Pickleball, Strength And Conditioning
Welcome and thanks for visiting...
Pickleball Strength and Conditioning Program
Pickleball Strength and Conditioning Program
SportsEdTv’s senior contributor John Graham teams up with Mike Steiger to bring Pickleball players exercises designed to improve stamina, flexibility, and performance.
Graham and Steiger lead St. Luke University’s Health Network in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
In their Designed-for-Pickleball exercise program, the pair are careful to specify repetitions and times for different levels of exercisers.
They define an exercise beginner as one who has been exercising for three months or less. Their intermediate exercises are those who have exercised for 3 to 6 months, and advanced exercisers are those who have been exercising for six months or more.
Below, we post their entire workout video and, for static study purposes, outline each of the video’s exercises for reader study.
Pictured below are the start and finish exercises described in the video, accompanied by instruction information as the Designed-for-Pickleball program provides.
The Warmups
The Jumping Jack
Begin the jumping jack with your hands at your side and feet shoulder-width apart. Spread feet, bring hands overhead, and repeat bringing hands overhead in sync with your feet separating.
Beginners do 20 seconds, intermediate 30 seconds, and advanced 40 seconds.
The Tempo Squat
Perform this exercise: cross your arms and across your chest. Keep your knees directly above your ankles, feet, and shoulder-width apart, and you're going to push your butt out, squat down to back your thighs, and come parallel to the ground.
Beginners do 20 seconds, intermediate 30 seconds, and advanced 40 seconds.
The Mountain Climber
To perform this exercise, put your hands on the ground and lift your feet so your toes are touching the ground. Pump legs back and forth in a running fashion, bringing our knees towards the chest, and then extend them back out and repeat.
Beginners do 20 seconds, intermediate 30 seconds, and advanced 40 seconds.
The Pushup
To perform a pushup put your hands in front of your shoulder-width apart directly underneath your shoulders. Press up on your toes, drop your chest down to the ground, and then press back up again.
Beginners 10 repetitions; intermediate 15 repetitions; and advanced 20 repetitions.
The Exercises
#1 The Squat
With a squat exercise, you can grab two dumbbells, or you can use waiting containers, such as gallon containers that you fill with water. To begin the squat exercise, put your hands at the side with the weighted implements. Keep your head and shoulders up, looking straight ahead, push your butt out, keep your knees above your ankles, squat down until the back of your thighs are parallel or roughly parallel to the floor, and then stand back up.
Beginners do 10-12 repetitions, intermediates 12 to 15, and advanced 15 to 20 repetitions.
#2 The Forward Lunge
Start with your feet, shoulder-width apart, weighted implements at your side, standing tall and straight. As you step forward, the front knee is going to go directly above the ankle. The back knee is going to bend almost to the ground, push it back to your original starting position, and then switch to the opposite knee, pushing forward and back.
Beginners do 8 to 10 repetitions, intermediates 10 to 12, and advanced do 10 to 12 repetitions.
#3 The Lateral Lunge
To perform the lateral lunge, put the weighted implements at the side. Step laterally, bring the weighted implements inside and outside the knee of the stepping leg. Push back to the original starting position with feet shoulder-width apart. After completing one side, immediately go to the other side, perform the repetition, and then come back to the original starting position.
Beginners do 8-10 repetitions, intermediates 10-12, and advanced 15-20 repetitions.
#4 The Rear Lunge
Start with weighted implements at your side feet, shoulder-width apart. Step back with one leg bending almost to the ground, keeping the front knee directly above the ankle. Press back up to the original starting position. Repeat the procedure with the opposite leg and come back to the starting position.
Beginners do 8-10 repetitions per side, intermediate 10 to 12, and advanced 12 to 15 per side
#5 The Modified Chest Press
Start on the ground holding two dumbbells, rotating them out so that elbows are touching the ground and the dumbbell heads are facing each other. From this position, press the dumbbells directly above the chest, and bring the two dumbbell heads together. Bring the exercise weight down slowly, again touching the elbows to the ground before pressing up again.
Beginners to 8 to 10 repetitions, 10-12 for intermediates, and 12-15 for advanced exercisers.
#6 The Standing One Arm Row
Take your left hand, place it on the left knee, put the right foot back, and hold the dumbbell with the right hand. From this position, bring the dumbbell up to the rib cage on the right side of the body, touching the rib cage. Bring the dumbbell down slowly, letting the elbow extend without dropping the shoulder.
Beginners do 8-10 repetitions, intermediates 10-12, and advanced do 12 to 15 repetitions.
#7 The Alternate Arm Lifts
Holding weights in each hand, alternate arms by bringing the hand up, even with shoulder height, keeping the elbow fairly straight, and alternating on each side of the body.
Beginners do 8 to 10 repetitions per side, intermediate 10-12, and advanced 12-15 per side.
#8 The Rear Bend
Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, knees flexed, slightly bent at the waist. Start with dumbbells directly below the shoulders on both sides and bring the dumbbells out to the side, even with shoulder height, before returning to the starting position.
Beginners do 8 to 10 repetitions, intermediate 10 to 12, and advanced 12 to 15 repetitions.
#9 Alternating Bicep Curl
Begin with both hands facing at the side. Break the dumbbell up by bending at the elbow, separating the wrist, and bringing the dumbbell directly above the chest. Return to the wrist-neutral starting position. Repeat the exercise on the other side.
Beginners do 8-10 repetitions, intermediates 10-12, and advanced do 12 to 15 repetitions.
#10 Overhead Tricep Extension
Take the weights directly overhead and bring them behind our shoulders. Elbows are going to be placed toward your body. Extend the elbows taking the weights directly up.
Beginners do 8-10 repetitions, intermediate 10-12, and advanced 12-15 repetitions.
#11 The Front Plank
Prone using a mat, put your elbows hands, and knees on the mat. From this position, press up on the toes, and pull in abdominal muscles and core muscles. Look straight ahead, keep eyes directly in front, y hands back flat and back down for beginners. Hold this position.
Beginners hold for 20 seconds, intermediates for 30, and advanced hold for 45 seconds
#12 Right Side Plank
Lying on a mat, place your right elbow directly underneath the shoulder with your hand and forearm, and wrist at an L-degree angle. From this position, push up on the side of our foot, lift our hips off the ground, bring our opposite arm directly above the shoulder, and hold in this position. for beginners.
Beginners hold for 20 seconds, intermediates for 30, and advanced for 45 seconds.
#13 Left Side Plank
Place left elbow directly underneath shoulder with arm forming an L-degree angle from our body. From this position, push up on our elbows and our feet, lifting our hips off the ground, bringing our right arm directly above our shoulder. Hold this position.
Beginners hold for 20 seconds, intermediates for 30 seconds, and advanced hold for 45 seconds.
#14 Superman
Supermen and women on a mat lay on their stomach, legs, straight, and arms straight. Lift arms and legs off the ground simultaneously and hold the position.
Beginners hold for 20 seconds, intermediates for 30, and advanced hold for 45 seconds.
