In healthy men aged 69–70, performing supervised slow resistance training with moderate to heavy weights for 12 weeks leads to small but measurable increases in the thickness of the patellar and...
Mechanism
Synthesis from 1 study
When older men do slow, controlled weight exercises, their tendons get pulled in a steady way, which tells the tendon cells to make more strong collagen fibers and line them up better. Over time, this makes the tendons thicker and tougher, helping them handle more force even at an advanced age.
Most probable mechanism
When older men do slow, controlled weight exercises, the tendons in their legs get pulled gently but consistently. This pulling tells the tendon cells to make more of a strong protein called collagen and to arrange it in a tighter, more organized way. Over time, this makes the tendons thicker and stiffer, which helps them handle more force.
Slow, controlled resistance contractions generate sustained tensile strain on tendons and aponeuroses during muscle contraction
Mechanical strain activates tendon fibroblasts (tenocytes) via mechanotransduction pathways, including integrin signaling and focal adhesion kinase (FAK) activation
Activated fibroblasts increase synthesis and alignment of type I collagen fibrils and extracellular matrix components
Accumulation and reorganization of collagen matrix increase tendon cross-sectional area and resistance to deformation, elevating stiffness and Young's modulus
Evidence from Studies
Supporting (1)
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Effects of Moderate and Heavy Slow Resistance Training on Achilles and Patellar Tendons and Muscles Aponeuroses in Elderly Men
Contradicting (0)
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