How To Build A Ping-Pong-Worthy Body

You’ll never possess the kinds of ping-pong skills — oops, we mean table-tennis skills — as the dudes in the video. Still, whether you’re a total novice, a weekend pong warrior, or a bona fide table-tennis hustler, you’ll want to destroy your opponent when you play. (As we all know, games are for winning, not for having fun.)

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Unfortunately, this workout plan alone won’t help you do that; you’ll need to practice in order to go all Forrest Gump at the tables. But the workout will help you develop the muscles and cardiovascular strength needed to stay competitive in a long and tiring game. Or at the very least, it’ll help you look decent in your Lycra ping-pong attire. For optimum results, do this routine twice a week. 

Ping-pong, table tennis, workout, exerciseEID BARBELL SQUAT

Legs matter in every sport — and according to the International Olympic Committee, ping-pong, racewalking, and badminton are all Olympic-caliber sports. And since your upper-body power comes from the muscles in your thighs and hips, it’s vital to build strong legs. Your table-tennis stance will depend on your mobility; you’ll need to figure out a comfortable degree at which you can bend your knees. Once you’ve found that, you can use the EID method to focus on building static strength.

How to do it

The EID method simply means you’re taking your squat stance and breaking it into thirds, which we’ll call A (the lowest position), B (mid-range), and C (the highest position). Using light weight on a barbell, get into the squat position — drape the bar across your back with your feet roughly hip-width apart — and take four seconds to squat down to position A, holding that position for an additional four seconds when you get there. Repeat the process for positions B and C. After finishing at position C, perform 5-10 reps at normal speed. That’s one set. Do three more.

Squat tip: Do not allow your back to round or your knees to go over your toes during the movement.

 

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