Wrecked after games

48 here. Can easily play a 90min match without feeling wrecked after. My counter sport is Yoga. Yoga strengthens core, upper and lower back and gives shoulder and hip flexibility. Also I warm up before a match and stretch. I can highly recommend to add a regular Yoga routine to your Padel schedule

As the saying goes, “age is undefeated”. :). I’m in my 50s and I find that stretching after I play is the most important thing that keeps me from feeling sore. I also usually take 600mg of Advil before I play which helps a bit.

You wear the correct shoes for padel court right?

You are at your prime! I am approaching 55 and i play 3-4 matches a week. Due to other sports injury accumulated over my life (dislocated knee in skiing, broken ankle in a bad parachute landing, dislodged disc in my spine due to years of badminton jump), i can only play every other days. There's a man in my club who's 72 and playing every day! And he's intermediate club level. I take my warming up very seriously. I do it for 30min before the game. I drink about 2L of water in a 1.5 hrs match. And total of 10L in a day. I am on my feet about 6 hrs a day due to my work/hobby and i think this helps. Take it slow and build from there. Whatever you do, don't pick up an injury like my younger self.

I don’t play later than 8pm, especially on a weekday. I have the same issue. I think it just spikes your fight or flight response, so there’s nothing you can do really. Anything stronger than magnesium and you’d be drowsy the next day. In terms of avoiding stiffness, I play a lot at David Lloyd and we’re fortunate to have access to a fancy spa, which has saunas and ice baths. They’re amazing for recovery. You could try a cold shower or icing your legs as an alternative? I’m 43. Similar background to yourself, although in hindsight I should’ve looked after myself better in my 30s - kids, Costco and getting comfortable made me fat 😂

36 here and have the same problem. The worst part for me is the ruined sleep after a game. However, what has helped a lot is making sure I eat plenty throughout the day, with enough carbs. I thought I got more than enough, but turns out my body is just running out of fuel. The more I eat during the day, the less wrecked I feel after a game. Also I stopped playing after 8pm, it’s a nonnegotiable for me now. I need my sleep.

I am 62 and play 3-4 times a week 2-3 hours each time. I also do other types of training like the gym 5-6 days a week and running (6-8 km each run). I definitely cannot run the next day after padel only play padel later after running the morning, but I almost always hit the gym for a 45 minute workout and stretching every morning after padel. Also take 5 grams of creatine a day and mostly whole foods and Chicken breast and salmon for protein as well as nuts, eggs, yoghurt, fruit and veggies. I drink at least 3 litres of water a day as well which activates the creatine and keeps me hydrated. No alcohol or cigarettes. Average 7-8 hours sleep a night. Your fuel is important and well as hydration, training/stretching, and sleep.

I hear you. I’m 39 and have been playing league matches starting at 8pm and my sleep is completely wrecked. I’m so hyped up from playing I can’t sleep. Body aches are normal, it’s when those transition to constant pain that it becomes problematic.

The quality of your shoes and their grip type makes a big difference. Also playing style adjustments can make a big impact such as taking an extra shot rather than rushing

The sleep thing is real, especially for evening matches. I stopped playing past 8pm on weekdays and it made a huge difference. Also foam rolling right after helps way more than I expected for the next-day soreness.

First off, 39 is not old. 😃 I’m 46 and have a similar background to yours. I also work out three times a week and my background is football, basketball and most racket sports to some degree. Been playing Padel for a bit less than 3 years now. I don’t find it to be that bad as long as I 1. Warm up properly 2. Hydrate during the breaks (I live in a very hot place and play outdoors) 3. Also stretch out a bit after. Do you do those things? If can relate to the sleeping though. Due to the heat we often play late (say 10 PM) and even though I can be physically tired after the game I’m too hyped up to fall asleep.

I feel much better afterwards when I take electrolytes during a match. Have you tried that? Alternatively, you could try some salt and a banana along with your magnesium. As far as playing at night, my body doesn’t like it. According to my watch, my sleep and heart metrics aren’t as good. I think it might have to do with the cortisol at night. So I try to avoid night games as much as I can.

46 here - generally feel fine after matches.  But aim to spend some time warming up, hydrate well and also aim not to play later than 9PM not to destroy my sleep quality. You don’t say how many hours a week you are training - but it could just be a case that you need a reload every 4-5 weeks. 

Might be too much intensity with working out and padel. At almost the same age, I am mostly fine after matches, a few sore places here and there occasionally, but not “wrecked”. Do you warm up before games?

