Why Tennis Players Need to Strength Train
With all of the fall tennis in full swing, we at Cedardale want to make sure you are going to be in excellent shape to compete! In tennis, you are required to move quickly, efficiently and in almost every direction. It is great to practice the actual game of tennis, but you need more than that in order to perform at your very best. Your activity off the court counts almost as much, if not more than on the court. Your workouts should prepare you for every aspect of the game by focusing on preventing injuries while also increasing your power and agility. Be sure to follow these tips to improve your tennis game, avoid injuries and most importantly...WIN!
Body Weight Exercises - If you can’t stabilize, control and move efficiently with just your body weight, you have no business adding heavy weights to your program. Before you can do a bench press, you have to be able to perform a perfect pushup. And not just one, many. Your muscles have to last an entire match, muscle endurance is important! Think high repetitions and lower weight.
Balance training - Working on your balance should be a high priority. In order to balance, your body needs to use stabilizing muscles that are usually not strong and under worked. These muscle do not get stronger unless you challenge them. A good workout routine using things like the Bosu ball can really help you strengthen those muscles. These are the first muscles to come in and help you when you are reaching to get that impossible tennis ball. Pulled muscles usually start by not being able to stabilize yourself.
Get off the machines - I couldn’t stress this more! Are you sitting while you're playing tennis? No. Well then, you shouldn’t be sitting while preparing for the game either. Get off those machines and learn how to use the free weights. If you need some guidance, this is where a fantastic personal trainer would come in or try our new small group training sessions: Training for Tennis Athletes starting up Oct 2nd - Demos next week! Please let us help you, before you try to do something you are unsure off.
Explosiveness/Power - Want to be able to get to the ball faster? Well, incorporate some of those fast movements into your workouts. This happens when you are training your entire body, and not just one body part or muscle at a time. This is another fantastic reason to see a trainer or sign up for Training for Tennis Athletes! In either case the program will be designed specificly to create power and explosiveness on the tennis court.
If you are interested in working with a trainer to make sure you cover all your bases, please email me at [email protected]. Also be sure to check out the Training for Tennis Athletes Demo Sessions on Monday, Sept 25th 12 - 1 pm or Tuesday, Sept 26th 10:30 - 11:30 am. It would be the best thing you ever did for your tennis game!