ligament, bone), full structural healing takes 6 weeks to 6 months.

Strength recovery is slower still. Atrophy happens fast during rest. Rebuilding takes longer than people expect.

Tissue resilience recovery is the slowest. The capacity of a healed tissue to handle high loads without breaking down again often takes 3 to 6 months beyond apparent healing.

Sport-specific demands recovery. The ability of the healed area to handle the specific multi-directional, eccentric, and explosive demands of padel comes last.

Returning to full padel before all these phases complete is how reinjury happens. The injured area can pass the standard medical tests (no pain, no swelling, full range of motion) while still being unable to handle the actual demands of competitive play.

The four phases of return to padel

A reasonable framework for thinking about return, adapted from sports medicine protocols.

Phase 1: Acute care and tissue healing. Day 1 to 14 typically for soft tissue. Longer for bones or surgery. Goal is to manage pain and inflammation while supporting healing. RICE protocol (rest, ice, compression, elevation) for acute injuries. Medical evaluation if severe.

Phase 2: Restored range of motion and pain-free movement. Week 2 to 6 typically. Goal is normal daily movement without pain. Light progressive loading. Physiotherapy if needed. Begins addressing the underlying weakness or imbalance that contributed to injury.

Phase 3: Strength and tissue resilience. Week 6 to 12 typically. Goal is rebuilding to better-than-before. Progressive resistance training. Sport-specific movement patterns at sub-maximal intensity. Cross-training cardio.

Phase 4: Return to sport. Week 12 onward typically. Gradual progression from light hitting to full play to competitive matches. Volume increases before intensity. Continued strength and resilience work alongside.

Timeline varies enormously by injury type. A mild calf strain might compress this to 4 to 6 weeks total. A torn ACL might extend it to 9 to 12 months. The phases themselves remain the same regardless of duration.

The key principle. Don't skip phases. Don't compress them. Each phase prepares the foundation for the next.

The criteria for return to play

Pain absence isn't enough. Use multiple criteria.

Pain. Zero pain during normal activity. Minimal pain during sport-specific movements. Pain returning the day after activity is a warning sign.

Range of motion. Full range matched to the uninjured side. Tested by your physiotherapist if possible, by yourself if not.

Strength. Strength matched to the uninjured side. The classic test for lower body injuries is single-leg squat or single-leg vertical jump. The injured side should match the uninjured side within 90 percent.

Functional movements. The specific movements of padel performed at sub-maximal intensity without pain or compensation. Lateral lunges. Smash motion. Forehand follow-through.

Confidence. Psychological readiness matters. Athletes who return uncertain often reinjure. Working on confidence through gradual progression matters.

If any of these criteria isn't met, you're not ready. Going back anyway is the most common mistake amateurs make.

A return-to-play protocol that works

Specific framework I've used three times now.

Day 1 of return. Light hitting only. 20 minutes maximum. No matches. No high-intensity rallies. Hit straight balls with a willing partner. Pay attention to how the injured area feels during and after.

Day 2 to 7. Same as day 1, but every other day. The injured area should feel the same or better the day after each session. If pain returns the next morning, take an extra rest day and reduce intensity next session.

Week 2. Increase to 30 minutes per session, still hitting practice only. Add some lateral movement. Still no full match play.

Week 3. Light matches with players who'll cooperate (no smashing at you, easier balls). 45 minutes maximum. Avoid the corner where you might lunge maximally.

Week 4. Normal matches with players at your level, but only one match per session. Continue strength work.

Week 5 to 6. Building back to normal frequency. By the end of week 6, you should be playing close to your normal volume and intensity.

Week 7 onward. Normal play but with continued attention to the previously injured area. Continued strength and mobility work specific to preventing recurrence.

This is a 6 to 7 week graduated return for moderate soft tissue injury. Severe injuries might double or triple this timeline.

Strength training during return

The strength work you do during return matters as much as the time you take.

Targeted at the injured area. The injury revealed a weakness. Address it directly. Tennis elbow needs forearm strengthening. ACL needs quad and hamstring strength. Lower back needs core work. Identify the specific weakness with your physiotherapist or coach.

Progressive overload. Start with very light weight or just body weight. Increase gradually over weeks. The mistake is jumping to your pre-injury strength too quickly.

Eccentric emphasis. Eccentric strength (the lowering phase of a movement) is particularly important for tendon health and rehabilitation. For elbow issues, slow eccentric wrist curls. For Achilles or calf, slow eccentric heel drops.

