PEAK

PERFORMANCE
TABLE TENNIS
ROUTINE
BY KEVIN FINN

Move Faster,
Hit Stronger,
Last Longer!
 Disclaimer
I am not a doctor and this is not meant to be taken as
medical advice or as a substitute for medical counseling.
The information found within this guide is for healthy
adults only. Consult your physician before taking action on
any of the information found within. The information
provided in this guide is based upon my experience and
personal interpretation of the available research. If you
have any health issues or pre-existing conditions, you must
consult with your physician before implementing any of
the information found in this routine. The information is
meant for informational purposes only and the author
does not accept any responsibility for future physical injury
or illness (whether real or perceived) incurred in
connection with, or as a result of, the use or misuse of this
guide.

Copyright 2023 by Peak Performance Table Tennis.

All Rights Reserved.
 Note from
the author
This is a table tennis specific workout routine that
I am putting out for the table tennis community
free of charge.

I don’t want finances to be the limiting factor for

someone who is looking to improve their game
with supplemental physical training, so please,
take advantage of this if you’re looking to get
started with something simple and effective!

If you would like to learn more about how to

optimize your table tennis game, check out my
website:

==> [Link]

Kevin Finn
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 The Equipment

Wall Ball
My Book
A 4-8lb “wall ball” allows you to train for
Optional! But if you learn power more easily with various throws
the principles and science and slams. It can also serve as a form of
behind this routine, you’ll be overload for plyometric and body weight
better able to execute it. movements.

Adjustable Dumbbell Elastic Resistance Bands

Doesn’t get more versatile Great for warming up, core work, hitting
than this. Key for overloading the arms, and agility/speed work.
and making progressive
strength gains.

**The links I posted above are Amazon affiliate links (so I may receive a small commission), but these
are just examples of what I typically recommend. Feel free to shop around and look for used options to
save money!**

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The Peak Performance Table Tennis Routine

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 The Instructions
Hello there!

If you took a look at the workouts above and are confused, read these instructions
first. Don’t bail! I explain everything in detail. If you want serious results, you need to
get SERIOUS about your training.

Trust me. You can do this!

Basic Terms

Rep: A “rep” is a single execution of a particular exercise (short for repetition). If you
perform a single “squat,” that’s one “rep.”

Sets: A “set” is a collection of reps performed one after another. So if you did 10
pushups in a row and then stopped, you did one “set” of 10 reps!

2-4 x 4-6 | 2-3 x 8-15 | etc.

The above notation represents the number of sets x reps you are supposed to
perform for a given exercise. So “2-4 x 4-6” means you are supposed to perform 2-4
sets of 4-6 reps each.

Compound Movement: A compound movement is an exercise where you are using

more than one muscle group at a time to move a weight, and where multiple joints
are being taken through the range of motion. Examples include squats, push-ups,
pull-ups, rows, overhead presses, deadlifts, etc.

“Isolation” or “Single-joint" Movement: These movements primarily target ONE

muscle group and only a single joint is moving through the range of motion.
Examples include calf raises, bicep curls, tricep extensions, wrist curls, etc.

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“Primary” Movements (Lower Body, Upper Body Push, Upper Body Pull): Primary
movements are compound movements that are selected because they are easier to
overload and/or are difficult enough on their own so you can only get 4-6 reps (or as
close to that as your situation allows). We are looking to build maximal STRENGTH
with these primary movements, so if you can do 20 push-ups in one go, the standard
push-up would not be a great choice as a primary movement. Instead, you should
either modify the push-up (add load, elevate feet, etc.) or choose a different pushing
movement where you can get the reps down closer to 4-6 (a dumbbell press could
work).

Auxiliary Movements (Lower Body, Upper Body Push, Upper Body Pull): Auxiliary
movements are additional movements that target the same/similar muscle groups as
the primary movements, but typically from a different angle or plane of motion.
Importantly, *any* movement that could be chosen as a primary movement could
also be utilized as an auxiliary movement, the primary difference would be the rep
range used. With auxiliary movements, we are typically performing them for
moderate to high rep ranges. So if you were really focused on improving your pull-
ups, you could choose a weighted pull-ups as your “primary upper body pull,” and
then later in the week perform pull-ups with just your body weight (allowing you to
get the rep range higher). Typically, however, I would recommend choosing an
exercise that hits a different plane of motion than your primary pull.

So if you were performing weighted pull-ups are your primary, since that’s working in
the vertical plane, you might opt for a row of some sort as your auxiliary movement
since that’s a horizontal plane exercise.

Primary Power Movement: A primary power movement should match your ability
level and allow you to produce force in a fast and explosive manner while
maintaining control. I have included a variety of max effort jumps (even low impact
options like a box jump), but if you are able to, moving towards a weighted jump
and/or a modified Olympic lift with a dumbbell is ideal. We’re aiming to build
strength-speed with this movement. Notably, even though the prescribed reps are
low, the movement itself should be performed quickly. If you notice the speed
slowing down significantly, end the set.

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“Pogos” or Pogo Jumps: Pogo jumps are springy plyometric movements where the
aim is to bounce off the ground as quickly as possible. You’ll notice there is not a lot
of deep bending at the knees like you would do for a single-effort max height jump.
Instead, pogos work on the more elastic qualities of your leg, utilizing the stored
energy of your tendons.

“Light Tier” Pogos: Light tier pogos are NOT maximal in terms of intent and effort.
Think small but quick bounces. You should try to minimize the time spent on the
ground and stay bouncy, but don’t go for max height/distance. These can be done
for higher reps and are a good “first rung” of the ladder for getting started with
plyometrics because the ground impact forces are low.

“Medium Tier Pogos: Medium tier is a step up in intensity from light tier, but is still
sub-maximal. You are reacting off the ground quickly and gaining more height /
distance but these are not “all out” maximal efforts.

