Tennis Fitness Program-Tennis Player Strength-Tennis Performance Training-Tennis Power

Tennis Xercise

What We Do
Simply put, Tennis Xercise (my spelling twist on Tennis Exercise) is fitness for tennis that improves tennis performance by getting the participant in better shape and by making the player a better athlete. Put another way, instead of playing tennis to get fit, I show you how to get fit to play!

TenX Fitness programs are tennis-specific workouts created to offer comprehensive conditioning protocols addressing movement skills, strength and power development, cardiovascular training, nutrition/hydration, and flexibility.

This website is dedicated to providing you with access to my cutting-edge tennis fitness tips, and my high-energy programs, presentations and products.

Athletic Body Training
Athletic Body Training is what we call our philosophy for training and this is what transforms your body into a calorie-burning machine! We believe that there is an athlete in everyBODY. Through the years, Adam has worked with clients ranging from general health and fitness enthusiasts to professional athletes. It very quickly became clear to Adam that no matter what the age or experience level in fitness, without fail, most everyBODY responded favorably to a step-by-step approach that begins with fundamentals and progressively challenges the client over a set period of time. In the sport world, this is known as periodization training. Simply put, it is common sense training that mirrors the natural learning progressions in life- first we crawl, then walk, then jog, then run, then sprint. Every level builds on the work that has been done in the prior phase.

To develop athletic abilities in everyBODY, Adam has designed workouts around the "The Ultimate 6 Pack" of activity:

Dynamic Warm Up

Resistance Training

Movement Exercises (Cardio)

Balance

Core Stability

Flexibility

1. Dynamic Warm-Up
This aspect of the workouts gets the body ready for action. It will get the blood flowing, warm up the core muscle temperature, take the muscles through full range of motion and mimic the movements that follow. This will not be your typical stretching routine. Studies have shown that a dynamic warm up is the most effective way to prepare the muscles for physical activity. Maximal contractile capabilities for a muscle are found when the muscle is at resting length or slightly longer than resting length and dynamic warm up has been shown to be the most effective to achieve this. In layman's terms what this is saying is that if a muscle is not stretched at all (cold) or is overly stretched out, it will not produce maximal results.

2. Resistance Training
Without question, resistance training (strength training) is essential to burn fat and add lean muscle. In addition to proper nutrition, it heats up your metabolism. The more lean muscle you have the more calories you burn. Lean muscle fiber has been shown to burn calories 24 hours per day! You burn while you sleep, how great is that. Additionally, more lean muscle means more strength. The stronger you are the better. There are studies that show people in their 60s and 70s making significant gains in the strength through resistance training. Through strength training you will:

increase bone density
lower your blood pressure
lower your cholesterol levels
lower your risk of stroke, diabetes, cancer and arthritis

increase your energy level through increases in serotonin and endorphin levels

3. Movement Exercises
Agility-By definition, if one is agile, he/she has the ability to move quickly and easily. For our purposes it addresses how quickly one can change directions while maintaining balance and speed. An example in a match would be hitting a wide forehand and then quickly recovering and sprinting to a drop shot. Within the course of an average point, which lasts anywhere from 3-15 seconds, studies have shown there will be 4-6 directional changes. Agility will provide you with the opportunity to create a more balanced foundation from which to strike the ball.
Lateral Movement-For our purposes, this describes side to side baseline movement. We will address proper shuffling, movement to close and wide balls, as well recovery techniques through a variety of drills that emphasize acceleration, speed endurance, and coordination.

4. Balance
If one is balanced in a neutral position, their center of gravity (where the most mass is concentrated) falls directly over their base of support (the space between the feet). This "balanced" position is also where there is the least amount of excessive stress on the muscles and ligaments. The tennis stroke when properly executed requires both linear and rotational movements of the body. This involves shifting the center of gravity beyond the base of support, then moving to re-establish balance beneath it (dynamic balance). With balance training, the athletes will more efficiently transfer lower body power to the upper body (kinetic link), which is necessary for efficient stroke production.

5. Core Stability
The core is the girdle of abdominal and lumbar muscles that supports the spine, protects the organs, and distributes the force of activity between the upper and lower body. The most efficient tennis stroke utilizes a transfer of energy from the lower to the upper body (the kinetic link system). The core muscles are the "link" between the two and therefore one of the most important areas of the body to address for the tennis player!

6. Flexibilty
Flexibility is described as the range of motion about a joint. When the body is placed in extreme positions and called upon to produce technically sound, powerful shots such as hitting a wide forehand at full extension, it is important to have flexibility in many areas of the body- the shoulders, hamstrings, and low back. Research shows that having proper flexibility in these areas facilitates proper execution and helps to prevent injury. Regular flexibility training certainly goes a long way towards extending one's career.

Driving Principles:

Seek Overall Muscular Balance and Symmetry
That is, remember there are two sides to every coin. You've got to flip the burger- don't go off half cooked! If you work back, work chest. If you push, make sure you pull. If you raise, make sure you lower. If you Joanie, make sure you Chachie!

If you want Results, demand Results!
The truth of the matter, is that Success Leaves Clues. Over and over again, it has been shown and demonstrated that true mastery of any skill or activity comes down to repetition of the fundamentals on a daily basis. In short, get better at the basics. Do your best to avoid coming from the mindset of the jack-of-all-trades. If you do, evidence supports the fact that more often that not, you shall become the master of none.