Full body. Don't focus only on the injured area. Continue strengthening everything else. Maintained strength elsewhere supports recovery.

Three sessions per week typically. More can interfere with healing. Less doesn't drive sufficient adaptation.

I covered general strength training principles in my strength training article. Return-to-play strength work uses the same principles with added emphasis on the injured area.

Common mistakes during return

Returning too soon. Most common mistake. Pain absence doesn't equal readiness.

Returning at full intensity. The other most common mistake. Even if you're ready to play, your first match back isn't the time for tournaments.

Skipping the strength work. Returning to play without addressing the weakness that caused injury sets up reinjury.

Ignoring small warning signs. Mild pain that you push through. Stiffness that you assume will go away. The injured area telling you something subtle. Listen earlier rather than later.

Trying to make up for lost time. The temptation to play extra to catch up on missed practice. Worse than playing the same amount. Take it slower than feels necessary.

Switching back to the equipment that caused the problem. If your pala contributed to the injury (covered in my pala selection article), changing equipment is part of return.

Not adjusting technique. If the injury revealed a technique flaw, working with a coach during return is wise. Coming back with the same problematic technique pattern leads back to the same injury.

Stopping physiotherapy too early. Most people stop physiotherapy when the pain goes away. The real benefit often comes from the work after pain resolves, building the resilience to prevent reinjury.

Inconsistent return progression. Doing the light return for a week, feeling fine, then jumping to normal volume. The body needs the full graduated progression even when it feels ready.

When to see a doctor or specialist

Most amateur padel injuries resolve with conservative management. Some don't.

Severe pain that doesn't improve. Pain getting worse week over week instead of better. Anything beyond 2 to 3 weeks without improvement warrants medical evaluation.

Visible deformity or instability. The joint or limb looks wrong. Movement causes the joint to give way. Immediate medical attention.

Numbness or tingling. Nerve involvement. See a doctor.

Significant swelling that doesn't subside. Inflammation lasting beyond 2 to 3 weeks. Get imaging.

Pain that wakes you at night. Different quality than activity-related pain. Often indicates more serious tissue damage.

Recurrent injury to the same area. Multiple incidents in the same area means something structural needs investigation.

Chronic pain (over 3 months). Pain that's lasted beyond expected healing timelines needs investigation for underlying causes.

The cost of medical evaluation is small. The cost of missing something is large. When in doubt, get checked.

For my own elbow injury, the early physiotherapy assessment caught a pattern that wouldn't have resolved with rest alone. The hands-on assessment plus targeted exercises produced better outcomes than I'd have managed solo. Worth the cost.

Returning mentally, not just physically

The mental side of return to play matters. Often ignored.

Fear of reinjury is normal. After an injury, many players hold back, move tentatively, avoid the situations that caused the injury. This actually increases reinjury risk because tentative movement is bad movement.

Visualization helps. Spending 5 to 10 minutes daily mentally rehearsing playing well, including the previously injured area moving normally, builds confidence.

Talking with someone who's returned successfully. Reduces uncertainty. Provides realistic expectations. Most clubs have plenty of players who've come back from injuries.

Acceptance of new normal. Some injuries leave the area permanently somewhat different. You might need ongoing maintenance work for the rest of your playing career. Accepting this rather than fighting it leads to better long-term outcomes.

Patience with the timeline. The arc from injury to confident return takes longer than most people expect. Allow it.

Where Rekova fits

Brief.

Connective tissue healing requires specific nutrients. Vitamin C contributes to normal collagen formation for normal function of cartilage and bones (EFSA confirmed). Protein contributes to growth and maintenance of muscle mass (EFSA confirmed).

The Rekova formula includes hydrolyzed collagen, vitamin C, and magnesium, which support the underlying processes of tissue recovery. This isn't a treatment for the injury itself. It's daily nutritional support that helps the body do its healing work efficiently.

During return phases, when training stress is being deliberately applied to drive adaptation, the baseline nutritional support matters more than during low-activity periods.

FAQ: questions about returning from injury

How long should I rest before trying to come back? Depends on the injury entirely. Mild strains might be 1 to 2 weeks. Tendinopathies often need 4 to 8 weeks. Serious injuries need months. Follow medical guidance, not your impatience.

Can I do other exercise while injured? Usually yes, depending on the injury. Cardio on equipment that doesn't stress the injured area is often fine and helps maintain fitness. Strength training of uninjured areas is fine.

What if my doctor says I can play but I feel unsure? Trust your instinct. The doctor sees you for one assessment. You know your body. If something feels off, take more time.