As you gain comfort and experience with the various leaps, bounds, and hops, you
can start to modulate the intensity of them over the course of a training cycle. Start
with performing everything as “light tier,” then start experimenting with adding
some height and distance without going “all out.” If you notice your landing quality
begins to suffer, end the set and/or regress to a lighter tier.

Core: “Core” exercises are movements that focus on the abs and/or low back
primarily.

Technical failure: Technical failure is when you can no longer perform a rep with
proper technique. If you have to start “cheating” to hoist the weight up, you should
stop the set. Using technical failure as the benchmark to end a set helps maintain
proper form and avoid injury. That said, we don’t always need to train to failure to
see results.

RIR = “Repetitions in reserve.” RIR is a system for controlling the “intensity of effort”
in a given set. It instructions you on how close you should approach technical
failure.” An RIR of 1 indicates that you should leave one good rep “in the tank” at the
end of the set instead of taking the set to failure. An RIR of 2 means you are TWO
reps shy of technical failure.

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AMRAP = “as many reps as possible”

ALAP = “as long as possible”

Volume = The amount of “work” a given muscles has to do during a given week. I like
to quantify volume as the number of “hard sets per week.”

So if you did 3 sets of squats on Monday and 2 sets of walking lunges on Friday, the
“volume” for your quads that week would be 5.

CIRCUITS / SUPERSETS: To save time, some of the movements in this program can
be grouped into “circuits” or “supersets. I will let you know which movements you
can group up in each particular session.

In a circuit, you complete one set of an exercise and then move on to the next one
without rest (unless otherwise specified). Once you’ve completed one set of each
movement in the circuit, you should rest until you feel recovered and then repeat
the process until you’ve completed the prescribed number of rounds/sets.

Supersets are very similar. Do one set of the first exercise and then move right to the
next exercise. Once you’ve completed one set of each exercise, go back and do
another set of the first exercise. Repeat until all sets are finished.

You can always rest between sets as needed. You want to ensure your MUSCLES are
the limiting factors during a given movement, NOT your aerobic capacity. So if you
are too out of breath, rest until you feel recovered. Your conditioning is NOT the
focus, so make sure you are able to put forth a high quality effort!

Exercise Regression / Progression: An exercise regression means moving towards an

easier variation. If you can’t perform a push-up from the ground, for example, a
regression would be a high incline push-up where your hands are elevated. This
makes the movement easier. A “progression” would be a modification that makes the
exercise more difficult. So you could gradually lower the incline of the push-up to
progress it, or add load. via bands or weights.

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Progressive Overload: Progressive overload is the manner in which we ensure the
muscles are continuing to receive a sufficient stimulus. Each time you workout you
should write down what weight you used for a given exercise and how many sets and
reps you got. The next week you should attempt to “beat the logbook” by either
getting an extra rep or two or by adding load (see double progression model below).

So you are “progressively overloading” the muscles by slowly adding

reps/weight/sets over time.

“Double Progression”: On most resistance training movements, we’ll be using a

double progression model to progress:

– Find a weight that is challenging within the prescribed rep range.

– Stop a set when you hit the top end of the rep range and/or when you hit the
prescribed RIR.

– Once you can hit the top end of the rep range in all sets, increase the weight by the
smallest increment possible.

– Until then, focus on adding reps each session until you hit that top end.

Deload Week:

If you’re starting to feel a bit rundown and beat up, you may need to take a week of
“active recovery” to allow your body to drop some fatigue.

You can reduce your training frequency on a deload (do 2 sessions instead of 3), and
reduce the load and volume of the workouts you do perform: take 10% off the load,
perform 1-2 fewer sets, and/or increase the RIR by 2-3.

These workouts should feel intentionally EASY and are just meant to help promote
blood flow and keep your form sharp (as opposed to complete rest).

Deloads can be taken “as needed” every 4-8 weeks or so.

If you feel the need to take them more frequently than that, you may need to reduce
your training volume as that’s a sign you are doing more training than you can
recover from.

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Taper:

A taper can be used to “peak” your performance for a particular day or week. Like a
deload, the intention is to drop fatigue as much as possible.

A notable difference, however, is that for a taper you want to keep the training
intensity a bit higher than you would during a deload.

So you might drop your volume by 30-50% and add an extra day or two of rest, but
still train with your normal loads at the prescribed RIR.

Tapers are ideal to use if you have an important tournament coming up on the
weekend.

They can also be used at the end of a training cycle to test your performance on
your primary strength, power, and speed movements.

Picking Your Exercises

As you’ll see in the exercises section, I have a bunch of video playlists with a range of
exercises that you can choose from. In general, the exercises at the beginning of the
playlist are easier to perform and/or are a lower intensity. As you get closer to the
end of the playlist, the movements get more difficult.

Why did I set the routine up this way?

I created the program this way so each individual can pick a movement that is
suitable for his/her ability level and access to equipment. If I simply prescribed a
“split squat” as your “Lower Body Primary Strength Movement,” for some athletes
this would be too difficult (they need a squat variation performed on two legs), and
for others it would be too EASY (they might need to elevate the rear foot and/or add
load).

Your job when picking an exercise is to note the required equipment, understand the
prescribed rep range, and pick a movement from the playlist that gets you as close
to that rep range as possible.

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If you’re supposed to get only 4-6 reps per set, but you don’t have a way to overload
an exercise enough to get the reps that low, just choose the hardest variation you
can perform with good form and let the reps fall where they may. Even if you’re
doing more like 8-12 reps per set (or higher) you can still get some strength building
benefits!

How many sets should I perform?

If you are new to training and/or are coming off an extended break from following an
organized physical training routine, stick to the lower end of the set range. So if you
see a range of 2-4, just start off with TWO sets at first.

More is not always better!

When you first start training, you will be extra sensitive to the stimulus so a little
goes a long way.

