Liftworthy
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Liftworthy

Every exercise ranked by research, by lifters and by results. Find what’s S-tier for your goal, then train it.

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Explore/Racket

Gym exercises for

Racket

Tennis, padel, squash, badminton: rotation, lateral speed and shoulder health.

  • Rotational power
  • Lateral speed and deceleration
  • Rotator cuff and elbow resilience

Live ranking · updated by evidence & ratings

Racket workout My tier list
S
Lateral Lunge
Lateral Bound
A
Med Ball Rotational Throw
Cable External Rotation
Bulgarian Split Squat
Cable Woodchop
Pogo Hops
Copenhagen Plank
Reverse Wrist Curl
Single-Leg Calf Raise
Single-Leg RDL
B
Landmine Rotation
Pallof Press
Wrist Curl
Band Pull-Apart
Dumbbell Rotations
C
Face Pull
Barbell Back Squat
D
Overhead Press
F
—

Full ranking

  1. 1S
    Lateral Lunge
    Strength · Dumbbell
    No ratings yet
    93
    Research
    Lifters
  2. 2S
    Lateral Bound
    Power · Bodyweight
    No ratings yet
    85
    Research
    Lifters
  3. 3A
    Med Ball Rotational Throw
    Power · Other
    No ratings yet
    79
    Research
    Lifters
  4. 4A
    Cable External Rotation
    Protection · Cable
    No ratings yet
    77
    Research
    Lifters
  5. 5A
    Bulgarian Split Squat
    Strength · Dumbbell
    No ratings yet
    75
    Research
    Lifters
  6. 6A
    Cable Woodchop
    Core · Cable
    No ratings yet
    74
    Research
    Lifters
  7. 7A
    Pogo Hops
    Power · Bodyweight
    No ratings yet
    74
    Research
    Lifters
  8. 8A
    Copenhagen Plank
    Protection · Bodyweight
    No ratings yet
    70
    Research
    Lifters
  9. 9A
    Reverse Wrist Curl
    Protection · Dumbbell
    No ratings yet
    70
    Research
    Lifters
  10. 10A
    Single-Leg Calf Raise
    Protection · Dumbbell
    No ratings yet
    70
    Research
    Lifters
  11. 11A
    Single-Leg RDL
    Strength · Dumbbell
    No ratings yet
    70
    Research
    Lifters
  12. 12B
    Landmine Rotation
    Core · Barbell
    No ratings yet
    68
    Research
    Lifters
  13. 13B
    Pallof Press
    Core · Cable
    No ratings yet
    63
    Research
    Lifters
  14. 14B
    Wrist Curl
    Accessory · Dumbbell
    No ratings yet
    63
    Research
    Lifters
  15. 15B
    Band Pull-Apart
    Protection · Band
    No ratings yet
    59
    Research
    Lifters
  16. 16B
    Dumbbell Rotations
    Protection · Dumbbell
    No ratings yet
    59
    Research
    Lifters
  17. 17C
    Face Pull
    Protection · Cable
    No ratings yet
    53
    Research
    Lifters
  18. 18C
    Barbell Back Squat
    Strength · Barbell
    No ratings yet
    50
    Research
    Lifters
  19. 19D
    Overhead Press
    Strength · Barbell
    No ratings yet
    31
    Research
    Lifters

From the research

−50%ACL injuries in athletes who followed injury-prevention training.Webster & Hewett, 2018 · Mostly female athletes; too little data to judge men.−28%shoulder problems in elite handball players who added a shoulder programme to their warm-up.Andersson et al., 2017 · Elite handball players in Norway; throwing, not racket sports.

What are the best gym exercises for racket sports?

Right now Lateral Lunge ranks first, with an overall score of 93 from the research rubric. It’s followed by Lateral Bound and Med Ball Rotational Throw. For the core of a programme, the top strength lift is Lateral Lunge and the top power exercise is Lateral Bound. The best choice for you depends on your equipment and how it feels on your joints, which is why every exercise links to alternatives.

Why it ranks: Strength in the exact lunge you make to reach wide balls.

How these scores are calculated →