Padel players don’t have to go to the gym, but it’s one of the most useful things you can do alongside your time on court. Strong legs, core and shoulders make your shots more solid and your movement faster, and they help you avoid the injuries that often happen in padel.
Why go to the gym as a padel player?
The main reason is injury prevention. In an analysis that pooled 25 studies, strength training cut the number of sports injuries to less than a third. Elbow, shoulder, calf and knee injuries are common in padel, and stronger muscles and tendons cope better with that load.
Strength also makes you faster. Padel is made up of accelerations, stops and side steps, and leg strength helps you reach the ball and stop under control. The power in your shots also comes from your legs and the rotation of your body, and a strong core simply carries it through to your arm.
A stronger body tires less at the end of a long match, which you especially notice on a tournament day.
The World Health Organization recommends muscle-strengthening exercise on at least two days a week for all adults. According to the 2026 position stand of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), the biggest benefit comes from simply getting started.
How often should you go to the gym?
Twice a week is a good start. After the first few months, you can also do three sessions a week during a break from playing. In season, when you’re playing a lot, one harder session a week is enough to maintain your strength.
Don’t do a heavy leg session the day before an important match or tournament.
Which exercises are most useful for padel players?
Legs and hips
- Squats, for example with a dumbbell held at your chest (goblet squat), work all your leg muscles.
- Forward and lateral lunges teach you to brake and to move sideways.
- The Romanian deadlift strengthens your hamstrings and glutes, which protect your lower back and help you accelerate.
- The Bulgarian split squat (rear foot on a bench) builds single-leg strength and balance.
Calves and Achilles tendon
- Calf raises with a straight knee and with a bent knee, so that both main calf muscles get worked.
The calf and the Achilles tendon are often injured in padel. Tendons adapt mainly to how heavy the load is, so add weight over time, for example by holding dumbbells.
Core and rotation
- Pallof press with a resistance band or cable: you push your hands straight out in front without letting your body rotate. It teaches you to keep your core braced.
- Side planks strengthen the muscles along the sides of your trunk.
- Side-on medicine ball throws against a wall build rotational speed. The movement is very similar to a shot.
Shoulders and shoulder blades
- Shoulder external rotation with a resistance band strengthens the rotator cuff muscles.
- Rows with a dumbbell or cable strengthen the muscles of your back and shoulder blades.
- Face pulls, where you pull a cable towards your face, train the back of the shoulder.
In one large study of handball players, a similar shoulder programme reduced shoulder problems, but later studies haven’t always confirmed this. There’s no such study for padel yet.
Forearms and wrists
- Eccentric wrist extension: lift the dumbbell with both hands and lower it slowly with one. The same principle is used in rehab for elbow pain.
- For grip strength, carry heavy dumbbells (farmer’s walk).
Explosive power for more experienced players
- Lateral bounds from one leg to the other.
- Box jumps.
- Medicine ball throws against a wall.
Only add explosive work once your technique on the basic exercises is solid, and do it at the start of a session while you’re fresh.
What does a simple two-day plan look like?
The plan below suits gym beginners. Do it twice a week, with at least one rest day in between. Rest 1–2 minutes between sets.
| Day A | Sets × reps | Day B | Sets × reps |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dumbbell squat | 3 × 8–10 | Bulgarian split squat | 3 × 8 per leg |
| Romanian deadlift | 3 × 8–10 | Push-ups | 3 × 8–12 |
| Row | 3 × 10 | Lateral lunge | 2 × 8 per side |
| Pallof press | 3 × 10 per side | Side plank | 3 × 20–30 s per side |
| Calf raises | 3 × 12–15 | Eccentric wrist extension | 3 × 15 |
| Shoulder external rotation with a band | 2 × 15 | Side-on medicine ball throw | 3 × 6 per side |
Start with a lighter weight and learn the movement properly. The last few reps should be hard, but your technique has to stay clean. You don’t need to take your muscles to complete failure.
How do you increase the load?
- Once you can do the top number of reps in every set with clean technique, add a little weight next time.
- According to the ACSM’s 2026 position stand, heavy loads build strength best: about 80% of your maximum, 2–3 sets per exercise. Work up to that gradually.
- Write your sessions down. That way you can see if you’re improving.
How do you fit strength training and padel into the same week?
A good rhythm is to do strength training and padel on different days. If they fall on the same day, play first and do your strength session afterwards, or leave several hours between them. You’ll find a sample week in the fitness overview.
Will the gym make you slow or too bulky?
No. Strength training makes you faster, because accelerating and jumping need strength. Building a lot of muscle mass takes a lot of training and food. Two strength sessions a week won’t do that.
Is strength training safe for older players?
Yes, and older players need it even more. Muscle strength declines with age if you don’t train it, and players over 40 have a higher injury risk in padel. Start lighter, and if you have heart disease, high blood pressure or another chronic condition, talk to a doctor first.
What should you do if something hurts?
Mild muscle soreness for a day or two after training is normal. Sharp pain in a joint, pain that keeps you awake, or pain that gets worse with every session is not. Reduce the load and see our sports injuries guide.
Do a warm-up before strength training and before playing. You’ll find mobility exercises in the mobility guide.
Sources
- Lauersen et al. (2014), British Journal of Sports Medicine: the effect of training on sports injuries
- Bull et al. (2020), British Journal of Sports Medicine: WHO physical activity guidelines
- ACSM: 2026 update to the resistance training guidelines
- Dahmen et al. (2023), BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine: padel injuries
- Science & Sports (2024): injuries among French padel players
- Bohm, Mersmann and Arampatzis (2015), Sports Medicine Open: how tendons adapt to loading
- Andersson et al. (2017): a shoulder programme in 660 handball players
- Tyler et al. (2010), Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery: eccentric wrist exercise for elbow pain
- Spiering et al. (2021), Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research: maintaining fitness with minimal training