If you’re looking to break the monotony of a traditional cardio workout at the gym and have ever played some tennis, you may want to give Cardio Tennis a try. The programme, launched by the US- based Tennis Industry Association, is a group exercise class that combines traditional tennis practice drills with other endurance- building moves.

It’s a total body workout designed to get you to exercise to 65-85 percent of your maximum heart rate, which varies with age and fitness level. You needn’t be a high level tennis player to take part; there are classes at varying skill levels( with slower drills for beginners).

The workout begins with a 5-minutes warm up that includes stretching, and ends with a cool down to gradually lower the heart rate. During the main part of the workout, there were three sets of tennis drills( including hitting forehands from the baselines and volleys at the net), interspersed with traditional endurance exercise, such as stepping over the rungs of a rope ladder placed alongside the court.

In a typical segment, players hit three shots, run to the side of the court and jump through the rope ladder, then get back in line for three more shots. During breaks, player pick up the tennis balls. The workout raises heart rates, but won’t leave you breathless.

The bottom line: Cardio Tennis is fun and offers participants a good moderate- intensity workout- even if you don’t hit the tennis balls perfectly.