Hey guys its JP and this time I will talk about practical tips and ways for strengthening
tendons to run faster! As I mentioned before, tendons play a key role in helping you absorb
and generate tremendous amounts of force as you run, so it just might be a good idea to
work on them. Anyway, last week I talk about some important concepts to consider and the
proper stimulus needed to improve tendon strength and stiffness. Now, I talk about this in more
detail in a previous video, so lets keep it brief here. In order to strengthen tendons,
they need to be pulled or strained a certain amount. To do this effectively, they need
to be pulled hard and slowly. And heavy slow resistance training accomplishes that. However,
there is quite a bit more to strengthening tendons that just lifting relatively heavy
weights slowly.
So, I'll go over some tips on doing this properly, along with some example exercises when approaching
tendons. The first tip is to Be Specific! While compound movements are great for many
reasons, I tend to incorporate more isolation exercises if I want to focus on a particular
tendon. This is to focus on loading that specific area and reduce the chances of compensations
or alternative movement strategies. For example, lets say I was working with someone with a
patellar or knee tendon issue. If I had someone doing a compound movement like a squat, there
can be a lot of ways you can accomplish this task and this gives more chances to possibly
unload that area, such as leaning onto the other leg and hinging more from the hips.
By doing so, this can lead to inadequate loading of the desired tendon. This is why incorporating
an isolated exercise, like using the leg extension machine, can be a great way to work on the
patellar tendon. This is because this restricts the amount of different movement options you
may have and therefore, it makes sure that you are working that tendon.
Another tip is that Speed Matters! Remember if you move too quick, there will be increased
resistance to allowing the tendon to pull. This is why I ideally incorporate exercises
that are slow and cyclic. We can go back to this video on the leg extension machine. You
may notice that she is not doing this as fast as possible. Rather she is following a specific
tempo of 3 sec up and 3 sec to lower. You can also utilize isometrics, which are exercises
that involve stationary holds. This may be a great place to start especially if the tendon
area is particularly irritability. An example of this could be using the Elevated Hamstring
Bridge to target the proximal Hamstring tendon. Just remember that loads should ideally be
around >70% 1RM; however, many times you still need to build tolerance to loading the area
and not necesarily tendon strength and stiffness, which can be the case for a more recent epsidoe
of tendon irritability. So in that kind of instance, your focus would be building tolerance
instead of capacity of the area.
A third thing to keep in mind is that Position Matters. Be mindful of what position you are
in. When tendons are irritated, they don't like to be in positions that involve simultaneous
compression and shear or rubbing forces. This is why a standard calf stretch is NOT IDEAL
when dealing with a true Achilles tendon problem. If you are dealing with one, try to avoid
those positions when working on the area initially. A Heel elevated heel raise can be a useful
exercise for that situation. Not allowing the heel to go completely down lessens the
amount if compression and shear that may occur in that area.
- And those are a few tips to consider when
strengthening tendons. Obviously, there is plenty more to dive into when thinking about
tendons. Also, remember this is for educational purposes only. If you are dealing with tendon
problems, I highly suggest consulting a healthcare professional! Anyway, I hope you guys found
this helpful. I'd love to hear your thoughts as well as any questions you may have! And
as always, Thank You For Watching!