Vibrating tendons before cycling allows people to push harder without feeling mental strain, according to a study.

The research was undertaken by Benjamin Pageaux, a professor in the School of Kinesiology and Physical Activity Sciences at Université de Montréal, working with researchers from Université Savoie Mont Blanc in France.

Volunteers took part in lab tests on stationary bikes. Each completed two sessions –  one after tendon vibration and another without.

The device was strapped to Achilles and knee tendons and activated for 10 minutes before cycling. After that, participants cycled for three minutes at a pace they perceived as either moderate or intense, adjusting their effort to match their target.

After tendon vibration, participants produced more power and showed higher heart rates compared to sessions without the pre-exercise vibration. However, even though their bodies were working harder, their sense of effort did not increase.

Changing ‘effort signals’

While the precise biological mechanisms are still being studied, Pageaux has suggested possible explanations.

“Depending on the amplitude and frequency of the vibration, we can either excite or inhibit neurons in the spinal cord,” he said. “Prolonged vibration changes the reactivity of the neuromuscular spindles and alters the signal sent to the brain.”

By changing these ‘effort signals’ travelling from the muscles to the brain, vibration appears to reshape how movement and exertion are perceived. 

This brain-body disconnect could help make exercise feel less intimidating for people who struggle to stay active.

The perception of how hard exercise is plays a role in whether people stick with it. When it feels overwhelming, they’re more likely to stop or avoid it, whereas if it feels manageable, it becomes more enjoyable and easier to continue over time.

This raises the question of whether the feeling of effort could be reduced, helping people push past the sense that exercise is too hard.

Encouraging people to stay active

The research is still in its early stages, with the testing limited to these cycling sessions under controlled conditions.

“It hasn’t been tested in a marathon, only during a short, three-minute cycling exercise,” Pageaux says. “However, this is the first time the effect has been shown to work with this type of exercise.”

The team will now examine brain activity more closely during exercise, using electroencephalography and MRI to see how tendon vibration influences neural activity during exertion.

The researchers are also studying the reverse process to understand how pain and fatigue amplify the feeling of effort and make physical activity feel more difficult.

Ultimately, the goal is to develop strategies that lower perceived effort and help more people become physically active, especially those who are currently sedentary.

“By gaining a better understanding of how the brain evaluates the link between effort and perceived reward during exercise, we hope to promote more regular physical activity,” Pageaux said.

Prolonged passive vibration of Achilles and patellar tendons decreases effort perception during subsequent cycling tasks was published in the Journal of Sport and Health Science

Indicators from last year’s Coolmore Stud Stakes were there, but the Black Caviar Lightning cemented the status, crowning Tentyris as Australia’s budding sprint phenomenon on Saturday at Flemington.

Trained by the Freedman duo of Anthony and Sam, the colt claimed a second straight Group 1 with a explosive run against top weight-for-age opponents in the 1000-metre sprint.

It was his initial appearance since outclassing his contemporaries in the Group 1 Coolmore Stud Stakes (1200m) during Derby Day, as Sam Freedman shared how his seasoned father – ex-member of the famed ‘FBI’, Freedman Brothers Incorporated – rated this horse highly.

“He has been in the game for so long and he said to me at the end of the spring campaign, this might be the best horse you ever train,” Sam said.

“(I said) I thought you might be suggesting you trained one better back in the 1990s and 2000s – there was a bit of cheek there, they had Mahogany and Schillaci – but he’s building his own record that will hopefully be right up there with some of the best.”

Street Boss-sired Tentyris ($2.60 fav) flew late from last among eight starters to duplicate the Coolmore quinella, placing John McArdle’s filly My Gladiola second once more.

In the Lightning, $7 elect My Gladiola closed the 2-1/4 length Coolmore deficit to three-quarters, Benedetta ($26) third by identical measure.

After steering Tentyris to second in the prior year’s Blue Diamond Stakes, Damian Lane returned Saturday replacing sidelined Mark Zahra and dubbed him an ‘incredible talent’.

“We just only had the one play with him with how he steps out of the barriers, it was just a risk whether the 1000 was going to be too short (but) it certainly wasn’t,” Lane said.

“Mid-race I had to ask him to pick up the bridle and when he did, he really joined in well and as had become his trademark, that last bit of his race was outstanding.”

Lane celebrated four wins via the Lightning, adding Group 3 C S Hayes Stakes on Sixties and Listed races on Hard Kick and Sass Appeal.

Freedman eyes the Group 1 Newmarket Handicap (1200m) at Flemington March 7 where Tentyris sits $2 favourite, his favoured option pending weight, and racing fans should examine racing betting markets for upcoming action.

“I would love to come to the Newmarket if he was not heavily penalised for the victory. It’s not easy for a three-year-old to carry a big weight like that,” he said.

“We’ll have to have a chat about where he goes, but I can assure you it’s a very good problem to have.”

The post Tentyris electric in Black Caviar Lightning Stakes return first appeared on Just Horse Racing.

Most current and former stars are at the 2026 NBA All-Star Weekend, except former Chicago Bulls star Michael Jordan. Instead of participating in the league’s annual event, Jordan was seen at the Indy 500 on Sunday. After his sighting, fans revealed some of what they think about the six-time champion.

In the 2025-26 season, the league returned to NBC, and Jordan had some involvement to celebrate. The Bulls star was introduced as a special contributor for the network’s commentary team. However, fans were disappointed that it was just a one-on-one interview with Mike Tirico via the “MJ: Insights To Excellence” series.

Fans erupted on X, and here are some of what the fans said about Jordan.

“Hilarious that he cares about NASCAR more than the nba,” a fan said.

“MJ literally the only one who could’ve pulled this off,” another fan commented.

“NBC would have paid 5 million for this, he’s giving it out to FOX for free,” one fan said.

More fans noticed how Michael Jordan puts NASCAR ahead of the NBA.

“It’s pretty clear at this point MJ loves NASCAR way more than the NBA or NBC. He won’t even do a live segment for the NBA on NBC but he does it for NASCAR and FOX didn’t even pay Mike for this,” someone commented.

“That’s odd, didn’t go to the @NBA #AllStarWeekend doe 🤔” a comment read.

“Top 3 ever, been on NBC all season and he at the Racetrack during NBA All-Star weekend. Their old heads don’t care about it why they expect us to?” one fan commented.

Streamer IShowSpeed missed out on meeting Michael Jordan

Although his playing days have been over since 2003, Michael Jordan still attracts younger fans. One of the fans who was close to meeting him was streamer IShowSpeed. The online sensations recently wrapped up his tour in Africa and revealed that Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo offered to introduce him to Jordan.

Unfortunately for Speed, the meetup didn’t happen, and he revealed why during an interview with Yahoo Sports Mail on Thursday.

“Unfortunately, that didn’t happen. That didn’t happen,” Speed said. “I was on tour, and it was like a risk of, like, I would have to pause my tour for five days. And I would just mess up too many logistics and it just would have been, like it just would have been a hassle just to clean it up. But there’s always another try.”

However, Speed remains optimistic that he will meet Michael Jordan next time.