You're training your tendons WRONG

Did you know that you are actually training your tendons wrong?!

That's right, I said it!

You are training your tendons WRONG!....actually, are you even training your tendons???

What do you mean?, you wonder, I'm warming up, i'm doing eccentrics, i'm stretching...

BUT....you're missing something.

Although warming up, doing light sets, eccentrics, stretching is all good for you, you are missing one major thing: ISOMETRICS

Do you know what an isometric exercise is? If you have forgotten, here is a video to refresh your memory:

To summarize the video above:

Concentric Contraction: You creating force as you are shortening the muscle. (ex: the biceps contracting during a bicep curl)

Eccentric Contraction: You are creating force as you are lengthening the muscle. (ex: the biceps while your elbows are returning back to neutral from the top of the bicep curl).

Isometric Contraction: Force is being created withOUT movement. The joint is not moving and the muscle is not chaning length; you are creating force through an immovable object. (ex: You are trying to perform a bicep curl against an immovable force)

So, how do isometrics allow the tendons to heal and strengthen?

Let's start with the term Stress Shielding....

When you have a tendon injury, or weakness, we don't always feel it until something happens and we are injured. Why? Because the other muscle fibers around the tendon, and the muscles themselves, have been sheilding the weaker, or injured, area from working as a compensatory strategy. Because that part of the tendon is weak, basically other fibers around it try to take up the slack and compensate for the weakness. This is why most of these injuries occur after a warm up. Once these muscles start to fatigue, it leaves these weak areas of the tendon more vulnerable. Since those muscles are too fatigued to "sheild or protect" the tendon, the weak area is now forced to produce force that it doesn't have. Thus, it becomes vulnerable to injury and then Wha Lah! You are now injured.

So, then why is isometric training the best way to train?

Isometric training allows the weaker area in the tendon or muscle to activate. By holding isometrics for long periods of time, the muscles that are protecting your tendon from stress fatigue out and it allows that weaker area to activate and strengthen! YESS!!!! In fact, studies show that you get more load through the entire tendon with isometric strengthening compared to eccentric/concentric movements.

In a healthy tendon, holding up to 10 seconds is sufficient. But if you have an injury? it takes longer to activate that unhealthy/weaker area, up to 30 seconds for best results! By holding up to 30 seconds, we are able to get 85% of the tendon to activate, up to a full 2 minute hold for 100%. Also, remember that smaller tendons (such as those in your wrist) will take less time compared to larger tendons (such as those in the thigh).

And...if you have been injured and had to immobilize your body part in a boot or a cast, this will most definitely case an increase in stress sheild and increase scarring on the tendon. So, then it is more essential if you are immobilized it is important to do isometrics while you are immobilized and after! (BUT check with your professional first!)

Stay tuned on the next post....we will be talking about collagen intake!

Keep on your Journey....I promise you will get there....

Sincerely,

Dr. Jen