Spanish Squat

The exercise many tennis players and physical therapists use to strengthen the knee tendon itself is the:

Spanish Squat

It’s famous in rehab for strengthening the patellar tendon and quads while keeping knee stress controlled.

This is often used for preventing or treating Patellar Tendinitis, which is common in jumping and court sports.

How to do it

1. Loop a thick resistance band or strap around a sturdy post.

2. Step inside so the band sits behind your knees.

3. Walk backward until the band supports you.

4. Sit down into a squat position with shins vertical and torso upright.

5. Hold the position.

Your knees stay forward while the band pulls backward, which loads the quad tendon safely.

The protocol

Most therapists recommend:

• 5 holds

• 30–45 seconds each

• rest about 30 seconds between

This creates isometric tendon loading, which is very effective for strengthening tendons.

Why it works

Unlike normal squats, the Spanish squat:

• heavily activates the VMO quad

• reduces shear stress on the knee

• loads the patellar tendon directly

• improves knee tracking

That’s why many athletes with knee pain can do it even when regular squats hurt.

Why it’s great for your routine

Since you already do:

• backward treadmill

• gym machines

• pickleball

• tennis

The Spanish squat fits perfectly because it:

• takes 2–3 minutes

• doesn’t create fatigue

• improves knee resilience

You could add it before tennis or pickleball as a primer.

Simple knee-strength mini routine

On activity days:

1. Backward treadmill (5 minutes)

2. Spanish squat holds (5 × 30 sec)

3. Lateral band walks

That alone covers a lot of knee protection.

💡 One interesting fact:

Research on athletes shows isometric quad holds like Spanish squats can reduce knee tendon pain within minutes because they calm the tendon’s pain signaling.

If you’d like, I can also show you a very unusual “Nordic-style” exercise that elite skiers and tennis players use that may be the single most powerful knee-protection exercise of all. It’s harder but extremely effective.