TFP 048: Optimizing Your Strength and Conditioning Workouts with Dominic King

On today's episode of The Tennis Files Podcast, I spoke with Dominic King, Head of Athlete Development for Everyball Tennis at Halton Tennis Centre in the United Kingdom. Dom is an expert in strength and conditioning for tennis players, and it was a great pleasure speaking with him and learning about many important principles and tips about tennis fitness.

Dom has a very accomplished background. He is an iTPA Master Tennis Performance Specialist (MTPS), one of only a small number of people to hold this designation worldwide. Dom is also an Accredited Strength & Conditioning Coach (ASCC) with the UK Strength & Conditioning Association, and an NASM Performance Enhancement Specialist (PES). Dom holds numerous other professional qualifications as well.

Dom trains club players anywhere from 8 to 80 + years old and loves helping each player improve and develop as a tennis athlete. We covered several important areas of tennis strength and conditioning, including how players can optimize their workouts, optimal rep ranges and recovery periods, and key exercises to improve your tennis game. I hope you enjoy my interview with Dom!

Time-Stamped Show Notes

[3:16] What made Dom decide to specialize in the fitness side of tennis?

[5:19] Dom's competitive tennis background

[6:27] Accreditations and degrees Dom finds the most useful for his profession as a tennis strength and conditioning expert

[9:13] Mehrban talks about taking the iTPA exam to become a certified Tennis Performance Trainer in 3 months

[10:15] Athletes/coaches Dom looked up to the most when he was figuring out his career path

[12:43] How many strength and conditioning sessions do Dom's players usually partake in per week?

[14:30] How long does each S&C training session last for on average?

[15:50] How should we split our workouts in terms of what part of the body is being worked out (i.e. legs day, arms day, push-pull etc.)?

[17:43] Why working out for a tennis player is different than general weight training

[21:53] Rep ranges and recovery periods that Dom's players use, and whether it varies on the off season or type of workout

[25:10] Is there a use for low rep ranges and 90%+ of 1 rep max for tennis players?

[27:52] 3 exercises that transfer into better performance on the court

[32:39] Is the bench press a useful exercise for tennis players?

[34:33] How often you should change up a workout routine

[36:44] Should we use tennis-specific exercises in our weight training, or should we get players strong in a more traditional manner first?

[39:30] The biggest mistake that tennis players make when training

[42:20] Tips for players to maintain their strength and conditioning while constantly traveling on the road to tournaments

[46:42] Can players have a good S&C workout without weights?

What types of equipment do you suggest they use?

[48:39] Use of the legs and rotation to generate power and what we can learn from boxing and other combat sports

[53:10] How important are the legs for the serve?

[55:57] What other sports are most similar to tennis?

[58:44] Dom's experiences working with players of all different ages

[1:04:17] A typical day training tennis players at Halton Tennis Centre in the UK

[1:07:00] 3 books Dom would gift to a friend to help them increase their knowledge about tennis fitness and strength and conditioning.

[1:09:18] Where we can find Dom online and in person

[1:11:04] One myth about strength and conditioning for tennis

[1:12:28] One key tip to help you improve your strength and conditioning for tennis

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