Eccentric Training And Why It's Important!

If you’ve ever been to a TwinTown workout, you know we sometimes do eccentric exercises (eg. eccentric pull-ups, eccentric squats, etc.). Eccentric exercise has been getting a lot of buzz in the fitness industry over the past few years, and it’s for a good reason! Unlike other fitness/wellness fads, eccentric training actually works and is backed by scientific research and studies. So, let’s get into it!

For starters, what is eccentric training? It’s simply extending the lengthening portion of any exercise. There are 4 phases to strength-based movements: eccentric (lengthening), isometric (holding/transitioning stage), concentric (contraction), and isometric again. When doing a squat, you lower (eccentric), reach the bottom of the squat (isometric), stand back up (concentric), and then prepare to lower again (isometric). So, to make a squat eccentric-focused, you would slow down the lowering phase of the movement. One recommendation is to start with a 3 second descent and then progress to 4 and 5 seconds as you improve and build strength.

You may be asking, “why the heck would I make exercising even harder?”. The reality is that training eccentrically will feel harder because you are increasing the muscle’s time under tension. However, research has shown that this type of training (when done consistently over time) promotes greater gains in strength, muscle mass, and neural adaptations. Another added bonus to training eccentrically is increased core and stabilizer muscle activation. The muscles that assist the main mover muscle in an exercise are challenged at a higher rate when the eccentric phase of a movement is slowed down. This means more strength all the way around. You truly are getting a bigger bang for your workout buck by training eccentrically! 

Can’t wait to see you all walking around with your new bigger, better muscles! See ya next time!