The deeper Ben Shelton gets into a tournament, the less room there is for improvisation.
In the later stages, the work is no longer about who hits the harder serves or who covers more ground. It becomes a daily exercise in managing keeping an explosive body healthy enough to endure long matches, quick turnarounds, travel, and the accumulated wear and tear that comes with a professional tennis season.
This requires Shelton to be deliberate about the specifics around his training. He admitted that when he first arrived on tour, he was still approaching some of the preparation like he had while at the University of Florida. Experience has forced him to become more consistent with sleep, nutrition, supplementation, recovery, and understanding what his body needs.
There Is No Single Exercise That Translates to Shelton’s Explosiveness
Shelton’s game is built around skillsets that are difficult to train simultaneously. Tennis requires enough endurance to remain effective several hours into a match, but speed, the ability to accelerate, stop, change direction while producing explosive strokes repeatedly is equally important.
Shelton believes this is why it’s essentially a requirement for tennis players to become complete athletes before they can evolve into specialists.
“You have to be able to navigate the endurance aspects of the game as well as the explosive physical aspects,” he says. “I think that’s not easy because tennis is such a technical sport, and there’s only so many hours in a day.”
A broad athletic base might matter early, but as players advance past the junior level, Shelton believes the training has to get more focused on the action that happens on court. This doesn’t mean building a program around a specific aspect of the game you’re great at.
Asked which exercise or training method has made the biggest difference in his performance, Shelton pushed back against that premise, as there’s always fluidity when it comes to programming.
“Throughout the year, your program changes depending on how your body’s feeling, where you have deficiencies, or areas of your game that you need to work on,” he says. “I think the biggest thing is being able to adapt and being able to make changes when you see them.”
It’s this level of adaptability that would seem more valuable than a favorite workout. If Shelton’s body exposes a weakness, the program changes. If tournament volume creates a different need, the program changes again. Training serves the athlete rather than forcing the athlete to service a rigid program.
Recovery Starts Before the Match Ends
Once a Grand Slam begins, Shelton says there is a shift in the objective. The fitness base has already been built, and keeping the body capable of using it becomes the challenge.
“Once you get past the training and you get to the tournament, it’s a battle to be able to stay healthy and not sore, pain-free throughout a tournament,” Shelton says. “There’s always going to be stuff that comes up. But doing the best job managing that with treatment, with strategically taking days off, it’s the most important part of playing well at the end of a Slam.”
After an extended match, Shelton has developed a daily defined process. He spends about 10 minutes cooling down on a bike, followed by another 10 to 15 minutes of stretching and mobility. Refueling comes immediately afterward through food or a protein shake.
Treatment is largely dependent on the clock. A late finish can push physio work into the next morning, while an earlier conclusion provides the opportunity to get on the table that night.
Recovery after a match is essential, but Shelton feels that what he does before taking the court is equally valuable.
“I think there’s way more work done on the pre-side, in terms of warmups and activation that gets my body in the right place, than trying to do everything after the fact,” he says.
One of the favorite tools is one that doesn’t get the coverage of other training moments: isometrics. Before training or competition, Shelton can spend 10 to 15 minutes using static contractions for his lower body.
“For me, I think isometrics are a great way to prime the body before playing a physical sport or lifting, working out, or doing cardio.” Shelton says. “It’s been a game changer for my lower body, knees, and ankles.”
This is an element that the everyday athlete can add to their routine. Shelton’s game is built on explosive power, but his ability to display it depends heavily on decidedly less glamorous habits.
The smaller details that don’t make the highlight reel are what makes those highlights possible. And as Shelton has learned, taking care of the body before it starts asking for help is one of the most professional things an athlete can do.
Ben Shelton-Inspired 35-Minute Tennis Performance Workout
This workout borrows from the principles Shelton discussed rather than attempting to recreate his professional program. The emphasis is on isometric activation, lower-body durability, explosive movement, and enough conditioning to challenge both power and endurance.
Becoming More Professional About the Details
Shelton spoke with Muscle & Fitness through his partnership with Thorne, which has become part of that routine rather than something he utilizes when his body begins to feel worn down.
“I use the products every single day,” Shelton says. “I use the creatine. I use the magnesium bisglycinate before I sleep. I use the beta-alanine. I use the daily electrolytes when I’m on the court and the whey protein isolate after matches.”
Even with the individual products serving different purposes, the common element they provide for Shelton is consistency. In a sport where cities, playing surfaces, match times, and length are consistently changing, having elements of your preparation remain the same gives him one less variable to manage.
Supplementation has become an important factor for many athletes, and knowing exactly what enters the body can’t be taken lightly. One mistake can lead to severe consequences.
“Putting a contaminated substance into your body is very serious in our sport, and it can completely derail your career,” Shelton says. “You’ve got to be extremely careful.”
Shelton says he and his team researched Thorne heavily before the partnership was agreed to, and the third-party testing became a major factor in establishing that trust.
Shelton’s attention to detail does expand well beyond supplements. It’s a progression in understanding the necessary improvements to becoming one of the best in an unforgiving sport, and far beyond his understanding when he first joined the professional tour, and he described himself as “just a college kid.”
The athleticism was apparent, but becoming a professional required learning the less exciting elements of performance still count. With being further into his professional career, he now pays closer attention to the amount of sleep, what he eats, and what his body needs throughout training.
“I’ve just become more professional in every aspect,” Shelton says. “I think that I’m a little bit more in tune with my body now.”
Isometric Activation: 8 Minutes
Perform two rounds with controlled effort:
- Calf raise hold: 30 seconds
- Split-squat hold:30 seconds per leg
- Glute bridge hold: 30 seconds
- Wall sit: 30 seconds
- Rest 30 seconds between rounds
Shelton spends roughly 10 to 15 minutes on isometrics before physical activity, particularly for his calves, quads, hamstrings, knees, and ankles. For readers, this shorter block provides a practical introduction without exhausting the legs before training.
Athletic Strength Circuit: 12 Minutes
- Goblet squat: 10 reps
- Reverse lunge: 8 reps per leg
- Pushups: 10–15 reps
- One-arm dumbbell row: 10 per side
- Lateral skater bound: 8 per side
- Plank shoulder taps: 20 total
Rest 45 seconds between rounds. Keep the resistance moderate and make clean movement the priority, particularly during the lunges and lateral bounds.
Explosive Conditioning: 10 Minutes
Use an assault bike, stationary bike, rower, treadmill, or running area.
- Hard effort: 20 seconds
- Easy recovery: 40 seconds
The first few intervals should feel challenging but controlled. Try to maintain similar output during the final rounds instead of sprinting the opening repetitions and fading badly.
Shelton-Style Cooldown: 5 Minutes
Finish with easy cycling or walking for two minutes, then spend three minutes stretching the calves, quads, hamstrings, and hips.
