STRENGTHEN THOSE SINEWS!
toughen up your tendons and ligaments for power lifting proficiency!

article written by: Ted Arcidi

It was back in 1978, during my first year of college in Salem, Massachusetts. I had little or no knowledge of the human body at that time, but I did have an all-absorbing interest in developing power & muscle mass. There was nothing I wanted more than to be powerful. I didn't care how I looked; how much I could lift was much more important to me than putting an extra 16th of an inch on my biceps. So I found a good book on anatomy and kinesiology at the college library and immediately started to incorporate what I learned about body mechanics and metabolic functions into my daily routine. I consider that day to be one of the most important in my weightlifting life...
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There's no doubt that arm size contributes somewhat to a lifter's progress on the bench press. Powerlifters and bodybuilders alike depend on personal feedback to monitor gains and inspire them to keep moving. Everyone has his or her unique system. For me it's important to pack on not only muscle size but also super-power! I knew my program was working because I made gains of as much as 100 pounds on the bench press alone...
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When I started out in the iron game, I used to gobble up stories about Canadian  colossus Doug Hepburn, who was a pioneer in the bench press, along with, of course, guys like Marvin Eder, Pat Casey, Chuck Sipes and Jim Williams. Hepburn was benching 560 lbs back in 1952 and '53 at the body weight of around 255, while Eder at 197 could knock out 510 lbs.  Casey crashed the 600 lbs barrier with an astounding 619.5 lbs in the early '60's;  Sipes, a top pro bodybuilder, did 570 and nearly 600 at a body weight of around 220; and if that wasn't enough, around '68 or '69 Williams almost did a 700 bench at the weight of 350...
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Some of the above lifts may not seem like much compared to today's standards, but remember that those power lifting pioneers performed without using anabolic substances or bench shirts. What, then, was their secret? They all believed in developing tendon and ligament strength through the use of power assistance exercises...
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The Truth about Tendons and Ligaments

A tendon is sort of a tough cord, a strap like tissue that connects, through an adhesive quality, the ends or belly of the muscle base to bone tissue. Tendons are quite strong and capable of great power, and, when properly developed, they're somewhat elastic in nature. Tendons transmit the tensile load produced by the muscles to the bone, causing the body to move. In many cases tendon strength maybe twice that of the muscle belly itself. That's why muscle ruptures are more common than tendon ruptures; however, when tendons do rupture, they generally take 40 to 50 weeks to regain previous strength levels.
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Ligaments, on the other hand, are tough but flexible cord like bands of fibers that connect, by tying or binding, one bone to another at the joints. Ligaments help keep bones and joints firmly in place while still allowing movement - but not at the expense of dislocation; that is, bending the joint the wrong way.
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Tendons and ligaments have a relatively poor blood supply compared to skeletal muscles. There are a few self-proclaimed muscle experts who recommend high-volume training of 5 to 10 sets for 10 to 20 reps on two or three exercises per muscle group. They theorize that the constant repetitive action of performing what adds up to 20 to 30 sets per body part stimulates tendon and ligament strength and growth due to the greater workload and increased blood flow to the target body part. Some of those armchair trainers, as I like to call them, carry this philosophy to the ultimate extreme by suggesting that tendon and ligament strength is actually increased when you perform 50-70 reps that is 30% of a maximum single effort in the chosen exercise!!! Baloney! Those guys are on Pluto! About the only thing that type of training will do is develop what I call a "suck pump" and it only lasts a few hours. Sure, the muscles might swell to a seemingly huge size from such high-volume training, but they'll usually do so without a corresponding increase in strength. Big muscles do not always indicate great strength. Granted, a muscle can be a real power dynamo, and the bigger the muscle, the greater the strength potential. The critical factor in terms of developing that strength potential, however, is the tendon attachments of the muscles to the bones. Remember, a muscles potential strength is transmitted through the tendons to the joints, where pressure is directly applied to create movement. A seemingly massive muscle is largely ineffective unless it's tendons and ligaments have been equally strengthened....
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Tendon and Ligament Strengthening Program

 
  • Chuck Sipes observed on many occasions that "tendon and ligament strength is more important than just plain body weight for strength and power".  It was his experience that tendons and ligaments  strength is developed in 3 phases:
  • 1) with strengthening movements
  • 2) with isometric concentrated sustained drives
  • 3) with heavy supports
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  • Chuck was right on, and I realized some time ago that to obtain real power, I had to specialize on exercises that build greater tendon and ligament strength. The way to accomplish this is to use exercises that give the muscle groups like THIGHS, BACK, PECS & SHOULDERS plenty of action. Powerlifters seeking to develop great power, especially in the tendons and ligaments, should work those muscle groups more than others.
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  • The basic idea is to train muscles over a short range of movement, doing half and quarter squats and deadlifts, lockout presses and heavy negative curls from the finish position.  This type of training, using what I call short-range and limited-motion principles, will give you rugged tendons and ligaments.
  • It has been my experience that the human body cannot fail to respond to the stimulus of the short-range and limited-motion principles. Even so, lifters who train at home don't have the right equipment for that. The solution is the Arcidi Heavy Duty Power Rack.  With this apparatus you can perform any of the power exercises described below and travel swiftly toward greater tendon and ligament power and mightier all-around strength.
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  • In the accompanying routine, the instructions for the bench press also apply to the standing behind-the-neck barbell press. I found that as my power improved in the bench press, it became much easier to perform behind-the-neck barbell presses and with greatly increased weight. That's because, when I'm lying on my back, only my arms and shoulders can move, which means the resistance is concentrated on the arms and shoulders and can be extremely intense.
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  • When I perform standing behind-the-neck barbell presses, on the other hand, my entire body is supported basically on my ankles. That makes it more difficult - and slower - to build dynamic shoulder power with the behind-the-neck barbell press alone than when you use the bench press. Years ago when I was in York, Pennsylvania, for a bench press exhibition, I had the pleasure of talking with the great John C. Grimek about that very point. he said that at one point in his progress on over-head pressing movements he'd come to a standstill and only by intensive concentration on the bench press was he able to increase the weight on overhead presses.
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    • Final Notes

