Q. I am 13 years old and I want to work on getting stronger arm muscles but I have heard that at my age I shouldn’t work out that much. What exercises can/should I do?
A. Patrick, there is a lot of information out there about strength training for young tennis players – some good and some bad. The greatest fear when introducing a young player to strength training is injury, particularly injury to the growth plates in the bones. While there will always be some risk of injury with any activity (even playing tennis), both the National Strength and Conditioning Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics have issued statements saying that strength training is safe for young athletes provided that:
A competent coach who is skilled in program design supervises every training session, and...
Proper technique is taught and required in every repetition of every exercise.
The goal of a strength and conditioning program for someone your age should be to build a base level of strength and muscular endurance. You should not be focusing on developing power, nor should you be performing any overhead lifts (where you list weight above your head). To build muscular endurance perform 2-3 sets of an exercise, performing 15-20 repetitions in each set.
As mentioned before, don’t try to develop a strength and conditioning program on your own – try to hook up with a qualified strength and conditioning coach (someone with the initials CSCS after his or her name) to teach you proper technique and training principles.
As for exercises, the USTA Player Development Division has listed a number of exercises on their website that can help tennis players prevent injury and enhance performance. Access these exercises from the Strength and Conditioning resource homepage.
Q. My daughter is 13 years old and is playing in tournaments. I am also her coach and training manager as well as assistant coach for our school district's tennis program. The type of cross training we do is biking, running hills (we have two acres in a mountain development), light weights to strengthen the forearms and wrists and she does Pilates with her father -- More for his benefit, but she's the perfect exercise buddy. My daughter also plays piano and trains very hard in both piano and tennis. Tennis is 4 to 5 times a week with two to three hours of playing and drills. My daughter hopes to play at the National level at least once but has a goal to play in college. Is this enough for her age or should we be in the weight room and doing more strenuous exercises? I see other kids' parents putting them into very rigorous training programs at younger ages than my daughter. I have heard about the growth plates and about not weight training prior to puberty.
A. Thank you for the email. It looks as if your daughter has a full and varied program. She is taking part in a variety of activities and does not concentrate entirely on tennis. Here are a couple of thoughts based on the information you provided.
The length and number of times that she plays tennis is about right.
Playing the piano is important, too, because it is a very different activity.
Clearly your daughter is moving through puberty and so it is especially important to monitor her physical activity program and make sure she has enough rest. It would be sensible to have at least one full day off a week and as much as 3 to 4 weeks off during the year. You do not say how many tournaments she plays but the 3 to 4 week break would be sensible.
The question of weight training is an important one and the determining factor must always be the developmental age of the young person. This is because there can up to two years difference between the developmental and the chronological (actual) age of a child. During puberty this difference is important because at that stage young people of the same actual age can be so different developmentally. So starting weight training could be suitable for some, but not for others. As you say, young people are still growing. For tennis, any weight training with young players should involve performing a high number of repetitions against light to moderate resistance. It is important though for all young players to take part in strength training – perhaps with the use of resistance bands.
It is great that your daughter has clear goals for her tennis and seems to have a good program to help her reach those goals. I hope this information is of help.
Q. Are there any exercises, stretching or strengthening, that will make my arm more "live" on serves and overheads that would facilitate greater pace? I always hear Andy Roddick has a "live arm" and so I wonder if that is something one can acquire or if that is purely genetics? Any light you could shed would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance for your time.
A. There are many exercises that would be useful for improving racket speed in overarm strokes like the serve and overhead. Most strength coaches would recommend pullovers, bench presses, lat pulls, and triceps extensions. If you are serious about conditioning you might seek out a strength and conditioning coach who knows tennis and he or she will progress you into a program of upper body plyometrics to make the exercise program more stroke specific. There is evidence that these forms of training will increase your serve speed.
Now if this moderate improvement is the same as what coaches refer to as “live” no one truly knows. There is no accepted definition of a “live” arm and how much of this is genetics, training, or coordination. I cannot speak for all the tennis coaches, but I would suspect that most would use this term to refer to the genetic gift some players have that is not easily created by stretching or strengthening.
Q. When working with young girls ages 8-16 I like them to do light weights with sets of 12 for upper and lower body. The max weight that I currently let them do is between 10-45 lbs. Is this a good range for the 8-12 year olds to work with? The 13-16 years old I work as high as 45 lbs -- is this a good range? Thanks for your input.
