Padel Upper Body Training
Build rotator cuff health, shoulder stability, core power transfer, and the arm endurance that lets you play aggressively in the final set.
of padel injuries are shoulder and upper limb
pulling-to-pushing ratio recommended for shoulder health
to measurable rotator cuff strength gains
In short: padel upper body training is not about building bigger arms or a stronger bench press. It is about rotator cuff health that protects the shoulder through thousands of overhead shots, core anti-rotation that transfers force from the ground to the racket efficiently, and forearm conditioning that prevents the lateral elbow overload that ends padel seasons. Train these and the power takes care of itself.
What Padel Actually Demands from the Upper Body
Three distinct demands that shape every training decision
Smash Force Through Shoulder
The bandeja, vibora, and smash all require rapid shoulder internal rotation driven from the hip and transmitted through the trunk to the racket. The shoulder itself is not the primary force producer — it is the endpoint of a kinetic chain starting at the ground. Weak links anywhere in that chain — hip, core, scapular control — overload the shoulder to compensate. Train the chain, not just the shoulder.
Lateral Drive and Volley Absorption
Volleys and defensive shots require the shoulder to absorb and redirect force rather than produce it. This demands eccentric stability — the ability to resist unwanted movement while maintaining racket position. The rotator cuff muscles do this work. When they are fatigued or weak, the larger muscles take over and joint mechanics deteriorate. This is how chronic shoulder impingement develops.
Wrist Pronation on Volleys and Drives
The wrist pronation and supination during volleys and drive shots is a forearm demand that most players never train. The lateral elbow — the attachment point of the wrist extensors — absorbs repeated eccentric load during these movements. Over a season of regular play without targeted forearm conditioning, this accumulates into lateral epicondylalgia (padel elbow). See our shoulder pain guide and elbow support guide.
7 Key Exercises for Padel Upper Body Training
Shoulder health, power transfer, and forearm resilience — all seven have a specific role
Anchor a barbell in a corner or landmine attachment. Press the free end upward in a diagonal arc, rotating the torso slightly. The landmine press allows overhead pressing without the shoulder impingement risk of a standard overhead press — the diagonal arc keeps the shoulder in a safer position while still training the pressing strength padel requires. Excellent for players with shoulder history or hypermobility.
3 sets x 10 reps each arm. Control the descent.
Brace one hand and knee on a bench, row a dumbbell from full extension to the hip, driving the elbow back and pinching the shoulder blade at the top. Padel requires a 3:1 ratio of pulling to pushing exercises for shoulder health. Most players push far more than they pull — every smash, every volley, every drive is a pressing movement. Rows balance this load and protect the posterior shoulder from the impingement patterns that develop with chronic pressing dominance.
3 sets x 10 reps each arm. Full range — all the way down.
Use a cable machine or resistance band at face height. Pull toward the face with elbows high and wide, finishing with the hands behind the ears and thumbs pointing backward. This exercise directly trains the posterior deltoid and external rotators — the muscles most commonly underworked and most commonly injured in padel. It counteracts the internal rotation dominance of smash-heavy play and is arguably the single most important shoulder health exercise for padel players. Do this every session.
3 sets x 15 reps. Light load, perfect form, every session.
Hold a light resistance band with the elbow bent at 90 degrees and tucked to the side. Rotate the forearm outward against the band, keeping the elbow pinned to the ribs. Control the return. The external rotators of the rotator cuff are systematically weaker than the internal rotators in overhead sport athletes — this imbalance is directly linked to shoulder impingement and labral damage. This exercise corrects it. Use a light band — this is a precision exercise, not a strength exercise. See our shoulder strengthening guide.
3 sets x 15 reps each arm. Pre-session and post-session.
Lie on your back with arms extended toward the ceiling holding light dumbbells. Without bending the elbows, push the dumbbells further toward the ceiling by protracting the shoulder blades — reaching your arms away from you. Return under control. The serratus anterior is essential for scapular upward rotation during overhead movements. Weakness here causes the scapula to wing and the rotator cuff to impinge. This small exercise is insurance against the most common mechanism of shoulder breakdown in padel.
3 sets x 12 reps. Slow and deliberate — feel the protraction.
Attach a band or cable at chest height. Stand perpendicular to the anchor, hold the band at the sternum, and press it out straight in front of you — resisting the rotational pull of the band. Hold for 2 seconds and return. The Pallof press builds the anti-rotation core strength that transfers ground force to the racket efficiently in every padel shot. Without this, the trunk leaks energy on every swing. This is the upper body training exercise with the biggest direct impact on shot power — not because it builds the shoulder, but because it builds the transmission layer between the legs and the arm.
3 sets x 10 reps each side. Pause 2 seconds at extension.
Hold a light dumbbell or a hammer vertically. Keeping the elbow at 90 degrees and tucked to the side, rotate the forearm from palm-up to palm-down (supination to pronation). Control both directions equally. This directly strengthens the wrist extensors and flexors that absorb the force of every volley and drive in padel. Conditioning these tendons through loaded pronation and supination is the primary prevention strategy for lateral epicondylalgia — the elbow condition that ends padel seasons. Start very light (0.5–1kg) and build gradually over weeks.
3 sets x 15 reps each direction. Very light load, slow movement.
