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We all know lifting heavy is the best way to build mass, but duration matters too.
By slowing down the lowering phase of a rep, a concept known as eccentric training, you can challenge your muscles to the max.
Here’s everything you need to know about its (many) perks and advice on adding it to your routine.
Let’s start with the basics. Your muscles can perform one of three contractions under tension: concentric, eccentric and isometric. Now imagine you’re performing a bicep curl.
A concentric contraction occurs when you pull the weight up towards your chest, shortening or pulling together muscle fibres, an eccentric contraction when you extend and lower it, lengthening muscle fibres, and an isometric contraction if you pause halfway and hold it at 90 degrees without altering the length of muscle fibres.
‘Research has shown between four and five seconds is the ideal length of time to perform the eccentric phase, so it’s a slow, controlled movement,’ explains Pretoria-based strength and conditioning coach Devlin Eyden.
‘Spending more time lengthening a muscle under load causes microscopic tears, which induces an inflammatory response in your body that, with adequate recovery, forces it to build and repair stronger than before.
It’s as if your body realises, hang on, I didn’t like that, so it prepares itself for the next time it has to perform that movement.
This seems to benefit muscle size and strength more than concentric training.'
It also places less demand on your body, as ‘it has a slower muscle firing frequency, so it requires less oxygen uptake, meaning your breathing rate isn’t through the roof.
Your heart rate isn’t high due to low cardiac output and, as a result, produces a lower lactate buildup in the muscles. Not only does moving more slowly give you better control, but it’s less tiring, which means you have the energy to lift heavier weights.
Also, you can recover relatively quickly before your next training session, so it complements other sports such as swimming or cycling.
If you’re trying to slim down, lifting heavier weights not only enhances muscle growth but also increases your metabolism (the conversion of kilojoules and oxygen into energy), promoting weight loss.’
When you rehab an injury, you want to improve your range of motion and continue to strength train, both of which eccentric workouts allow you to do. ‘This is because a slow, controlled movement – as opposed to the sharp, pulling action of the concentric phase – is safer to perform.
This means you can move your joints through a better range of motion and as mentioned, concentrating on the eccentric phase induces faster strength gains, so you’ll see better results over time as you return to training.
As eccentric training is less taxing on your body, you can do it more often, reducing your risk of muscle atrophy (loss of mass).’
One rep is four to five seconds long. Aim to complete four to five sets of roughly five to six reps. Take two minutes of rest between sets to decrease your chance of muscle soreness due to being under heavy resistance for an extended time, and rest for 48 hours between sessions to allow your muscles to repair.
‘Eccentric training isn’t the only form of exercise you should do,’ Eyden explains. ‘There’ll be times when you want to get stronger and eccentric movement is important, whereas explosive movement is better if you’re trying to get faster. You don’t want to be doing slow movements if you’re two weeks out from a race, as an example.
‘Then there’s frequency to consider. Three times a week is fine if you’re rehabbing an injury because chances are you’re not doing much else.
But if you’re doing other exercises or activities such as swimming, cycling or running, you’ll want to limit it to twice a week. This is why you’re better off talking to an expert before jumping into it.’
Eyden’s hesitant to advise working at a certain percentage of your one-rep max because not many people know what that is, especially beginners who’ve never set foot in a gym.
The idea is to feel you’re lifting a moderate-to-heavy weight with enough force to provide resistance throughout the movement.
This number depends on your training history and how competent you are at this type of movement or strength training in general.
He cautions, ‘Start light and progress slowly. Don’t lift too heavy, especially if you’re new to this type of training or nursing an injury. You could start with resistance bands, a great option that provides constant resistance during this phase.
Then, as your technique improves, go for a slightly heavier resistance band or incorporate weight - using your body weight does the trick.’
Finally, don’t go it alone. Having someone to support you, your safety net, means you’re more likely to feel confident lifting heavy and working through a better range of movement.
Eyden explains, ‘They can spot and re-rack your weights, even if you’re at the bottom of a squat and you can’t get back up to your next rep because you’ve decided to lift a heavier weight with which you’re unaccustomed.
Depending on their experience, they can also help correct your technique in real-time.’
Bench press: Lowering the bar towards your chest.
Squat: Lowering your body toward the ground.
Push-up: Dropping your body toward the ground, arms bent.
Deadlift: Squatting and lowering the barbell back toward the ground at the end of the exercise.
Situp: Lowering your torso toward the ground.
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