A. For young juniors (pre-pubescent), I usually have the players strength train with a weight they can do at least 15 reps with. If they cannot do 15 reps, the weight is too heavy. This is a conservative approach, but I prefer to err on the side of safety – especially for the really young players, 8-11 years old.
Depending on physical maturity (usually 14-16 years of age), I will increase the intensity, allowing for heavier weight and fewer repetitions. I believe 10 pounds is probably too heavy for most 8-10 year olds and 45 pounds is too light for many 16 year olds.
Also, the muscle group that is being trained is important as well. 45 pounds may be light for training leg muscles, but too much for training the upper body.
The bottom line is the weights selected should be determined by the ability of the individual and whether he/she can perform the number of repetitions prescribed.
Q. After reading your article on strength training, I noticed it did not specify a particular age. My son is 8, but he is the size of a 10 - 11 year old. Is that too soon to use free weights for his arms only?
What are the appropriate ages for boy and girls to start a workout regime (weights, stretching, etc.)? What would a typical workout be initially and how would that change and when? What would be the right ratio of weights to stretching? What kind of "first" workout would be appropriate for 10-12 year olds?
A. Strength training can be safely done by boys and girls as soon as they are emotionally mature enough to follow instruction. They should be taught and supervised by a qualified individual (a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (C.S.C.S.) – certified by the National Strength and Conditioning Association).
The strength training program should work the total body, not just the arms. Free weights are an acceptable tool for young juniors to use when strength training and in many cases are safer than body weight exercises.
I recommend using weights for which the player can comfortably perform at least 15 repetitions of the desired exercise. At this age, one of the key things is for the young juniors to learn proper lifting technique. Additionally, I would not recommend any lifts that take the weight over head.
As the young junior physically matures, the strength training program will increase in intensity (heavier weight and fewer repetitions). The strength training program will also be periodized to help the junior physically peak at the appropriate time.
Pre-habilitation strength exercises are also important. These exercises target areas tennis players often have problems with injury. A C.S.C.S., athletic trainer, or physical therapist should be able to assist with these exercises.
Q. I've played tennis for almost two year. I feel that I need to get more strength and more fitness for the better on-court performance. I've never been to the weight room before, and I am a little bit over-weight. It seems that my abdominals needs more exercise. So I am a beginner of the strength training. Could you tell me how to start the strength training or give me some place to look?
A. Congratulations on “seeing the light” and recognizing that fitness and strength training are an important contributor to on-court performance. Strength and conditioning is one area where most tennis player can afford to put in a little more work. Any player can benefit by participating in a properly designed strength training program. As you will read in other parts of this column, tennis is a full body activity, and thus you need to train the muscles in the entire body. The core, which includes the abdominal muscles, is one of the more important areas to train since it links the upper and lower halves of the body.
Keep in mind that training the abdominal muscles will tone the abdominal muscles but this will not cause a spot reduction on the fat stores around the belly. Fat is reduced by a combination of maintaining a healthy diet and exercising. Then fat will be used up from all areas of the body.
Q. Is it better for girls to use a smaller weight with more reps or larger weight with fewer repetitions?
A. There is no rule saying a female tennis player should lift lighter weights or do less strength training than a male. Many times males do lift heavier loads simply because they typically have a greater muscle mass. However, all tennis players can follow the same general guidelines - the number of sets and repetitions are similar for males and females, even if the loads are different. We always advise players who are just beginning a strength program, or are coming back to strength training after taking time off, to start by lifting lighter weights for a large number of repetitions (e.g. 1 to 3 sets of 15-25 repetitions).
This will build a strength base and promote muscular endurance. Only after that strength foundation is laid should the player proceed to combinations of repetitions and weights that promote maximal strength gains and power development. As with any exercise, both males and females should lift weights that are appropriate for their training status.
Do not hold contests with other players to see who can lift more weight or complete more repetitions. Work with a strength and conditioning coach to determine what training loads are appropriate for you given your training experience and develop a periodized training plan specifically tailored to your training goals..
Q. Whenever I start lifting weights for tennis, my serve becomes slower. Am I lifting too heavy or not stretching enough?
