Best Weight Lifting Routines for Tennis Players

Tennis itself is a great and fun way to exercise and stay in shape for people of all ages. But what exercises can you do to improve you tennis game? Simple answer - weightlifting and strength training. One of the main reasons that fitness and health professionals alike have begun to recognize weightlifting and strength training as the perfect exercise, is that it is not only is the best workout you can get for overall wellness, but with isolation weightlifting and strength training exercises, and even compound exercises that target specific muscle groups, you can customize weightlifting routines to improve your performance for any game – even tennis.

At first glance you might think that strength training and therefore weightlifting exercises for tennis players would concentrate on arms and grip strength for better power and control of your shots. And while that is true and all tennis players will work the arms and upper body – pros and enthusiasts all agree that a sharp tennis game relies as much an speed and agility as it does on the power of your forehand or serve.

While there was a time when it was believed that athletes other then bodybuilders or weightlifters should not weightlift because they will get too “muscle bound” or too heavy to perform, that is generally a “fitness myth” that has since been debunked. Quickness of the legs, balance, agility, the ability to stop quick and turn, and shift directions – all important to the tennis player – are all a function of muscle strength. The stronger your leg muscle the more force it exerts against the court, the faster you go to get to that ball – simple physics. Strong leg muscles, quads and calf, and hamstrings, also mean that it is less likely you will experince the most common tennis playing injuries like, torn ligaments.

A weightlifting routine that you would follow for basic strength training and overall good health is great for tennis. Doing a circuit of full body workouts both to improve upper and lower body, will all benefit your tennis game. While having stronger specific muscles will improve specific aspects of your game as described, an overall increase in lean muscle mass as the result of a regular strength training and weightlifting routine will improve your strength and stamina, will improve you cardio function, and make you lungs work more efficiently.

All factors that are extremely important in a rigorous activity like a few sets of tennis. If you are a regular tennis player – you will “love” the “advantage” that weightlifting will give you.