For the casual observer it may appear that players just sit in front of their screens barely moving during competitions. In reality, the player is actually focusing intensely and coordinating up to 400 movements per minute, with amazingly fast hand-eye movements and reaction times. The skills demonstrated by some of the top esports players are like watching superstars in traditional sports as they perform miraculous feats to eliminate their opposition.

However after two to three hours of competitive play, a player’s stress level can increase significantly and they are prone to fatigue. Therefore a player needs to keep both physically and mentally agile in order to sustain their high performance to claim the win.

This article originally appeared in the book Build It Like benjyfishy & MrSavage: The Unofficial Fortnite Esports Guide for Players and Parents, written by Anne Fish and me.

The Fortnite esports player Martin “MrSavage” Foss Andersen (centre) at the gym with his brother Mikael (left) and his cousin Jacob (right). Photo credit Gøran Troset Andersen.

Exercise

Esports and gaming in general involves sitting at a computer or console for many hours. Regular exercise is important to maintain both physical and mental health. According to the UK National Health Service (NHS) teenagers should strive for at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity every day.

Exercise helps to maintain a healthy weight and lowers the risk of most diseases including type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure.

Exercise can help maintain a fast reaction time while competing. When your body becomes fatigued, your brain functions slow down and therefore your reaction time goes down.

Taking breaks

The most effective way to avoid injuries and fatigue is to take breaks and perform movements you normally do not do while gaming, for example look around the room, stand up and move, turn your head, or blink your eyes.

Benjy “benjyfishy” Fish having a lesson with his personal trainer Ben Coleman. Photo credit benjyfishy.

Stress levels

The University of Mississippi published a study in 2020, which revealed Fortnite players have a maximum heart rate of about 130 beats per minute during a competition.

With tournaments lasting anything from three to seven hours, maintaining focus and concentration as well as being able to manage the highs and lows of competition is incredibly hard. Exercise is therefore one of the best ways to help manage the impact of stress and improve focus.

Athletic training

Many top-level esports teams and players include physical training and healthy eating in their regimes. Team houses incorporate gym areas for their players to use. When Benjy “benjyfishy” Fish visited the FaZe House in Los Angeles during DreamHack Anaheim 2020 there was a complete work out area for the players to use.

Johnny: ‘My son Martin “MrSavage“ Foss Andersen does physical exercise at home. The exercises include rowing, walking and general strength training. He avoids exercises with grips similar to his keyboard or mouse grip, like tennis or racket ball (squash).’

Anne: ‘My son Benjy trains every day, three times a week with a personal trainer and the rest of the week at home either cycling, walking or weight training.’

Warm-up routine

All traditional sports acknowledge the need for preparing your body before a competition and esports is no exception. Players’ routines involve warming up fingers, hands, wrists, forearms, and eyes. A good warm-up will make you feel loose and ready to play and avoid injuries.

Do a dynamic movement routine instead of a static stretching routine.
Mirror the movements of the game, either by doing exercises away from or with a keyboard and mouse.
Include focus and strengthening exercises for your eye muscles, to keep you vigilant.
Martin’s warm-up routine can be found on his YouTube channel, ‘How MrSavage Warms Up’.

Cool down routine

A cool down routine is important after physical exercise and esports is no different. This will initiate your body’s healing and recovery process and help prevent future injuries.

Esports Healthcare offer stretching exercises on their website and YouTube channel, ‘Gamer Stretches (Cooldown)’.

Eat well, play well

The stereotype of the lazy, inactive gamer living on fast food in their parents' house has quickly faded during the last few years. Professional players are well aware that a healthy diet is important for them especially when playing for long periods of time and often late into the evenings.

Some esports organisations hire professional chefs for their team houses to feed their players properly, as they acknowledge the role that balanced meals can have in improving a player’s performance.

Nutrition is your body’s fuel. The primary goal of a good nutrition scheme is to keep your energy level as constant as possible, to avoid fatigue or other effects of too little or too much food.

One common misconception is that small meals or snacks are good for you. It is better to have fewer and larger meals and to avoid processed (refined) carbohydrates (sugar etc). Such habits will allow your body to better save and utilise the food's energy.

*“Posted on insta but thought would post on here aswell, 20 KG down :)”* -Benjy

Johnny: ‘Martin enjoys the balanced meals we eat as a family.’

Anne: ‘Benjy had already been working on his fitness, but he wanted to make a change to his nutrition and start eating healthier to make the difference to his overall health. He spent a few months making healthier choices. Just before Christmas 2020, Benjy posted an picture of himself on Instagram and Twitter looking much leaner. In fact, he had lost 20kg in weight.’

Hydration

It is important to stay hydrated by drinking plenty of fluids before, during and after workouts, practice sessions or tournaments.

