A Simple 35-Minute Tennis Workout for Beginners

A useful beginner tennis workout should prepare you to start, stop, move sideways and recover—not simply leave you exhausted. This 35-minute routine combines a dynamic warm-up, basic strength work and short movement intervals. You need two markers, a stable chair, a light resistance band with a secure anchor and enough clear space to take three steps in each direction.

For a healthy adult, twice a week is a practical starting schedule, preferably not immediately before a match or demanding court session. Current American College of Sports Medicine guidance emphasizes training the major muscle groups at least twice weekly and notes that bands, bodyweight exercises and home routines can all be effective; complicated programming is not required (ACSM).

If you are returning after an injury, have a medical condition or feel pain during an exercise, seek appropriate medical guidance rather than trying to work through it.

1. Dynamic warm-up: 7 minutes

Warm up through controlled movement rather than holding long stretches. The USTA recommends a dynamic pre-play routine and includes arm circles, side shuffles, knee-to-chest tucks, lunges and lateral lunges among its examples (USTA).

Perform each movement for one minute:

1. Brisk walk or easy jog with arm circles. Begin with small forward circles, then make them gradually larger. Switch direction halfway.
2. Side shuffle. Take short steps without clicking your feet together. Change direction every 10 seconds.
3. Alternating knee-to-chest walk. Stand tall, briefly draw one knee upward, release it and step forward.
4. Reverse lunge with reach. Step back, lower only as far as you can remain balanced, then reach both hands overhead.
5. Lateral lunge. Step to one side and sit your hips back over that leg. Keep the other leg long, then return to the middle.
6. Hip hinge and trunk turn. Push your hips back with a long spine, stand, then turn your chest gently to one side. Alternate sides.
7. Split step and first step. Make a small hop, land on both feet and immediately take one easy step right or left. Reset after every repetition.

Checkpoint: You should feel warmer and move more freely, but still be able to speak in full sentences. The landing on each split step should be quiet and balanced. If it is heavy or unstable, make the hop smaller—or quickly widen your stance without leaving the floor.

2. Strength circuit: 13 minutes

Complete each exercise for 40 seconds, then take 20 seconds to change stations. Rest one minute after all six, then repeat the circuit once. Move slowly enough to control every repetition; this is strength work, not a race.

Chair squat

Stand just in front of a stable chair with your feet around shoulder-width apart. Send your hips back, touch the seat lightly and stand. Keep your whole foot planted.

Look for: knees tracking in roughly the same direction as your toes, without collapsing inward.

Supported reverse lunge

Hold the chair lightly. Step one foot back, lower a short distance, then push through the front foot to stand. Change legs halfway.

Make it easier: shorten the step and reduce the depth.

Incline push-up

Place your hands on a stable bench, counter or wall. Keep a straight line from head to heels as you lower your chest and press away.

Look for: shoulders staying away from your ears and hips not sagging.

Resistance-band row

Inspect the band and secure it to an anchor intended to resist the pull. Step back until the band is lightly tensioned, then pull your elbows toward your ribs. Pause briefly and return with control.

Look for: a still torso. Do not lean backward to finish the pull.

Dead bug

Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet raised. Brace your middle gently, then lower the opposite arm and leg without letting your lower back lift. Alternate sides.

Make it easier: move one heel toward the floor while keeping both arms still.

Calf raise with a balance pause

Hold the chair if needed. Rise onto the balls of both feet, pause, then lower slowly. For the final 10 seconds, stay tall and balance with only light hand support.

Strength checkpoint: The last few seconds may feel demanding, but your movement should look much like it did at the start. Stop the set when you have to twist, bounce or shorten the movement substantially.

Reset: 2 minutes

Walk around, take a drink if needed and place the markers for the movement section. Begin only when your breathing is controlled and you can set a balanced ready position.

3. Tennis movement intervals: 8 minutes

Tennis uses repeated bursts of effort separated by recovery, while unpredictable ball placement demands lateral and multidirectional movement. A review of tennis physiology therefore recommends training movement patterns that resemble those used on court (British Journal of Sports Medicine). For a beginner, movement quality matters more than maximum speed.

Place two markers two or three comfortable shuffle steps to either side of a center position. Rehearse this sequence slowly for two minutes:

1. Start in a balanced ready position.
2. Make a small split step.
3. Push toward one marker and shuffle across.
4. Stop under control beside the marker.
5. Make a compact shadow forehand or backhand at about half speed.
6. Recover to the center without turning your back to the imaginary net.

Then complete six rounds of 20 seconds moving and 40 seconds walking or resting. Alternate the starting direction each round.

Keep your steps short as you approach a marker. Do not force a wide final stride or let your feet cross during the side shuffle. The purpose is to practise pushing, braking and recovering while balanced. For more movement-only progressions, use these tennis agility drills.

Movement checkpoint: You should arrive early enough to pause beside the marker before the shadow swing. If momentum carries you beyond it, reduce your speed or bring the markers closer.

4. Cool down: 5 minutes

Walk easily for two minutes until your breathing settles. Use the remaining three minutes for comfortable calf, front-of-thigh and chest stretches. Hold each position without bouncing and stay below the point of pain. This follows the USTA’s general sequence of dynamic movement before tennis and static flexibility work after play (USTA).

How to progress the workout

Keep the same version for several sessions. When you can complete every round with quiet landings, controlled stops and similar movement quality at the end, change one variable:

• add a third circuit only if two rounds remain controlled;
• use a slightly stronger band;
• move each marker one step farther from center; or
• increase movement rounds from 20 to 25 seconds while keeping 40 seconds of recovery.

Do not increase speed, distance and work time together. If a change causes your movement quality to break down, return to the previous version.

This workout supports tennis practice; it does not replace hitting balls. If you train on court the same day, use the seven-minute dynamic section before play and save the strength circuit for afterward or another day. Pair it with a measurable technical session from this fundamentals-first tennis practice plan, rather than turning every workout into an unstructured hitting session.