Last updated on March 10th, 2022 at 08:48 am

Serena Williams’ workout built a champion.

Now we’re going to use it to unleash our own inner superhuman.

Serena Williams is one of, if not THE greatest tennis player ever.

She has won 23 major single titles, which is more than any man or woman in the Open Era.

The Women’s Tennis Association also ranked her number one among all woman tennis players EIGHT different times between the years 2002 and 2017.

If this isn’t making you realize what type of training has taken place, I don’t know what will.

As you know, I’ve now researched over 250 celebrities and the world’s top performers, which led to me writing a book called “Superhuman Secrets: The Secrets To The Hollywood Physique and Performance”.

Well, Serena Williams is one of the World’s Top Performers…!

Serena Williams Stats:

Height: 5’9

Weight: (approximate) 155 lbs.

Age: 39 years old

Serena Williams is actually quite tall.

She falls in the range of the tallest women we’ve seen on SHJ, although not even near our other female tennis star: Maria Sharapova; who stands in at 6’2!

Normally the average height we see for women is around 5’4-5’6 with ladies such as Jennifer Aniston, Margot Robbie, Olivia Munn, Alicia Vikander, Sophia Bush, Tatiana Maslany, Evangeline Lilly, and a ton of others.

But then there is also that taller range, and among the tallest (even taller than the 5’7-5’8), are ladies like Gwendoline Christie, Gal Gadot, and a few others – with Phoebe Tonkin, Gabrielle Union, Brie Larson, Nina Dobrev, Daisy Ridley, and so many more coming in around that 5’7-5’8 range.

And, let’s not forget the shorter ladies of SHJ like Ariana Grande, Scarlett Johansson, Mila Kunis, Emilia Clarke, Lucy Hale, Julianne Hough and a good handful of others.

But, either way, don’t worry.

I write these routines for anyone and everyone.

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Serena Williams Diet and Nutrition

Serena Williams is vegan (most of the time).

She told EcoWatch that she originally decided to make the switch to vegan in order to support her sister, Venus Williams.

The reason for that, as BodyandSoul tells us, is:

Venus was diagnosed in 2011 with Sjogren’s Syndrome, an auto-immune condition where the person suffers from dry eyes, mouth and throat.

But, Serena Williams diet is generally structured around her tennis season.

She specifically follows a raw and vegan diet during her season, and while she does look to stick to it throughout the year, she does have things that throw her off a little.

She told Bon Appetit:

“For years, I was always making gumbo for everyone.  My other go-to dishes are something I call a ‘seven-bean delight,’ which really only has five beans, but don’t tell. Everyone loves my roasted chicken with garlic. For a minute, it was my turkey tacos. Now it’s vegan sushi. I just love to cook!”

She continues with that conversation by telling them about a signature dish:

Is there a Williams-family signature dish?

Serena Williams: That’s easy: My mom’s chicken, with rice and gravy. It was my favorite dish as a kid, and it still is now. That’s my favorite meal from her or from anybody. I was just competing in Australia, and she was going to make it for me, but she forgot. Now she owes me! It’s a family favorite. But there are more. Venus cooks a lot. My other two other sisters cook. For years, I was always making gumbo for everyone. My other go-to dishes are something I call a “seven-bean delight,” which really only has five beans, but don’t tell. Everyone loves my roasted chicken with garlic; for a minute, it was my turkey tacos. Now it’s vegan sushi. I just love to cook!

And then continuing on with some more fun information:

What do you eat once you win?
SW: Celebration food is always my mom’s chicken. I request it every time, along with her biscuits.

What’s always in your fridge?
SW: My fridge is really just vegan: coconut water, Gatorade (my favorite!), cucumbers, mint, kale, vegetables, ginger, and wheat grass.

Do you have a food philosophy?
SW: You put out what you put in. In other words, just because I get all this exercise, it doesn’t mean I don’t have to think about it.

I really like that last one.

And, luckily for us, we also have a sample menu from what Williams eats in a typical day:

Breakfast: Oats with strawberries, tangerines, and almond butter followed by some metabolism boosting supplements.

Late morning snack: Toasted Ezekiel bread (a bread made with sprouted-seed flour) sandwich with almond butter.

Lunch: A light salad with lettuce, spinach, mandarin oranges, cherry tomatoes, lime juice, onions, pita croutons, and sliced almonds.

Afternoon snack: A fat burning drink such as lemon juice, matcha green tea, and cinnamon. She sometimes has some chicken as well to boost the protein content of her diet.