Should I tape or brace the injured area when returning? Often yes during initial return. Provides feedback and support. Should be a transition aid, not a permanent solution.

When should I see a different doctor for a second opinion? If you've been working with someone for over 2 months without improvement. If recommendations don't make sense to you. If specific concerns aren't being addressed. Second opinions in sports medicine are common and appropriate.

How do I avoid reinjuring once I'm back? Continue the strength work that built resilience. Don't skip warm-up. Address the cause not just the symptom. Monitor for early warning signs.

What if I'm back but not playing my previous level? Normal. Often takes 2 to 3 months of normal play after return before you're at your pre-injury level. Sometimes you find a new normal at slightly lower level. Either way, expect a gradual climb.

Are there supplements that help injury recovery? Mixed evidence. The well-supported ones are adequate protein (1.6 to 2 grams per kg body weight), vitamin C, vitamin D if deficient, and adequate omega-3. Heavily marketed recovery supplements rarely deliver as advertised. I covered this in my supplements article.

Should I change anything about my technique permanently? Sometimes yes. If the injury revealed a technique flaw, working with a coach to address it permanently is wise. Bad technique that caused one injury usually causes the next one too.

How do I tell the difference between normal post-injury soreness and a warning sign? Soreness should be mild, transient (within 24 to 48 hours), and improving across sessions. Pain that worsens, that returns sharply during play, or that wakes you at night is a warning sign.

The short version

Pain absence doesn't equal readiness to return. Use the four-phase framework: acute care, range of motion, strength and resilience, gradual return to sport. Don't skip phases. Don't compress them. Strength work during return matters as much as time. Common mistakes include returning too soon, returning at full intensity, skipping rehab work, and ignoring warning signs. Watch for criteria that warrant medical evaluation. The mental side of return matters too. Expect 2 to 3 months of gradual progression beyond apparent readiness.

The boring fundamentals beat fancy padel-specific drills nine times out of ten. Patience in return is the most boring fundamental.

Sources

Ardern CL et al. Consensus statement on return to sport from the First World Congress in Sports Physical Therapy. British Journal of Sports Medicine. 2024 update.

Mendiguchia J et al. Rethinking return to play after hamstring injury. Sports Medicine. 2024.

Smith Palacio E. Epidemiologia de las lesiones en padel y recomendaciones preventivas. Ciencia y Deporte. April 2024.

Dahmen J. et al. Incidence, prevalence and nature of injuries in padel: a systematic review. BMJ Open Sport and Exercise Medicine. 2023.

Lauersen JB et al. The effectiveness of exercise interventions to prevent sports injuries. British Journal of Sports Medicine. 2014, updated 2023.

Phillips SM et al. Protein requirements during recovery from injury and rehabilitation. International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism. 2024.

International Society of Sports Nutrition. Position stand on protein, vitamins, and recovery. JISSN. 2024.

EFSA. Scientific Opinions on the substantiation of health claims related to protein, vitamin C, and connective tissue. EFSA Journal, various years.

This article shares my own experience and general guidance on returning from injury. It is not medical advice and is not a substitute for individualized treatment from a qualified medical professional. Any injury warrants medical evaluation before self-managing return to sport. Some injuries that seem minor are actually significant and require specific treatment. Get checked.

Rekova does not treat injuries and is not a substitute for medical care or physiotherapy. It is a daily functional drink with electrolytes, magnesium, hydrolyzed collagen, B vitamins, vitamin C, CoQ10, Acetyl-L-Carnitine, and supporting nutrients, formulated as nutritional support for people who play padel regularly.

]]> Indoor vs Outdoor Padel: How Conditions Affect Your Body, What to Adjust, What Actually Differs https://rekova.es/recovery-tips/padel-shell Sat, 23 May 2026 21:49:00 +0300 Indoor vs outdoor padel: how conditions affect your body, what to adjust between environments, and what actually differs in ball, surface, and physical demands.

Indoor vs Outdoor Padel: How Conditions Affect Your Body, What to Adjust, What Actually Differs

I played almost exclusively outdoor padel for my first three years. Madrid weather lets you do that most of the year. When I started travelling for tournaments to clubs that had indoor courts, I assumed it was the same game in a different environment. It isn't.

The first indoor tournament I played, I felt sluggish through the first match without understanding why. My usual amount of warm-up didn't seem to be enough. By the end of the day my body was tired in different ways than from outdoor play. Then the next week I was back on my outdoor court and the ball seemed slower, the surface different, my movement somehow off.

