The Power of Eccentrics
When it comes to strength training exercises, the majority of them include three phases: a concentric phase, an isometric phase, and an eccentric phase. The concentric phase is the portion of the movement where the target muscle is shortening, reaching its peak contraction to overcome resistance. The isometric phase describes the transition point of an exercise which usually is the top or bottom of a movement. Finally, the eccentric phase is the portion in which the muscle is lengthened under load to return to its starting position. We will be highlighting the power of eccentric training or “negative reps” in this blog.
There are a ton of benefits when it comes to slow eccentrics. The general principle of eccentric training is the more weight you can eccentrically control down the stronger your concentric will become. The reason is that it’s technically more damage to the muscle and with the right protocol and recovery in place, you can see gains faster. Knowing that eccentrics cause more muscle damage it is great for hypertrophy also. The downfall of eccentrics is it increases delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS), that soreness you feel up to 72 hours after a tough workout. So it is vital to apply eccentric training correctly and make sure your recovery is on point. Eccentric exercises don’t only strengthen your muscles, but also your body’s connective tissues, helping to both rehab any aches and pains as well as prevent injuries. Here is a list of all other benefits of eccentric training:
- Improves body awareness
- Improves balance/stability
- Improves control of lifts
- Develops work capacity
- Exposes weak areas of lifts which then can be fixed
- Great teaching tool for beginners
- It can goal specific
Eccentric training can be applied to any exercise but there are a ton of methods that can be used. If you want to learn more about how to get the best use of eccentric training. Please contact us.
Jermaine Hough
MS
