Ten Things You MUST Know About Eccentric Training To Get

Better Results
By Poliquin Group Editorial Staff
9/6/2012 4:00:13 PM

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1) You Are Stronger Eccentrically
You are stronger during the eccentric phase of any liftas much as 1.75 times as strong as during the
concentric phase! Think about it: You can lower more weight in the bench press or deadlift than you
can raise.
Remember, the eccentric phase of a lift occurs when the muscle lengthens. This is the down motion
of the bench press, biceps curl, or squat. The concentric phase of the lift occurs when the muscle
shortens, as in the up motion of the bench press, biceps curl, or squat.
2) For Maximal Strength & Hypertrophy, Control the Eccentric Phase of Every Lift: Never Let
Gravity Do the Work
You probably know that you can increase muscle growth by focusing on the eccentric phase of your
lifts because it is well accepted that the lengthening motion of an exercise triggers hypertrophy the
most. However, as you will see below, performing both the concentric and eccentric phase of the lift
produces greater growth than doing eccentric-only training.
There are a wide variety of ways to manipulate the eccentric phase for a more muscular physique. For
strength and mass gains, I highlight some of these strategies below, but simply, you NEVER want to
ignore the eccentric motion of an exercise and let the weight fall with gravity. You should always lower
the weight in a controlled fashion and follow a prescribed tempo (a specific number of seconds to
lower the weight).
When power is the desired quality, then fast eccentrics are essential. The reason being that learning
to switch rapidly from a fast eccentric contraction to a fast concentric contraction is essential for power
development.
3) The Eccentric Motion Causes More Muscle Damage & Hypertrophy
By programming the eccentric motion of your exercises, you can achieve the greatest muscle growth
by making sure you have the right intensity of load and use the ideal time under tension to cause
maximal muscle fiber damage. Studies suggest that protein synthesis is greatest after eccentricenhanced lifting. For example, a simple way to build more muscle is to use a longer tempo for the
eccentric motion (4 to 6 seconds) with an explosive or 1-second concentric motion. More advanced
methods that I cover below include heavy negatives, forced reps, and complex training.
In studies that have compared eccentric-only and concentric-only training, eccentric-only is far
superior for producing muscle damage and hypertrophy. This is because the eccentric motion
damages the myofibers and it preferentially recruits fast-twitch fibers. This means there is a greater
amount of stress per motor unit with eccentric exercises, producing greater muscle growth.
In contrast, concentric-only training doesnt lead to significant hypertrophy. One well known study had
males perform concentric-only or eccentric-only training using 4 to 6 sets of 8 to 12 reps 3 times a
week. At the end of 12 weeks, slow-twitch fibers didnt increase in either group. But the fast-twitch
type II fibers increased 10 time more in the eccentric-only group than the concentric-only group! Still,
studies indicate that the very BEST stimulus for hypertrophy is training that uses both the eccentric
and concentric motions but favors the eccentric motionthe reason is ATP or energy.

4) The Eccentric Motion Uses Less Energy

Another difference between eccentric and concentric motions is that the eccentric part of a lift requires
less energy (or ATP) to complete. This is important because it means you can perform more work
eccentrically, which has implications for body composition, strength, and size gains. But, a lot of
people dont realize that manipulating the use of energy and ATP breakdown is an important
component of maximal muscle growth.
Lets say that you are performing a set of squats with a heavy load and are nearing concentric-failure
for example, a load that is 85 percent of your squat 1RM and you are on the 6th rep of 8. Your
muscles are running out of energy, or ATP. You are close to being unable to sustain the contraction
and lift the weight out of the squat. Upon reaching fatigue, the fibers physically lock up due to
insufficient ATP, and if an eccentric action is then performed, small tears occur in the muscle, requiring
muscle remodeling and growth.
Researchers do suggest there are additional factors at play than just the depletion of ATP for
triggering high levels of protein synthesis after eccentric training. The anabolic response and the
activation of gene pathways appear to play a role, and there may still be other unidentified
mechanisms as well.
5) Heavy Negatives and Forced Reps Produce an Anabolic Response
The locking up and tearing of muscle fibers is not the only reason eccentric training is superior for
hypertrophy. Heavy negatives and forced reps are more advanced techniques that allow you to train
at a higher intensity, thus producing greater stress and adaptation. These methods also trigger an
anabolic response.
For example, heavy negatives are performed with an above maximal concentric loadone that is 20
to 50 percent greater than your concentric 1RM. An ideal way to do this is with eccentric hooks that
add weight, which you put on the end of a barbell. You lower the extra load using a prescribed tempo
(4 seconds, for example), the hooks drop off when they hit the floor, and you raise the weight with the
lighter load.
Studies show heavy negatives will produce greater motor unit recruitment, more protein synthesis,
and a greater increase in insulin-like growth factor-1 than if lighter eccentric loads were used. Forced
reps will also recruit more motor units and lead to more growth hormone release. To do them, choose
a load that is heavier than normal for the given number of repetitions. For example, for a program that
includes 4 sets of 8, identify the maximal load you can perform for 8 reps and then increase that load
by 5 or 10 percent. Perform your intended 8 reps with the heavier load and use a spotter when you
reach concentric failure to eek out a few more for a better anabolic response.
6) Eccentric-Enhanced Training Lets You Increase Concentric Power
A proven benefit to doing fast eccentric training is greater concentric power. An interesting study
shows that eccentric-enhanced training will allow you to produce more power for sports such as
football, rugby, lacrosse, and boxing and it provides variety to combat boredom for the recreational
trainee.
This study used college athletes and tested the effect of using different eccentric loads with a set
concentric load of 40 kg in the bench throw. Eccentric hooks were used on the barbell to test loads of
40, 60, 70, and 80 kg for the eccentric motion. The hooks dropped off at the bottom. Then the athletes
explosively bench pressed or threw a 40 kg bar and power output was measured.