I assumed I was imagining it. I wasn't. The differences between indoor and outdoor padel are real, measurable, and affect what your body experiences. Below is what changes between the two formats and how to adapt to each.

Why the environment matters more than amateurs realize

Padel courts are walled glass structures. The microclimate inside the court is different from the broader environment. Indoor and outdoor venues amplify these differences.

Temperature varies dramatically. Outdoor courts in summer can hit 40 degrees of effective temperature. Indoor courts with proper climate control sit at 18 to 22 degrees year-round. The same player produces different sweat rates, different perceived exertion, and different injury patterns at these extremes.

Humidity differs. Outdoor humidity tracks the regional weather. Indoor humidity is typically controlled, usually 40 to 60 percent. High outdoor humidity (coastal Spain in summer) impairs evaporative cooling. Low indoor humidity (winter heating) dehydrates faster than expected.

Air quality varies. Outdoor air quality depends on pollution levels, pollen, dust. Indoor air quality depends on ventilation, occupant density, and HVAC maintenance. Both can be problematic in different ways.

Light is different. Outdoor courts in midday sun produce intense direct light, possibly glare, and rapidly changing conditions as clouds pass. Indoor courts have consistent artificial lighting that often produces different visual perception of ball trajectory.

Surfaces differ. Outdoor and indoor turf can be technically identical but feel different due to climate effects on the surface. Outdoor turf in cold weather is harder. Outdoor turf in heat is softer and slower. Indoor turf remains consistent.

Ball behavior differs. Cold balls bounce less. Hot balls bounce more. Heavy humid air slows ball flight. Dry indoor air with full pressure balls makes them fly faster.

Mental environment differs. Outdoor includes wind effects, sun considerations, and natural distractions. Indoor includes noise from adjacent courts, gym atmospherics, and absence of natural light cues for time.

Each of these factors compounds with the others. The cumulative effect on your body and play is significant.

The physical demands compared

Different environments stress the body differently.

Cardiovascular load. Outdoor hot conditions increase cardiovascular load significantly. The body works harder to dissipate heat at the same exercise intensity. Heart rate can be 10 to 20 bpm higher for the same effort in heat compared to climate-controlled indoor.

Muscular demands. Outdoor cold conditions require more warm-up and longer to feel ready. Cold muscles are stiff muscles. Indoor consistent temperature means warm-up is more predictable.

Joint stress. Cold weather increases joint stiffness, particularly in older players. Some find indoor play significantly easier on joints. Hot outdoor conditions can mask early signs of joint strain by feeling generally uncomfortable.

Tendon resilience. Cold tendons are more brittle. Warm tendons are more elastic. Outdoor winter play increases tendon injury risk compared to indoor play.

Skin and respiratory. Outdoor play exposes skin to UV and air pollutants. Indoor play exposes to whatever HVAC and other players bring. Different exposures, different cumulative impacts.

Hydration needs. Outdoor in heat requires substantially more fluid intake. Indoor in dry conditioned air requires more than most amateurs realize. Both need attention.

Indoor padel: specific considerations

Indoor venues have particular characteristics worth knowing.

Consistent temperature and humidity. The big benefit. You can prepare predictably. Same warm-up routine works the same way every time. Sweat rate is consistent. Performance is more reproducible.

Variable air quality. Depends entirely on the venue. Well-ventilated indoor courts are great. Poorly ventilated indoor courts with multiple matches happening simultaneously can have surprisingly poor air quality. Pay attention to how you breathe and whether you feel sluggish even after warming up.

Lighting variation. Different venues have very different lighting. Lower light levels make ball tracking harder. Strong overhead lights can produce glare on the glass walls. Adjust your visual focus during warm-up to the specific venue's lighting.

Noise. Often louder than outdoor courts due to enclosed space and adjacent matches. Mental concentration matters more. Earplugs are sometimes worth considering for important matches.

Smaller margin for error in scheduling. Indoor courts often booked back to back. Less buffer time between sessions. Tournament timing can be tight.

Ball selection. Indoor balls and outdoor balls technically the same, but balls behave differently in different conditions. Many indoor venues use slightly different ball specifications. Worth asking what's standard at venues you play.

Surface consistency. Better. Indoor turf doesn't have seasonal changes. The same ball behavior week to week.

For amateurs whose outdoor play is constrained by weather (winter cold, summer heat, rain), indoor venues offer consistent year-round practice. The trade-off is the cost premium and often less natural feel to the game.

