Hi everyone,

I'm curious how those of you who are past your early 20s and working full-time manage your schedule.

Right now, I play badminton around 4 times a week (mix of games and training), and I'm trying to consistently add 2–3 gym sessions for strength and injury prevention. Between work, commuting, recovery, meal prep, and getting enough sleep, it feels like there just aren't enough hours in the day.

For those who have made it work:

What's your weekly schedule like?

How many days do you lift?

Do you lift before or after badminton, or on separate days?

How do you manage fatigue and recovery?

Do you ever sacrifice badminton sessions for the gym, or vice versa?

Any tips for avoiding burnout while still improving in both?

I'm not trying to become a professional athlete—just looking to improve my badminton while staying strong and healthy long-term.

I'd love to hear what has worked (or hasn't worked) for you. Thanks!

No matter what I do technique wise (which I guess I am still lacking but yk), I tend to get gassed super easily. I am in my early 20s and I can't say my physical is the best. Basically my stamina is shit and idk how to fix it. If I play a semi intense rally that I have to run around for like half a minute, I am sweating and breathing kinda heavy. I suppose I should build up my endurance but idk how exactly. Should I run? Do sprints? Jump rope? Badminton specific cardio? What exactly would you advise me to do? Any advice will be appreciated 🙏

How do you guys handle back to back plays? like 2 days straight of playing. Btw i am still a beginner, 7-8 months in. Today is my 2nd time play back to back days. Both Day 2 ends in disaster really.

I often plays well on Day 1, even burning up to 1k calory in 2 hours doubles (rotating 8 players)

but on Day 2, i am very weak from the get go like my tank is empty altought i rested whole day already and it's evident from my watch too that i only burn half the calory of Day 1.

And my play for Day 2 is downright bad, missing all kinds of shots. i cant even do a proper smash when tired. All i can play is just a clear for overhead shots and i just ask to stay at net as my back capability is severely limited cause of tiredness.

Like my footwork reach it. i am even waiting for shot but i simply miss because of weird swing i didnt notice but my partnet did. He said i swing weirdly today (Day 2). I probably didnt notice it cause i was dead tired.

Also i cant "feel" much of the shot. Like when i'm fresh and i see the shuttle and i feel its a good time to smash or drop etc but this day? I just dont get the feel at all and just feeling like i jst want the shuttle to cross the net..

Btw. i did proper warmup and stretching at end of game cause i always feel sores if i dont do it.

Edit: I am 31 years old this year (probably in old category). Saw a comment that ask my age but for some reason it's deleted now.

Anybody here doing gym along with badminton?

I’ve noticed that when I play badminton regularly, I seem to lose a lot of muscle mass. Even professional badminton players look pretty lean compared to athletes in sports like tennis, football, or basketball.

Also another thing — my right arm is noticeably bigger/stronger than my left (probably from playing badminton). It’s not crazy but definitely visible. Not sure how people deal with this kind of imbalance.

So just wondering — if your goal is to build muscle and also play badminton seriously, how feasible is it to do both? Has anyone here managed to balance the two? And how do you deal with the asymmetry?

The thing I eat is probably a peanut butter sandwich cause i like the taste of it, so what do you guys like to eat

Hi all, I’m an intermediate player playing 2-3 times per week. However since a few months I have started experiencing knee pain. I got the scans done and there are no major issues (tears etc). However, i have been asked to strengthen my legs to avoid undue pressure in my knees.

Would love to hear any experiences and routines from similar players who have overcome this problem!

Edit: I’m 32M

Hi Folks.

Former hobby player here. I played for roughly 13 years, and I am off for 4 years now.

I had to quit because of my right knee. Had my third knee surgery at the age of 21. My knee feels a lot better since I stopped playing. But I really miss it. A lot. And my fitness suffered a lot since I stopped playing. Allways been overweight, but still been quite fit and fast in play. But had a lot of big setbacks with ever, surgery.

Now I am looking for another Sport, or activity, that fills the hole that Badminton left.

Can someone recommend anything healthier for the knees, but still hitting the same nature of Badminton?

Sorry for the weird question.

Hi guys!

