P&P #33. Resistance Training Places Major Emphasis on Conditioning the Muscles But Not Other Soft Tissues which Play a Vital Role in Performance. Why?
Most strength training authorities can quote the appropriate techniques, repetitions, sets and loads for developing muscle hypertrophy, strength, power or endurance, but it is a very different matter concerning conditioning the tendons and ligaments, in particular. Yet we know how important it is to condition these soft tissues which either stabilise the joints, cushion the joints or facilitate the use of elastic energy for rapid movements. Conditioning these tissues entails increasing their hypertrophy and strength in the most appropriate way for a given result.
Possibly this means knowing how to separately condition elastin fibres and the different types of collagenous tissue in given groups of tendons or ligaments. It is also known that anabolic steroids may adversely affect development of the musculotendinous junction, so that knowledge of conditioning the connective tissues should receive far more attention. Different types of stretching differently affect the series and parallel elastic components of the muscle complex, possibly promoting increase in overall muscle size. As a start, offer advice on (a) how to increase tendon hypertrophy (b) how to increase tendon strength. Comment on how one should expand the field of resistance training to include neglect of connective tissue training.
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