Mode: 🟢 Maintain → 🟡 Build (as skill intensity rises)
Goal
Allow skill training itself to provide sufficient tendon loading through highly specific, auto-regulated exposure.
When to Use
- High skill proficiency and good body awareness
- Stable joints with no current tendon pain
- When dedicated tendon protocols feel redundant
- During advanced planche, lever, or handstand phases
Load
| Frequency | As dictated by the training split |
| Intensity | Set by the skill progression itself Rises naturally as leverage and difficulty increase |
| Volume per session | Comes primarily from skill work Optional: add ≤30–40s total locked-arm or end-range exposure if needed |
| Rest | Normal training rest between skill sets |
| Deload | As dictated by the training cycle |
| Pain guideline | No sharp pain during or after skills Mild joint pressure is acceptable Persistent discomfort → reintroduce dedicated tendon protocol |
Method
- Perform skills with soft arms through most of the movement
- Add brief, intentional locked-arm or end-range exposures at the end of sets
- Actively lock joints, do not rely on passive structures
- Keep all added holds short and high quality
- Allow fatigue to self-regulate intensity
Progression
Progression follows the skill, not the tendon protocol.
- Harder skill progression
- Longer or cleaner skill holds
- Slightly increased exposure at lockout (within the ≤30–40s cap)
- Avoid adding tendon volume if skills already feel heavy.
Stop / Exit Criteria
Reduce or pause this approach if:
- Tendon irritation appears
- Skill volume or intensity increases sharply
- You enter a rebuild or rehab phase
- At that point, return to a dedicated tendon protocol.
Why This Works
- Skill training loads tendons at exact joint angles and force vectors
- High specificity improves transfer and confidence
- Natural progression of skills provides gradual load increase
- Reduces redundancy and saves training time