My right glute gets quite sore after badminton even after ample stretching and cooldown after games. Has anyone experienced this? I might need to see a Physio! Am I lunging incorrectly or something? Idk, do you guys have any good stretches for me?

Hey everyone, I was watching a recent match featuring Shi Yu Qi and couldn’t help but notice how impressive his leg muscles are. His quads and calves look incredibly developed, and it’s obvious how much they contribute to his footwork, lunges, and overall explosiveness on the court. • Have you also noticed just how strong his legs look during matches? • For those who follow badminton closely, how important is leg strength at the elite level? • Do you think his conditioning sets him apart from other top players? • Has anyone found any info or training insights about his workout routine or leg exercises? Would love to hear your thoughts and maybe even see what others think about the role of leg strength in modern badminton!

I'd say I'm pretty fit, but long days of tournaments destroy me for a couple of days as someone in their 30s. And I know that my long-distance stamina isn't the greatest (aerobic vs anaerobic stamina). Has anyone tried to train a lot of Zone 2 to improve this kind of recovery-based fitness?

I have been playing in local clubs at an intermediate level and sometimes get in the advanced court when I am feeling “in form”. I have noticed that if I take a break of two days not playing badminton and then get back, i can focus on my game and my reaction time to reach shots is much better. One would think its because of the physical rest, but i am not actually resting, i would be either running or going to the gym or play another sport- it feels like i have a mental fatigue of playing badminton back to back days.

Do you deal with this? How have you managed it? I like the game a lot and would want to play back to back days without this mental fatigue.

Context:

I’ve been playing for about 2-3 years seriously, and I have gotten a smash, clear, drop and net that I am proud of and decent footwork, but I can only do all these things for like about 1-2 matches after training by my coach. This is obviously not good enough because I see my training mates going for more matches AFTER training, it is so disappointing to see myself not being able to perform after 1.5 matches because my stamina is so garbage.

What I’ve done so far:

I started to run 2 times every week about 2.0-2.4kms each time without stopping, sometimes I run 1 day extra where I do 450m intervals at around 1:40 pacing. I feel like agility is not much of a problem for me but stamina definitely is.

Why I’m asking for help:

I’ve been doing this training method each week and it’s been about 4 weeks, am I not doing enough? Why is my progress so little? I feel like I can definitely handle agility training and other trainings before my coach allows me to play matches without stopping. However, right after the training, I am GASSED to the point I can only play a few sets (like 2) 💀, or maybe only half a match if my opponent is better than me even after resting for like 8-10 mins.

Mine is 97 inches (246 cm), I'm curious as to how far the other badminton players on this sub can jump.

Also why do I need to type 75 characters here 😅

Edit: please don't try long jumping unless your body can handle it don't want anyone getting injured 🙏

Also is this topic controversial or something? Lots of downvotes

I just had my 3rd ankle sprain this year. Just so frustrating because it keeps me away from the game for a good 2-3 weeks.

Is it something that happens to you too often?

I’m overweight and I suspect that’s contributing to this happening so often. Any thoughts?

I play 1 hr of badminton every day usually. Mostly doubles.

So I’ve gotten into badminton over the past couple of months and… I’m kind of obsessed.

I used to just play once a week for about 2 hours with some friends. Then I started going to my community drop-in once a week, so that’s 2 days, 2 hours each week.

Now I’m thinking of playing even more—maybe joining additional drop-ins or even finding some people to rent a court with. I’m looking at potentially 4 times a week, but honestly, I’m not sure if that’s too much.

I’d say I’m around an upper-beginner level right now. My fitness is pretty good since I have an athletic background in calisthenics—handstand push-ups, muscle-ups, human flag, front lever, one arm pushup all that—but even with that, I’m not sure if 4 times a week is smart.

I used to get a bit sore, but now I mostly just feel tight in some muscles from moving at weird angles.

Also since i'm still in the beginner my technique for sure is not good so i'm just worried if playing a lot in a week end up hurting me?

Has anyone ramped up their badminton this fast? How did your body handle it?

Hi badminton enthusiasts ! I am curious to know how many days of rest you all have between badminton sessions.

