Working Out During Social Distancing

When you’re stuck at home, finding ways to stay in shape for tennis can be difficult. Luckily, there are many ways to keep active and ready for the next opportunity to get back onto the court. 

Anil Patel, Assistant Coach of the Kansas City Roos men’s tennis team, has been focusing on calisthenic workouts throughout the pandemic. These workouts generally include body weight exercises such as pushups, squats, lunges and jump training and are not reliant on access to gym equipment.

“I like to find some place that’s secluded, an open area where I can do a lot of different things and still get a good workout,” Patel said.

This is also a good time to stay caught up on your cardio workouts. If you are not a fan of running, there are good cardio alternatives, such as biking, dance workouts and jump rope.

“The best you can do for tennis specifically is different agility drills,” Patel said. “I’ve been doing a lot of sprints.”

Patel has curated a basic example of what one of his at-home workouts may look like, listed below. As always, only do exercises that you feel comfortable with and don’t try anything beyond your ability. 

If you ever find yourself stuck and looking for an at-home workout to perform, Google is an excellent tool for finding many online fitness resources.

Patel’s Chest/Cardio Workout

• Chest (Three Sets)

  • Five Position Push-Ups - Diamond Push-Up all the way to Wide Push-Ups

  • Pseudo Push-Ups - Neutral Grip

  • Straight Bar Dips

  • Inclined Diamond Push-Ups

• Cardio (Five Sets)

  • Stair Sprint 

  • Five Push-Ups at the Top and Bottom