Ready for the Court: Strength Training to Improve Your Pickleball Game

Linette Teerlink • August 30, 2024

Part tennis. Part badminton. Part ping pong. All around fun! With 36.5 million players - and counting, Pickleball is the fastest growing sport in the United States. And with good reason. It’s easy to learn and has a strong social element. In fact, fans of the game say it’s downright addictive, confessing that they lose track of time and play for hours a day without realizing it.


If you’re a “picklehead” and want to amp up your game while avoiding the common overuse injuries for all those hours of play, we’ve got you!


We reached out to our resident pickleball expert, Dr. Gabby Mace, DPT of Pioneer PT here in Maryland. She plays tons of pickleball herself so we asked her how enthusiasts can improve their game and bulletproof their bodies and she helped us put together this workout for you!


“Players obviously need endurance and agility. And don’t stop there. Add strength training!  Just like with other sports, strength is essential for improving you abilities on the court and staying safe from injury.” said Dr. Gabby. “Due to the size of the court, and the speed and style of play, players require a lot of functional flexibility - and strength throughout those ranges of motion.”


And this becomes more true as you get more birthdays.


You may have heard that starting at age 30, we begin to lose muscle mass, with around 3% to 5% each decade that passes. (Sidebar: At Progressive Athletics, we have noticed that this is only true if you are not strength training, so it’s not necessarily a given with age. With the right training, you can actually increase your muscles as you age!) 


For pickleball players, muscle loss may not seem like a big deal, since bulging biceps aren't necessary to slice a Wiffle ball perfectly out of your opponent’s reach. Truth is, less muscle in legs, core, and shoulders means weakness, stiffness, and less mobility. So the next time you lunge forward and swing at the ball, you’re prime for an achilles tear or rotator cuff pain. And now you’re spending more time nursing injuries and less time spent on the courts.


Today, we're diving into the best strength training exercises (with variations) to help keep pickleball players ready for action. These will help you can stay agile, strong, and in control on the court—and out of the kitchen!


Essential Exercises for Pickleball Players

Before we begin, one important note: Pickleball players need more than just strong muscles, they need to train movements and strengthen tendons. These movements below will do all three!

1. Split Squats

These are amazing for strengthening your legs because it’s unilateral work. Each leg is forced to work indepently. This improves balance and help you with direction changes on the court.


    - Instructions: Step one foot forward and lower your back knee gently to the ground. Push the floor away with your front heel to return to the starting position. Do 8 reps. Alternate legs and repeat. If you are unable to complete this movement yet, go halfway down until you are strong enough to go full range of motion. Once that’s easy, add weight.


2. Lawnmower Rows (aka Single Arm Power Rows)

This movement gets a lot done at once! Its another unilateral movement, which translates to movements on the court. Since you’re pushing with one arm and pulling with the other, you are developing core stability and balance between shoulder and back muscles, helping with paddle control and powerful shots. This one is a must for healthy injury-resistant shoulders!


    - Instructions: Place one hand on a box or bench. Set your feet hip-width apart, up on your toes. Holding a dumbbell in your free hand. Slightly bend your knees slightly and slight hinge at the hips - forming a modified plank position. Row the dumbbell up towards your hip while keeping your elbow close to your body. Squeeze the back of your shoulder then lower the dumbbell back down. Do 8 reps then repeat on the other side.


3. Goblet Box Squats

This movement is a classic for a reason. It works the entire lower body and core, giving you the power in your legs and glutes for quick movements and changes of direction.


- Instructions: Stand with a box or bench right behind you. Hold a kettlebell or dumbbell about an inch off your chest. Sit down by pushing your hips back and bending your knees outward. Keep your eyes and chest up. Pause at the bottom, then squeeze your glutes and stand up. Do 8 reps then take a break.


4. Dumbbell Floor Press

If push ups are a bit much for you, these are a great option! It strengthens your chest, shoulders, and triceps for more powerful serves and overhead shots.


- Instructions: Lie on your back with your knees bent and a dumbbell in each hand. Elbows at 45 degrees. Press the dumbbells up until your arms are fully extended, then lower them back down to your chest. Do 8 reps. Rest 1-2 min. Repeat. Do as many sets as you can in 10 minutes.


5. Single RDLs (Romanian Deadlifts)

It’s a fancy name but a simple move. It builds glutes, hips, and hamstrings, and improves balance and stability in the hips, feet, and hips. These will pay off on the court when you lunge or decelerate on the court.


- Instructions: Stand on one leg holding a dumbbell in the opposite hand. Hinge forward at the hips and extend the free leg back until your body forms a straight line. Return to the starting position and repeat on the other side.  These are best done in your socks or a pair of flat shoes so your feet can feel the floor.

6. Deficit Calf Raises and Tibialis Raises

These build your “breaks” - the muscles and tendons in your feet, calves, and shins help you stop and go on the court. Strengthen your calves and shins, aiding in quick starts, stops, and jumps on the court.


- Instructions: Take your shoes off before you do either of these exercises.

- For deficit calf raises, stand on a step and lift your heels to rise onto your toes, then lower them back down.
- For tibialis raises, stand with your back against a wall, and lift your toes while keeping your heels on the ground.


7. Side Lunges

Improve hip flexibility and strength for quick and powerful side-to-side movements on the court.


- Instructions: Step out to one side and sit back by bending your knee. Keep your other leg straight. Push off your bent leg to return to the starting position. Do 8 reps then do a set on the other side. Rest 1 to 2 minutes then repeat. When you get good at this, hold a dumbbell in goblet style (like in the goblet squat).

8. Box Jump Squat

These are the secret sauce for building agility and power for great plays on the court! Box jumps build explosive power and agility. As we age, the first muscle fibers we lose are the “fast twitch” muscles. Fast twitch muscles are a specific type of muscle fiber, quick movements or anything requiring power. If we specifically train the fast twitch muscles, we keep them!

 

- Instructions: Stand in front of a box that is the level of you knees or lower. Sit back and tap the box with your butt. Jump up as high as you can then repeat. For a full set, set a timer to go off every 60 seconds. Do 10 jumps and rest until the timer goes off again. See how many minutes you can do! Start with 4 rounds and add a round each week.

Conclusion

Incorporating these exercises into your routine can greatly improve your pickleball game and help you avoid injuries. By focusing on essential exercises and consistently training, you'll see improvements in agility, speed, and power on the court.


At Progressive Athletics, Dr. Gabby Mace, a pickleball enthusiast and coach, has helped us create an innovative workout system designed for adults aiming to return or maintain an active lifestyle. With her program for pickleball injuries, you can safely work out and get back into an active lifestyle.


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