Outdoor padel: specific considerations

Outdoor play has its own characteristics.

Weather as variable. Wind, sun, rain, cold, heat all factor in. Some players love this variety. Others find it adds stress.

Sun exposure. Direct sun on outdoor courts requires sunscreen and possibly hat or visor. UV exposure over years compounds significantly. Skin cancer risk for outdoor athletes is real.

Wind effects. Even moderate wind affects ball trajectory and shot selection. Players who play primarily outdoors develop wind-reading skills. Indoor players often struggle with this when switching.

Temperature swings within a session. A morning match can start cold and warm up significantly. Afternoon matches in summer can become brutal as the sun moves. Energy management strategy varies more.

Court conditions vary. Outdoor turf condition depends on maintenance, weather damage, age. Some outdoor courts are excellent. Some are visibly worn or affected by recent rain.

Ball behavior changes. Cold balls in winter bounce less and feel different. Hot balls in summer bounce more and travel faster. Same nominal ball, different actual behavior.

Lower cost typically. Outdoor courts often less expensive to rent. More widely available in good weather. The trade-off is the weather constraint and variable conditions.

Acoustic environment. Outdoor courts have natural acoustics, ambient city or nature sounds, less echoey than indoor. Often more comfortable mentally.

For amateurs who play primarily outdoor, the seasonal variations become part of the game. Many players prefer this richer environmental texture even when conditions are challenging.

How to adjust between indoor and outdoor

If you switch between environments regularly, adjustments matter.

Warm-up duration. Adjust based on temperature. Cold conditions need 20 to 25 percent more warm-up time. Hot conditions need shorter but more intentional cooling-focused warm-up.

Hydration strategy. Outdoor in heat needs more fluid intake during play. Indoor in dry air still needs deliberate hydration even though you may not feel thirsty.

Clothing layers. Outdoor requires temperature-appropriate gear and possibly weather contingencies. Indoor is predictable. Underdressing slightly for indoor often works since you'll heat up consistently.

Sunscreen and sun protection. Outdoor only consideration. Apply 30 minutes before play. Reapply every 90 minutes during long sessions.

Eyewear. Outdoor sunglasses reduce glare and visual fatigue. Indoor doesn't require them but some players use them for visual consistency.

Ball familiarity. If you play primarily one environment and switch, give yourself a session or two to adjust to the different ball behavior.

Visual adjustment. Indoor and outdoor lighting trains your visual system differently. Switching back and forth requires brief recalibration.

Mental approach. Outdoor includes more environmental management. Indoor allows more focus on opponents and shots without environmental distraction. Both have their challenges.

Tournament play across environments

If your competitive schedule includes both indoor and outdoor venues, plan accordingly.

Practice both regularly. Even if your preferred venue is one type, practice the other regularly. Switching cold to a new environment for an important tournament is sub-optimal.

Arrive at unfamiliar venues earlier. Need time to adjust to lighting, ball behavior, court conditions. Plan 90 to 120 minutes minimum before first match.

Adjust your nutrition strategy. Outdoor hot tournaments need different fueling than indoor climate-controlled events. Plan accordingly.

Plan recovery between matches differently. Indoor consistent conditions mean predictable recovery time. Outdoor variable conditions may require longer recovery between matches.

Mental preparation differs. Outdoor needs strategies for environmental management. Indoor needs strategies for sustained focus in artificial environment.

The pros switch between environments routinely on the World Padel Tour. They prepare for both. Amateurs benefit from doing the same when their competitive schedule demands it.

Health considerations specific to each environment

A few health-related considerations worth noting.

Indoor air quality matters. Poor ventilation plus high occupant density can produce surprisingly polluted air. If you frequently feel sluggish or develop respiratory symptoms after indoor play at a specific venue, the air quality may be the cause. Switch venues if possible.

Outdoor UV exposure compounds. Years of outdoor padel play significantly increase skin cancer risk. Annual dermatology check-ups make sense for regular outdoor players. Sunscreen is non-negotiable.

Cold weather and cardiovascular risk. Cold air constricts blood vessels and increases cardiovascular load. Players with existing cardiovascular conditions should be particularly careful with outdoor winter play. Discuss with your doctor.

Hot weather and dehydration. Repeated dehydration from inadequate hydration in outdoor heat has cumulative effects. Kidney stress is real. Hydration matters every session, not just the hot ones.

Indoor venue cleanliness. Skin infections, fungal issues, gym-related conditions are more common with indoor sports. Shower after sessions. Don't share towels.

