Tendons connect muscles to bones, while ligaments connect bone to bone, forming joints. Unlike muscles, tendons and ligaments are made up of strong connective tissues that are not very elastic and have a poor blood supply. If they get damaged, it takes a long time for them to heal. Strength training is one method to get your tendons and ligaments strong and resistant to injuries.
Spine Emphasis Exercises
Ligaments connect each vertebra in your spine together when you move to prevent tearing your spinal joints. This type of exercise strengthens the stability of your spine when you move your torso and hips in different directions. According to Vern Gambetta, director of Gambetta Sports Training Systems in Sarasota, Fla., you can use medicine ball drills to create different types of torso and hips rotations.
For trunk flexion and extension, which is moving your torso back and forth, stand with your legs shoulder-width apart, and hold a 6- to 8-lb. medicine ball above your head. Swing it down between your legs, and bend your legs together. Swing the ball back up above your head, and repeat the exercise as fast as you can.
For trunk rotation, stand with your left leg in front of you, and hold the medicine ball by your right hip. Swing it across your body, and reach to your upper left side of your body. Swing it back down, and repeat the movement pattern. Do not move your legs or pelvis as you do this.
Pushing and Pulling
Pushing and pulling exercises strengthen all upper-body tendons, ligaments, muscles and bones. Pushing is simply moving an object away from your body, while pulling is moving an object toward your body. These exercises including dumbbell chest press, standing cable row and dumbbell shoulder presses. Push-ups and pull-ups, where your hands are in a fixed position, uses your body weight as resistance. According to Gray Cook, founder of Functional Movement Systems in Danville, Va., these bodyweight exercises also increases stability strength in your torso and hips more than standard free weight exercises. He also suggests you do one pushing exercise back-to-back with a pulling exercise to increase muscular endurance, stamina and hypertrophy. This is known as a superset. The idea is to allow one muscle group to work while the other group rests.
Lower Extremities
Cook suggests doing three exercises for your lower body to strengthen your ligaments and tendons, which are the squat, step-up and lunge. These three movement patterns are the foundations to many sports and activities. Training your lower body's multiple joints is better than isolating muscle groups.
To do the basic squat, stand with your legs about shoulder-distance apart, and point your feet forward. Hold your arms in front of your chest with your palms facing up. Lower your buttocks as low as you can with an upright posture, and stand back up.
For the step-up, use a sturdy platform that is between 2 to 3 feet high, such as stackable aerobic steps or a wooden or metal box that is designed for jumping drills. Place your right foot onto the platform, and lift your body up onto it without hunching your back.
The lunge is lowering your body toward the ground by placing one leg in front of the other. You can also lunge to the side, around your body, or behind you.
References
- "Athletic Body in Balance"; Gray Cook; 2003
- "Athletic Development"; Vern Gambetta; 2006
