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So I am coming off a really long term injury, and my question is this. Do you ever lose the strength in the connective tissue that you've built up? I was very careful when I was training to try and go slow (although clearly not slow enough!!!) and focus on building up the connective tissue as opposed to the muscles as a goal. For me this meant (not sure if it's right or wrong) very heavy loads, very controlled, and very slow. Only a few reps of each exercise. So I'm slowly coming off my injury and starting to sheepishly do some very light work; I'm wondering once I get back, how much I will have really lost for the time off? If the primary goal of the work is connective tissue (tendons, etc. that are strengthened by long term loading), I would assume that the lack of blood flow would also render these adaptations almost immune to 'atrophy' or any form of reversion. This is in stark contrast to the neurological adaptions which fade very quickly, and then muscular adaptations which fade over a longer period. My feeling is that the connective tissue adaptations take so long to gain, and would take so long to lose that they're basically there for life once you've made them. My thoughts on this are informed by the few periods that I've tried to get back on again, and usually within a few workouts I was about 70% or more of what I used to be able to do. I was definitely back from the edge of what I could do and it wasn't polished or easy anymore, but there was still a lot there and I was really surprised. Just wanted to get the thoughts of others on this. I'm really looking for light at the end of the tunnel, and some silver lining!