A. This is a difficult question to answer without knowing what you are doing in terms of your stretching and strength-training. It is possible that your strength training is impacting your serve, but that is not necessarily a bad thing. It’s important to realize that the body goes through a period of adaptation when subjected to new stresses. If you suddenly ask your body to strength train, it will take some time for it to adapt to the new demands you are placing on it.
Over time, your body will become stronger and this can eventually translate into improved performance on the court – even an increase in serve speed. One rule of thumb to remember is that it is very difficult (if not impossible) to strength train with high intensity and simultaneously compete at your highest level. Also, make sure you are allowing your body adequate time to recover between strength training sessions. In general, you should allow at least 1-2 days rest before training a muscle group again.
We recommend working with a strength and conditioning specialist to design a program with you that provides proper recovery while still addressing your needs as a tennis player. The program he or she designs will likely focus on building endurance and basic strength first, followed by developing power and tennis specific strength. Emphasize strengthening the entire body with special emphasis on the legs, core, torso and shoulders.
Q. At what age should a young boy start weight lifting to build strength?
A. One of our High Performance coaches recently asked if we could help develop a “weight learning” program for one of the young players he was working with. What an appropriate term, “weight learning” – especially since strength training at young ages should focus primarily on proper technique and learning how to train against resistance.
With that said, there are things that an athlete as young as 8-10 years old can do to build strength and coordination. However, there are certain pre-requisites a player should meet before starting a resistance training program.
According to Mike Nishihara, the USTA Strength and Conditioning Specialist, these pre-requisites are more mental than physical. The young player must have mental maturity and focus to be able to concentrate on the exercises being performed and maintain correct technique.
So there will be some players who are ready to engage in a basic strength training program at the age of 7 or 8, while others may not be ready until they are 10 or 12. When a player starts a strength training program it is important that the focus be on endurance and technique, and not lifting maximal loads.
Nishihara recommends using levels of resistance that allow player to perform several sets of 15 repetitions. In many instances body weight exercises like, push ups, sit ups, body weight squats are appropriate. However, even body weight may be too “heavy” when performing some exercises. For these, the young player can use low levels of resistance (light weights or stretch tubing) to build muscular endurance.
Young players can also safely perform exercises that train the “core muscles” and other stabilizers of the body. In addition, young athletes should perform “pre-habilitation” exercises for the rotator cuff, shoulder and upper back to prevent strength imbalances and prevent injury.
There are also some simple guidelines a coach or parent should be aware of when taking a child through a strength program:
Make sure each training session is properly supervised.
Insist on proper technique on every repetition of every exercise to prevent injury.
Avoid performing overhead lifts.
Build muscular endurance (sets of 10-25 repetitions). Wait until the athlete goes through puberty before lifting heavy weights.
Make sure that any equipment that is used is appropriately sized for young athletes.
As long as these criteria are met, a young tennis player should be able to get some benefit from starting a strength training program.
Q. I am a BIG believer in strength training and any kind of workout that gets those feet moving. I have a 13 yr. old daughter who is an avid tennis player. The last few months, she has said that her feet just do not move. My question is, “Is there a place that strictly works on tennis movement, strength training and all that you need to prepare yourself for your tennis game?”
A. As the former strength and conditioning coach for Martina Hingis, I believe you can find tennis specific fitness training (including movement training) at many resorts, academies, and camps that offer large tennis programs. My suggestion would be to attend one of the larger programs located around the country and look for a strength and conditioning coach certified by the National Strength and Conditioning Association as a C.S.C.S. (Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist).
Q. Are there any exercises or stretches I can do to improve my lower back strength?
A. Good question, especially since many tennis players experience low back pain or tightness at some point in their career. Just so that there is no confusion, exercises are used for strengthening muscles and improving coordination between muscles and stretches are performed to improve flexibility.
There are a number of exercises you can do to strengthen your lower back – too many to actually list here. With that said, squats and “good mornings” are two good body weight exercises that can be used to improve lower back strength.
Another exercise that you can do to improve lower back strength is the quadruped alternate limb extension.
There are also several stretches that help improve flexibility in your lower back. One of the most effective is pulling your knee to your chest while lying on your back. You can do this one leg at a time or both legs simultaneously.
