High Intensity Interval Training for Tennis
Without any gym equipment except a jump rope, and a do it yourself, old school training gadget....
... A homemade sandbag
Yep, a 'sandbag' - I'll tell you more later on how you can get the stuff at your local Home Depot for about 15 bucks and make it yourself, but let's dive into the training for now.
The sandbags can range anywhere between 10-100+ lbs, depending on how you make it, and your current strength level.
For the purpose of this High Intensity Training Segment, I'd recommend using a sandbag weighing around 20-40 lbs.
20 lb bag for a female
40 lb bag for a male
So, here's what you need:
1. Homemade Sandbag (SB)
2. Jump Rope (JR)
You'll be doing 6 rounds total.
First place the sandbag on your right shoulder, and perform 15 squats.
As soon as your done, drop the bag, rest 20 seconds, and move on to the jump rope performing 40 jumps *OR* for a 20 second time limit - whichever comes first.
That's one round.
Rest 20 seconds and repeat, except this time, you'll place the sandbag on your left shoulder.
Alternate shoulders for the sandbag for each round.
Complete 6 rounds.
Example:
Rd 1
SB Squat - Right Shoulder
20 second rest
JR
20 second rest
Rd 2
SB Squat - Left Shoulder
20 second rest
JR
20 second rest
Rd 3
SB Squat - Right Shoulder
20 second rest
JR
20 second rest
Again, continue alternating shoulders with each round until you complete 6 rounds.
As we become more and more tired during a match, our mind begins to wander, we lose focus, and we begin to make errors we wouldn't normally make.
To combat this naturally occurring phenomenon, we've gotta train past the point of fatigue that we would normally face in a tennis match, and then force ourselves to concentrate.
The concentration point for this Interval is jumping rope.
If you've ever jumped rope before (and I'm sure you have), it's not THAT easy, and when you're tired it makes it that much more difficult, forcing you to concentrate.
This will translate DIRECTLY to the tennis courts and not only improve your recovery time between points, but also your concentration levels while your fatigued.
By Todd Scott - Tennis Fitness Expert