James 4:17 Sin of Omission #2

A second thing most fitness professionals don't tell you is that tendons and ligaments need to be strengthened before heavy and/or ballistic loads can be placed on the muscles. Tendons and ligaments attach muscles to bone and bones to bones, respectively.

Muscles can adapt much more quickly to heavier loads and to ballistic movements ( plyometrics, for example) than can tendons and ligaments. That is one reason why a period of anatomical adaptation (AA)for beginners or people who have experienced a break from training is so important.

The anatomical adaptation period " activates all of the muscles, ligaments, and tendons of the body so they will better cope with the heavy loads of subsequent training phases... (and) prevents injuries through progressive adaptation to heavy loads."(1)

Without this gradual and progressive approach, the body is not prepared for the demands placed upon it, and injuries often result. That is one of the many reasons why so-called "fitness" programs like P90X and crossfit are not safe or effective for most people. Neither provides an appropriate AA period. P90X introduces ballistic movements early, creating many opportunities for injury. And crossfit does the same, with the added indignity of having people perform heavy Olympic lifts for high repetitions.

Important note: As far as plyometric exercise, the National Strength and Conditioning Association recommends that only persons who can full squat 1.5 times their body weight are strong enough to incorporate plyometrics into their fitness programming.

Knowledgeable fitness professionals will assess each client and assign appropriate exercise based upon their training experience, skills, goals, and medical history. But, the key for each individual trainee is to prepare himself properly before undergoing any fitness program.

Achilles tendon: named after the Greek hero Achilles.  When he was born, Achilles mother, Thetis, dipped Achilles into the river Styx in order to make him immortal. But where she held him ( at the heel) did not get dipped. So he was vulnerable there. And during the Trojan war, he was slain by Paris, who shot him in the heel with an arrow.