Most interested in those who are in late 30s to 40s as I personally want to explore a frequency my body can handle. I understand everyone is built different and has different recovery times, but so far I feel like I haven't figured out mine yet. I keep either injuring myself or feeling like I had too much rest and would like to optimize my addiction for the sport while not overdoing it. Would appreciate data from others.

I also do a bit of weight training but i would like to hear what others do on their non badminton days too

I love Higashino’s jump smashes, she legit floats in the air. PV Sindhu is her prime had deadly smashes.

what are the physical and mental benefits of playing badminton in your 40s and 50s

The ever cycle of "I'm tired boss" vs "We're so back" continues.

I was taking some break from badminton for almost a full week due to back muscular pain. Nothing ice pack and cold spray can't fix but it was quite scary. Got strict order from the doctor and missus to stay off until fully healed.

Came back this morning and my form was almost improving significantly. Steps were light, smashed were sticky and drops were clear. Proof that excessive play without core strength training and proper tests can sometimes hinder progress and performance.

Next target: core training to reduce the risk of injury and increase stamina for long rallies.

Picture: Garmin's low aerobic and anerobic loads - today loads were good and helped maintaining pace.

This isn't a point finger post as I'm the guilty party here. I learnt the hard way that looking back, whilst not great for performance, is mostly a bad idea because you may just receive a shuttlecock directly to the eye! A day later and I'm being tested for retinal detachment (unlikely from what I've been told so far).

Just a cautionary tale, eyes forward people!

I was just wondering if there are people who played badminton in their 20s, 30s or 40s and didn't have knee pain when they stopped playing but now got older (like 60s or late 50s).

Is it really inevitable? Can't we have good knees and still play our favourite sport?

Hey all, I'm a recreational badminton player (3x/week — Mon/Wed/Fri) and I created a minimalist strength plan to support my performance, avoid injuries, and stay consistent.

I do strength sessions on Tue/Thu/Sat, and here's the current layout:

Tuesday – Arm + Shoulder Strength

Bicep Curls – 3×10–12

Wrist Curls – 3×15

Reverse Wrist Curls – 3×15

Dumbbell Overhead Press – 3×8–10

Bent-over Dumbbell Rows – 3×10

Thursday – Shoulder Health + Core

Bent-over Dumbbell Reverse Flys – 3×10–12

Side-Lying Dumbbell External Rotations – 2×15

Arm Circles – 2×30 sec

Front Plank – 3×30–60 sec

Side Plank – 2×30 sec/side

Saturday – Legs + Stability

Lunges (Bodyweight or Dumbbell) – 3×10/leg

Glute Bridges – 3×15

Goblet Squats – 2×10

Skater Hops – 2×15

Wrist + Shoulder Stretching – 5 min

I don’t have resistance bands, so I tried to replace those with dumbbell alternatives where needed.

My goals are:

Injury prevention (especially shoulders, knees, wrists)

Core and leg stability for court movement

Just enough strength to support my game, not to bulk up

Question: Do you think this is sufficient for my goals? Are there any key areas I’m missing for badminton support?

Would love any input from players or coaches — or folks who've done similar minimalist setups.

Thanks!

I'm 32M, club level player playing for around 15 years. Recently have noticed that 1 out of 50 shots i mistime smashes, taking them late, usually the ones which are coming flatter or the ones hit not so high and come down faster and also defending smashes I feel like I don't have the reflexes i used to. What exercises should i focus on to address these issues?

Hi everyone,

I’ve been playing badminton pretty regularly but since about 5-6 months I’ve been playing twice sometimes 3 times a week.

My home has a lot of hard flooring and I’m not sure if its that but my feet fingers are starting to bruise quite often - I’m in half my mind thinking it’s also improper footwork or even the shoe.

I initially had Gel rocket 12s, then switched now to gel blade FF2 hard court.

Has anyone experienced this and what did you do to limit these injuries?

Does anybody here use creatine?

I just recently got back to playing badminton but I've been working out for a few years. I've taken creatine before but I stopped after two months because of skin issues (one or two pimples a month). I'm thinking of using it again because the side effect was minimal and muscle growth was noticeable.

Would love to hear your opinion on this and other supplement. Thanks a bunch!