The 1 Move a Pro Pickleball Player Wants You to Add to Your Routine

Catherine Parenteau wasn't always a pickleball player. While the 30-year-old from Montreal, Canada, is now one of the most well-known pros in the sport—she's currently ranked second in the world for women's doubles—she didn't step foot on a pickleball court until 2015.

Parenteau first picked up a tennis racket at the age of 4, but it wasn't until her tennis coach at Michigan State University introduced her to pickleball that she fell in love with the sport. Just six months later, she competed in the US Open Pickleball Championships, where she won the 5.0 mixed bracket and decided to go pro.

Parenteau's favorite aspect of pickleball is that it's for anyone. You can play with your friends or you can play with your grandparents, she tells Well+Good. That's why she's partnered with Apple Fitness+ to bring pickleball training to the masses with the workout program called Strength, Endurance, and Agility for Pickleball, which launched January 6.

“This program helps you move confidently, prevent injury, and play your best—no matter your skill level.” —Kim Ngo, Apple Fitness+ trainer

More about the new Apple Fitness+ pickleball training program

Pickleball is the fastest-growing sport in the America, according to a 2024 report from the Sports & Fitness Industry Association. In order to be strong and prevent injury, pickleball conditioning is a must, according to Parenteau and Kim Ngo, an Apple Fitness+ trainer.

"Pickleball keeps you on your toes with quick bursts of movement and fast reaction times,” Ngo tells Well+Good. “With HIIT and strength workouts inspired by the game, this program helps you move confidently, prevent injury, and play your best—no matter your skill level.”

The Apple Fitness+ program takes inspiration from Parenteau's own training routine and features two HIIT workouts and two strength workouts:

• HIIT for Endurance in Pickleball: This workout includes moves like lunge variations, fast feet and jumps, and you'll do each move twice for 60 seconds each. It ends with a 90-second cardio challenge meant to boost your stamina and reaction time on the court.
• HIIT for Agility in Pickleball: This workout includes moves that emphasize quick footwork, direction changes, and balance, like skaters, jumps, and touchdown squats with a turn. Each move is done three times for 30 seconds each.
• Lower-Body Strength for Pickleball: This workout focuses on building strength and power in your glutes, quads, and hamstrings to help you move around the pickleball court with ease. You'll do five exercises—lunges, squats, and hinges, for example—one time through. You'll need two heavy dumbbells to complete this session.
• Upper-Body Strength for Pickleball: This workout includes moves like rows with a rotation and diagonal lifts to strengthen your arms, chest, back and core. You'll do three moves two times through that'll help your pickleball serves and drives. You'll need two medium dumbbells to complete this session.

Parenteau's all-time favorite exercise to improve her game

Parenteau loves incorporating diagonal lifts, sometimes referred to as dumbbell woodchops, into her own strength routine. “They help improve serves and backhands in pickleball,” she says. Plus, having good upper-body strength helps you move better in your everyday life, making lifting heavy items easier, and prevents bone and muscle loss.

In the video below, certified personal trainer Charlee Atkins, CPT, breaks down exactly how to do Parenteau's favorite pickleball training exercise.

To sign up for Apple Fitness+, go to the Fitness app on your iPhone. New Fitness+ users get 1 month free.