TennisWorkouts

Weight Room Exercises for Tennis Players

Phase 1 - Pre-Season

Strength and Muscle Phase

In this phase you will build strength and muscle.

The emphasis is on lifting moderately heavy weights in order to train the nervous system in conjunction with the muscle fibers to move bigger loads. Hypertrophy, which is building muscle size, does not necessarily imply strength, although in this foundation phase some muscle building will serve you well for strength development.

Strength will be the foundation for the next phase, which is power development. Power is the ability to move the heaviest loads in the shortest time. Power is essentially a product of strength and speed. For tennis, it could mean a better serve, more depth on those tricky vollies, or speed to get to a return.

Time of year: Mid pre-season

Duration: 6-8 weeks

Days per week: 2-3, with at least one day, preferably two, between sessions

Reps: 8-10

Sets: 2-4

Rest in between sets: 1-2 minutes

Phase 1 Exercises

· Barbell squat, dumbbell squat or sled hack squat

· Dumbbell incline bench press

· Romanian deadlift

· Dumbbell biceps arm curl

· Dumbbell bent-over row

· Dumbbell triceps extension or machine pushdown

· Cable wood chop

· Lat pulldown to the front with wide grip

· Reverse crunch

Points to Note

· Adjust the weight so that the final few repetitions are taxing but don't cause you to "fail" completely.

· Although the upper body is where the action is expressed in tennis, the "posterior chain" of the hips, gluteals (butt) and upper legs and the abdominals is of equal importance. The squats and deadlifts build strength and power in this region.

· Don't work to failure for the upper body exercises such as the dumbbell press, woodchops and lat pulldown, and do hold good form. Keep the forearms in a vertical plane with the upper arms not extending excessively below parallel at the bottom of the movement. It's important to protect the vulnerable shoulder joint when training for sports where the shoulder gets a lot of specific "out of gym" work -- in this case on the court.

· If you are unable to recover from a session with only one rest day in between, re-schedule this program to two sessions each week rather than three. Strength training can be physically and mentally demanding.

· You may be sore after these sessions. Muscle soreness or delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) is normal; joint pain is not. Be sure to monitor your arm and shoulder reactions to this phase. Back off when any joint pain or discomfort is felt.

Phase 2 - Late Pre-Season to In Season

Conversion to Power

In this phase, you build on the strength developed in phase 1 with training that will increase your ability to move a load at high velocity. Power is the combination of strength and speed. Power training requires that you lift weights at high velocity and with explosive intent. You need to rest adequately between repetitions and sets so that each movement is done as fast as possible. The number of sets can be less than phase 1. There is no point training like this when you're fatigued.

Time of year: late pre-season and in-season

Duration: ongoing

Days per week: 2

Reps: 8 to 10

Sets: 2-4

Rest between repetitions: 10 to 15 seconds

Rest between sets: at least 1 minute or until recovery

Phase 2 Exercises

· Barbell or dumbbell hang clean

· Cable push pull

· One arm cable raises each arm

· Cable wood chop

· Medicine ball push press

· Medicine ball standing twist with partner (6x15 repetitions fast, recover between sets) or alone

Points to Note

· In power training, it's important that you're relatively recovered for each repetition and set so that you can maximize the velocity of the movement. The weights should not be too heavy and the rest periods sufficient.

· At the same time, you need to push or pull reasonably heavy loads to develop power against reasonable resistance.

· With the medicine ball twists, do a full set at maximum then rest sufficiently before the next one. If you don't have a partner, use a lighter ball and keep the ball in your hands while twisting from side to side.

Phase 3 - In Season

Maintenance of Strength and Power

Alternate phase 1 (Strength and Muscle) and phase 2 (Power) for a total of two sessions each week. Every fifth week, skip weight training to assist recovery.

Points to Note

· Try not to do strength training on the same day as you practice on the court -- or at least separate workouts morning and afternoon.

· Rest completely from strength training one week out of every six. Light gym work is OK.

· Use your judgment. Don't sacrifice court technical skills training for weight work if you have limited time available.

Off Season

If you have an off season, now it's time to rest up. You need this time for emotional and physical renewal. For several weeks, forget about weight training and do other things. Staying fit and active with cross training or other activities is still a good idea.

Give yourself plenty of time to do it all again next year.