Upper Body Training as Shoulder Injury Prevention
The shoulder you protect now is the shoulder that plays for years
How Upper Body Training Protects the Padel Shoulder
Internal/external rotation balance — the most overlooked metric
Every smash, every drive, every serve-style overhead creates internal rotation force through the shoulder. The muscles driving internal rotation become strong from padel play alone — the infraspinatus and teres minor (external rotators) do not. In most regular padel players, this creates a strength imbalance where internal rotation is significantly stronger than external rotation.
This imbalance is the primary predictor of shoulder impingement and rotator cuff tendinopathy in overhead sport athletes. Face pulls and band external rotation work corrects it directly. The goal is not to make external rotation as strong as internal rotation — that is unrealistic. The goal is to keep the ratio within a range where the rotator cuff can still centre the humeral head during overhead movements. See our shoulder pain guide if you are already experiencing symptoms.
Scapular control — the foundation of shoulder health
The scapula must upwardly rotate as the arm rises overhead. If scapular upward rotation is limited — due to weakness in the serratus anterior or lower trapezius — the subacromial space narrows during overhead motion and the rotator cuff tendons impinge against the acromion. This is the mechanical origin of most shoulder impingement syndromes in padel.
Serratus press, face pulls, and single-arm rows all train scapular control. Including these in every upper body training session maintains the scapular movement quality that keeps overhead motion safe across a full padel season.
Forearm tendon loading — elbow injury prevention
Lateral elbow pain is common enough in padel that it has its own colloquial name. It develops when the wrist extensor tendons — which attach at the lateral epicondyle — are repeatedly loaded eccentrically without adequate preparation. The tendons adapt to tensile load through progressive conditioning. Without that conditioning, cumulative micro-trauma accumulates faster than the tendon can repair.
Forearm pronation and supination with light progressive loading is the preventive strategy. It does not need to be heavy. It needs to be consistent and slightly progressive over weeks. Start light, build slowly, and never skip it when padel volume is high. Recovery tools can help with elbow maintenance — see our elbow support guide for the options that work.
4-Week Upper Body Training Programme
Progressive loading that builds shoulder health, core transmission, and forearm resilience simultaneously
| Week | Focus | Key Exercises | Scheme | Sessions/wk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Foundation — rotator cuff and scapular control | External rotation band, face pull, serratus press, forearm work | 3 x 15 (light) | 2x |
| 2 | Add pulling and anti-rotation | + Single-arm row, Pallof press. All week 1 exercises | 3 x 12 | 2x |
| 3 | Add pressing in safe arc | + Landmine press. Increase load on rows and Pallof press | 3 x 10 (moderate) | 2x |
| 4 | Full integration — maintain 3:1 pull:push | All 7 exercises. 3 pulling for every 1 pressing. Progress forearm load slightly | 3 x 10–12 | 2x |
Key rule: always do more pulling exercises than pressing exercises. Aim for a 3:1 ratio every session. Face pulls and external rotation work can be done daily as prehab — they are low enough load to not accumulate fatigue.
The Most Damaging Upper Body Training Mistake in Padel
One error causes most of the shoulder injuries in regular padel players
You know the feeling — your shoulder starts talking during the smash, and by the end of a match it is not talking, it is shouting. Most players don’t realise how preventable that is. What actually works is building the posterior shoulder and rotator cuff strength before the pain arrives, not after the tendons are already inflamed.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Should padel players do bench press?
Bench press has limited direct carryover to padel and reinforces the internal rotation and pressing dominance the sport already creates. If you enjoy bench press, keep it — but ensure your programme has three times as much pulling volume (rows, face pulls, external rotation work) to balance it. The landmine press is a more shoulder-friendly pressing alternative that translates better to the diagonal overhead mechanics of padel.
How often should padel players train the rotator cuff?
Face pulls and band external rotation work can be done daily as prehab because the load is low enough to not accumulate fatigue. A minimum of 2–3 sessions per week of dedicated rotator cuff work is the recommendation. These exercises take under 5 minutes and are the highest-ROI injury prevention work available to a padel player. Do not skip them.
Why does padel cause shoulder pain?
Padel creates internal rotation dominance through hundreds of overhead and drive shots per match. Without counterbalancing external rotation and posterior shoulder work, the rotator cuff muscles become imbalanced — internal rotators strong, external rotators weak. This imbalance allows the humeral head to migrate anteriorly and superiorly during overhead motion, impinging the subacromial space. See our shoulder pain guide for diagnosis and treatment.
What is the best exercise for padel shoulder health?
The face pull. It directly trains the posterior deltoid and external rotators, improves scapular retraction, and counteracts the anterior shoulder tightness that develops with smash-heavy padel play. Use a cable or resistance band at face height, pull to the face with elbows high and wide, and finish with hands behind the ears. Do it every upper body training session without exception.
How does core training relate to upper body performance in padel?
The core is the transmission layer between the lower body (which generates force) and the upper body (which applies it). Anti-rotation core strength — trained through the Pallof press and similar exercises — determines how efficiently ground force transfers to the racket during every shot. A weak core leaks energy at the trunk, which forces the shoulder to compensate by producing more force than it should. Strong anti-rotation core strength protects the shoulder by doing its job in the kinetic chain.
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