Strength training exercise occurs in three distinct phases – the concentric phase, the isometric phase and the eccentric phase. The eccentric phase is the final stage, where the muscle works to return to its original position. By focusing on improving muscle movement during the eccentric stage, we can actually help our bodies become stronger and more flexible. In today’s blog, we take a closer look at eccentric strength training and explain why it can be so beneficial for your body.
What Is Eccentric Strength Training?
As we noted in the introduction, strength training occurs in three phases. You have the:
- Concentric phase – The concentric phase is the portion of strength training where your targeted muscles are shortened, reaching its peak contraction to help overcome gravity or resistance. If you’re performing pull ups, this is the phase when you’re pulling your chin towards the pull up bar.
- Isometric phase – The isometric phase is the phase between concentric and eccentric phases where your muscle is stationary following concentric movement. Again using the pull up example, this is when you’ve reached the top of your pull up motion, and you are no longer further contracting your muscle, but you’ve not yet started the lengthening process.
- Eccentric phase – Finally, the eccentric phase is the period when your muscles are being lengthened in order to return to its original starting position. In the pull up example, this is when you are lowering yourself back down following a lift.
Eccentric strength training focuses on that last stage of movement, when your muscles are getting back to their starting position. Your physical therapist can adjust how you attack this eccentric phase so that your muscles work even harder and make larger gains.
Let’s go back to the pull up example. Instead of just quickly lowering yourself back to your starting position, your physical therapist may ask you to lower yourself as slowly as possible, extending this eccentric phase and asking more of your muscles. You can also elongate this eccentric stage with other lifting or resistance band exercises by slowing down as you get back to your start position. This process is known as eccentric contraction, and it involves lengthening your muscles while they are exposed to tension.
Benefits Of Eccentric Strength Training
Eccentric strength training is used by professional athletes, weekend warriors and physical therapists hoping to maximize their client’s recovery. Here are some of the benefits of eccentric strength training:
- Allows For Supramaximal Training – Supramaximal training refers to the process of performing an exercise with a resistance that is slightly higher than a muscle can handle under normal conditions. Studies have found that our muscles tend to be stronger when performing eccentric contraction as opposed to concentric contraction, allowing us to expose muscles to more pressure than they would be able to handle with normal training. This can lead to greater muscle development. For example, a soccer player who performs eccentric leg press exercises may be able to better develop muscles for the quick or explosive movements required in the sport.
- More Efficient – Eccentric movements require less muscle activity to perform than concentric movements with the same level of force. Eccentric contractions also require much less energy output than concentric muscle contractions. In other words, you may be able to see better strength training results with less energy expenditure, making your workout more efficient.
- Safe – While pull ups may not be safe for everyone, we’re confident that we can find a safe eccentric exercise program for your individual needs. Resistance band exercises can be perfect for anyone from professional athletes to older adults who want to maintain their independence. Eccentric resistance band training can be tailored to a person’s individual strengths and deficits, ensuring that the activity remains safe and effective.
If you have questions about eccentric strength training or are wondering if it could help take your athletic performance to the next level, let us help develop an eccentric training program for you. For more information, or for help with a different issue, give the team at OrthoRehab Specialists a call today at (612) 339-2041.
PT of Costa Rican National Soccer Team for 2007 World Cup in Victoria, CAN. Clinical Instructor for University of Minnesota Doctor of Physical Therapy Affiliations
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