Another stretch that targets the lower back is the “modified hurdler’s stretch”. This is commonly thought of as a hamstring stretch, but it also targets the lower back when performed properly. It is important to keep a “neutral spine” when performing the hurdler’s stretch. If you arch the back and/or roll the shoulders forward you put added stress on the spine.
Keep in mind that static stretching should be performed after exercise. Additionally, research has shown that performing lower back stretches like these in the morning after waking up places three times as much stress on the disks in your lower back compared to performing the same activities a few hours later.
The same hold true for any exercise, even crunch sit-ups and good mornings. You should not perform any exercise that involves bending of the trunk until several hours after you wake-up. If you have a sore back and do these exercises to start your day, chances are you will feel the tightness and soreness again the next day.
Q. I want to make my arms stronger so I can hit the ball harder when I play tennis. I don't know which exercise is just based on my arms for tennis. Can you show me which exercise? Q2: My question is I have smaller arms and I want to strengthen them and make them thicker and stronger. I am also joining a tennis league for section summer session. With me playing I don't want to wear out my arms out, but I want to get them stronger at the same time. What would you recommend?
A. Many tennis players think that is important to have big, strong arms to hit the ball harder and play tennis more effectively. In reality, almost every shot you hit involves the entire body. All of the body parts are linked together. Power and strength are first generated in the legs, then the hips, the trunk, shoulders and arm before you finally hit the ball. It is not the arms, but the legs, trunk and shoulders that develop most of the power for your strokes.
The arms are actually the last and one of the weakest links in the chain. Tennis players should engage in a full-body strength-training program. Strengthening the arms should be a part of that program, but should not be the primary focus. Focus first on building strength in the legs, core region and the shoulders – particularly the rotator cuff muscles.
This will help with injury prevention and set the stage for improved performance. Also, don’t forget the role of proper technique when you play tennis. Sometimes hitting the ball harder simply means hitting the ball correctly.
Specific exercises that will strengthen the arms include:
• Arm curls will target the biceps muscles in the front of your upper arm.
• Triceps extension exercises will target the triceps in the back of the upper arm.
• Wrist curls will strengthen the forearm muscles.
• Squeezing a tennis ball, or another softer ball, will help strengthen the forearm muscles and improve grip strength.
• External rotation exercises will improve strength in the rotator cuff.
Q. Is it more appropriate to focus on compound (involving multiple muscles) exercises for increased strength, such as squats and presses, or should a player have a regime specifically targeted at the 'core' (i.e the abdominals and obliques)?
A. The answers to your questions are ‘Yes’ and ‘Yes’. It is actually important to do both. The core is an essential link in the kinetic chain and having a strong and stable core allows you to put the power of your legs behind the shots you hit.
The abdominal muscles in many tennis players are stronger than the back muscles (this is the reverse of what you would see in a non-tennis player). So make sure when you do your core training that you involve the low back muscles as well as the obliques, which aid in trunk rotation.
The complex, multi-segment movement are also important since hitting a tennis ball is a complex, multi-joint. Some of the exercises you mention, like squats or lunges, are good multi-joint exercises, but there are actually more tennis specific exercises.
Something like a low to high chop involves loading of the legs, coordination of the upper and lower body, and rotation – much like a tennis stroke. A medicine ball squat, in which the ball is thrown to the sky, shifts the focus of the squat from moving heavier weights slowly to placing an emphasis on generating power – again much like a tennis stroke.
You do not say how old you are, but keep in mind that power exercises should not be done by tennis players until they have gone through puberty.
The bottom line is that tennis players need to build strength throughout the body, but also focus their attention on key areas, like the core, as well.
Q. I am looking for leg workouts that are sport specific for tennis. I do some leg weights and do machine aerobics but my legs don't feel strong and reactive when I play tennis. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
A. Leg strengthening for tennis should include squats, lunges, hamstring curls or dead lifts and hip strengthening through abduction and adduction.
Rather than just using machines for strengthening, add functional movements that mimic those you perform on the court. You can do them using body weight, dumbbells, cables or even weighted balls.
Some of the movements that are tennis specific include lunges in all directions: straight out to the side, 45 degrees, straight ahead and even to the back at a 45 degree angle. Challenge your balance with single leg dead lifts and squats. This is especially helpful to very young or old players that struggle with balance and coordination issues.
