Playing sports like pickleball and padel is an entertaining way to stay active, challenge yourself and have fun. These fast-paced racquet sports require quick reflexes, agility, and strategy. They are an excellent way to boost cardiovascular fitness, hand-eye coordination and social connections. Whether you're a beginner or a seasoned player, a strong warm-up is essential to prevent injuries. It also boosts your performance and enhances your overall game experience. Fitness trainer Yasmin Karachiwala shares tried and tested warm-up exercises to do before playing pickleball and padel.
In a post shared on Instagram, she writes, "Level up your pickle and padel game with this game-changing warm-up! 14 targeted exercises designed to activate every muscle you'll need on the court. Trust the process, feel the difference!"
Warm-up exercises for pickleball (10-12 reps each)
- Standing Spine Twist: This exercise loosens the spine and prepares the torso for dynamic movements.
- Calf Raises: This exercise targets the gastrocnemius and soleus muscles, helping to improve ankle stability and power.
- Single Leg Calf Raises: This one takes calf raises to the next level by challenging balance and stability on one leg. It strengthens the calf muscles and improves proprioception.
- Pogo Jumps: This plyometric exercise enhances power, speed, and agility. By mimicking the explosive movements required in pickleball and padel, this exercise prepares your legs for rapid and high-intensity actions.
- Reverse Lunges with Twist: This exercise targets the legs, glutes, and core while improving flexibility and mobility in the hips and spine.
- Squat Jumps: Squat jumps are a powerful exercise for building lower-body strength, power, and explosiveness. It will improve your ability to explosively drive upward and cover the court quickly.
- Lateral Side-to-Side Jumps: This exercise enhances lateral movement and agility, allowing you to quickly shift direction and cover the court.
- Forward and Backwards Jumps: This exercise improves power, speed, and agility by challenging you to explosively jump forward and backwards.
- Single Leg Lateral Jumps: A challenging exercise, single-leg lateral jumps improve your balance, stability, and power.
- Shoulder External Rotations with Ball: This exercise targets the rotator cuff muscles, improving shoulder mobility and stability.
- Shoulder Internal Rotations with Ball: Shoulder internal rotations complement external rotations by maintaining a balanced range of motion in the shoulder joint. This exercise helps improve shoulder health and athletic performance.
- Robot Arms with Ball: It is an effective way to warm up the shoulders and improve mobility.
- Chest Expansion: Chest expansion exercises improve posture, flexibility, and mobility in the chest and shoulders.
- Wrist Mobility: This exercise is essential for maintaining flexibility and range of motion in the wrists.
Disclaimer: This content including advice provides generic information only. It is in no way a substitute for a qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your doctor for more information. NDTV does not claim responsibility for this information.