Dinner: Brown rice with Hemp and chia seeds, salad with fresh vegetables.  During off-season period, however, and thankfully a lot more like us mere mortals, Serena does have a few diet cryptonites: tacos, beignets and pizza with chips. On a Facebook post, Serena admits to having a taco daily for lunch. And what if it isn’t on the menu? Pizza and chips.

We see a lot of celebs opt for a sustainable approach like this.

That’s why our Academy Nutrition Classes (Monks, Minimalists, SuperHumans, Vikings, Spartans, Hunter Gatherers, Greek Gods, Samurais) revolve around helping you find the specific diet that is right FOR YOU.

Of course, there are a lot of reasons to HAVE the strict guidelines.

We’ve seen a lot of celebs opt for specific restrictions. 

For example: Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart incorporate 80/20 dieting with big weekly cheat meals, Hugh Jackman, Benedict Cumberbatch and Terry Crews utilize intermittent fasting(something I use daily as well), Mustafa Shakir and Madelaine Petsch are vegans, Brandon Routh and Frank Grillo opt for paleo, and tons of others utilize their own variations as well.

And, that’s just to name a few celebs from each, by the way.

You can check out our Nutrition Pillars for more information and articles on all of the above and more.

Curious where over a hundred celebs fall in their dietary choices ranging from High Protein and Keto to Vegetarian, Vegan and Intermittent Fasting? Want exclusive celeb meal plans? Check this out.

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Serena Williams Workout Routine Research

Just like the awesome information we have about Williams’ diet and nutrition planning, we also have a ton on her workout routine as well.

I suppose that happens when you’re a superstar athlete; people tend to want to know what works.

Willams actually admits to not really being a huge fan of training inside the gym.

Remember, she’s a tennis superstar, not a bodybuilder or someone training specifically for their physique to be shown off on a big-screen like we see with some of our celebrities (take Kumail Nanjiani’s workout we just covered, for example).

Refinery29 gives us some great information about her training, though.

They tell us that in 2016 she told Nike Training Club, in partnership with Kevin Hart, about one of her workouts so fans could try; which looked like this:

The workout was 15-minutes and involved sprinting and squatting. The workout starts with getting stretched out, then involves 30-second intervals of burpees and partner push ups.

So expect to see high intensity training, much like this one, added into the routine we build below.

Serena also specifically shared her post-pregnancy workout routine, which is that of the one she used to be in her peak conditioning!

We’ll save that one for when we actually build the full routine.

Something to keep in mind for while we’re building this one out is something she shared with Fitness Magazine:

“For me, it’s so important to mix it up.  I ran, and then I biked. Then I did elliptical. That didn’t work out so well, because it was boring, so I tried yoga. I started dancing because I couldn’t train when I was sick. We started making up moves, and it was fun. Now I run for 10 minutes, and then I dance.”

And Refinery29 keeps that going with some additional information for us:

She also has worked with a trainer, who helps her adjust when she’s injured. For example, she told Fitness that after one injury, he made her swim in a pool to strengthen her lungs. “I remember feeling as if I were going to drown,” she said. “But it worked. I kept winning, and I was ranked 29th for the U.S. Open.”

Which is clearly showing that Williams, like countless other celebrities and top performers, likes to switch up her training methods.

That’s why we’ve seen a workout routine VERSION TWO for countless people on the site, and why we continuously go through and update past research.

It’s also why one of our Pillars of Success in The Academy (and my book) is Adaptability.  The ability to be able to switch up your workout, nutrition, and lifestyle based around changes in your goals, and just your life; is absolutely crucial to your success and sustainability.

And we’ve seen countless top performers do just that time and time again.

I think, with all this information, and the full workout she has shared (which I’ll be sharing below), we have plenty of information to build out a full routine.

You think you’re ready?

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Serena Williams Workout Routine

Training Volume:

3-6 days per week

Explanation:

Serena Williams shares a 3 days of training that she has specifically utilized to get into great shape, but she also mentions that she likes high intensity workouts and switching up.  And, if not the most obvious thing we have to account for, we also will be including a ton of cardio to make up for the lack of tennis-specific-training and playing she obviously does within her fitness regime.

