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Three years ago, Arelia Nuñez felt something snap in her neck on a serve. “I knew right away it was bad,” says the 48-year-old from San Diego. The avid player had a herniated disc that severely limited her mobility. After months of therapy, Nuñez had recovered enough to play, but the pain returned. It wasn’t until she started to condition her body that she found her form. Now Nuñez is not only playing without pain, “I’m hitting the ball harder and better than ever,” she says.
You don’t have to suffer a serious injury to know on- and off-court conditioning is crucial to playing your best. Whether you’re coming back from a layoff, gearing up for a new league season, or looking to dominate your opponents, your training can make all the difference to your performance. Here’s what to focus on.
IF YOU ARE: COMING BACK FROM A LAYOFF
Whether it’s due to injury or inertia, getting back on court after time off can be intimidating. Your primary focus should be building up your fitness base and minimizing injury risk. “You can’t come back right where you left off,” says Justin Price, owner of The Biomechanics, a training and rehabilitation center in San Diego. Price, who helped Nuñez return to the game, emphasizes patience and planning, along with these conditioning tips:
Practice prehab. “In tennis, you have to decelerate going forward, backward, sideways and in rotation,” Price says. If you don’t prepare for these movements, you’ll set yourself up for injury, especially in your knees and back. Shoulders are another weak spot: They absorb the impact of the ball and they’re at the mercy of the upper spine and torso. “Sitting all day can leave your back weak and tight. When your torso can’t rotate to get the ball, you’re forced to use your shoulder more,” Price says. To prevent injury in these areas, incorporate stretching and strength training into your routine.
Roll it out. Using a foam roller (found at most gyms or at optp.com) will loosen tight muscles so you can better handle the rigors of the game. Focus on the iliotibial, or IT, band (which runs from the outside of the hip across the thigh to the inside of the knee), quads, back or wherever you’re feeling achy. Slowly roll up and down the affected area, pausing for about 20–30 seconds at sore spots. “Do this before you play to condition the muscles and afterward to speed recovery,” Price says.
Shape up your heart and lungs. “If you haven’t been active for at least several weeks, you need to rebuild your aerobic base,” Price says. Alternate walking, jogging, swimming, cycling or the elliptical with on-court agility drills for 30–45 minutes three times a week.
IF YOU ARE: GEARING UP FOR A NEW SEASON
Whether you only hit on the weekends or are a devoted leaguer, most rec players share a singular desire to beat their opponents and better their games. A combination of cardiovascular and strength training can help you reach your goals.
Go all out. “Tennis players need to increase their VO2 max, or how efficiently the body utilizes oxygen,” says Mark Hendricks, a trainer at Equinox Fitness in New York and co-creator of the “Game.Set.Match” conditioning class. “The more you condition yourself, the greater your ability to recover so you’re ready for the next point.” To improve your conditioning, try intervals (see TENNIS.com/intervals). One study found that subjects who sprinted for 20 seconds, followed by 10 seconds of recovery for eight intervals five days a week, increased their VO2 max by 28 percent in six weeks.
Think laterally. Since tennis involves side-to-side movement, you need to include lateral moves in your training. Try side lunges (stepping one foot out to the side while bending the opposite knee 90 degrees), lateral jumps (hopping side to side and landing on either one or two legs) and side shuffles (shuffling back and forth) at least twice a week to develop speed and agility. Do 2–3 sets of 10–15 repetitions of the lunges and jumps and 30 seconds of shuffles.
Take a yoga class. Making like a pretzel twice a week eases more than just your mind. Yoga also increases strength and flexibility in the shoulders, chest and back. “Doing yoga regularly will improve mobility and stability in these areas so you’re better able to reach that difficult shot,” Hendricks says.
IF YOU ARE: LOOKING TO DOMINATE YOUR OPPONENTS
When Fernando Verdasco and Daniela Hantuchova want to sharpen their games, they train with Gil Reyes, who helped Andre Agassi achieve his phenomenal conditioning. “The professionals understand it’s a different game today—you must be in great shape to achieve success,” says Reyes, who operates a gym in Las Vegas. His main areas of focus:
Work your lower body. “The game of tennis starts with strong legs and hips,” Reyes says. “If you can’t get to the ball or you’re getting fatigued by the end of your first set, you’re done for.” Focus on multi-muscle moves like squats, leg presses and lunges to strengthen glutes, quads and hamstrings. Reyes also emphasizes shoulder-conditioning moves like front and lateral raises, as well as core-strengthening drills for your lower back, obliques and abdominals.
Go COD. That’s “Change of Direction.” Sprinting drills are essential to preparing joints and muscles for the unexpected movements of tennis, Reyes says. Try running from the service line to net and back to baseline and shuffling and sprinting from corner to corner and diagonally across the court. Start by doing this for 5 minutes after a workout or practice 3 times a week.
Cross train. Reyes likes players to mix up their cardio with about 15 minutes on different machines like the elliptical, treadmill and bike for 45 minutes total. “Tennis will put a beating on your lower back, knees, hips and feet, and the added pounding [of running] can make you more injury prone,” Reyes says. “Combining different types of workouts keeps you from getting bored and helps your overall fitness level.”
Originally published in the May 2010 issue of TENNIS.