Coaching practices for Tendon Loading Protocol

Describe almost anything you are working through and IX Coach finds the practices whose real-world fit is closest. For Tendon Loading Protocol, these are the strongest matches in the current practice library.

Does this sound like the set of challenges you might be facing?

• My Achilles has been sore and stiff for months and resting it does nothing
• My tendon is so irritable right now that any real movement under load lights it up, and I want to start calming the pain and easing into loading it
• I get fired up and pile on way too much way too fast, and then a few weeks later I’m nursing some nagging tweak that sidelines me
• The early weeks felt so easy that I’m tempted to pile on more weight and more distance at once
• I keep tweaking my hamstring every time I sprint, and I’m scared to open up at full speed because I’m always bracing for the next pull

Practices that may help

1. Eccentric loading for tendon rehabilitation
   Controlled eccentric load is the primary evidence-based stimulus for repairing tendinopathy.
   Eccentric Training, Made Practical
2. Isometric holds as a bridge into eccentric work
   Isometric pauses in the lengthened position prepare tendons and muscles for heavier eccentric load.
   Eccentric Training, Made Practical
3. Apply the 10% rule to limit weekly load increases
   Increase weekly training load (volume or intensity) by no more than 10% from the prior week to stay ahead of injury risk.
   Progressive Overload
4. Progressive ruck march load/volume programming
   Increase either load or duration each week, never both — the most common programming mistake in rucking is loading too quickly.
   Rucking: The Evidence for Loaded Walking
5. Eccentric Training, Made Practical
   Eccentric training emphasizes the lengthening (lowering) phase of a lift. Muscles produce more force eccentrically than concentrically and sustain greater mechanical tension — making slow, controlled negatives and eccentric-overload exercises unusually effective for hypertrophy, strength gains, and tendon rehabilitation. The evidence base is strong, especially for tendinopathy rehab.
6. Nordic hamstring curl for injury prevention
   A bodyweight eccentric exercise that dramatically cuts hamstring strain risk.
   Eccentric Training, Made Practical
7. Progressive Overload
   Progressive overload — systematically increasing training demand over time — is the most fundamental principle of physical adaptation. Without progressive challenge, the body has no signal to adapt beyond its current capacity. The principle is well established in exercise science; applying it safely requires matching the rate of progression to the rate of recovery.
8. Managing DOMS and the repeated-bout effect
   The soreness from eccentric work fades fast, and the protection it builds is real.
   Eccentric Training, Made Practical
9. Eccentric overload using bands or weight releasers
   Load the lowering phase heavier than the lift to force genuine eccentric overload.
   Eccentric Training, Made Practical
10. Test maximum monthly, not weekly
    Test your true maximum once every 3-4 weeks — frequent testing disrupts the training pattern and creates false progress readings.
    Greasing the Groove, Made Practical

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