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Serena Williams Workout: Sample Workout Schedule

Monday: Cardio (or Tennis) and Arms

Tuesday: Long Cardio (or Tennis) and Switch-It-Up-Training

Wednesday: Cardio (or Tennis) and Booty Blaster

Thursday: Long Cardio (or Tennis) and Switch-It-Up-Training

Friday: Cardio (or Tennis) and Core and Legs Workout

Saturday: Long Cardio (or Tennis) and Switch-It-Up-Training

Sunday: Rest Day

Serena Williams Workout: Cardio and Arms

Arm Workout:

The arms, booty blaster and core/legs workout are straight from Serena, including the structure.

Complete 3.5-4 minutes of each exercise:

• Fitness ball transfer
• Rolling knee tucks
• Resistance band knee extensions
• Plank rows

Cardio (or Tennis):

If you’re going to play tennis, make sure it’s minimum an hour session on these training days.

If not, complete 60 minutes of varied cardio utilizing the options that follow:

• StairMaster
• Elliptical
• Row Machine
• Treadmill (High Incline Walk or Jog)
• High Intensity Bike

Additional [Optional] Switch-It-Up Training:

Feel free to add in one of these 10-Minute-Or-Less Workouts:

• Plank and Jump
• Climbing to a Tight Core
• Battle Ropes
• Death by Burpees
• 30 Second Bodyweight Circuit
• Burpee Circuit 2
• Sprints and Bodyweight
• The Heavybag Routine

Serena Williams Workout: Cardio and Booty Blaster

Booty Workout:

The arms, booty blaster and core/legs workout are straight from Serena, including the structure.

Complete 3-5 sets of 8-12 reps of each exercise:

• Barbell pause squat
• Barbell front squat
• Barbell box squat

Cardio (or Tennis):

If you’re going to play tennis, make sure it’s minimum an hour session on these training days.

If not, complete 60 minutes of varied cardio utilizing the options that follow:

• StairMaster
• Elliptical
• Row Machine
• Treadmill (High Incline Walk or Jog)
• High Intensity Bike

Additional [Optional] Switch-It-Up Training:

Feel free to add in one of these 10-Minute-Or-Less Workouts:

• Plank and Jump
• Climbing to a Tight Core
• Battle Ropes
• Death by Burpees
• 30 Second Bodyweight Circuit
• Burpee Circuit 2
• Sprints and Bodyweight
• The Heavybag Routine

Serena Williams Workout: Cardio and Legs

Core and Legs Workout:

The arms, booty blaster and core/legs workout are straight from Serena, including the structure.

Complete 3 Sets of 8-12 reps of each exercise:

• Bicycle crunch
• Leg crunch: horizontal followed by vertical
• Pillar holds
• Dumbbell walking lunges
• Dumbbell step-ups

Cardio (or Tennis):

If you’re going to play tennis, make sure it’s minimum an hour session on these training days.

If not, complete 60 minutes of varied cardio utilizing the options that follow:

• StairMaster
• Elliptical
• Row Machine
• Treadmill (High Incline Walk or Jog)
• High Intensity Bike

Additional [Optional] Switch-It-Up Training:

Feel free to add in one of these 10-Minute-Or-Less Workouts:

• Plank and Jump
• Climbing to a Tight Core
• Battle Ropes
• Death by Burpees
• 30 Second Bodyweight Circuit
• Burpee Circuit 2
• Sprints and Bodyweight
• The Heavybag Routine

Serena Williams Workout: Long Cardio (or Tennis) and Switch-It-Up-Training

Assuming you landed on this workout routine because you’re looking to train like a tennis star and have the ability to get in a few hours of tennis training a few days a week (if not more): you do have the option to devote those couple hours to the cardio portion of this training.

That being said, if you DO NOT plan on playing and/or training for tennis [on the court] for a few hours, I will also be giving you some cardio to implement instead.

Cardio Based on Fitness Level:

Beginner: 1

Intermediate: 2-3 miles

Advanced: 3+ miles

We’re also going to be completing some Switch-It-Up-Training as well.

For this you’ll utilize the circuits I provide on Kevin Hart, Kristen Bell, David Beckham or Sasha Banks routines.

They all involve circuit training that I provide multiple options for, on top of the dozens of other circuits that have been created here at SHJ.

The alternative is the workout I’ll provide below that is built around the workout Williams shared with Nike.

Williams’ Nike Inspired Workout:

The workout was 15-minutes and involved sprinting and squatting. The workout starts with getting stretched out, then involves 30-second intervals of burpees and partner push ups.

Complete for 15 Minutes:

30 Second Sprint

30 Second of Jump Squats

30 Seconds of Burpees

30 Seconds of Partner Push Ups

**You will finish 1 round ahead of finishing your final burpee/push up set**

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