If you are more experienced, I would start with three sets and go from there after a
few weeks. Monitor your recovery first and see how well you’re progressing before
deciding to add volume.

Important Note:

When you choose an exercise from each category, you are supposed to STICK WITH
THAT EXERCISE for the entire training cycle (4-12 weeks). You are NOT meant to
choose a different movement each time you perform that session.

If after a few weeks you notice a movement is not agreeing with you. that’s different.
But don’t change just for the sake of change.

You want to take time to master an exercise and add reps / weight to it over time to
achieve progressive overload.

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 Scheduling Your Sessions
There are a number of ways you can approach creating a “workout split” from this
routine, and the manner in which you do so will depend on your personal goals.

Notice “Session C” is optional…there are two reasons for this:

1) Endurance adaptations tend to be pretty durable, so if you’ve already built up a

pretty decent “engine,” and you don’t feel like this is an area of need, you’ll likely be
able to maintain your stamina via your normal table tennis play; thus, you can just
focus on Sessions A and B.

2) Even if improved stamina is a goal of yours, the BEST way to improve this will be
through tactical metabolic training session on the table. There is nothing more
“sport specific” to do! So Session C could just be subsumed and incorporated into
your current TT practice schedule, again, leaving just sessions A and B to schedule
throughout the week!

If that is the case for you, I recommend alternating between sessions A and B like
so:

Week 1: A | Rest | B | Rest | A | Rest | Rest

Week 2: B | Rest | A | Rest | B | Rest | Rest

*If you can only train twice per week, simply alternate between A and B with a day or
two of rest in between.

If you DO feel like you need to include session C to help build your stamina, you can
do the following:

Option 1 (Simple Option):

A | Rest | B | Rest | C | Rest | Rest

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Option 2:

“Floater” Option: Insert workout C as a floater day in between sessions A and B. The
important thing is you hit workouts A and B at least once per week each. Workout C
can be placed on your off days “as needed.” So you could do something like…

Week 1: A | C | B | C | A | Rest | Rest

Week 2: B | C | A | C | B | Rest | Rest

That would be a fair amount of physical training, so don’t start with that option
unless you are already accustomed to exercising a lot in addition to playing table
tennis.

Ideally, you should try to hit session A or B every 5 days or at least once per week. Fit
in session C where you can.

Final Option: The Flexible “Rollover” Option:

Train when you can, but try to rotate through ALL THREE workouts before repeating.
When possible, keep one day of “rest” between sessions (you can still play TT on a
rest day). This works well if you can’t have “set days” of the week where you train.

So if you can only train two times per week, simply pick up where you left of on the
rotation:

Week 1: Perform workouts A and B

Week 2: Perform workouts C and A

Week 3: Workouts B and C.

Week 4: (Back to the top –> A and B)

So you’re always maintain the A -> B -> C flow.

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 Session A Notes
Session A focuses on building acceleration / change of direction speed and maximal
strength. The description below will walk you through the workout:

WARMING UP

Each session will start with a general warm-up. Always start with a low-impact cardio
option (light jogging/cycling/elliptical/etc.) for 3-5 minutes or so, and then move into
some dynamic stretching, mobility work, and movement prep. I’ve provided some
recommendations and specific mobility drills in the video playlist below, but you can
personalize your warm up as needed.

If you see a bunch of movements you don’t know and are overwhelmed, you can
simplify the warm-up to something you know works well for YOU.

Don’t take more than 5-10 minutes to warm up.

LIGHT/MEDIUM TIER POGOS (2-4 movements, 1-2 sets of 10 landings each)

After your warm up, we’ll move into some light plyometrics. These will help prep
your lower body and ankles for the speed work. Stay bouncy and really focus on
your mechanics on these. Remember, light tier is sub-maximal and extensive in
nature, don’t go for max height/distance!

Aim for 10 landings per movement and use a brief rest of 10-30 seconds between
them.

If you notice your landings are getting sloppy, end the set and/or rest a bit more.

You aren’t supposed to feel excessively tired from this–it’s not conditioning.

After you’ve been consistently training for a while you can begin to scale the volume
and intensity of the pogos up a bit and move more towards the “medium tier,”
bouncing a little higher/farther progressively as you gain skill and confidence.

Note: Unlike your main exercises, you can swap out your plyometrics a little more
frequently if you’d like. So if you pick two movements for session A, rather than
repeating those same two movements the whole cycle (4-6 weeks), you can swap
them out after a couple weeks for a bit of variety.

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ACCELERATION / CHANGE OF DIRECTION SPEED WORK (2-4 drills, 2-3 sets each)

I have a wide variety of athletes running this program–young national level athletes
all the way up to club level players in their 60s and 70s, so I realize that sprinting
may not be in the cards for some of you.

Please do not attempt something just because it is listed!

If you haven’t sprinted in years, don’t move right into max-effort 40-50 meter sprints
on flat ground week one!

If you’re new to speed work, stick to the drills at the beginning of the playlist that
cover shorter distances.

Hill sprints are also lower impact and less risky from an injury stand point.

If you’re physically able, gradually build up to sprinting on flat ground over the
course of 4-8 weeks by progressively increasing the distance over time.

Remember, speed is relative and the *intent* is what’s key here. So when I say fast, I
mean fast for YOU.

When you perform speed work, each “set” should be at the top speed *you* can
manage. You then need to rest long enough to put forth another high quality effort.

A good rule of thumb is approximately 1 minute of rest per 10 meters sprinted.

For some of the shorter distances and/or lateral work, play it by ear and make sure
you aren’t so out of breath that you can’t hit your top speeds.

When you’re slowing down, that’s a good sign to stop!

Again, this is NOT meant to feel like a conditioning workout or “running suicides” at
the end of practice.

Speed work is short and sweet–high effort, QUALITY over quantity.

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STRENGTH WORK

Now it’s time to focus on building strength!

