Mild discomfort up to 4/10 during loading is acceptable and may be necessary for adaptation. Sharp 6+/10 pain or worsening morning stiffness next day means the dose was too high, drop one progression and re-test.

Tennis Elbow Oracle

Daily rehab coach for lateral epicondylitis

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Printable cheat sheet · Updated 23 May 2026

Tennis elbow exercises · printable PDF

By Erwan Alliaume

TL;DR. Seven evidence-based exercises for lateral epicondylitis (ICD-10 M77.1), with sets, reps, tempo, and progression rules. Print this page (Ctrl/Cmd+P → Save as PDF), formatted to fit one A4 sheet. The full structured 12–16 week programme with daily calibration lives inside Tennis Elbow Oracle.

Educational only. Not medical advice. Stop if pain >6/10 or 24-hour flare. Consult a physiotherapist before starting.

The 7 exercises

01. Wrist extensor isometric · 5 × 45 s · 1 min rest

Setup: forearm flat on table, palm down, wrist hanging off edge, dumbbell in hand.
Do: extend wrist to ~10° above neutral and hold. Why: isometrics reduce tendon pain and prime for loading. Phase: week 1+, daily.
02. Eccentric wrist extension · 3 × 15 · tempo 1-0-3

Setup: same position as above.
Do: use unaffected hand to lift dumbbell up; lower over 3 seconds with affected hand. Why: classic Tyler / Stanish eccentric protocol. Phase: week 2+, alternate days.
03. Heavy slow resistance wrist curl · 3–4 × 6–8 · tempo 3-1-1

Setup: both hands on dumbbell, palm down, full ROM.
Do: 3 s down, 1 s pause, 1 s up. Load = 6–8 RM. Why: HSR (Kongsgaard 2009) drives tendon remodelling. Phase: week 4+, 3×/week.
04. Supination/pronation under load · 3 × 10 each · tempo 2-1-2

Setup: elbow tucked at side, hammer-grip a dumbbell.
Do: slowly rotate palm up, hold, rotate down. Why: loads the supinator and pronator teres which co-stabilise the lateral elbow. Phase: week 4+.
05. Towel wring · 3 rounds · 10 wrings each direction

Setup: damp hand towel.
Do: wring as hard as comfortable, both directions. Why: builds grip endurance for racket return. Phase: week 2+, daily warm-up.
06. Reverse curl (brachioradialis) · 3 × 10 · tempo 2-1-2

Setup: EZ-bar or dumbbells, pronated grip.
Do: standing biceps curl with palm down. Why: strengthens the brachioradialis and lateral elbow chain. Phase: week 6+.
07. Plyometric finisher · 3 × 8 · medicine-ball drops

Setup: 1–2 kg med ball.
Do: drop and catch with extended arm, then light overhead throws. Why: reintroduces energy-storage capacity needed for racket sport. Phase: week 8+ only, when calibration is stable green for 2 weeks.

Daily structure

Week 1–2

Isometric (1) + towel wring (5). Daily. Calibrate morning pain 0–10.

Week 2–6

Isometric (1) + eccentric (2) + HSR wrist curl (3) + supination (4). Every other day.

Week 6–16

HSR (3) + supination (4) + reverse curl (6). 3×/week. Plyo (7) added week 8+.

Traffic-light dosing rules

Green (morning pain ≤3/10): progress load 10% next session.
Amber (4–5/10): hold load, repeat session.
Red (≥6/10 or 24 h flare): drop one progression, isometrics only for 48 h.

Evidence

Tyler TF et al., Addition of isolated wrist extensor eccentric exercise to standard treatment for chronic lateral epicondylosis. 2010. PubMed 20438851
Kongsgaard et al., Heavy slow resistance training. 2009. PubMed 19793213
Coombes BK et al., Lateral epicondylalgia management. JAMA 2013. PubMed 23423407
Rio E et al., Isometric exercise induces analgesia in tendinopathy. BJSM 2015. PubMed 25979840

Last verified 23 May 2026.

Educational only. Not medical advice.

FAQ

Is there a free printable PDF?

Yes, print this page directly (Ctrl/Cmd+P → Save as PDF). It's formatted for one A4/US-letter sheet. Tennis Elbow Oracle Pro exports a weekly clinician PDF with your actual loads and pain log.

How many of these should I do per day?

Week 1–2: isometrics only, daily. Week 2–6: isometrics + eccentrics + HSR, every other day. Week 6+: HSR + supination + reverse curl, 3×/week.

What load should I use?

Start with the lightest load that lets you complete the prescribed reps with pain ≤4/10 and no 24-hour flare. Progress ~10% per week as long as calibration stays green.

Should it hurt?

Mild discomfort up to 4/10 during loading is acceptable. Sharp 6+/10 or worsening morning stiffness means the dose was too high.