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Squash pushes your heart to 80% of its maximum speed and burns 517 calories in 30 minutes. It may not be the first sport that pops into your head, but squash is incredibly healthy.
So healthy in fact that it the healthiest sport by Forbes was named.
The sport has been around since the early 19s and people have been playing for fun and fitness all over the world for almost 200 years.
Although it is becoming increasingly popular in the Netherlands, squash is most popular in England, France, Germany, Australia, India and Hong Kong.
It is estimated that more than 20 million people worldwide play squash in 175 different countries.
For those of you who may not know, squash is played on a relatively small indoor court with rackets and balls.
Like tennis, it is played either in singles: one player versus another player, or in doubles: two players versus two players, but you can also play it alone.
One player serves the ball against a wall and the other player must return it within the first two bounces.
There are a number of different ways to keep score, and players can set the rules based on the situation or match.
Many fitness facilities have indoor squash courts available for reservations.
You can read more about the costs of playing squash here, more expensive than some sports but it is all relatively not that bad.
Squash offers an amazingly well-rounded full-body workout.
First of all, the sport offers an intensive aerobic training. As they rally, players run back and forth across the field for 40 minutes to an hour.
The sport requires your heart to be in good shape to start, and over time it can seriously improve cardiac health.
The game keeps your heart working by about 80% of the maximum speed during the game.
This is mainly due to the constant sprint and the small downtime between the rallies.
With the heart pumping so hard, the body also burns a lot of calories.
Depending on how hard you play, it's estimated that you can burn 517 calories in 30 minutes.
That means if you played for an hour, you could burn over 1.000 calories!
For this reason, many players use squash as a way to maintain a healthy weight.
The sport also requires excellent stamina.
With your heart working so hard throughout the game, it has a tough time meeting oxygen needs throughout the body.
Areas that need the most energy, such as the legs, must use stored energy sources to sustain the fuel.
These areas are forced to adapt and continue without sufficient oxygen. So squash requires and builds muscle endurance.
Side note, with so much energy being expended, it is essential to replenish with proteins, water and electrolytes after an activity.
These help build and repair muscle fibers.
It is also important to stretch these muscles after a competition to help the body clear out lactic acid residues.
Plus, squash is a great strength workout.
With fast sprints requiring speed and agility, the sport helps strengthen the muscles of the legs and core.
Likewise, hitting the racket helps build and strengthen muscles in the arms, chest, shoulders, and back.
If you play a game without training you will notice that you will get a lot of muscle soreness in both your legs and your upper body, and that means it works.
Conclusion
Squash is a great workout because it's just fun. It's a great way to get moving as it allows you to socialize while you sweat.
You can get together with friends and see each other again for a while while pushing your body to its limits.
In addition, the game definitely has a competitive element, which keeps you engaged and focused all the time and keep working hard.
In short, squash is a damn good way to stay in shape.
Also read: can you use two hands in squash? This player successfully says YES!
