Topic Posted February 7, 2004 Share Posted February 7, 2004 How do i strenghten the tendons? Not muscles...tendons? Ive heaRD that this is where the power comes from mostly, so how can i strenghten them? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich67 Posted February 8, 2004 Share Posted February 8, 2004 Someone posted a similar question some time ago. Technically, you can't strengthen tendons in the muscular sense, they don't build up like muscle cells do. You can make them more resilient by taking supplements like glucosamine. If you engage in resistance exercise, you can build the muscles and bone and that in turn puts less stress on the tendons. Although power is generated by tendons to some extent, the majority of strength comes from ligaments and muscle... and using them properly by throwing your body into the technique and proper follow through. This article explains how tendons help in strength. Basically, stretching them helps their elasticity, which makes them appear stronger for explosive movements. http://www.pponline.co.uk/encyc/tendons.html EXCERPT: How strength training targets tendons Having established that the muscle tendon unit has two separate components that contribute to force production, the key question for athletes and coaches is how to improve the tendon’s elastic energy release as well as the strength of the muscles. This forces us to consider strength training from a non-traditional perspective in relation to how it targets tendon rather than muscle. But before doing that we need to examine the characteristics of tendons more closely, since different training methods are beneficial for different types of tendons. For the purposes of this article, tendons can be thought of pretty much like elastic bands(1). The energy stored by such bands is proportional to the extent to which they are stretched. Long elastic bands are good at storing energy, and thin bands are ‘compliant’ in that they can be stretched very easily, with little force. Unfortunately, though, this means they produce less force when they recoil. Thick elastic bands, on the other hand, have greater ‘stiffness’ in that they require larger forces to stretch them, but they create large forces during recoil. Tendons may also be stiffer or more compliant and, as such, are best suited to different types of movement. If the range of motion is large and the load is light, a compliant tendon is best because it can be stretched easily under the light load through the large range, and recoil efficiently. The hip flexion movement used during sprinting is a good example: the hip flexor is stretched fully as the hip extends during push-off, and then the hip flexes as the knee comes through in front of the body. Mixed Martial Artist Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich_2k3 Posted February 8, 2004 Share Posted February 8, 2004 Correct me if i'm wrong but does stretching strengthen tendons? "When my enemy contracts I expand and when he expands I contract" - Bruce Lee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich67 Posted February 8, 2004 Share Posted February 8, 2004 Watch how you use the word "strengthen" when you talk about tendons. Tendons operate in a different manner than muscles. Tendons operate on the principle of elasticity. The amount of elasticity in the tendon correlates into the "strength" of the tendon (it's ability to rebound and extend). Stretching helps make the tendon more elastic for a period of time. This, in turn, helps it expand and contract with the movement of the body. A good example is the achilles. Runners stretch it out before running to make it more elastic and thereby help with the flexion of their feet as they run. Without stretching it, you make it more prone to injury under stressful conditions. So, technically the tendon is stronger to a certain degree; it is more resilient. But you can't "build it up" or make it stronger. It's like a rubber band. If you let it sit in the sun and don't work it every once in a while, it becomes brittle and will snap if pulled too far. But if you use it regularly and oil it (just an example) it will last a long time and not become brittle. Mixed Martial Artist Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Topic Posted February 9, 2004 Author Share Posted February 9, 2004 Thanks for that Rhich, i got a very good understanding of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SevenStar Posted February 10, 2004 Share Posted February 10, 2004 look into chinese heavy arm training. iron palm and other exercises are designed to seat "strength" into your tendons. The theory behind it is that punching with the muscles will place unnecessary tension in the strike, which will slow it down and also detract from its power. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich_2k3 Posted February 10, 2004 Share Posted February 10, 2004 chinese heavy arm training? is that similar to isometrics or dynamic strength? "When my enemy contracts I expand and when he expands I contract" - Bruce Lee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SevenStar Posted February 11, 2004 Share Posted February 11, 2004 nah. heavy arm is the chinese theory of making the bones more dense (from impact) and seating more "strength" in the tendons. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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