Tendon strength is different than muscle strength. Tendons store and release energy needed to move the muscles in slow, fast and dynamic ways. The important thing to know is that you can exercise and lift weights to strengthen your muscles, but it’s good to pair this with work on your tendons.
In today’s video presentation, kung-fu master Tyler Rea will show you a series of four tendon strengthening movements you can use for more mobility and strength throughout your lifetime.
They come from an ancient kung-fu system called Pak Mei (White Eyebrow). It’s a romantic name, but don’t be fooled … this is an easy yet powerful exercise set that will improve tendon health along the arms, from fingers to triceps.
Exercise set overview
The thrusting fingers tendon strengthening exercise is comprised of four movements. They are 1) elbow down fist up arm; 2) Circle Hand; 3) Thrusting fingers; and 4) Returning Hand.
This series of movements is meant to elongate and stretch the sinew of the arm, making it more flexible, supple and resilient for use in exercise generally, and in sports like lacrosse, basketball, tennis, baseball and martial arts. It also strengthens the lats, biceps and triceps.
At first you will feel tension from the fingertips to the wrists, forearms, upper arms, and lats. Over time with practice and repetition this will dissipate and you will feel more relaxed and thus will have gained the power of relaxed explosive strength and energy in the arms.
The four movement series
- Begin this exercise with feet shoulders width apart, knees slightly bent, with both arms held in the elbow down fist up position.
- Circle one of your wrists, finger tips down, inward to outward, in a circling hand motion. Circling with fingertips down and out.
- Extend the fingertips of the same hand, out and forward, in the thrusting fingers movement.
- Once the arm reaches extension, begin closing the hand into a fist and pulling it back to the starting position. Notice here that the hand and wrist are held outside the elbow and triceps.
The fourth position, while retracting, completes the circuit of movements by returning you to the first position of the series. Now repeat on the other arm for a set of 20 repetitions, or 10 on each side.
Next, do the thrusting fingers exercise with both arms together, for another set of 10 repetitions. The video offers more details and a visual to help you learn, practice and master this unique tendon strengthening exercise.