Warming Up:

After your general warm-up and plyos/speed work, you still need to perform a
specific warm-up for the first compound exercise for a given muscle group. This will
reduce your injury risk and will help improve performance.

These warm-up sets aren’t meant to be recorded, so don’t log them. They are not
meant to tire you out. They should feel easy.

Example Warm-up:

– Set 1: 50% of working weight for 6 reps

– Set 2: 70% for 4 reps

– Set 3: 90% for 2 reps

– Rest ~1m and then begin first working set.

Do this for your primary strength movements. You can move right into your working
sets for the core exercise at the end of the workout.

If you are performing a body weight movement for your strength exercise and/or
aren’t loading it excessively, start with an easier variation first to ease into things.

Example:

– High incline push-ups: 6 reps (easy)

– Medium incline push-ups: 4 reps (still easy)

– Low incline push-ups: 2 reps (a bit harder but plenty left in the tank)

– Rest and then perform max effort push-ups from the ground.

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Intensity of Effort

We will train using the “reps in reserve” (RIR) method to manage intensity of effort.
An RIR of 1 means you stop when you have ONE good rep left in the tank. An RIR of 3
would be THREE reps left in the tank. Always keep form tight and consistent rep-to-
rep. If you’re starting to cheat, you need to stop the set.

For your 3 primary strength movements, start with an RIR of 2-3 per set. As you dial
in your form and get stronger, you can begin training closer to technical failure, but I
still recommend leaving one good rep “in the tank” to stay safe.

Research shows you don’t need to train to failure to get stronger and build muscle!

As long as you are putting forth a high quality effort, you’ll still be recruiting the
necessary muscle fibers, especially in these lower rep ranges.

Rest

Rest 2-3 minutes between sets of your lower body primary strength movement.

For your upper body strength work, I recommend pairing your push and pull and
performing them as a superset.

You can still rest 30-60 seconds, “as needed” in between sets of your upper body
work to ensure you’re not too out of breath.

For your core exercise, rest a minute or so between sets.

Progression

After you perform an exercise, always record your results (notebook, app, etc.).
When you train again, you should try to beat your previous performance.

On most resistance training movements, we’ll be using a “double progression” model

to progress:

– Find a weight or exercise variation that is challenging within the prescribed rep
range.

– Stop a set when you hit the top end of the rep range and/or when you hit the
prescribed RIR.

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– Once you can hit the top end of the rep range in all sets, increase the weight by the
smallest increment possible.

– Until then, focus on adding reps each session until you hit that top end.

*If you are training from home and don’t have a way to load an exercise enough to
get the reps down to the prescribed 4-6 reps, just get as close as you can. Even if
you end up doing 10-15 reps for your lower body because that’s as heavy as you are
able, you’ll still get a benefit!

Still, your focus needs to be on improving your performance over time! Progressive
overload is key!

Volume

If you are new to training, stick to the lower end of the set count recommendations.
If you are more advanced, you can hover closer to the top. Remember, more is not
always better! Don’t add volume unless you’ve been consistently stalled out and you
feel like your recovery can handle it.

WRAPPING UP

That’s it for Session A! Try to rest a day or two before moving on to Session B. If you
are new to training, you may be more sore than usual and need a few extra days.
Don’t worry, once you start training consistently, the soreness will lessen
dramatically.

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 Session B Notes
Session B focuses on POWER along with some auxiliary hypertrophy work. The
description below will walk you through the workout:

WARMING UP

Each session will start with a general warm-up. Always start with a low-impact cardio
option (light jogging/cycling/elliptical/etc.) for 3-5 minutes or so, and then move into
some dynamic stretching, mobility work, and movement prep. I’ve provided some
recommendations and specific mobility drills in the video playlist below, but you can
personalize your warm up as needed.

If you see a bunch of movements you don’t know and are overwhelmed, you can
simplify the warm-up to something you know works well for YOU.

Don’t take more than 5-10 minutes to warm up.

LIGHT/MEDIUM TIER POGOS (2-4 movements, 1-2 sets of 10 landings each)

**These can be paired with the med ball throws and performed as a circuit if you’d
like.

Example:

– Lateral pogo leaps (10 landings)

– Rotational med ball slam (6 slams)

– Slalom bounds (10 landings)

– Front Rotary Scoop Toss (6 throws per side)

– Rest “as needed” and repeat for 2-3 total rounds

**For the pogos, you can pick different movements than Session A, or if you feel like
you need more practice, you can keep the movements the same! Stay bouncy and
really focus on your mechanics on these. Remember, light tier is sub-maximal and
extensive in nature, don’t go for max height/distance!

Aim for 10 landings per movement and use a brief rest of 10-30 seconds between
them (or pair with the med ball throws)

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If you notice your landings are getting sloppy, end the set and/or rest a bit more.

After you’ve been consistently training for a while you can begin to scale the volume
and intensity of the pogos up a bit and move more towards the “medium tier,”
bouncing a little higher/farther progressively as you gain skill and confidence.

MED BALL THROWS (2-4 movements, 2-3 sets of 6-10 reps each)

**If you don’t have a med ball, instead pick 1-2 movements from the “Primary Power”
playlist and perform 2-3 sets of 3-6 reps each. If you do so, pick a movement that is a
little lower in intensity than your main “primary power” choice that comes next.

For med ball throws, maximal velocity is key. A 4-8 pound ball works best for athletes
who are between 100-200 pounds, with 6 pounds being a good sweet spot for most.

Terminate the set if you notice the speed is dropping off rep-to-rep. Rather than
incrementally adding weight/reps week-to-week, just focus on throwing harder and
better. Achieve progressive overload through form improvements!

If you don’t have a masonry wall to slam against, just throw the ball out into an open
space and perform the throws as “singles.” You could also have a partner catch it for
you.

