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Improve Your Leg Power
By Rose Bonomo
Explosive leg power enables an athlete to move quickly
in any direction, cover the court or field effectively and transfer
ground reaction forces to a stroke, swing, kick or throw. In tennis,
this translates to a player's ability to run down a drop shot or
wide ball, change direction quickly, lunge for a wide volley, or
execute a powerful serve. Because movements such as running, lunging,
pushing off, and jumping are executed on one leg at a time, in training
tennis-specific leg power, the workout program must include explosive
exercises performed on a single leg.
To develop explosive power, consider the following
revisions to your current leg program: substitute one-leg extensions
or curls for the two-legged version, add weighted bench steps or
jumps, do your lunges more explosively from the push off, and/or
add a few sets of squat jumps. You're likely to see improvement
even with minor changes.
The following are examples of specific basic, intermediate
and advanced programs targeted to improve your on-court speed and
agility, and develop leg power. Each workout starts with a 4-8 minute
warm-up and concludes with stretching for 5-10 minutes. Do 1 set
of each exercise, then repeat the entire sequence according to the
number of sets indicated. Do each program for 2-4 weeks, then move
on to the next level.
Basic: Perform these exercises 2 times per
week. This is the time to familiarize yourself with the exercise
technique.
| Exercise |
Set
x Reps |
Weight
/ Intensity |
 |
| Bench Step |
2 x 12 |
Light /
Easy |
| Dumbbell
Partial Squat |
2 x 10 |
Light /
Easy |
| 2 Leg Press |
2 x 12 |
Light /
Easy |
| Forward
and Side Lunges |
2 x 10
/ each |
Light /
Easy |
Intermediate: Perform these exercises 3 times
per week. Be sure all exercises are performed explosively (as fast
as possible) and that you choose a heavy enough weight so that the
last rep of each set is challenging.
| Exercise |
Set
x Reps |
Weight
/ Intensity |
|
| 1
Leg Bench Step |
3
x 10 / each |
Moderate
/ Moderate |
| DB
or Bar Squat (thigh parallel to floor) |
3
x 10 |
Moderate
/ Moderate |
| 1
Leg Press |
3
x 10 / each |
Moderate
/ Moderate |
| Forward,
Side and Crossover Lunges |
3
x 8/ each |
Moderate
/ Moderate |
Advanced: Do not progress to the advanced program
until you have mastered the intermediate. Perform these exercises
2-3 times per week, depending on the rest of your training. Weight
should be very challenging and intensity high.
| Exercise |
Set
x Reps |
Weight
/ Intensity |
|
| Alternating
or 1 Leg Bench Jumps |
3
x 8 / each |
Heavy
/ High |
| Bar
Squat - slow descent, fast ascent |
3
x 6-8 |
Heavy
/ High |
| 1
Leg Press -(Jumping, if equipment allows) |
3
x 6-8/ each |
Heavy
/ High |
| Forward,
Side and Crossover Lunges, knee to floor each time, very explosive |
3
x 8/ each |
Heavy
/ High |
The key to making any program effective is to use
the principles of progression to determine the appropriate level
of difficulty, intensity, and volume of training. The exercises
listed here will teach you to progress from simple to complex, from
two legs to one leg, from light to moderate to high intensity and
from light to heavier weights. Remember to push yourself gradually
as you adapt to the challenge and to let your body and your body's
ability to recover from each workout help guide you in these progressions.
Happy Training!
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