Keeping the body hydrated helps the heart pump blood more easily through the blood vessels to the muscles. Water is our life source. It makes up 70% of our body and is one of the best choices when it comes to meeting your body's need for fluids.

Martin handing over the cheque of $125k to the founder of Viva Con Agua, Michael Fritz. Photo credit MrSavage.

Martin raised money during the Twitch Rivals Community Charity Showdown in 2019, to help his charity Viva Con Agua pursue their vision to allow everyone in the world access to clean drinking water, hygiene facilities and basic sanitation.

Gaming burnout

Professional Fortnite players tend to be a lot younger than most athletes with some players starting their careers in their early teens. At that age they do not necessarily have the experience to recognise the symptoms of fatigue and burnout in order to adjust their behaviour.

The pressure that players put themselves under to succeed is immense. Staying at a top competitive level is very demanding.

If Benjy and Martin decided certain activities such as sponsorship events, tournaments or traveling would have a detrimental effect on their health, they would be actively encouraged to turn them down.

Symptoms of burnout

Reduced performance.
Mental and physical exhaustion.
Lack of interest in previously enjoyable activities.

The most important preventive measure to avoid gaming burnout is simply to take care of your sleep. In addition, it is important to take time out from gaming and focus your attention on something else.

Grinding more is not necessarily better. If you find the right balance between a healthy set of activities, such as time with family and friends, your results will probably improve as a result.

Injuries

Physical injuries in competitive sports are a common risk that every athlete, including esports players, must take into consideration. Players are prone to injuries that can limit their ability to perform, and in some cases, these injuries can stop them from gaming completely.

Back pain

“My Herman Miller chair came LETS GOOOOOOOOO!” - Benjy

There is a lot of advice about the best sitting position or seating posture for gamers and which chairs are best. The first thing to be aware of, however, is that there is no such thing as a normal position, as humans are not built to sit for hours at a time.

There are some sitting positions that are recommended and it would be worth investing in a good chair, gaming monitor and a height adjustable desk.

Johnny: ‘Martin has a height adjustable desk and while he doesn’t change height very often, it gives him a chance to easily adjust it when needed.’

Anne: ‘Benjy has suffered from back problems in the past and he has found that when he got his new chair there was a significant improvement.’

Repetitive strain injury

In gaming one of the most common injuries is repetitive strain injuries (RSI). It is caused by hours of continuous gaming while performing the same hand motions repeatedly. For mouse and keyboard gamers, RSI typically occurs in the wrist, while controller players experience it more in their thumbs.

Symptoms include:

Significant pain during and after activity.
Local swelling and joint stiffness.
Burning sensation.
Aching pain.
Pain lingers for extended periods of time.

Several top professional gamers in Fortnite have suffered from RSI including Benjy, David “Aqua” Wang and Cody “Clix” Conrod.

Anne: ‘Benjy now sleeps with a wrist brace and does wrist exercises every day. He also got the help from Matt Hwu from 1HP who looked at how he sits to come up with specific exercises and guidance.’

The photo shows Benjy’s right hand (his mouse hand) wrist angle was tilted almost 20 degrees to the right, away from a healthier neutral position. A more neutral position would also allow for more movement and flexibility, hopefully improving Benjy’s gameplay. Photo credit Matt Hwu from 1HP.

Sleeping positions

“I fell asleep on my right shoulder and now it hurts so much what do I do.”

— Martin

A sleeping position that is recommended for you can also improve your overall health.

Johnny: ‘Martin has experienced shoulder problems in the past, this was because he was sleeping too much on his shoulder. His physical therapist recommended that Martin slept more on his back, which solved his problems after a couple of weeks.’

Eyestrain

Eyestrain is caused by the small rapid eye movements and holding constant focus over time resulting in the muscles connected to your eyes to become irritated. The most common symptoms are fatigue, pain, blurred vision and headaches. Dry eyes are also a symptom showing itself through stinging or burning, sensitivity to light, redness or straining night-time vision.

To prevent eyestrain you should take breaks regularly. Try eye movement exercises such as to blink and hold eyes shut ideally every 5–10 minutes, looking at something far away.

Headaches can also be caused when your eyesight naturally becomes nearsighted or farsighted.

Both Benjy and Martin have their eyes checked by an optician every year.

Benjy at his desk at home, July 2021. Photo credit Emily Mudie Photography.

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Interested in learning more about MrSavage but also his long-lasting, previous duo partnership with benjyfishy and how they built their Fortnite careers? Check out the book Build It Like benjyfishy & MrSavage with a wealth of useful information both for players and parents alike.

The content in this article is for informational purposes only and should not be used to substitute medical professional advice. Some information is referenced from Esports Healthcare. Visit esportshealthcare.com for further details on selected subjects featured in this article.

Esports and keeping healthy