Step Up Your Power
STEP UP YOUR POWER
This full-body routine helps strengthen the muscles you use while playing so you can move faster on the court and hit the ball with precision.
“Pickleball requires strength, power, agility, and endurance, and this workout helps you build each of those elements,” says Michael Matthews, a certified trainer and author of the book Bigger Leaner Stronger, who put together this plan.
“Two of the moves, step-ups and Bulgarian split squats, help you produce power from a single leg, as you do when lunging to return a ball,” he says. Push-ups strengthen your chest, shoulders, and triceps for swinging the paddle. “Russian twists build your core with the same rotation you use when hitting a ball,” Matthews explains.
Perform this workout as a circuit: Do 1 set of the first exercise, 1 set of the second, and so on. Rest one to two minutes between sets; do 3 sets total. “Do the workout two to three times a week, with at least one day of rest in between, and you’ll see significant results in your game,” Matthews says.
1. STEP-UP
A. Holding your paddle in your left hand with your arm by your side, place your left foot on a box or bench that’s knee-height off the floor.
B. Step up onto the box with your left leg. Keeping your weight on your left foot, straighten your left leg to stand on the box, while lifting your right leg, with your knee bent at a 90-degree angle, and raising your left arm with the paddle, elbow bent. Lower your right leg to to the floor, then step off the box with your left leg to the floor to return to start. Do 10 to 20 reps, then switch legs and repeat on the other side. Do 3 sets.
B. Step up onto the box with your left leg. Keeping your weight on your left foot, straighten your left leg to stand on the box, while lifting your right leg, with your knee bent at a 90-degree angle, and raising your left arm with the paddle, elbow bent. Lower your right leg to to the floor, then step off the box with your left leg to the floor to return to start. Do 10 to 20 reps, then switch legs and repeat on the other side. Do 3 sets.
2. RUSSIAN TWIST
A. Sit on the floor with your knees bent, heels on the floor, and feet flexed. Lean back so that your thighs and torso form a “V” shape (you’ll feel your core engage). Clasp your hands together in front of you.
A. Sit on the floor with your knees bent, heels on the floor, and feet flexed. Lean back so that your thighs and torso form a “V” shape (you’ll feel your core engage). Clasp your hands together in front of you.
B. Twist your torso to the right.
C. Twist your torso to the left. That’s 1 rep. Do 10 to 20 reps.
C. Twist your torso to the left. That’s 1 rep. Do 10 to 20 reps.
3. BULGARIAN SPLIT SQUAT
A. Stand 2 to 3 feet in front of a box, bench, or step that’s knee-height off the floor, facing away from it. Lean slightly forward, putting most of your weight on your left foot, and extend your right foot out behind you, placing it on top of the box.
B. Keeping your left foot firmly planted on the floor, bend both knees and lower your body until your left thigh is parallel to the floor. Stand up and return to start. Do 10 to 20 reps, then switch legs and repeat.
B. Keeping your left foot firmly planted on the floor, bend both knees and lower your body until your left thigh is parallel to the floor. Stand up and return to start. Do 10 to 20 reps, then switch legs and repeat.
4. PICKLEBALL PUSH-UP
A. Place a pickleball on the floor. Get into plank position, with your hands directly underneath your shoulders, the center of your chest directly over the pickleball, and your ankles, hips, and head all forming a straight line, toes tucked. Keeping your body in a straight line, lower your chest until it touches the pickleball.
A. Place a pickleball on the floor. Get into plank position, with your hands directly underneath your shoulders, the center of your chest directly over the pickleball, and your ankles, hips, and head all forming a straight line, toes tucked. Keeping your body in a straight line, lower your chest until it touches the pickleball.
B. Push your body up and return to start. Do 10 to 20 reps. To make it easier, do the push-ups on your knees instead
of your toes.
HYLETE T-SHIRT, VUORI SHORTS, REEBOK SNEAKERS
GARY A. PATTEE, M.D. is a Diplomate of the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery, a Fellow of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, and a motorcycle-racing enthusiast.
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Ask athletes about warming up prior to a game, or a workout like this one, and you will probably hear various descriptions of what it means and how to do it. In general, warming up is a method of preparing the body to be active. It should be performed just before the activity and can usually be accomplished in a few minutes. A good routine consists of a combination of cardio vascular exercise, muscle stretching, and increasing joint mobility. The cardiovascular component helps increase heart rate and body temperature while improving blood flow to the muscles and joints; stretching helps prepare them for the movements specific to the activity. Go with gentle stretching by placing joints through their full range of motion at a low intensity; this will help improve your performance. At the same time, this movement will help prepare you mentally for the upcoming game or workout. Another important benefit of warming up is to prevent injuries during exercise, possibly through reducing muscle stiffness, increasing metabolic efficiency, and improving function of the nerves responsible for muscle contraction.
