Introduction to Upper Body Strength Training: Push Up Progressions

Key Points

• Weight training for children can be extremely positive for their growth, neural development, and bone development
• 70% of injuries in the gym are due to a lack of supervision or improper technique
• Young athletes need to be taught proper movement, mechanics, and focus in the gym
• Remember, the workouts you see players like Carlos Alcaraz doing today are not the same workouts they were doing at 12 years old
• The push-up for tennis players builds upper body strength to help them endure the rigors of the sport
• You don't want to see a curvature of the back with a 'banana shape'; what you want is the rib cage tucked in and the core held tight
• Start with a push-up on the knees and gradually build strength until you can progress to a full push-up
• When doing a full push-up, continue to maintain perfect postural alignment
• Breathe in when going down, and exhale on the way up
• Make it more challenging by lifting one leg off the ground while doing a push-up
• This will emphasize body stability and increase the demand on the core and upper body strength
• Use an upside-down BOSU ball to create instability, further engaging the core and challenging your shoulder complex
• Once you've mastered that, progress to lifting one leg while using the BOSU ball
• Once the BOSU ball becomes easy, progress to using a Swiss ball
• Position the Swiss ball under your shins or toes, and progress to lifting one leg as it becomes easier
• Once you've progressed to an advanced level, try placing your hands on the sides of the Swiss ball. As it becomes easier, progress to lifting one leg
• We need upper body strength in tennis because it is such a repetitive sport
• The upper body must be able to withstand hundreds or even thousands of shots per practice session or match
• Research has shown that strength training reduces the number of injuries compared to stretching
• Upper body strength training had a dramatic effect and led to significant improvement when Dean trained Eugenie Bouchard