Results showed that the heavier eccentric loads (60, 70, and 80 kg) allowed the athletes to produced
greater concentric power than the 40 kg load. The greatest concentric acceleration was produced with
the heaviest 80 kg load.
Researchers think the athletes were able to produce more power with the heavier eccentric load
because lowering a greater weight increases muscle tension and cross-bridging of fibers. Also, as
expressed relative to the athletes 1RM bench press, the eccentric load that led to the best bench
throw for the 40 kg load was 66 percent of the athletes 1RM bench throw.
7) Fast Eccentrics Produce the Greatest Hypertrophy
Fast and heavy eccentrics arent just for athletes. Anyone who wants to gain muscle size will benefit
because fast eccentric actions cause more protein synthesis and muscle damage than slower
eccentrics. Plus, they stimulate gene signaling pathways and activate satellite cells, which participate
in muscle growth. Its all fairly technical, but it comes down to eccentric magicyou WILL get bigger if
you train this way.
For example, one study compared an 8-week power training program using 30 to 60 percent of the
1RM with a traditional strength program using 70 to 85 percent of the 1RM. The programs werent
eccentric-enhanced, but they did include the eccentric and concentric action. Results showed that the
power training group had a much greater increase in type II muscle fibers than the traditional program.
Researchers think this is because the fast eccentric motion of the power protocol activated gene
signaling and greater protein synthesis, while recruiting distinct muscle fibers that arent used during
slower movements.
8) Apply Fast Eccentrics with Complex Training To Get Bigger and Stronger
One of the best ways to apply fast eccentrics is to perform complex training in which you do a heavy
strength exercise followed immediately by a fast power exercise. For example, do squats at 85
percent of the 1RM followed by vertical jumps. In addition to activating the high-threshold motor units
on the heavy, slower lift, your performance in the power exercise will benefit from pre-activation by the
heavy load. Hang cleans followed by squat jumps are another option.
9) Eccentric-Enhanced Training Strengthens Tendons
Eccentric training is well known for strengthening tendons. Just like eccentric training is a robust
stimulus for muscle growth, it also rebuilds tendon tissue. It is commonly used to rehabilitate ruptured
tendons, but including eccentric training in your program can help you prevent such a debilitating
injury.
10) Eccentric Training Increases Flexibility
Eccentric training has been shown to be one of the very best methods for increasing flexibility. Its
much more effective than static stretching, and a new analysis found that eccentrics can increase hip
range-of-motion by an average of 22 percent. Range-of-motion in all joints measured was found to
increase by at least 13 degrees.
It works because the eccentric motion causes muscle fiber growth, increasing the sarcomeres in
series within a muscle, meaning the muscle becomes longer and you get more flexible! Just about
everyone wants to be more flexible, and the more technical lifts require a large degree of flexibility to
perform them correctly. If your deep squat, deadlift, power clean, or front squat technique suffer due to
poor flexibility in the ankles, hips, shoulders, or wrists, you wont be able to get the most out of your
trainingand youll look like you dont know what youre doing. Eccentric training is the solution.