FERNWOOD FITNESS - PULSE eMagazine - Issue#13 - Flipbook - Page 11
the slow
WHY ECCENTRIC STRENGTH
TRAINING DESERVES A SPOT IN
YOUR WORKOUT ROUTINE
When it comes to
building strength,
most of us think the
only way to level
up is to lift heavier
weights. While that’s
certainly one way to
do it, there’s another,
often overlooked
strategy that can be
just as powerful —
slowing things down.
Welcome to the
world of eccentric
strength training —
where going slow
can actually get you
results faster.
What Is
Eccentric Training?
Let’s start with a
little muscle science
(don’t worry, we’ll
keep it short and
simple!). Every time
you move, your
muscles perform
one of three types
of actions:
• Concentric: This is
when your muscle
shortens during
a movement —
like when you
curl a dumbbell
up towards your
shoulder in a
bicep curl.
• Isometric: This is
when your muscle
is working, but
not moving — like
holding that same
bicep curl halfway
up and just
pausing there.
• Eccentric: This is
the lowering or
lengthening phase
— like when you
slowly lower
the dumbbell
back down.
Eccentric training
focuses on that
lowering part of the
movement — the
phase where your
muscles are actually
at their strongest.
