Today marks a significant milestone. We have finally arrived at the moment that sparked the idea for the weekly tennis training posts I have been writing about since February. Each Tuesday has featured off-court exercises that made cameo appearances in the Netflix docuseries ‘Break Point.’ I originally thought it would provide source material for a handful of articles. That turned out to be a significant underestimate.
Jessica Pegula is seen during Season 1, Episode 4, performing Adductor Side Plank Leg Lifts. Unlike so many of the other training techniques revealed on the show, this was the first time I had seen this specific exercise in a tennis context. It definitely sparked my curiosity.
As the name of the exercise implies, this technique works the adductor muscles, which are responsible for pulling the legs inward toward the middle of the body. Strengthening these muscles can improve the stability of the inner thighs. That is important for various functional movements on the tennis court.
The Adductor Side Plank Leg Lift also provides stability in the hip joint, which can prevent injury. The side plank engages the core muscles, including the obliques and transverse abdominis, stabilizing the torso. Those muscles are highly involved with hitting tennis groundstrokes and also support good balance.
I found a short YouTube video that demonstrates the technique. As is the case with anything involving a plank, it looks easy but is fairly challenging. To be completely transparent, I cannot execute this move with any semblance of good form. Consequently, I am working on remedial side planks and using other methods to strengthen my adductors. It might take a while for me to build up to this one.
In related news, Jessica Pegula is a badass.
