Tendons are the connective tissues that connect muscles to bones and transmit force between the two parts, allowing the body to move. It is important to reinforce them, because this way you can prevent injuries and increase strength and speed. In case of tendon injuries, it is very important to rehabilitate them slowly with precise movements. However, these tissues build up more slowly than muscles, so in addition to specifically targeting them with exercises, you should also allow your body to adapt to your training program to reduce the risk of injury rather than trying to strain yourself. more and more adding load.
Steps
Method 1 of 2: Doing Strengthening Exercises for the Tendons
Step 1. Add squats to your training program
One of the best ways to strengthen the leg tendons is to complete sessions that contain a good number of squats. To perform this exercise, keep your feet flat on the ground and bring them shoulder-width apart, with the toes pointing slightly outward. Lower yourself until your hips are below your knees. Hold for 10 seconds before returning to your feet. If you have trouble staying balanced, raise your arms in front of you.
You can increase the complexity of squats in many different ways. Try doing them on a slope, for example on a ramp, facing the lower side, or with one leg, holding one hand on a bar
Step 2. Do barbell squats
If the traditional version of this exercise is already part of your training program, you can increase the load by using barbells and dumbbells, holding the weights on the shoulders and limiting the range of motion. Use a power rack to set the bar height just below shoulder level, load the tool onto your shoulders behind your neck, then lift it by pushing with your heels and straightening your chest. Finally, complete a partial squat starting with just 10 cm of movement.
- Barbell and dumbbell squats are considered advanced techniques, so it's a good idea to try them out for the first time with an instructor.
- To give your knees more support, you can wear knee pads.
Step 3. Do calf lifts every day
These are simple exercises that require little time and no equipment, as well as being very useful for strengthening the Achilles tendons. Stand on an elevated surface, such as a step, with your toes resting and your heels suspended in the air. Stand on your toes, then slowly lower your heels as far as possible. Hold the position before climbing again.
- You can do this exercise with your knees straight or slightly bent. The two positions allow you to work different muscles, but both are very useful for the tendons.
- You can make the exercise more complex and varied by doing it with one leg or even adding weight with a dumbbell.
- Three sets of 15 reps are enough to feel and see results.
Step 4. Complete a series of behind-the-neck lifts
This is a great exercise for strengthening the tendons in the triceps and shoulders. Use a power rack to bring a loaded barbell to shoulder height, as you did for barbell squats. Keeping your feet directly under your hips, bend at the knees for a few inches, then forcefully reverse direction to straighten your legs and lift the barbell with full arm extension above your head.
- Use your legs to absorb the impact as you return to the starting position, with the barbell resting on your shoulders.
- This exercise, if done incorrectly, can lead to injuries, particularly to the rotator cuff, so ask the instructor to show you the right technique, don't load too much weight, and don't do too many repetitions.
Step 5. Do sets of extensions with the triceps while lying down
This is another great exercise for tendons and triceps. Lie on your back on a bench. Lift a loaded barbell with the top grip, extending your arms fully, perpendicular to the chest and floor, keeping the elbows close to the body. Keep the upper arms still and bend them at the elbow, then lower the bar until it touches your forehead, before returning to the starting position.
Many people find it easier to do this exercise using a curved barbell
Step 6. Do partial reps
In addition to targeted exercises, you can make your tendons work even more with this training method. In a partial repetition, focus your effort on a limited range of motion. By working your muscles for only a few inches, you will be able to use more weight or perform more repetitions, thus being able to strengthen tendons.
- For example, for barbell squats, try going down just 10cm instead of going all the way down.
- Since repetitions in the middle or quarter of the movement allow you to load more weight, you should use a power rack to avoid injuries.
Step 7. Do exercise series that target the same muscle groups on specific days
For example, you could work on the shoulders on Monday, on the chest on Tuesday, rest on Wednesday, work your thighs and legs on Thursday, and work your arms on Friday.
