392: Dr. Keith Baar on Isometrics and the Evolution of Tendon Training

Today’s podcast is with Dr. Keith Baar, professor at UC Davis and renowned tendon training researcher and expert. Professor Keith Baar received his PhD from the University of Illinois, and over the last 20 years, Keith has worked with elite athletes, as the scientific advisor to Chelsea Football Club, USA Track and Field, Paris Saint-Germain Football Club, British Cycling, The English Institute of Sport, Leicester Tigers Rugby, and the Denver Broncos. He also spent time as an assistant strength coach with the University of Michigan football team where he was an undergraduate. Keith first guest appearance on this podcast, was on the role of various exercise velocities and tendon health, and was an extremely popular episode. Tendon training is crucial for overall health and performance, as tendons rely on loading for adaptation. Isometrics, a potent tool, are key to a robust training program. In this episode, Keith Baar explores tendon tissue adaptation trends and how different forms of isometrics and training methods optimize tendon health and high-tension capabilities. He delves into the impact of both low-speed and high-speed loading movements, emphasizing the compounding effects achieved by combining them for enhanced performance. Dr. Baar discusses essential concepts like tendon remodeling, the body's protective mechanisms, and the optimal sequence for training to realign and remodel tendon tissue. Drawing from examples in swimming, running, and rock climbing, he highlights the integral role tendons play in shaping training and performance outcomes. Today’s episode is brought to you by Lost Empire Herbs, TeamBuildr and the Plyomat. For 15% off your Lost Empire Herbs order, head to lostempireherbs.com/justfly. To try Pine Pollen for free (just pay for shipping), head to: justflypinepollen.com. The Plyomat is a functional, intuitive, and affordable contact mat for jump and plyometric training and testing. Check out the Plyomat at www.plyomat.net TeamBuildr is an online software for coaches and trainers. I’ve continued to hear great things about the Teambuildr platform, and whether you are looking for an in-house training portal or an online training hub, be sure to check out Teambuildr training software. View more podcast episodes at the podcast homepage. Timestamps and Main Points 5:02- Benefits of Collagen Supplementation for Knee Osteoarthritis 10:03- Determining Collagen Synthesis through Exercise and Supplementation 15:47- The Power of Belief in Pain Relief 21:56- The Complexity of Pain and Tissue Healing 29:45- Optimizing Training Through Body Adaptability 31:46- Effects of Running Surfaces on Tendon Health 43:40- Tendon Health and Performance in Rock Climbing 52:27- Isometric Exercises for Scar Tissue Regeneration 59:54- Movement-Based Strategies for Inflammation and Recovery 1:09:38- Dynamic Adaptation of Muscle and Tendon Tissues 1:23:00- Optimizing Performance and Health through Tailored Training 1:23:47- The Impact of Loading Techniques on Injury Prevention and Performance Enhancement 1:24:12- Estrogen's Impact on Injury Risk and Prevention Dr. Keith Baar Quotes "These peptides, these magical elixirs. They don't really do anything at all." "The hardest part, a lot of times, is having the expert to come in and say, this is what the real underlying problem is. And if you fix this, all the other stuff goes away." "In thinking about human beings as being incredibly adaptable, it's interesting to think about how we can use that adaptability to shift out of, hey, if you mentioned even the tendon with the know, use that adaptability, like, hey, let me get away from the donut part and shift into the strong tissue." "Your movement has to be much, much faster. And that movement through being faster means that the tendons are going to be stiffer and that means that the whole system is going to work very differently." "And so what it really kind of suggests is that, look, the max hang is really going to be important. Because that's what you're testing on. You're testing on as much weight as you can. But when you're doing that again. The load is going to go through the tendon differently. And so when I do a partial hang. I can get almost the same effect. With a fraction of the load. So a fraction of the mechanical fatigue. But I'm getting the signal to the cells so that the cells get the signal to adapt and they're adapting very similar to somebody who's got a much bigger signal." "You can fix the scar, you can fill the hole, you can do all of these things that are going to fix your connective tissue, your tendons." "So, in our paper, where we showed the native effects of these cytokines, these immune cell messengers, we also inhibited using a drug that blocks one of the big inflammatory pathways. And what we did was we made the ligaments almost useless because inflammation is required certain types and certain amount of inflammation is required for the proper function of our tendons and ligaments. When we eliminate it, using ice, using massive anti inflammatories, using other things that are designed to decrease all inflammation we see is our ligaments and tendons become horrible." Show Notes Emil Abrahammson Hang Training https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sBTI9qiH4UE Transcript About Keith Baar Professor Keith Baar received his Bachelor’s in Kinesiology from the University of Michigan where he also served as an Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach with the University of Michigan Football team. He then received a Master’s from the University of California, Berkeley and his PhD from the University of Illinois where he discovered the molecular signal that causes load-induced muscle hypertrophy. He did his postdoctoral studies on the molecular mechanism underlying the muscular adaptation to endurance exercise under the direction of Dr. John O. Holloszy at Washington University in St. Louis. From there, Prof. Baar founded his first laboratory in the School of Life Sciences at the University of Dundee in Scotland. Keith is currently the head of the Functional Molecular Biology Laboratory (FMBLab) at the University of California Davis. Over the last 15 years, Keith has worked with elite athletes, as the scientific advisor to Chelsea Football Club, USA Track and Field, Paris Saint-Germain Football Club, British Cycling, The English Institute of Sport, Leicester Tigers Rugby, and the Denver Broncos, to maximize the effects of training for both endurance and strength while minimizing injury. His research is focused on determining the molecular mechanisms underlying the physiological and functional adaptations of the musculoskeletal system to nutrition and exercise. The result of this research is almost 100 peer-reviewed articles in journals from the Journal of Applied Physiology to Nature. His current work is focused on how loading and nutrition alter tendon/ligament/ECM health and performance.