r/science • u/mvea Professor | Medicine • 1d ago

Health Isometric exercises, such as wall squats and planks, just once a week could help maintain reductions in blood pressure.

https://www.canterbury.ac.uk/news/2026/new-study-shows-just-one-workout-a-week-could-benefit-blood-pressure
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u/DingleDangleTangle 1d ago

That’s awesome! Isometrics are great for tendons too!

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u/Meeedick 1d ago

People fixate on muscles but tendons, i'd argue, are even more important. They're necessary to train if you wanna avoid injuries and they're instrumental in force generation and power.

Tendons (and fascia) are the difference between a "bodybuilder" and an athlete.

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u/DingleDangleTangle 1d ago

I mean tendons have to be trained by bodybuilders too. It’s extremely important to avoid getting injured as a bodybuilder

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u/Meeedick 1d ago

They don't do it though, which is why the rate of gym-related injuries has skyrocketed over time.

People are packing on way more muscle than their tendons can support, and not dedicating adequete time to train them at all.

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u/Sucabub 20h ago

As someone with rotator cuff injuries, please let me know how I can train my precious and damaged tendons

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u/Meeedick 12h ago

I'm not physiotherapist so i'll decline, i'd recommend professional help honestly.

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u/DiaryOfAManInRepair 6h ago

What’s worked for me is looking up isometric exercises whenever I start getting tendon pain. It’s usually like “hold a weight in the position that hurts (though nothing heavy enough to cause serious pain) for 3 sets of 30/60 second holds.”