Eccentric training is the practice of just engaging in the eccentric portion of a lift, sometimes referred to as “Negs” or “Negative Reps.” The eccentric and concentric phases of almost every exercise can be separated; during the eccentric phase, the muscle is stretched; during the concentric phase, the muscle is contracted.
The concentric portion of a bicep curl would therefore involve curling the bar upward, and the eccentric portion would include bringing the bar back down. While performing a bench press, the eccentric portion would involve bringing the bar down, while the concentric portion would bring the bar back up.
In a bicep curl, most individuals focus entirely on curling the bar before letting it fall back down without any control during the eccentric portion of the movement. This is due to the widespread misconception that the concentric portion of the lift is where all the magic occurs and that the eccentric portion is really a necessary evil.
Actually, for anyone attempting to become stronger, gain more muscle mass, or even just do the exercise correctly, both stages are crucial. In actuality, when it comes to hypertrophy and strength, the eccentric portion of the lift is somewhat more significant. Indeed, many strength instructors incorporate just eccentric movements into their programmes.
How to Execute Eccentric Exercises at the Gym
To do an eccentric exercise. You either need a partner or a device that can keep you from getting caught beneath the bar (or something similar), such as a squat rack or smith machine. Consider doing a negative bench press as an example.
On the bench, position yourself as normal. But choose a weight that is between 105 and 120% of your 1-rep maximum for the bench press. Obviously, 105% would be advised if this was your first time executing negatives. With the assistance of your spotter, remove the bar from the stand. Bring it above your chest, and then gradually drop it towards your chest. All the while, you were fighting the bar.
Your spotter should remove the bar when it contacts your chest as you assist them. After pausing for approximately 10 seconds, repeat.
In this post, we’ll examine the advantages of negative reps and suggest the best ways to use them in your current training regimen.
1 Benefit: More force at the gym
Eccentric training has been shown in several studies to significantly improve force generation. Which has numerous applications in sport and fitness. Eccentric force in young males was 20–60% more than concentric force, according to a research by Hollander et al. (2007) [1]. Similar findings were found in a research by Kelly et al. (2015), with a 120% increase in force [2].
Benefit #2: Lessened Exercise Fatigue
Eccentric exercise produced less fatigue than a typical strength training session, according to the same Kelly et al study [2]. This explains why greater force may be created and is likely caused by the extending action being more effective than the contracting movement.
3 Benefit: Enhanced hypertrophy
Even while eccentric exercise causes greater muscle injury than conventional training, it may not cause as much tiredness [3]. This may seem negative, but—provided you ingest enough protein—the more muscle damage a session causes, the more strength and growth you may anticipate.
Studies have demonstrated that eccentric exercise does, in fact, increase in muscle size (hypertrophy). For instance, Pope et al.’s 2015 research discovered that when eccentric training and blood flow restriction were combined, muscle fibre size rose dramatically [4].
Benefit #4: Reduced Injury Risk
The advantages of growth and strength are presumably known to everyone who has heard about eccentric training. After you suggest greater muscles, most gym visitors are already convinced. Negative repetitions’ impact on your risk of injury is one advantage that is less frequently discussed.
This appears to be the case, particularly for the hamstring muscles, as demonstrated by 2011 research by Petersen et al., which discovered that eccentric training not only reduced the risk of new injuries, but also the likelihood of recurrence injuries [5].
Simply helping the performer refine their technique is another method of eccentric training that may reduce the chance of injury. Most tactics fall short because they are used improperly or with excessive force. Eccentric training, which includes slowly stretching the muscle under control, is a terrific approach to rediscovering an activity you may have previously performed poorly.
One of the simplest ways to hurt oneself is to do an exercise incorrectly. And often we don’t even realise we have a problem. If you try to slow down the eccentric portion of a bicep curl the next time you execute it. You could find it nearly hard to complete the second rep.
This is because you unintentionally made the workout simpler for yourself by employing too much momentum during the action.
Advantage #5. Increased Flexibility
The benefit of eccentric exercise on flexibility is greatly underappreciated, much like how it affects injury risk. Flexibility has been demonstrated to increase when eccentric training is combined with static stretching, although eccentric exercise is also beneficial on its own [6].
ADDING ECCENTRIC TRAINING TO YOUR PROGRAMME SUCCESSFULLY
The key to eccentric training is not to overdo it; if you add it to every workout or session. You run the danger of overtraining. Choose an activity you want to improve. Like the squat, and include a set of 8–10 repetitions with a 10-second pause in your workouts. regimen. The muscular damage from doing this more than once or twice a week might be severe. So be sure to get enough protein and sleep afterwards.
The benefit of eccentric exercise on flexibility is greatly underappreciated, much like how it affects injury risk. Flexibility has been demonstrated to increase when eccentric training is combined with static stretching, although eccentric exercise is also beneficial on its own [6].
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