Smith College Tennis Workout
All of these workouts will utilize basic equipment and should be easy to perform during practice or in the fitness center.
Upper Body Workout:
Strive to perform three sets of 10~12 reps
Single arm bicep curl: kneel behind a stability ball with one free weight in hand. Align your shoulder with your elbow, extend arm down toward the ball below but do not fully extend arm. Exhale as you draw the hand up toward your shoulder; inhale as you lower back toward the ball.
Supine triceps extensions: While lying back on stability ball, bring the weighted long arms up and over the chest. While bending at the elbows, lower the weights toward the forehead. Exhale as you extend long arms over chest; inhale as you lower toward your head. Keep your elbows directly over shoulders.
Overhead lat pulls: While supine on the stability ball, arms extended long and over chest, inhale as you lower long arms over head and exhale as you bring long arms back up and over chest. Do not lock elbows, and gently extend overhead to ensure you do not overextend.
Chest press w/ stability ball: Lie back on a stability ball located between mid back and buttocks. Keep your knees and ankles close, hips lifted. Bring your weighted arms with thumb side of the hands at chest; exhale as you extend arms long up and over chest, palms facing one another.
Side Lateral/Rotator cuff: While seated on a stability ball, free-weight in hand, make an L shape with your arm. Shoulder in line with elbow and elbow inline with the wrist. Exhale as you lift L shaped arms, inline with the shoulder. Be sure the wrist lifts inline with the elbow. Lift then the hand that faces the floor and rotate up to just about over shoulder. It is better to do this one arm at a time. If you have any shoulder problems, you can also do this exercise with no added free weights.
Overhead press: Begin with weighted arms, elbows inline with the shoulders. Exhale as you extend weighted arms up and overhead without locking the elbows. Inhale as you lower back to the starting position of elbows inline with shoulders.
Bent over row: Put the same side leg and hand on a stability ball or a more stable surface such as the bleachers. With a nice flat back, extend weighted arm long toward the floor. Exhale as you pull the weight toward your chest, elbow close to the body, and inhale as you lower to the floor.
Strive to perform three sets of 10~12 reps
Wall Ball Squats: Take a stability ball and place it on your backside, and then against a wall. Place your feet out in front of you rather than beneath you. Inhale as you drop your buttocks toward the floor, but do not drop below the knees. Exhale as you stand up and be sure not to lock the knees.
Single leg forward/backward lunges: Stand tall and step out in front with the right leg, your left leg extended long behind you and on the toe. Then take the right leg back behind you and sink into that stance. Stay on the same leg until muscular failure has set in then change to the left leg.
Supine hamstring lifts: While lying on the floor with feet atop of the stability ball, be sure to keep ankles and knees close together. Exhale as you lift your buttocks from the floor, inhale as you lower to the floor.
Inner thigh ball squeezes: From the backside of the ball, straddle the ball and be sure you have your knees against the ball surface. Gently squeeze the ball with the inside of your knees, while you exhale, and inhale as you release your knees from the ball. You can also do this lying on your back with the ball placed between your knees.
Outer thigh lifts: While side lying against the stability ball, lift the upper leg hip height as you exhale, inhale as you lower toward the floor but try not to rest on the floor each time the leg to the floor.
Joan K Griswold, Health Promotion Director
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