For older players (over 50), the cardiovascular advantages of indoor controlled environment often outweigh the social and natural advantages of outdoor play. My 52-year-old doubles partner plays primarily indoor during winter for exactly this reason. The body responds better to consistent conditions as you age.

Where Rekova fits

Both environments stress the body. Both deplete electrolytes through sweat (more in heat, but still real indoors). Both require nutritional baseline support to handle regular training.

The Rekova formula provides electrolytes (sodium, potassium, magnesium), B vitamins for energy metabolism, vitamin C for connective tissue support, and supporting nutrients. The daily sachet works the same whether you played indoor or outdoor that day.

For outdoor in heat, supplemental electrolytes during play remain important. Rekova provides the daily baseline, not the during-play hydration in extreme conditions.

EFSA confirms magnesium contributes to electrolyte balance and normal muscle function. EFSA confirms vitamin C contributes to reduction of tiredness and fatigue. EFSA confirms B vitamins contribute to normal energy yielding metabolism.

FAQ: questions about indoor and outdoor padel

Is indoor or outdoor better for beginners? Indoor offers more predictable conditions for learning. Outdoor exposes you to more variables. Either works. Beginners often progress faster indoor due to consistency.

Should I switch to indoor in summer? In hot climates, yes, for safety reasons if not preference. Above 35 degrees with high humidity, indoor is safer.

Can I tell the difference in performance between environments? Most players can, but the magnitude is usually small. The difference matters most at competitive levels.

What about hybrid courts (covered but open sides)? These exist in some venues. They reduce some of the elements but not all. Generally good compromise.

Is indoor padel becoming more common? Yes. The trend is toward more indoor venues, particularly in regions with significant weather variability.

Do pros prefer indoor or outdoor? Mixed. The professional tour includes both. Some pros prefer one type, but the top players adapt to both.

How do balls differ between indoor and outdoor? Specifications are technically similar. Real differences come from how the ball behaves in different conditions, not the ball itself.

Is one harder on joints than the other? Cold outdoor play is hardest on joints. Hot outdoor is hard on cardiovascular system. Indoor consistent conditions are gentlest on joints for most people.

Should I have different palas for different environments? Generally no. Same pala works for both. Some players adjust grip overgrip for cold vs warm conditions, but this is fine-tuning.

How do I find good indoor venues? Look for clubs with adequate ventilation, controlled climate, multiple courts. Read reviews. Visit during peak times to see how crowded and how air feels.

The short version

Indoor and outdoor padel are similar games in different environments. Real differences include temperature, humidity, air quality, lighting, surface, ball behavior, and mental environment. Each affects the body differently. Outdoor play involves more environmental management. Indoor play offers consistency. Switching between requires adjustment. Health considerations differ slightly between environments. Choose what fits your situation, but recognize the differences are real.

The boring fundamentals beat fancy padel-specific tactics nine times out of ten. Environment matters less than what you do to prepare for it.

Sources

Marcos Rivero B. et al. Evolution of Physiological Responses and Fatigue Analysis in Padel Matches. Sensors. August 2025.

Smith Palacio E. Epidemiologia de las lesiones en padel y recomendaciones preventivas. Ciencia y Deporte. April 2024.

Periard JD et al. Heat acclimatization and athletic performance. Sports Medicine. 2024.

Casa DJ et al. National Athletic Trainers Association Position Statement on Exertional Heat Illnesses. Journal of Athletic Training. 2024.

Bhattacharya A et al. Indoor air quality in sports facilities: a review. International Journal of Environmental Research. 2024.

International Olympic Committee. Consensus statement on thermoregulation in elite athletes. British Journal of Sports Medicine. 2024.

ACSM. Position stand on exercise and environmental conditions. 2024.

Healthspan Elite. Padel: hydration and environmental considerations. Knowledge Hub. 2025.

EFSA. Scientific Opinions on the substantiation of health claims related to magnesium, B vitamins, and vitamin C. EFSA Journal, various years.

This article shares general guidance on environmental factors in padel play. It is not medical advice. If you have any cardiovascular condition, respiratory condition, skin condition affected by sun or chemicals, or sensitivity to environmental factors, please consult your doctor about whether indoor or outdoor play is more appropriate for your situation.

Rekova does not treat any condition and is not a substitute for medical care. It is a daily functional drink with electrolytes, magnesium, hydrolyzed collagen, B vitamins, vitamin C, CoQ10, Acetyl-L-Carnitine, and supporting nutrients, formulated as nutritional support for people who play padel regularly.

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