Explosive movements that incorporate upper body and lower body movements such as squat throws with a weighted ball and ball throws with a closed and open stance train the hips and trunk for power development. All of these exercises will strengthen your game and help prevent injuries!
Some of these exercises are included on the USTA Player Development website at www.playerdevelopment.usta.com and selecting the Strength and Conditioning link on the left hand side of the page.
Q. Please suggest and if possible send some graphics on how to exercise and strengthen the shoulder and rotator cuff muscles.
A. Thank you for your great question. The tennis player’s shoulder is a complex area with many different structures that go into making the shoulder strong, flexible and able to withstand the rigors of competitive tennis. The rotator cuff is a group of four muscles that play an important role in shoulder movement and stability.
The four muscles of the rotator cuff are the Suprispinatus, Infraspinatus, Teres Minor and Subscapularis. Although the rotator cuff muscles receive a lot of attention with respect to the shoulder, there are other muscles that play an important role in optimum shoulder function. These other important muscles are the rhomboids (which are muscles of the upper back) as well as the major visual muscle of the shoulder which are the deltoid group.
The deltoid group is one muscle, but it has three distinct parts (sometimes referred to as heads); the anterior (front portion), the lateral (middle portion) and the posterior (or rear portion). On this link, the USTA Strength and Conditioning staff have put together a number of shoulder specific exercises that will help strengthen the entire shoulder region. The strengthening of the shoulder region will not only help to prevent shoulder injuries, but can also increase the power that you could generate into your strokes. It would also be recommended that you seek the advice of either a strength and conditioning specialist, physical therapist and/or an athletic trainer with specific experience working with tennis athletes. These experts can assess your specific strengths and weaknesses and then tailor a specific injury prevention and performance improvement program for you.
Q. I am looking for leg workouts that are sport specific for tennis. I do some leg weights and do machine aerobics but my legs don't feel strong and reactive when I play tennis. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
A. Thank you for your question. Developing leg strength that directly translates to improved on-court performance should be the goal of a tennis specific strength training program. It is great to hear that you currently do some leg weights and aerobics. Hopefully the information below can assist you in your future workouts.
One of the reasons why many athletes do not always feel that the workouts that they do in the gym makes them move faster and feel stronger on court is that traditional strength training exercises focus on specific muscle development with little if any focus on specific movements. What this means is that traditional lower body gym exercises such as the squat or a lying hamstring curl are great at putting the muscles of the glutes/quadriceps (squat) or the hamstrings (lying hamstring curl) under tension, but it is in a movement pattern that is not seen during tennis play. The difference between training a muscle group (such as the hamstring group) versus training a movement (like the movement required to during a wide-stretched forehand) is that the movements work the muscles in ranges and positions that need to be strong during tennis. A good example of a lower body exercise that uses movements that are similar to what is seen on a tennis court would be the dumbbell 5-way lunge routine. This requires you to perform a lunge movement in five directions.
(Chase Buchanan is one of our junior players training at the new USTA East Coast Training center in Boca Raton, and is demonstrating the 5-way lunge routine)
1. Linear Lunge – this lunge is performed in a traditional lunge position
2. 45° Lunge – this lunge is performed similar to the linear lunge, but in a 45° direction
3. Lateral Lunge – this is performed with the athlete lunging out to the side with the goal of having the knee in line with the hip and the athlete squeezing the shoulder blades together
4. Rear Lunge – similar movement to the linear lunge but the lunge movement is performed using a backward step instead of a forward step
5. X-Over Lunge – This is performed similar to the movements a player would use hitting a low volley in a closed hip position
You should start with light dumbbells to learn the movements and then progressively increase the weight while maintaining proper form during the exercise. As each repetition takes 5 ground contacts per leg, it is recommended that you start with 5 repetitions per leg (25 total ground contact per leg) and repeat this exercises for 2-3 sets per leg. There are many other great lower body exercises that can help your tennis specific movement and many of these exercises can be found on the Player Development website. Hope this exercise helps in your training routine.
Q. Strong legs are essential for tennis. I have a 10-year-old daughter and she has been playing tennis for three years now. What leg exercises do you recommend that are safe for 10-year-old girl?