Rest 1-2 minutes or so between sets and movements (unless you’re pairing it up with
the pogos as described above).

PRIMARY POWER MOVEMENT (2-4 sets of 3-6 reps)

Now it’s time to focus on building some POWER!

Warming Up:

If you are doing a weighted movement, warm up similar to how you would warm up
for your strength work. This will reduce your injury risk and improve performance.

These warm-up sets aren’t meant to be recorded, so don’t log them. They are not
meant to tire you out. They should feel easy.

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Example Warm-up:

– Set 1: 50% of working weight for 5 reps

– Set 2: 70% for 3 reps

– Set 3: 90% for 1 reps

– Rest ~1m and then begin first working set.

If you are performing a body weight movement for your power exercise and/or aren’t
loading it excessively, start with an easier variation (or do a few submaximal sets)
first to ease into things.

Intensity of Effort

When training for power (strength-speed in this case), your intent is high and the
reps must be fast and explosive. Because of this, we must remain fairly far from
failure. You don’t want slow and grindy reps like you might do during max strength
work.

So rather than prescribing a specific RIR, just stay within the rep range and END a set
if you notice your reps are getting slow.

Rest

Rest 2-3 minutes between sets of your power movement.

Progression

This will depend on what movement you choose. For a jump, aim on improving
mechanics and/or jumping higher/farther over time. If it’s a weighted movement, you
can still use the double progression model to increase the training stress over time,
but don’t add a rep or load unless your form is dialed in and the speed of the
movement is staying high.

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AUXILIARY WORK

Your auxiliary work serves as a contrast to your primary strength-based movements

from Session A. Remember, any movement that could be chosen as a primary
movement could also be utilized as an auxiliary movement, the primary difference
would be the rep range used.

With auxiliary movements, we are typically performing them for moderate to high
rep ranges. So if you were really focused on improving your pull-ups, you could
choose a weighted pull-ups as your “primary upper body pull,” and then later in the
week perform pull-ups with just your body weight (allowing you to get the rep range
higher).

Typically, however, I would recommend choosing an exercise that hits a different

plane of motion than your primary movement.

So if you were performing weighted pull-ups are your primary, since that’s working in
the vertical plane, you might opt for a row of some sort as your auxiliary movement
since that’s a horizontal plane exercise.

Also, just like with your upper body strength work, you may pair up (superset) your
upper body auxiliary push and pull movement to save time if you’d like.

For your auxiliary work, train to an RIR of 1-2 and rest 1-2 minutes between sets.

Use the double progression model to add reps and weight over time.

VOLUME

If you are new to training, stick to the lower end of the set count recommendations.
If you are more advanced, you can hover closer to the top. Remember, more is not
always better! Don’t add volume unless you’ve been consistently stalled out and you
feel like your recovery can handle it.

WRAPPING UP

That’s it for Session B! Try to rest a day or two before moving on to Session C (or
returning to Session A). If you are new to training, you may be more sore than usual
and need a few extra days to recover. Don’t worry, once you start training
consistently, the soreness will lessen dramatically.

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 Session C Notes
Tactical Metabolic Training

The best way to improve your stamina for table tennis is through something called
“tactical metabolic training” (TMT).

If you’ve ever done, H.I.I.T. (high intensity interval training), you should be familiar
with the concept of work:rest ratios. The intermittent nature of interval training is
well suited for table tennis players because that’s exactly what happens in a match–
brief bursts of activity followed by a short rest period.

Only ~10% of points are won after the 7th ball in table tennis and 4-5 shots per rally
seems to be the most common number. The average rest time between points is
around 8-20 seconds.

We can use that as a starting point to develop our work:rest ratios so they are
specific to TT:

1. Decide on a good drill that gets you moving with your partner/coach/robot.

2. Perform the drill “all out” with 100% intensity, focus, and power–just as if you
were playing a match.

3. Keep the drill short and intense–5-10 shots or so.

4. Stop the drill and rest for 10-30 seconds. Collect your thoughts, refocus, and
engage your pre-performance routine (PPR).

5. Repeat steps 2-4 until you’ve reached the desired number of sets

6. Rest 3-5 minutes (perhaps YOU switch to feeding, or practice serves, etc.) and
move onto the next drill.

As your conditioning improves, you can manipulate the work:rest ratios to keep the
drills challenging. So you might move from 5 shots per drill with a rest period of 20
seconds, to 7 shots per drill with only 10 seconds rest.

Try to keep your TMT at HIGHER intensity than your average TT match. This will help
ensure your physical conditioning isn’t a limiting factor during match play.

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Perform 1-3 TMT sessions per week as part of your technical training. If you are
aiming for a two-hour technical training session, don’t attempt to make the entire
two hours TMT.

Intersperse some serve practice and lower intensity drills (pushing, serve return,
etc.) as needed.

OFF THE TABLE CONDITIONING WORK (Backup Option)

If you can’t get your conditioning in through table tennis (or you’d still like to
supplement), you can do interval work on bikes, rowers, ellipticals, and/or by
performing repeat sprints on the ground. The former options can be good if you’re
looking for lower impact ways to improve stamina so you can preserve your joints
for your table tennis matches.

1-2 sessions of 10-20 minutes per week is a good place to start.

Here’s what one such session might look like on an elliptical:

– Warm up: ~ 5 minutes at an easy pace

– 10 second “sprint” using max effort

– 20-30 seconds “active rest” at an easy pace

– 10 second “sprint” using max effort

– 20-30 seconds “active rest” at an easy pace

– Repeat until desired time is reached

Endurance adaptations can be built pretty quickly and are more durable than
strength/power adaptations, so one tactic you could employ is to take a month or
two where you focus on building your stamina with 2-3 sessions per week, and then
REDUCE your stamina focus to a maintenance frequency of once every 7-10 days.

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Quick Note:

As mentioned in the “Scheduling Your Sessions” tab, Session C is optional.