    The key to fantastic sinew power in the tendons and ligaments is to use the partial and support movements in your day-to-day workouts with the rep schemes I've listed. I advocate keeping the reps at around six. Sixes are great because you build endurance and strength. Although you're not using extremely heavy poundages on this routine, you still have to throw considerable weight around.
    Low reps and heavy poundages are the keys to a fool proof system of building greater tendon and ligament strength and, ultimately, great power...
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    The Ted Arcidi Routine:

     
    Monday
    light flat bench presses 4 x 5
    use a poundage you could probably do 9 reps with - but do only 5!
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    partial movement:
    bench presses 3 x 6
    use a power rack. To determine how many inches you should lower the bar, lie on the bench with your arms completely extended and measure from the highest point of your chest to the wrist. Every 2 weeks or so lower the starting point for the partial bench press by one-sixth of your total arm length. If your arms are 24 inches long, divide that figure by six, which equals four inches. For the example, during the first two weeks lower the bar four inches from lockout, and the next two weeks lower it another four inches, for a total of eight.
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    lying triceps extensions 4 x 6
    using an EZ-curl bar, lower it to your nose and extend. You might want to use elbow ace supports for this exercise, maybe even two on each elbow, because there's a lot of stress on the elbow joint.
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    partial lying triceps extensions 3 x 6
    Again working within the confines of the power rack, adjust the flanged steel rods safety catches so you only have two or three inches to extend, or press, the bar to lockout. You can add variety to the movement by turning your palms either up or down and by alternating your grip width on each set so you work all three aspects of the triceps.
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    behind-the-neck barbell presses 4 x 6
    work up to two good sets with a heavy weight.
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    barbell curls 3 x 6
    use an EZ-curl bar and maximum weight.
     

    Tuesday

    lat pulldowns 4 x 10
    this is a great movement for developing a thick back and a strong base for benching big. Alternate formats, performing one rep in front of your neck and one rep behind, etc.
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    Wednesday

    Complete rest and recuperation!
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    Thursday

    heavy flat bench presses 
    weeks 1-3:    4 x 5
    weeks 4-5:    4 x 5
    weeks 6-8:     3 x 3
    week 9:    2 x 3
    week 10:  go for a max attempt
    heavy flat bench supports    4 x  20 seconds
    *Maximum poundages!
    Begin with 20 to 40 % more than your best maximum single effort in the bench press. The idea is to support the massive poundage at arms length with a very slight - at most - elbow bend for 5 to 20 seconds. When you can hold the weight for four sets of 20 seconds, it's time to add more weight.
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    lying triceps extensions    4 x 6
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    behind-the-neck barbell press    3 x 7
    This is a light shoulder day. Use a weight that you can get 11 reps with but only do 7
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    partial behind-the-neck barbell press    3 x 6
    This is a fine tendon and ligament movement for the triceps and the shoulder girdle. Use a weight that's 10 to 20 lbs under you best full range single on this movement. Adjust the height of the bar within the power rack so that it clears the top of your head. I do all my overhead presses while standing.
    On the 1st set use your normal grip width, press the weight out to arm's length, then lower and repeat for the required reps. On the 2nd set use a grip that is 2 inches wider than what you used on the previous set, and on the final set use one that's 2 inches narrower than what you used on the 1st set. If you find it difficult to get the required reps with the suggested hand spacing, take some weight off the bar rather the changing the grip. 
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    barbell curls    3 x  6
    Use 20 lbs less weight that you used on Monday.
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    partial power curls    2 x 6-10
    use a straight bar. Adjust the heights of the bar in the power rack to a fixed position just an inch or so above the horizontal position of your forearms. Do the partial power curls in this area. Vary the exercise by using different grip widths. Hold the partial contraction at the top of the movement for 2 seconds or more. Within a few workouts you should see at least a 5 to 10 lbs improvement on your full range curls!
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    Friday

    Repeat Tuesday workout
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    Saturday

    squats    3 x 6
    jump 40 lbs over the weight you'd use for 3x10 and go for 3x6. You might want to put on some knee wraps because the stress squats put on knee joints.
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    quarter squats    3 x 6
    do these every other week, alternating with heavy squat supports! Use about 50 lbs more than you use on your regular squats to begin with and only go 1/4 of the way down. Don't lock your knees.
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    heavy squat supports    4 x 10
    do these every other week, alternating with quarter squats. Keep your legs straight and locked.
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    deadlifts    2 x 5
     
     

    Sunday

    Complete rest and recuperation!
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