A. Thank you for your question. You are correct in your statement that leg strength is important for tennis performance. For your daughter, who is 10 years old, you should be focusing on exercises that build stability and endurance. Keep in mind that the majority of the strength gains you will see at 10 years old come because of improved coordination and communication between the brain and the muscles – not because of added muscle mass.
Some basic leg exercises your daughter would likely benefit from include lunges, monster walks, and three cone touches. All of these can be found on the USTA Player Development website.
Strive to have her complete 2-3 sets of 15-25 repetitions of each exercise to build endurance. Also, I encourage you to have your daughter engage in some agility exercises several times per week that require her to change direction and react quickly. This will build balance and coordination throughout the body while also developing leg strength to decelerate and accelerate quickly.
Remember, all this is being done to set the stage for the strength gains she can make as she gets older, after she goes through puberty. Another good way to build leg strength and coordination is to just let her play – not necessarily tennis, but to play/run/jump/etc with her friends.
Participating in a wide range of sports and activities at a young age develops an athleticism that has helped many tennis players achieve success on the court later in their development.
Q. Should tennis players perform traditional squats with the heels on the ground or should the heels be raised during the squat? When I try this, I feel it more in my quads.
A. Thanks for the question. Sometimes in gyms around the country you may see people perform squats with their heels raised on a weight plate or book. The impact of raising the heels of the ground, by using a small weight/book (Figure 1), will change the angle at the knee and the hip during the squat. You are correctthat the quadriceps will be loaded to a slightly greater degree in this position. However, there are some concerns for a tennis player by having the heels of the ground.
1) The major negative to this position for a tennis player is that it shortens the angle at the achilles and gastrocnemius-soleus (calf) position. This is typically one of the least flexible areas of a tennis player and can result in numerous negative adaptations that may affect the entire kinetic chain through the knees, hips and even up through the shoulder. By performing this modified squat technique, you would be reducing the flexibility and strength in the lower leg and could predispose you to future injuries.
2) The goal of efficient tennis movement is to lower the center of gravity, while being strong, flexible and balanced. This position requires strength in the gluteal muscle group (buttocks) in a low position. One of the best ways to train this low position is to work on squatting with the weight back in your buttocks and heels (while the heels are flat on the ground). By raising your heels, you are limiting the development of your buttocks, which will not translate in to better body position on-court.
If the purpose of squatting is to develop greater strength and subsequent power on the tennis court, the traditional squat technique would be more beneficial than the modified technique with the heels of the ground. However, their may be rare instances during a periodized program where the modified squat technique may be appropriate. I would suggest speaking with a certified strength and conditioning specialist in your area who may be able to assist in evaluating your strengths and weaknesses and provide you with individualized guidance based on the needs of each athlete.
Q. Is it more appropriate to focus on compound (involving multiple muscles) exercises for increased strength, such as squats and presses, or should a player have a regime that specifically targets the 'core,' i.e., the abdominals and obliques?
A. Thanks for your question. Both multiple muscle/joint movement exercises and exercises that are specific to the core (mid-section of body) are beneficial for tennis players. Therefore, to answer your question, you should focus on both types of exercises to improve tennis-specific functional strength.
Your strength and conditioning program should include at least one or two exercise(s) that focus on multiple muscle/joint movement and a few different core (abdominal, oblique and lower back) exercises. Of course, intensity, frequency and volume of your training sessions should be adjusted based on the levels of your tennis competition and fitness. Here are some advantages of each exercise:
Multiple muscle/joint exercises:
1. You can train many different muscle groups, including the stabilizing muscles. Many people think that exercises, like the squat, are only working on lower body. However, it is actually working with your stabilize muscles, such as the core (mid-section of body), as well. Therefore, you are improving total-body strength with one exercise.
2. You can stimulate the nerves and muscles to a greater degree with multiple muscle/joint exercises better than single muscle/joint exercises. Hormonal responses are tightly linked to the resistance training exercise type, especially large muscle group/multiple joint exercises. Therefore, if you are using correct amount of resistance with proper techniques for multiple joint/large muscle exercises, you will improve your muscle strength both at a cell level and also from a nerve level, which will allow you to get stronger at a faster rate.
3. You can perform tennis-specific movements with multiple muscle/joint exercises. Tennis movements are very complex, which means you are moving many different muscles and joints at the same time. Therefore, some of the multiple muscle/joint exercises could be used as tennis-specific exercises.