Fitness for padel players: strength, mobility and warm-up

Padel is good exercise, but playing alone won’t train everything the game demands of your body. Strength, mobility and a proper warm-up help you play better and lower your risk of injury.

What does padel demand of your body?

Padel is a stop-start game: short, fast rallies with breaks in between.

At the top level, studies put the average rally at about 10–17 seconds.
The ball is in play for roughly a third to half of the match.
Average heart rate is about 70–80% of maximum.
Players cover about 2–4 km in a match, mostly in short accelerations, stops and side steps.

There are also lots of overhead shots and body rotations. That puts load on your shoulder, elbow, calves and lower back.

Is padel good exercise?

Yes. Most of a match is played at moderate to high intensity, and it builds endurance, speed and coordination. The World Health Organization recommends 150–300 minutes of moderate or 75–150 minutes of vigorous activity a week for adults. Two padel matches a week cover a large part of that.

The same recommendations also include muscle-strengthening exercise on at least two days a week. Padel doesn’t replace that.

Why should padel players do extra training?

Mainly to prevent injuries. A systematic review of padel injuries found about 3 injuries per 1,000 training hours and about 8 injuries per 1,000 matches. The elbow is injured most often, and shoulder, knee and calf injuries are also common. In a French survey, players over 40 had a considerably higher injury risk than younger players.

Strength training is one of the best-proven ways to prevent sports injuries. In an analysis that pooled 25 studies, strength training cut sports injuries to less than a third. Stretching on its own did not reduce injuries.

How should you structure your week?

Day	Sample week for a recreational player
Monday	strength training, 40 minutes
Tuesday	padel
Wednesday	rest or light activity, 10 minutes of mobility work
Thursday	strength training, 40 minutes
Saturday	padel
Sunday	a walk or a bike ride

Warm up before every match. In busy playing periods or during tournament season, one harder strength session a week is enough to maintain your strength.

Where should you start?

Strength training for padel players: exercises and a simple two-day plan.
Mobility: hips, upper back, shoulders and ankles.
Warm-up: a 10-minute routine before you play.

Our health guides cover recovery, injuries and nutrition. If you have a chronic illness, a heart problem or an injury, talk to a doctor before you start training.