Joe Brocklehurst's September Blog

Common tennis injuries and complaints can be felt in the shoulders, lower back, elbows, and ankles.

Research has found that following a good strength and conditioning plan will reduce your risk of injury. This is due to the improvements in maximal force and power you can produce, and the reduction in your recover time between practice and competitions.

Prehabilitation exercises need to be included as a key part of your training plan. Here’s some simple but effective combination exercises to do at home, in the gym, or as a warm up before you play.

The exercises shown below are carried out using a TheraBand. The bands come in different resistance levels so make sure you use the correct level for your fitness. Therabands have been found to dramatically reduce the risk of injury, so are a very effective form of prehabilitation training.

 

Lunge with Bicep Curl

Place the band under the instep of your left foot and position your right foot about two feet behind you. With an underhand grip on the band, perform a bicep curl while bending your knees and going into a lunge position. Try doing 2 sets of 20 repetitions on both sides.

 

Chest Fly with Wide Squat

Start standing with your feet just over shoulder-width apart and your feet pointing out slightly. Wrap the band around your back while gripping both ends, and have your arms out to the sides. Bring your arms together and bend knees until your thighs are parallel to the floor. Slowly open your arms and return to the starting position. Try doing this 2 sets of 20 repetitions.

 

Side Lunge with Arm Rotation

Start standing with feet wider than shoulder-width apart, one end of the band under your left foot. Grip the other end of the band with left hand. Go into a side lunge with your right foot and bring your left hand down and across toward your right foot. Push off with your right foot to return to standing and raise your left arm up whilst rotating it out to the side. Try doing 2 sets of 20 repetitions on both sides.

 

Squat with Overhead Press

Start by standing in the middle of the band with your feet straight forward and shoulder-width apart. Hold the band in both hands at shoulder height with your palms facing forward and elbows bent. Squat down as low as you can comfortably go (if you have any knee problems be very careful), while pressing your arms straight up. Make sure you keep your heels on the ground, and slowly return to the starting position. Try doing 2 sets of 20 repetitions.

 

Side-bend with Pull-up (Monkey)

Start by standing on the center of the band with your feet straight forward and just over shoulder-width apart. Have your knees slightly bent and hold the band in both hands with your arms to your sides. Side-bend your body to the right while pulling your left arm upward with your elbow bent. Alternate from side to side at a fast but controlled pace. Try doing 2 sets of 20 repetitions.

 

These exercises are aimed at strengthening your whole body, but also target specific muscles. They are particularly good for reducing the risk of specific injuries such as shoulder tendinitis, tennis elbow, and anterior knee pain.

If you have any questions about the exercises in this article please do not hesitate to ask me. 

Joe Brocklehurst

Sports therapist BSc

07532012188