While more emphasis is usually placed on the lift portion of the exercise, eccentric training gives the longer portion the love it deserves.
Eccentric exercises are a fantastic way to keep your muscles strong and flexible while preventing injuries and speeding up recovery. Focusing on controlled muscle stretching, these exercises help build endurance and improve overall muscle health.
Here’s everything you need to know!
Unless you’re a bodybuilder or other professional, you don’t know the 3 main parts of a workout:
- Concentrated phase involves shortening the muscles to overcome resistance, such as lifting a dumbbell.
- Eccentric stageinvolves stretching muscles to control resistance, such as lowering a dumbbell.
- Isometric stage involves stretching the muscles, such as holding a plank or sitting on a wall.
Eccentric exercises usually focus on slowing down the range of motion during the stretching portion of the exercise. Examples include:
When running downhill, your knee extensors and quads do important eccentric work. Move slowly, you will feel the muscles stretch and strengthen.
Concentric contraction (aka positive work) differs from eccentric stretching (aka negative work) in which the muscles absorb energy as they stretch.
A Review of 2019 Eccentric muscle contractions show that eccentric training can increase muscle strength more than isometric and concentric movements. The researchers also concluded that eccentric training is more effective and requires less energy for the same amount of work.
Here are some potential benefits of incorporating eccentric training into your exercise routine:
- Allows you to tackle the heavier weight loss phase and make your workouts more effective.
- Uses less oxygen and energy, making it more effective than other types of exercise.
- Increases muscle growth (hypertrophy) more than just lifting.
- Strengthens joint stability and reduces the risk of injury by improving strength and control.
- It is said to be safe for people with arthritis, inflammatory muscle disease and Parkinson’s disease 2021 research.
- Helps older adults increase mobility safely.
Concentric (muscle shortening) is the exact opposite of eccentric (muscle lengthening).
Basically any exercise where you are resisting a muscle contraction is a concentric contraction.
Isometric or static exercises include:
Basically any exercise where you maintain a continuous muscle contraction without noticeable movement of a joint is an isometric contraction.
How is eccentric training used in rehabilitation and PT?
Physical therapists often use eccentric training to help patients recover from a variety of injuries and conditions.
Because exercises that emphasize the eccentric phase can improve joint stability and mobility, strengthening this often-overlooked aspect of exercise can reduce the risk of future injury.
How often should you do eccentric exercises?
Eccentric training can be safely done 2-4 times per week, but it ultimately depends on your experience level and goals. In a rehab setting, your PT may recommend doing these exercises more often, but with less intensity.
As with most exercises, it’s best to start slowly and work your way up.
How to prevent injuries
Here are some tips to prevent injuries:
- Start light and gradually increase the weight to avoid injury and bad form.
- Maintain a controlled speed to ensure efficiency and safety.
- Allow adequate recovery time between exercises to avoid soreness and injury.
- Push your limits – pain doesn’t always mean gain.
Eccentric training is a very effective, but often overlooked, phase of exercise that can be beneficial in maximizing strength, muscle growth, and improving joint health. Just make sure you maintain proper form and don’t go beyond your limits. You got it!
