Strong ligaments and tendons are necessary for any activity that involves stress on the joints. Repeated muscle contractions stimulate ligaments and tendons to grow stronger and thicker. Connective tissue does not adapt to increased loading as quickly as muscle tissue, so patience and careful load selection are of paramount importance when training these structures.
To reduce the chance of injury during your workout make sure to warm up for 10 minutes with a mix of light cardio and low-intensity resistance training. If you are recovering from an injury, consult a physiotherapist or medical professional before starting any strength programme.
To strengthen the Patella tendon, there are 3 key areas to focus on:
General Strength
Basic strength training will help to build the patella tendon and leg muscles in tandem. Try using 3 sets of 10-15 repetitions of these movements:
Eccentric Loading
The lowering phase of a lift involves lengthening muscles and tendons while under stress. This is known as eccentric training, and it has been heavily studied for its beneficial effects on growth factor release in tendons, helping them to become thicker. Try these 2 movements to emphasise the eccentric phase for the patella tendons:
Eccentric single leg squats onto bench
Alignment
Sometimes improper alignment can be a cause of knee pain and aggravation.
One exercise that can help with knee alignment is the wall sit.
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