HOW PLYOMETRICS & TEMPO TRAINING IMPROVE TENDON HEALTH
We’ve been talking about strength training and joint health recently. Another important aspect of that process involves our tendons.
Tendons are tough structures made of cartilage that connect muscles to bones and help your body move. Tendon health is important because it literally helps us move properly and prevents other injuries or falls.
So, how can we improve the health of our tendons? Two methods involve plyometrics and tempo training. Let’s look at how each strengthens our tendons.
Plyometrics & Tendon Health
So, what exactly are plyometrics?
Plyometrics are explosive exercises meant to increase power, speed, and strength. You’ve performed plyometrics at the gym when you’ve done jump squats, pogo jumps, and med ball slams.
So, how do plyometrics help with tendon strength?
A review of studies looking at plyometric exercises found that these exercises increase tendon stiffness and the ability to dissipate force. That means tendons become stronger and help absorb the force of movements with plyometric exercises.
Tempo Training & Tendon Health
The other way to improve tendon health is through tempo training. What is that?
For strength training purposes, tempo training means lifting weights slowly to increase the time your muscles spend under tension. This technique often involves a concentric or shortening movement followed by a slow eccentric or lengthening movement. An example might be a bicep dumbbell curl, with the concentric phase being lifting the dumbbell and the slow eccentric phase of lowering the dumbbell back to the starting position.
This slow time under tension helps tendon health in several ways:
It increases collagen production
Improves how much stress the tendon can withstand
Promotes replacement of old collagen fibers with new ones
You’ve probably done some of these exercises already as part of your strength training. Maintaining a regular strength routine at least twice a week will help maintain your tendon strength, prevent other injuries, and improve the stability of your joints.
If you want to learn more about strength training, schedule a fitness assessment with me through our Start Training page on our website.