Have You Heard?
Every Sunday, Coach Lionel decodes the latest research in strength, nutrition, and performance science. No fluff. No hype. Just what the data says and what it means for your training.
Rebuilds Tendon
Your tendons are not passive ropes. They are mechanosensitive tissue that respond directly to how you load them. A 2025 review in the Journal of Musculoskeletal Surgery and Research confirmed that slow, heavy resistance training is one of the most effective tools for stimulating collagen turnover and improving tendon mechanical properties in adults of all ages.
The key is the tempo. When reps are performed at a 6-8 second cadence, the sustained time under tension gives tenocytes (tendon cells) the mechanical signal they need to produce new collagen matrix. Fast reps at low load barely register. The tendon needs to feel the work.
The review also outlined a 5-phase rehab model: isometric holds to calm pain first, then eccentric loading, then full isotonic slow-heavy work, then energy storage movements, then sport-specific training. Skipping phases is exactly how re-injury happens.
Supercharges Collagen
Tendons are primarily made of Type I Collagen and that collagen doesn't build itself for free. Your body needs the right raw materials at the right time. Research published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition and replicated in 2025 sports trials found that consuming 15g of gelatin or hydrolyzed collagen with vitamin C, roughly 1 hour before training, significantly increased collagen synthesis markers after exercise.
The mechanism is simple: exercise signals the tendon to rebuild. Collagen and vitamin C give the body the amino acids (glycine, proline, hydroxyproline) and the cofactor needed to actually do the building. Without the supply, the signal gets sent but nothing gets made. You're leaving gains on the table.
A 2025 trial with female soccer athletes showed that 30g of hydrolyzed collagen taken before high-intensity resistance training produced measurable improvements in patellar tendon stiffness and tensile strength after just 10 weeks.
Loading Fights Back.
A comprehensive 2025 review confirmed what coaches have suspected for years: aging is the single biggest risk factor for tendon injury. As we age, collagen fragments accumulate in the tendon, cellular activity drops, and the adaptive response to training becomes blunted. But here's the critical point — it is not inevitable.
Tendons in older adults still positively adapt when exposed to well-structured progressive loading. The tendon responds to mechanical stress by signaling tenocytes to produce new collagen and realign fiber structure. Tendons that are never loaded degrade faster than those that are consistently trained. Inactivity is the accelerant.
Additional risk factors identified in the review: rapid training spikes (jumping load too fast), skipping warm-up, chronic dehydration (tendons are 60-70% water), and neglecting eccentric work in programming. Most tendon injuries are overuse accumulations, not freak accidents. They were earned over months of ignored warning signs.
The Tendons That Break
Were Ignored For Months.
Tendons are slow. They adapt slower than muscle, they degrade slower than muscle, and they heal slower than muscle. That's the trap. You feel strong in the gym while the tendon quietly falls behind your strength gains. Then one day, it doesn't.
The fix is boring but it works: slow your reps down on accessory work. Supplement collagen before training. Build load progressively. Drink water. Add eccentric work to your program. None of this is glamorous but it is the difference between a career and a surgery.
Teleport Strength programming is built with this in mind. Every block accounts for connective tissue recovery, not just muscle fatigue. That's what coaching that actually cares looks like.