Preferably, most of your conditioning work for table tennis will occur through
DRILLS and tough matches.

If you never practice longer/harder than you would during a long tournament day, of
COURSE your stamina will be an issue!

Still, I realize your “table time” may be limited, or maybe you’re in a busy club where
doing drills for extended periods of time isn’t an option.

If that’s the case, you can certainly opt for the backup option and use high intensity
intervals to increase your stamina.

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 How to Get the Best Results
Okay, so now that you know how to pick your exercises, create a workout split, and
perform each session, how do you modify your training so you get results long term?
How do you even know if the program is working? What do you do if you plateau on
an exercise?

I’ll cover all that and more in this section!

1. What Gets Measured Gets Managed!

You MUST record your training in some way–pencil/paper, notes app, training app,
spreadsheet, etc. The number one way to get results from a program is to focus on
incremental improvement each week. The best way to do that is to know exactly
what you did before so you can try to beat your previous performance.

This keeps you honest and ensures that even if you start off by “sandbagging it” at
first, you’ll eventually end up pushing yourself pretty hard in order to improve! So
keep a logbook and look to beat it each week.

You could also include “testing weeks” to evaluate progress before and after a
training block. Pick a handful of movements that you can use as a benchmark to test
your strength, speed, power, and change of direction ability. After acquainting
yourself with the proper form, do a test and record your results.

For example:

– Acceleration speed test: 30m sprint

– Change of direction speed test: Lateral barrier touch

– Upper body power test: Med ball throw (scoop toss, granny throw, chest pass, etc.)

– Lower body power test: Broad jump

– Lower body strength: Rear foot elevated split squat AMRAP (ideally reps should be
sub 10)

– Upper body strength: Pull-ups AMRAP (weighted if needed) and push-ups AMRAP
(weighted if needed) *ideally reps should be sub 10

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Record accurate times, distances, and reps/weight used and then retest after your
training block (ideally after a deload/taper)

2. Avoid “Program Hopping” and “Muscle Confusion”

Once you’ve settled on a group of exercises and a workout frequency that is

sustainable for you, stick with it for at least 4-6 weeks. You need an extended period
of time to learn the exercises well and to have enough time to start making progress
with them. Do not switch exercises out every workout. Don’t add random workouts
on off days.

Don’t start playing pick-up games of basketball or soccer.

If you are serious about improving your TABLE TENNIS game, then you should just be
focusing on this program and your TT sessions.

This is TRAINING, not mere “exercise.”

We are working towards specific goals, and using a certain amount of volume,
frequency, and intensity to reach those goals in the most efficient way possible.

“Mixing it up” and doing random extra exercises/activities muddies the waters and
saps your recovery.

After 4-6 weeks of consistently following a set program, you can consider making
some changes and swapping certain movements out*, but if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!

If you are making consistent progress on most of your lifts, week-to-week, there’s no
need to change things!

*Obvious exceptions would include any movement where you realize it’s causing
pain and/or you are unable to master the form and need to regress it. The take-away
is you should not be changing just for the sake of change.

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3. Consistency and Patience are KEY

At first you may be able to add reps or weight every workout. Eventually you will
only make progress every couple of weeks or so. Then it may be months before you
see significant improvement for a given exercise. That’s normal!

Just like with table tennis, it gets harder and harder to improve the higher your level.

You do not need to “beat the logbook” every session in order to see progress. That
should be your goal, but if you are putting forth an honest effort, you can still get an
effective training stimulus even if progressive overload isn’t achieved on that
particular day.

Over the course of months, however, you should see your performance improving
across most of your key lifts.

4. Monitor and Adjust Training Over Time

A good time to evaluate your progress is at the end of a training cycle.

Take a deload or taper week to allow your body to recover from the accumulated
fatigue, and then test your main lifts to see if you can get a “personal best” using
something like an AMRAP.

If performance is improving, GREAT, there’s no need to change anything.

If you’re stalled out, here are some thoughts:

– If you’ve been consistently feeling rundown and beat up halfway through a block
of training, you may need to reduce your volume/frequency to allow for more
recovery. Take a set or two off across the week for the stalled muscle group and see
if you start seeing progress again.

– If your recovery has been good, and you feel like you can handle more, try adding a
set to your primary lift. As your “training age” increases, you may need to do more in
order to get the same stimulus you did as a beginner.

– You may need to swap a stalled exercise out and revisit it later. Sometimes a
certain degree of “staleness” sets in and you should attack the muscle from a
different angle.

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This should be done at the end of a training cycle. The new exercise should be
utilized during the entirety of the next block. You can then come back to the stalled
exercise and see if you’ve improved.

– Outside Factors:

You may need to evaluate your nutrition, sleep, stress levels, etc. All of these
factors can impact your training performance quite a bit! See my book for a deep
dive on how to optimize those areas!

As you go through this process, you should notice yourself getting faster, stronger,
and more powerful over the course of the year.

The evidence of this will be in your recorded performances in your logbook!

Reach out for help!

If you’re doing all the above and still not seeing progress, you may need an outside
perspective to evaluate things and give you more targeted advice. I’m happy to help
in that area, so shoot me a message and we can set something up.

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 The Exercises
Warm-ups

Important Note: I recommend starting your warm-up off with a few minutes of light,
easy cardio to help raise your core temperature. After you’ve done that, take a look
at the playlist below for some mobility work and movement prep options.

DO NOT perform every exercise on this list! Just pick a handful that target different
areas (or use movements you’re already comfortable with and know work well for
YOU). Your general warm-up should only take 5-10 minutes total.

