Strength Lies In The Tendons

By Keith Payne
Images portrayed in the muscle
magazines and on the internet
frequently expose us to heavily
muscled bodybuilders. I think exposure
of this type misleads many athletes to
believe big muscles equal great
strength. If you are only interested in
the cosmetic benefits of resistance
training then dont bother reading any
further. On the other hand if you are a
strength athlete let me assure you
acquiring great strength is not confined
to building big !steroid like" muscles.
#uring my school years I
participated in several arm $restling
events that $ere school sanctioned
and some that $erent. I had been
strength training since I $as %& years
old and $as al$ays attracted to
strength sports. I $ill al$ays remember
my first experience in arm $restling. I
$as challenged by a guy one day
$hen I $as in high school. 'e $as an
older bodybuilder $ho had huge arms.
'e had heard that I had done some
strength training and since he $as an
experienced arm $restler $anted to
sho$ me a thing or t$o. (t the time I
$as certainly not an arm $restler. I
$as impressed by the size of his arms
kno$ing that my arms $ere not nearly
as big. I didnt see ho$ I could beat
this man but my pride $ouldnt let me
back do$n. )urned out I $on easily. I
have al$ays believed that the $ay I
trained allo$ed me to be stronger than
he $as. I $ent on in my college years
to defeat many !heavily muscled" arm
$restlers. I didnt tell that story so you
$ould kno$ $hat a great arm $restler
I $as. *act is I lost several times to
stronger quicker guys $ho had better
technique. )he point is I learned a long
time ago that it doesnt matter ho$ big
your muscles are if your tendons arent
strong as $ell.
)he value of strong tendons has
been kno$n by strength athletes for
many many years. +ack in %,-.
strongman (lexander /ass $rote
strength lies in the tendons $hen he
$as explaining the difference in
training methods bet$een physical
culturist and strongmen. 'e stated he
aimed first to develop the underlying
connective tissues rather than the
superficial muscles. 0hen speaking
of his o$n training he said I
developed tendon strength.
0hy are tendons so important1
0ell the tendon connects the ends of
the muscle to the bone. In simple
terms the tendons must gro$ along
$ith muscle tissue for us to gain great
strength. (t the very least the tendon
has to be as strong as the muscle.
It has been proven that tendon
tissue $ill strengthen $hen a heavy
progressive $eight training regimen is
applied $ith very heavy partial
movements. 2hort range movements
such as rack pulls and lockouts $ill
promote tendon strength. )hese partial
!approximately 3 inch range of motion
or less" movements should be done
$ith %%45 to %345 of your maximum
full range of motion for any given
exercise. Obviously this kind of
training is very stressful and should be
carefully done under the guidance of a
trained professional over a time period
$hich allo$s recovery and gro$th to
take place.
If I could tell adult po$erlifters
and strength athletes one thing about
gaining strength it $ould be dont
$orry as much about the size of your
muscles. 6oncentrate on building
tendon strength. (s already stated
muscle size doesnt necessarily
translate into great strength. /ass
$rote a large biceps is no more a
criterion of strength than a s$ollen
abdomen is of digestion. #ont $orry7
strength training !$hich includes
tendon building" $ill produce ample
size in the muscle also.
8eith 9ayne 69) :*2
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