Jeremy Ethier

Why Your Tendons Never Heal (And How To Fix Them)

Start a free two-week trial of BWS+ here: https://bws.plus/20a If your knee pain, elbow pain, or shoulder pain keep clicking, aching, or getting re-injured, the real problem may be your tendons. This tendon rehab guide covers the two biggest mistakes that weaken them and the isometric tendon exercises that strengthen weak tendons, potentially in as little as 30 days, plus tendon pain relief, tendon recovery, and injury prevention. According to UC Davis professor Dr. Keith Baar, the loads that strengthen tendons can differ from those used to build muscle. If your muscles get stronger faster than your tendons, a strength gap develops. This is one reason steroid users are more likely to suffer tendon injuries, but the same mismatch can happen to anyone when training rises too quickly. Clicking alone doesn't always mean a tendon is weak or damaged. Physiotherapist Coach Q Wiley explains that a sensitive tendon can become slightly thicker. In narrow areas like the shoulder, it can feel like the tendon pops or rolls. When clicking comes with pain, that's a different story. Complete rest for tendon recovery can make the problem worse. Pain may fade because nothing is stressing the tendon, but the problem may remain. The healthy parts can get weaker while the damaged area never properly rebuilds. Once you return to activity, the pain can come back. The first major mistake in injury prevention is poor load management. Tendon problems are often less about "overuse" and more about being underprepared for a sudden increase in work. Tendons can adapt to more, but they usually take longer than muscles. A commonly discussed guideline is to avoid increasing volume or intensity by more than roughly 30% at once. If you normally do four weekly sets of bench press, jumping to 10 is a major increase. Adding one or two sets is more controlled. The second mistake is using more momentum than your tendons are prepared for, such as bouncing a press off your chest or rebounding from the bottom of a squat. One of the best tools for tendon pain relief and rebuilding tendon strength is an isometric exercise: contracting a muscle without moving the joint. Keith explains that during an isometric hold, the strongest parts of the tendon take the load first. As they lengthen, the load reaches the next strongest areas, then the weakest section. Holding for around 30 seconds allows the whole tendon to receive a signal, stimulates collagen synthesis, and helps make the tissue stronger. The best tendon exercises depend on the movement that hurts. If bench pressing bothers your shoulder, use an isometric that resembles a bench press. Push against a bench press, Smith machine, or chest press machine without moving it; hold a lighter weight halfway through the rep; perform a push-up hold; or press hard against a wall. Hold for at least 30 seconds and complete three sets. For elbow pain, use the same rule. If curls hurt, hold the middle position with a lighter weight. If pulldowns or chin-ups hurt, use a fixed pulling position. For knee pain, a knee extension machine is one of the simplest options. Without a machine, Coach Q demonstrates a wall-based variation that recreates a similar knee-extension movement. Some discomfort is fine as long as it stays around 3–4 out of 10 or lower and doesn't feel worse the next day. If it does, reduce the weight or don't push as hard. For the full plan, choose one of these tendon rehab exercises based on the joint bothering you and perform three sets twice per day, morning and evening. Pain may improve within one or two weeks, and for fuller tendon recovery, Keith recommends continuing three to four times per week for at least four to eight weeks. After that, spending five to 10 minutes on these exercises after each workout is one of the best ways to keep your tendons healthy and support injury prevention. Disclaimers: Jeremy Ethier is not a doctor, physical therapist, or a medical professional. Always consult a physician before starting any exercise program. Use of this information is strictly at your own risk. Jeremy Ethier will not assume any liability for direct or indirect losses or damages that may result from the use of information contained in this video including but not limited to economic loss, injury, illness or death. 0:00 – 1:10 What Are Tendons 1:11 – 3:05 Why Tendons Get Weak 3:06 – 4:04 Why Resting Makes Things Worse 4:05 – 5:28 Gym Mistakes #1 5:29 - 6:17 Gym Mistakes #2 6:18 – 7:49 How to Build Strong Tendons 7:50 – 8:51 Shoulder Isometric Exercises 8:52 – 9:02 Elbow (Bicep) Isometric Exercises 9:03 – 9:08 Elbow (Tricep) Isometric Exercises 9:09 – 9:28 Knee Isometric Exercises 9:29 – 9:45 Full Plan (Part 1) 9:46 – 10:06 Full Plan (Part 2) 10:07 – 10:48 Full Plan (Part 3)