First of all, how much do you play? Also, while low intensity, 15k steps of walking is quite a lot and will take a toll on your performance. Same goes with your workouts, whatever those are. Make sure to eat healthy (protein/carbs) Are you using correct shoes, and how worn out are they?  Drink enough water daily Get your sleep in Warm up before the game. I have a hoodie on when warming up specifically to get warm and sweaty. Eat/drink electrolytes and carbs during the game Do some light stretching after the game Eat carbs and protein after the game. Skipping on either or both will destroy your recovery.

Are you stretching / warming up properly before games and right after the games AND after you shower/before bed? Honestly it’s been a game changer + rolling on a tennis ball for the pressure points and light massage gun. Might sound like a lot. But i’m talking about 10 min warmups pre-game, and 5 min stretches after the game.

I honestly don't think it's an age thing. When you say work out, is it weights only or do you do cardio / conditioning work as well? Either way, my best guess would be dehydration. Many people are chronically dehydrated and playing padel can certainly dehydrate you even further. I take a 1.5l bottle of water mixed with electrolytes to every game and will drink before, during and after the game.

54 here. I stretch well before and after. Also, check your shoes. I just got gel inserts for mine and they feel like new again with levels of support for my sometimes tired feet I didn't realize I needed. And everytime I step on the court there's at least someone at least 20 yrs younger than me. I play against a lot of young guys. It's a fun challenge. I still get some next day soreness (like after a good workout) and feel some general tiredness later the same day but not wrecked and can function like normal the next day. Shoes are a serious part of this equation though. Check yours, have good ones you can use effectively on a padel court (I use Wilson or Asics clay court tennis shoes) with good support. This will take care of a lot of it, plus good technique when you play.

I am 62 and play 3-4 times a week 2-3 hours each time. I also do other types of training like the gym 5-6 days a week and running (6-8 km each run). I definitely cannot run the next day after padel only play padel later after running the morning, but I almost always hit the gym for a 45 minute workout and stretching every morning after padel. Also take 5 grams of creatine a day and mostly whole foods and Chicken breast and salmon for protein as well as nuts, eggs, yoghurt, fruit and veggies. I drink at least 3 litres of water a day as well which activates the creatine and keeps me hydrated. No alcohol or cigarettes. Average 7-8 hours sleep a night. Your fuel is important and well as hydration, training/stretching, and sleep.

Warm up at least a bit and stretch your legs and hips right after the match! Literally 2 minutes after, start already with your thighs. Changed a lot for me - I don’t feel stiff anymore and this connects to the rest of the body

My humble opinion: 1. You can't play Padel w/o going to gym; well you can but eventually you're gonna get injured. Need to build those muscles to amortize extreme loads and hard surface. You say you are doing workouts so those should help, but since they are not, find/change coach and ask for guidance specifically targetting padel (strenghening back chain of legs, beef quad for amortization, ankle and calfes, shoulders and arms, etc). Probably your workouts are not effective, i.e. you don't give enough load for muscles so they could grow, that's something good coach can help out with. 3 times a week is minimal attendance that can make you better, for 2 you'll probably get stuck at some level 2. Go to your doctor/endocrinologist and check out your blood results; see what's lacking or off the charts, fix it. 3. Solve for protein intake, check your food intake and make sure that you get enough proteins. Around 40 and further you'll need more of it and less carbs/sugar. There's a lot of guides about it on the internetz. 4. Sleep is important, need to have stable 7-8 hours of it, ideally without wakeups/interruptions during the night. r/sleephackers r/sleep to help:) 5. Folks mentioning it here but yes, padel court is a hard and rough surface, especially if you play in some old warehouse remade for padel. While you playing you stress out your ligaments and joints along with the muscles, the biggest load would be related to joint amortizations because of surface impacts. At some moment your body would just run out of the capacity, and you will start to damage yourself. Shoes for sure can help, but golden rule of the thumb -> if you want to play long, don't overuse and make sure you recover b/w sessions. For me it's at least 1 day b/w games.

detalle que puede servir, hay buenas plantillas que aparecen el instagram, nos compramos con amigos y son un lujo, amortiguan bastante y aflojan mucho los impactos y posteriores dolores

Everyone can only answer based on the intensity and level of their games, which varies wildly. When I play a tough game, I have equivalent heart rate activity to when I run a hard half marathon. That is a very strenuous session by anyone’s standards. Do all the usual recommended things eg stretching and warming up but also make sure you’re replacing the calories you’re losing, could well be 1000+ lost per game that needs replenishing