==> Click Here To See The Warm-up Playlist

Pogo Movements (Leaps, Hops, & Bounds)

Pogos are a bread-and-butter plyometric for table tennis. The aim with these is to
minimize ground contact time and to perfect your landing mechanics. Make sure you
read the distinctions between “light tier” and “medium tier” in the instructions.
These can be performed by players of nearly any level/age if scaled properly. The
movements towards the beginning of the list are lower in intensity, and the ones
towards the end are a bit higher. BUT, even the simple bilateral pogo leap can be
scaled UP in intensity quite a bit if you ease into jumping higher. If you are a
beginner, explore the different movements, but stick mostly to “light tier” until
you’ve gotten a few weeks of practice.

==> Click Here To See The Pogo Plyos Playlist

Acceleration / Change of Direction Speed Work

These drills will help build your acceleration and change-of-direction speed. When
performing table tennis drills, your speed will be limited due to the inherent
constraints of needing to hit the ball. Including some speed work off the table will
allow you to reach higher speeds, which will expose your fast twitch muscles to a
greater stimulus, unlocking more top-end “gears.” This will feed back into your table
tennis game, allowing you to perform your drills even faster!

Note: Don’t perform max effort sprints on flat ground unless you’re physically
capable and have built up to it!

==> Click Here To See The Acceleration / COD Playlist

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Lower Body *Primary Strength*

Your leg muscle can be quite strong, so providing enough overload can be
challenging if you don’t have access to a gym. If you’re a beginner, take a look at
some of the options at the beginning of this playlist. If you are stronger and more
advanced, you will likely need to pick a single-leg variation in order to get the reps
low enough to focus on strength.

If you don’t feel like you can safely load an exercise to get the reps down to 4-6, just
pick the hardest movement you can perform with good form and let the reps fall
where they may. You can still focus on improving your performance over time!

Note: If you pick a quad dominant movement here (any squat variation, lunge, etc.),
pick a *posterior chain* dominant movement (deadlift, hip thrust, pull-through, good
morning, Nordics, etc.) for your auxiliary leg exercise for Session B. And vice versa!

==> Click Here To See The Lower Body Primary Strength Playlist

Upper Body *Primary Push*

As usual, the movements get more challenging the farther down this playlist you go.
The humble push-up is excellent if you are only able to get 5-10 good reps from the
floor, and it can be regressed easily by elevating the hands or progressed by adding
bands/weights to your back. If your upper body is stronger, you may need to use an
overhead option which focuses more on the shoulders. These can be overloaded
very well with dumbbells. If you happen to have TWO dumbbells that are sufficiently
heavy (and a bench) you can do dumbbell chest presses.

Note: If you pick a more horizontal, chest-focus option (push-up, floor press, DB
bench press, etc.), pick an inclined, or overhead option for your auxiliary exercise on
Session B. And vice versa!

==> Click Here To See The Upper Body Primary Push Playlist

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Upper Body *Primary Pull*

If you have a way to do pull-ups, I highly recommend them as your primary strength
option. If pull-ups are too challenging, there are ways to build up to being able to
perform them. If you have an adjustable dumbbell, another great option is the
single-arm DB row. Otherwise, pick a band-resisted movement.

Note: If you pick a vertical pull for your primary strength movement (pull-ups, moto
row, etc.), pick a horizontal pull (rows) for your auxiliary exercise on Session B. And
vice versa!

==> Click Here To See The Upper Body Primary Pull Playlist

Core Exercises

Having a light resistance band or two can be very helpful for training the core with
chops, lifts, and other rotational exercises. Otherwise, there are plenty of body
weight core movements you can perform easily from home. See the list below for a
bunch of options!

==> Click Here To See The Core Exercises Playlist

Medicine / Wall Ball Throws

A wall ball is a great way to train rotational and upper body power when you don’t
have access to a fully equipped gym. Having a solid wall to slam against is helpful,
but you can perform the throws as “singles” by chucking the ball in a nice open area.
If you have a training partner, you can use the “partner catch” option. These
movements are great for both beginners and more advanced trainees.

==> Click Here To See The Wall Ball Throws Playlist

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Primary POWER Movements

Whereas we focus more on speed-strength with the med ball throws, for your
primary power movement, the focus is more on strength-speed. These movements
are loaded a little heavier, but the focus is still on fast, explosive reps. I have
included some joint-friendly options towards the beginning of this playlist, but if you
are physically able, moving towards some of the weighted jumps or modified
Olympic lifts (DB snatches/cleans/jerks, etc.) is ideal.

==> Click Here To See The Primary Power Playlist

Auxiliary Upper Body Push Movements

Important Note: ANY movement from the “Primary Push” playlist could also be
utilized as an auxiliary movement. I didn’t repeat those exercises in this playlist. My
preference would be that you pick a compound movement as your auxiliary option
that varies slightly from your primary choice. In this playlist I have included some
single-joint options just in case you feel like that’s an area of need. These can also
work as auxiliary movements and can be “tagged on” to the end of a workout if you’d
like to add some volume.

==> Click Here To See The Upper Body Auxiliary Push Playlist

Auxiliary Upper Body Pull Movements

Important Note: ANY movement from the “Primary Pull” playlist could also be
utilized as an auxiliary movement. I didn’t repeat those exercises in this playlist. My
preference would be that you pick a compound movement as your auxiliary option
that varies slightly from your primary choice. In this playlist I have included some
single-joint options just in case you feel like that’s an area of need. These can also
work as auxiliary movements and can be “tagged on” to the end of a workout if you’d
like to add some volume.

==> Click Here To See The Upper Body Auxiliary Pull Playlist

35
Auxiliary Lower Body Movements

Important Note: ANY movement from the “Lower Body Primary Strength” playlist
could also be utilized as an auxiliary movement. I didn’t repeat those exercises in this
playlist. My preference would be that you pick a compound movement as your
auxiliary option that varies slightly from your primary choice. So if you picked a
quad-dominant movement as your primary, pick a posterior chain movement for
your auxiliary.