Making all the main muscle groups work constantly means keeping all the core tendons active, improving not only their strength, but also their flexibility, a very important aspect to avoid injuries
Method 2 of 2: Strengthen Your Tendons After an Injury
Step 1. Consult a physical therapist
One of the most common reasons for people to strengthen their tendons, in addition to the personal desire to train, are injuries. If you've suffered an injury that may have involved a tendon, first speak to your doctor to get a diagnosis. If your suspicions are well-founded, you will probably be advised to see a physical therapist who can advise you on the correct exercises to perform to rehabilitate the tendon.
Many tendon injuries require several weeks of limited limb use rather than strength exercises, so it is especially important to consult a professional. Trying to work a tendon that actually needs rest may inadvertently make the problem worse
Step 2. Do full extension exercises without weights
Tendons work harder at the extreme limit of their range. For example, you probably feel your Achilles tendons tighten more when you bend your ankle fully during a lunge. To begin working the tendons gently, complete full extension exercises without using loads.
- Also be sure to vary the movements. For example, if you are trying to strengthen the tendons in your wrists, make sure you don't just fully extend your wrist from side to side and up and down, but also remember to fully rotate your arm and extend the joint in the opposite direction.
- Do the exercises that use the injured tendon for about 10 minutes at a time, but only if you don't feel pain. If the movement hurts you, let the joint rest for a day or two, and if the pain persists, contact your doctor.
- The tendons work more in the points of maximum extension, so you can make the exercises more effective by keeping the position at the limit of the range of action for 10 seconds.
Step 3. Add a light load to the extension exercises
Once you have rehabilitated the tendon to a level where you can complete the movements painlessly and without great difficulty, try adding a light weight. The amount of load depends on the severity of the injury and the tendon to be reinforced. For wrist extension you should start with half or one pound dumbbells. For larger tendons, such as quadriceps, you can start with 2.5kg anklets.
- Your physiotherapist will be able to advise you on how much weight to use according to the extent of your injury.
- If the load is too heavy for you, you can always reduce the weight, do bodyweight exercises, or alternate the days you use weights with others you don't use.
Step 4. Complete the movements with an elastic band
Elastic bands are excellent tools for the rehabilitation of injured tendons, because they allow you to control the amount of tension on the affected joint and also increase resistance at the point of maximum extension, where the tendons work the most. Use them with medium resistance at the beginning of the movement, so that completing the exercise will stretch and increase the load on the tendon.
As the tendons get stronger, you can hold the position of maximum extension for longer during your workouts. As with the muscles, time under tension helps to strengthen the tendons, so keeping the position of maximum extension (and consequently the band at maximum tension) for 10 seconds allows these tissues to work harder
Step 5. Focus on the eccentric phase of each rep
This term refers to the time when the muscle contracts from being stretched. For example, the eccentric phase of a dumbbell curl comes when you slowly lower the weight, stretching the muscle with the extension of the arm and at the same time contracting it, in order to counteract the force of gravity to control the movement of the weight rather than letting it go. to fall. Usually, for the treatment of tendinopathies it is recommended to focus on this phase of the exercises. The use of even quite light dumbbells can help to strengthen the tendons in combination with greater concentration in the eccentric phase of the movements; however, it is a more difficult workout than training with elastic bands.
Advice
- Get help from a personal trainer if you don't know how to use weights properly.
- Don't do exercises that are painful or uncomfortable.
- Do weight exercises with limited range. By moving the load for short distances you will be sure not to use inertia to move it, making more tendons and ligaments work, strengthening them.
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Complete 2-3 sets of each exercise, with 6-10 repetitions. The most important aspect is to carry out all the exercises slowly and correctly, in order to strengthen the tendons as much as possible.
Warnings
- The information contained in this article is in no way intended to replace the advice of a doctor and the work of a physiotherapist when rehabilitating injured tendons. Always consult with health professionals after suffering an injury.
- Many tendon-strengthening exercises, such as barbell squats and behind-the-neck lifts, can cause injury if performed with incorrect technique. Ask an instructor for advice on how to do exercises you are not familiar with correctly.
