We all love a power move, such as running, jumping, throwing balls, swinging kettlebells or scaling walls. In comparison, deliberate, controlled movement can seem a bit boring. But this slower side of exercise is frequently safer and less physically demanding than its more showy rival. And according to the latest research, one form of it is more effective than it has traditionally been given credit for.
“Eccentric exercise training provides numerous benefits for physical fitness and overall health, making it suitable for a wide range of individuals,” Prof Kazunori Nosaka writes in a new paper published in the Journal of Sport and Health Science. It “offers unique advantages over concentric or isometric exercise, particularly in promoting neuromuscular adaptations”.
Eccentric? Concentric? To explain this in slightly friendlier terms, any movement you make with your body involves one or more sort of muscle contraction: concentric (shortening), isometric (generating force to stay in one place, as you’d do in a plank), or eccentric (lengthening). Practically speaking, it’s usually safe to think of what sports scientists call the eccentric phase of a movement as “the lowering bit”. In a press-up or squat, it’s the part where your body’s descending towards the floor; in an overhead press, it’s the part where you’re lowering the weights from the top of the move. Typically, this means that eccentrics feel a bit less sexy than concentrics, but increasingly, it seems they’re an excellent option for almost everyone.
“One recent meta-analysis found that eccentric training is consistently effective for improving strength, power, muscle growth and flexibility across all populations, from athletes to older and clinical groups,” says Callum Roberts, head coach at Results Inc gym. “We usually use eccentric movements to reinforce technique and develop better range of motion – slowing down and taking the time to really focus on the movement. If you want to perform better, look better and stay functional over the long term, they really should be part of your training.”
Exactly how easy it is to emphasise the eccentric bit of an exercise depends a lot on what you’re doing. Some exercises don’t really have an eccentric phase – explosive movements such as a kettlebell swing don’t have a part where you control the weight as it comes back down, and sled pushes or pulls don’t involve a part where the sled pushes you back. In everything else, the simplest way to focus on the eccentric is to make the lowering bit slower. “Three to five seconds is a good rule of thumb,” says Kurt Johnson, co-founder of physiotherapy and performance clinic One Body LDN. “For example, if you’re doing a biceps curl, you’d curl up normally, but in the lowering phase take your time and count the seconds. The same goes for squats or push-ups.”
For tougher movements, you can also experiment with eccentric-only reps – in a pull-up, for instance, you can just do a small jump (or stand on a step) to get your chin over the bar, then lower yourself down as slowly as you can. In a press-up, things can be a bit more ungainly, but the principle is the same – just wrangle yourself into the top position of the movement (a plank, essentially), then try to descend with a bit of decorum.
In other exercises, you can make the “up” bit easier than the “down”: in the biceps curl, for instance, you’d do this by “cheat” curling the dumbbells up (using a bit of momentum from your body to help), or by switching standard palms-up curls for palms-facing-each-other hammer curls, which recruit more muscles to the effort.
“A more advanced option is to add eccentric overload by using two limbs to lift but one to lower, like using both legs to push up in a leg press but one in the down bit” says Anwen Davies, a former gymnast and trainer at The Lady Lab. “This isn’t necessarily something to try as a beginner, but it’s worth bearing in mind.”
Traditionally, the biggest problem associated with eccentric exercise (apart from how to pronounce the word, which turns out to be ee-centric) is delayed onset muscle soreness, or Doms – the dreadful feeling when you’ve done too many squats and can’t walk down the stairs properly. This partly happens because it’s easy to accidentally overdo eccentrics. “Despite the workout feeling far less demanding, the body and muscles can end up feeling much more fatigued,” says Johnson. “It’s important to start with fewer repetitions of each exercise and lower weights before building up – that way, the soreness will largely become a non-issue.”
In summary, then: it’s not loud, it’s (probably) not as much fun as leaping on to a box, and you’ll have to use less weight than you normally would, but prioritising eccentrics might actually help you to build some strength. Time to take it slow.
Five eccentric exercises to try
If you’re new to eccentric exercise (or exercise in general), start easy – try doing two or three eccentric-focused exercises twice a week, with at least three days between sessions. Do three sets of around five to eight reps, focusing on the slow eccentric phase.
“After three to four weeks, your body will adapt to the soreness and you can increase the frequency or add exercises,” says Anwen Davies. “The beauty of this approach is that you can get significant strength gains in 20 to 30 minutes without needing equipment or getting out of breath.” Take your pick from the below:
1. Eccentric-focused squats
Squat down slowly for three to five seconds, then stand up at a normal pace. “You can hold on to a door frame for balance initially, or lower to a chair,” says Davies. “This helps to build leg strength without the cardiovascular demand of regular squats.”
2. Wall press-ups
Put your hands on a wall shoulder-width apart, and slowly lower your chest towards the surface – again, three to five seconds is a good count before you pause and press back up. Lower the incline (so that you’re using a table or couch) as you get stronger.
3. Push presses
Using dumbbells, a barbell, or a couple of bottles of water, bend your knees slightly and then stand up straight, using the momentum to help push the weight overhead – then lower it slowly. Warm up your shoulders first, though.
4. Heel drops
“Stand on the edge of a step and rise up on to your toes, then, lower your heels slowly below the level of the step before returning to the start,” says Johnson. “This is a brilliant option for anyone with calf or Achilles issues.” You can also do it while you’re waiting for the bus.
4. Eccentric calf raises
Similar to heel drops, but a bit more intense, as you’re working on one leg. “Rise up on to your toes with both feet, then take one foot off the floor and slowly lower down over three to five seconds,” says Davies. “Use both feet to rise again. This is good for calf strength and ankle stability.” If balance is a problem, putting a hand on the wall or a table is fine.
5. Slow descent step-downs
Stand on a step or sturdy box, and slowly lower one foot toward the ground over three to five seconds without fully stepping down, then bring it back up. “This helps to build single leg strength and control, which translates to better balance and injury prevention,” says Davies.