Another good option would be to pick a frontal plane (lateral) exercise as an auxiliary
movement. These are great for table tennis, but some of these movements don’t
lend themselves as well to heavy loading, so I prefer them in slightly higher rep
ranges.

I have also included some single-joint options just in case you feel like that’s an area
of need. These can also work as auxiliary movements and can be “tagged on” to the
end of a workout if you’d like to add some volume.

==> Click Here To See The Auxiliary Lower Body Playlist

36
 F.A.Q.
Who is this routine suitable for?

This routine can be used for table tennis athletes of nearly any level, age, or training
background. Notice I do not prescribe specific exercises.

This was intentional. Instead, I allow you to choose a version of the exercise that
matches your ability level.

All of the movements can be modulated up or down in terms of their intensity, so

the program meets you where *you* are!

How much time / days are needed for this program?

This routine was purposefully designed to be very flexible. I recommend a minimum

of TWO sessions per week of 30-60 minutes each.

That’s the minimum effective dose, but you can scale this all the way up to 3-5 days
per week if you want to. See the “scheduling” instructions for more detail!

Some of these movements don’t seem “sport specific” enough

for table tennis? How is this going to improve my game?

The aim of these workouts is to build your base athletic qualities: your raw strength,
power, and speed, and stamina. Many table tennis players try to focus on exercises
that closely mimic movements we perform during a game, but this is a critical
mistake.

Your physical training sessions should complement and enhance your table tennis
by allowing you to perform your training drills faster and harder.

If your physical training looks too much like your sport, you’re not filling in the
athletic “holes” that sport-specific practice alone can’t address.

If you want a more in-depth explanation of why that is, I have a short YouTube video
that explains it:

==> The Myth of Sport Specific Training

37
HELP! I'M NEW TO TRAINING AND I'M TOTALLY
OVERWHELMED BY ALL OF THIS! WHAT DO I DO??!!

Start small and reach out to me with your questions. I’m here to help and I LOVE
doing it!

I know there is a LOT written in the instructions, but that is because I want you to
understand exactly how to train properly, and that requires some attention to detail!
So start by just reading the instructions thoroughly and maybe learning the warm
up. Even that will start to pay dividends as your mobility and flexibility improve!
Then start diving a bit deeper into the workout once you’re comfortable with the
warm up.

Take it one or two exercises at a time and build slowly. Remember, you’re not going
to be performing random new workouts each week to “confuse the muscles.” That’s
a terrible approach to training. Instead you’ll have long stretches of time to get
acquainted with the workouts and really learn each movement well. And I’m here for
you along the way!

I recommend following me on Instagram and sending a DM if you’re lost. You could

also use the contact form on this website to ask me a question.

I’m happy to help you understand the program, and will definitely answer any
questions you have, but if you’re looking for coaching support (video analysis, etc.),
that is only offered in my online training group, PUSH+, or to my 1:1 clients.

What do I do if I can't sprint? Or jump because of my knees?

And I don't have a medicine ball or a wall to throw it against!
What should I do?

If for medical or logistical reasons you can’t perform a given movement, swap it out
when possible (the video playlist has many options to choose from that go from very
basic to more intense), or just skip it. It won’t ruin your results! Over the course of
the week we will be “attacking” the various athletic qualities in a number of different
ways, so what you may miss from one exercise, you can get from another! I have
purposefully build “redundancy” into the program for this very reason! A partial
workout will still provide a valuable stimulus!

38
Can you help me with nutrition too?

Absolutely. If you want a deeper dive into nutrition beyond what’s outlined in the
Performance Pamphlet from the first email, a great place to start is by reading my
book, Peak Performance Table Tennis.

The nutrition section is HUGE and will teach you how to create a flexible diet that is
optimized for sports performance.

If you want something “done for you” and completely customized for you and your
circumstances, you can purchase a bespoke nutrition plan HERE.

Choose the “one-time” custom training/nutrition plan option and then we can
discuss a price if you want nutrition only.

Why is this FREE? How can I support you?

My number one goal is to get more table tennis players taking their physical training
seriously. That’s why I wrote my book, and that’s why I put out so much free
information!

Whether you choose to support me or not, I will continue to provide as much value
as I can to help move our community forward.

If you do choose to support me, grabbing a copy of my book (and leaving an honest
review on Amazon) is a great place to start.

And if you’re ready to take things to the next level with a fully customized program
and higher levels of coaching support and accountability, check out my online
coaching packages!

See the next two pages to learn more about both options.

39
 Whenever You're Ready, Here's Two
Additional Ways I Can Help You...
1 - Grab a copy of my game-changing new book, Peak
Performance Table Tennis.

If you want a comprehensive guide on how to achieve peak performance for

table tennis—something that is a true DEEP DIVE—you’ll want to read my book:

==> LEARN MORE

This is no DIY, self-published affair. I worked with a sports publisher to make

sure this book is the most advanced, well-referenced sports science book for
table tennis on the market.

So don’t let your opponents get their hands on it before you do.

Grab a copy today and take your game up a notch!

40
2 - Get an Edge Over Your Competition with Personalized
Online Performance Coaching
If you are interested in taking things to the next level with a fully customized performance
plan, then my personalized online coaching service is the ideal fit for you.

I stand behind the program I've published here, but it's a stock program that isn't
individualized to you and your specific needs.

It's like the difference between buying a generic suit off the rack versus getting one custom
tailored...or buying a stock sheet of Hurricane 3 versus getting to hand pick a choice cut
like the Chinese National Team.

Both can be fine, but if you're looking for that BLUE SPONGE quality, direct one-on-one
coaching is your best option.

I've helped hundreds of people get stronger, leaner, and improve their performance in my
time as a coach. Whatever your situation is, there’s a good chance I’ve helped someone out
of your exact predicament!

If you’d like to set up a consultation or get a custom-tailored performance plan for table
tennis, head on over to my coaching page to apply.

==> Apply For Coaching

41