A typical recreational tennis player should incorporate a few key exercises into his workout routine to improve his game. Add routines that improve your lateral movement and core muscle strength so your body will become fitter and your game stronger.
Warm Up
Conditioning the body for tennis involves building strength and agility. Before playing or practice, stretch your limbs. All sitting and standing stretches that work the arm and leg tendons, ligaments and muscles will provide a proper warmup.
Shuffle Step
A lateral-movement exercise that strengthens legs is the shuffle step, a simple exercise that builds calf and thigh muscles. To complete a shuffle step, stand at mid-baseline facing the net and shuffle sideways until you reach the outside edge of the doubles alley, and side step back to center. Repeat in the other direction. Complete 20 repetitions for a set.
Plyometrics
Plyometrics is a term fitness professionals use to describe jump training, which is a type of exercise that involves jumping on and off platforms to build dynamic strength. A plyometric exercise for building muscles important for tennis players involves jumping sideways with both feet onto an aerobics platform and continuing the jump onto the other side. A set of 10 completes a repetition. Lateral movement helps tennis players move quickly across the court between shots.
Ball Toss
Tossing a medicine ball across the net to a partner and shuffling sideways across the court improves upper body strength and side-to-side agility. Keep the center of gravity low to strengthen core muscles in the legs that keep peak balance and agility.
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