Designing a Workout Program for Tennis

The reason for this is that you are not aiming to build muscle mass. Strength training for tennis is not body building. Instead, what you are aiming for is to condition the muscles and joints properly for the unique demands that the sport of tennis places upon the body. The frequency of performing strength training exercises should be limited to about 3 times per week to allow the muscles to recover.

Strength training for tennis requires the formulation of a program that promotes total body development while at the same time targeting the critical areas that are placed under repetitive stress. The first critical joint is the shoulder. For this part, the following exercises are recommended:

· Shoulder presses

· Lateral raises

· Forward raises

· Strength Training for Tennis: Shoulder Joint

Within the shoulder joint, a vital muscle group that is quite strenuously involved in all racket sports is the rotator cuff. There have been some professional careers that have ended or ruined by rotator cuff injuries. Therefore, it is of utmost importance that this muscle group be strengthened and kept in good condition with the following exercises:

· Horizontal external rotations

· External rotations with knee support

· External rotations while lying on one side

· Internal rotations

Strength Training for Tennis: Elbow

The second critical joint is the elbow. Tennis elbow is usually causes not only by poor stroking mechanics but also weak arm muscles. To strengthen the muscles involved and protect this joint, the following exercises are recommended:

· Bicep curls

· Tricep extensions

· Forearm pronation and supination

Strength Training for Tennis: Wrist

· Wrist curls

· Wrist extensions

· Wrist rotations

· Grips

It is imperative that both sides of the body are worked out and not just the playing arm. A balanced physique is important for maintaining good posture. Tennis is a sport that taxes one side more than the other. This leads to uneven development.

This can lead to poor posture and misalignment of many joints including those of the spine. Apart from compromising balance, a multitude of neurological and cardiovascular problems may arise.

Strength Training for Tennis: Upper Body Exercises

The chest and upper back are also important in tennis. Commonly recommended exercises for the upper body are the following:

· Bench press

· Push ups

· Single arm dumbbell rows

· Using Free Weights and Resistance Bands

Alternatively, machine presses and cable pulls can be performed. Many fitness trainers recommend that you mix up using free weights, machines and resistance bands or cords in order to keep your muscle from adapting too well to one method. You can also do your dumbbell exercises on a stability ball or an inclined bench instead of a regular flat bench. The stability ball has an added benefit of engaging the core muscles in the various exercises.

Muscular development is better achieved by keeping things from getting too predictable. If you stick to one method only, the muscles will adapt and will have a diminishing degree of positive response from the same exercise as time goes by. Here are some additional upper body exercises that can be mixed into your workout routine:

· Dumbbell fly

· Peck deck machine fly

· Pull ups

· Lat pull downs

Strength Training for Tennis: Core Exercises

Core exercises are another vital part of resistance training for tennis. The abdominal, oblique and lower back muscles are extensively used for the three basic and most important shots in tennis – the serve, forehand and backhand. Core exercises include the following:

· Crunches

· Twisting crunches or side crunches

· Superman exercises

· Standing Russian twists

Strength Training for Tennis: Lower Body

Lower body strength is also important for tennis. Aside from helping improve movement and balance, it can increase the power of your shots because the kinetic chain involved in proper stroke production starts from the ground up.

Better weight transfer can be achieved. Also, injuries can be prevented. Today’s players commonly suffer injuries to their lower extremities because of all the running and frequent changes in direction during long baseline rallies. The following exercises are commonly recommended:

· Dead lift

· Bent over rows

· Squats

· Machine leg presses

· Split squats

· Lunges

· Knee extensions

· Hamstring curl

· Calf raise

Strength Training for Tennis: Plyometric Exercises

Strength training for tennis is also about converting muscular strength into power and endurance. Plyometric exercises are used for this purpose. However, these are only performed when a certain base level of physical fitness has been established. The following are examples of these exercises:

For the lower body:

· Step jumps

· Side jumps

· Ankle jumps

For the upper body and core:

· Medicine ball exercises

· Chest throws

· Overhead throws

· Side throws

If you are a competitive tennis player, be sure to formulate and incorporate a strength training program to your daily regimen. It might sound like a lot of unpleasant hard work, and for many people it is. But the rewards are far too great. Remember, in a competitive world, only the strong survive.