Travis Mash
@MashElite
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Lover of Christ, wife, and children! Own Mash Elite Performance, Director of Men & Women’s Weightlifting at LRU. World Champion Powerlifter!
Hickory, NC
Joined October 2010
The Box Squat vs Traditional Squat is a debate coaches have discussed for the past several decades. Strength coaches either love or hate the box squat, but like everything else, it’s a tool. In this thread, we will look at benefits, misconceptions, and possible risks. <Thread>
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RT @mcreasonsnaps: Thank you @ETSUFootball for the gameday invite! @mccray_randall @CoachB_Blackmon . @SpecialTeamsU @AscensionSport1 @Shan….
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RT @MashElite: 1/ When you’re chasing SPEED & POWER, tendon stiffness & size is the hidden quality that separates average from ELITE. A st….
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RT @MMA_NFL_MLB_IT: @MashElite I ask each student athlete “do you feel faster than you are strong, or stronger than you are fast?” That’s m….
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RT @MashElite: 6/ Principle of Specificity should make it clear that expressing max power with Olympic lifts is important. Taught properly….
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RT @MashElite: 3/ Debate alert: Some coaches swear by Olympic lifts (snatch, clean) for power. Others stick to squats + plyos. Both can wor….
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RT @MashElite: 2/ Power = Force x Velocity. Heavy loads (e.g., squats) let athletes express max force, while lighter loads (e.g., plyometri….
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I am releasing a new article on next week Power, Jumping, and Plyometrics, along with:. ==> New EBook on "Maximizing an Athlete's Vertical".==> Along with a new Program available with or without coaching "Mash Elite Max Jump Training". #VerticalLeap.
mashelite.com
Strength AthletesClick HerePARENTS OF ATHLETESClick HereYouth & Field AthletesClick Here Coaches Helping coaches access tools to boost athletic performance in their athletes: Scientifically-backed...
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If you want to learn more about Plyometrics, check out this article from @GymAware . ==>
gymaware.com
Complete Guide to Plyometrics Plyometric training taps into the stretch-shortening cycle (SSC), a biomechanical process where muscles store and release energy, much like a coiled spring. This guide...
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11/ Smart athletes train both. 📌 Heavy eccentrics & slow lifts = bulletproof tendon. 📌 Max Effort isos & plyos = spring-loaded tendon. That’s how you get tendons that SURVIVE the weight room & DOMINATE on the field.
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9/ Heavy slow resistance (squats, calf raises, split squats at 70–85% 1RM, slow eccentrics) builds tendon SIZE & Stiffness to a degree. Accentuated eccentrics & long isometrics (30–45s) add tissue and reduce pain. Isometrics are king!. Think: thicker, stronger rope.
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8/ But don’t forget tendon SIZE. Size = armor plating (handles load). Stiffness = performance spring (stores/releases force). You need BOTH. Isometrics Rule, so check out my article on @GymAware -.==>
gymaware.com
Adaptations from Isometric Contractions If you have been following along with this series on specific adaptations to various stimuli, then by now you know that each muscle along with all of its...
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7/ Bottom line: Bounding, plyos, and heavy isometric work are some of the BEST tools for increasing tendon stiffness. Program them smart:.✅ Short doses.✅ High intensity.✅ Full recovery.✅ Proper nutrition.Do that, and your tendons will snap back like loaded springs.
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6/ Nutrition matters too. Baar shows that gelatin + vitamin C (30–60 min pre-training) provides the raw materials (glycine, proline, cofactors) that tendon cells use to rebuild. Fuel the spring. 🔥.
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5/ Dr. Keith Baar’s research is clear: tendons adapt differently than muscle. Muscle recovers in hours. Tendon remodeling peaks at 24–36 hours. 👉 You don’t need endless plyo sessions. 👉 Just short, high-intensity exposures with plenty of recovery.
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4/ The ECM isn’t just collagen. Proteoglycans + enzymes regulate water, fiber sliding, and shock absorption. They’re the tendon’s “managers & lubricants.”. Plyometrics improve this microscopic architecture, making tendons more spring-like and explosive.
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3/ What’s happening under the hood?. Plyos remodel the tendon’s extracellular matrix (ECM):.✅ More collagen.✅ Better fiber alignment.✅ Stronger crosslinks. End result? Tendons that are bigger, faster, more resilient, and more efficient at returning energy.
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2/ Stiffness is where plyometrics shine. Depth jumps. Drop jumps. Bounding. Sprint contacts. Each explosive ground contact exposes tendons to rapid stretch–shortening cycles. That’s the signal: “Get stronger. Get stiffer.”
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1/ When you’re chasing SPEED & POWER, tendon stiffness & size is the hidden quality that separates average from ELITE. A strong/stiff tendon = a tight spring. Stores energy. Too compliant = force leaks. Here's a thread on tendon size and stiffness. 🧵👇.
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RT @MashElite: There should be continued monitoring. I love tools like the @GymAware FLEX or RS unit to measure more parameters other than….
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