Training before PB

Yes. Based on the exercise pattern we’ve been developing, I would add gym strength work rather than create a whole additional Wednesday workout.

The key is that tennis, pickleball, and swimming already give you a lot of cardiovascular and lower-body activity. What you’re missing is deliberate resistance training, especially:

• pushing muscles — chest, shoulders, triceps

• pulling muscles — upper back, lats, biceps

• glutes/hamstrings

• core/rotational stability

• hip abductors/adductors

• calf/ankle strength

My preference for you: 20 minutes before pickleball

You don’t need a traditional 60-minute gym session. Two or three 20–25 minute strength sessions per week would be excellent.

I would structure it like this:

Day

Main activity

Strength

Sunday

Gym / recovery

20–30 min strength

Monday

Pickleball + tennis

—

Tuesday

Pickleball

20 min strength before PB

Wednesday

Tennis/swim depending on week

No gym needed

Thursday

Pickleball + tennis

20 min strength before PB

Friday

Tennis

—

Saturday

Long swim + sauna

—

But there is an important distinction: don’t do a hard leg workout immediately before pickleball. That could compromise your movement and increase fatigue.

So your pre-PB sessions should be upper body + core + small amounts of hip/leg stability, rather than trying to exhaust your legs.

The bigger point

I would not add a dedicated Wednesday session simply because Wednesday looks available. Your week already contains considerable activity. The goal now isn’t more exercise; it’s better balance of exercise.

For you, I’d rather see:

20 minutes of purposeful strength × 2–3/week

than:

another 60-minute workout added to an already busy week.

And because you’ve told me the lateral band walks feel awkward, I wouldn’t make them a centerpiece. There are much easier ways to train those same hip muscles.

If you want, I can lay out the  exact 20-minute Planet Fitness routine for Monday/Tuesday/Thursday, including machines, sets and reps, specifically designed around your tennis + pickleball + swimming schedule.