In healthy men aged 69–70, both moderate and heavy slow resistance training lead to comparable increases in tendon size and strength after 12 weeks, with no meaningful difference between the two...
Mechanism
Synthesis from 1 study
Slow strength training, whether light or heavy, stretches tendons just enough for long enough to tell their cells to build more strong fibers. These fibers get thicker and tighter, making the tendons stronger — and it doesn’t matter if the weight is moderate or heavy, as long as the movement is...
Most probable mechanism
When elderly men do slow, controlled strength exercises, the tendons in their legs get stretched and pulled repeatedly. This pulling tells special cells in the tendons to make more of a strong protein called collagen and arrange it in a tighter, more organized way. As more collagen builds up and lines up properly, the tendons get thicker and stiffer, which helps them handle more force — and this happens just as much with lighter or heavier weights, as long as the movements are slow and controlled.
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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