Train Like a Tennis Pro with These Exercises from Western’s Personal Trainers
May is National Tennis Month, and here at Western, we’re bringing the heat both on and off the court! Whether you're a seasoned player or just picking up a racket, this is the perfect time to boost your game. All month long, we're celebrating with tennis-themed blogs packed with tips, workouts, and even a little history to help you fall in love with tennis!
To get things rolling, our expert personal trainers have put together a series of tennis-specific exercises designed to improve your speed, strength, and stability. These exercises are made with tennis in mind to keep you agile, powerful, and ready to dominate the court.
Rotator internal/external band rotation
from PT Andy Gaustad
This exercise is great for Tennis players to warm up before a match. Much like baseball players, tennis players do a lot of snapping forward serving to hit the ball. This repetitive motion can be rough on your 4 rotator cuff muscles.
In order to keep these muscles functional and not prone to injury it is important to work them different ways and angles that are not similar to how they are used to hit a tennis ball. The variability will not only make you have better snap in your serves, but also less prone to rotator cuff injuries.
Check out this quick video to learn how to do this exercise.
TRX skaters
from PT Tad Taggart
Playing tennis involves frequent changes of direction to react to the ball and keep a volley alive. To quickly change direction, you need to be able to safely and properly land on one foot while activating the correct muscles in your hip to push off in the opposite way.
The TRX Skater is an approachable progression to training this movement pattern. Holding onto the TRX handles, your arms can help control part of your bodyweight, allowing you to hop from foot to foot while training yourself to safely and properly land and change directions.
Check out this quick video to learn how to do this exercise.
Single-leg RDLs
from PT Zach Prochnow
Single-leg RDLs are especially valuable for tennis players because they build balance, stability, and posterior chain strength—key components for explosive lateral movement, quick changes of direction, and injury prevention. Since tennis involves frequent single-leg loading during sprints, lunges, and rotational movements, training each leg independently helps correct muscle imbalances and improve performance on the court. The added focus on core control and hip stability also supports better stroke mechanics and agility.
Check out this quick video to learn how to do this exercise.
Prone Y, T, W raises
from PT Brandon Arndt
Prone Y, T, W Raises are a fantastic exercise for tennis players because they target the often-overlooked muscles of the upper back and shoulders, which are crucial for both power and injury prevention in tennis. This simple exercise strengthens rotator cuffs and activates the mid and lower traps, which helps with posture on and off the court.
Check out this quick video to learn how to do this exercise.
Scapular Push-ups
from PT Brandon Arndt
Scapular push-ups build strong, stable shoulders which is essential for powerful shots and injury prevention. This exercise creates a solid foundation for overhead movements like serves and smashes, helping you hit harder and safer.
Check out this quick video to learn how to do this exercise.
Sleeper stretch
from PT Brandon Arndt
The sleeper stretch is a simple but highly effective move that’s especially valuable for tennis players looking to protect and maintain shoulder health. Tennis players perform a lot of external rotation—think about winding up for a serve or overhead. The sleeper stretch specifically targets internal rotation, helping to balance out the shoulder's range of motion and prevent mobility restrictions that can throw off your strokes.
Check out this quick video to learn how to do this exercise.
TRX face pull
from PT Zach Barfknecht
The TRX face pull (aka "W" or "goalpost") is a great exercise for tennis players. The arms and shoulders go through a motion that's essentially the opposite of a serve. It works the external rotators, which act as the "brakes" for the tennis serve. Since tennis players repeatedly undergo forceful internal shoulder rotation, this exercise would help balance the strength of the shoulder muscles and build injury resistance.
Check out this quick video to learn how to do this exercise.
Lateral shuffle
from PT Ryan Doro
Stay low in an athletic stance and quickly shuffle 3–5 steps sideways, then back, nonstop for 30–45 seconds. This side-to-side movement strengthens hips, knees, and ankles, and allows the player to get to either side of the court faster, helping tennis players reach wide balls.
Check out this quick video to learn how to do this exercise.
