Using Eccentrics In Your Training Program For More Strength & Injury Protection

Eccentric
actions refer to an athlete’s muscle belly that is resisting the act of lengthening;
the muscle is exerting force while being lengthened.  Imagine a tug of war
against someone much larger than yourself… you are resisting movement, but
inevitably losing ground. It’s also been called the yielding action (as opposed
to the overcoming action which refers to the actual lifting of the resistance),
and more colloquially coined the ‘negative’ in training programs worldwide.

Athletes will find themselves doing eccentric training in most free weight exercise. However, and that is a BIG however, because concentric strength potential (the maximal force you can apply concentrically) is significantly lower than the eccentric strength with the same load, the yielding portion is never fully exhausted. In layman, the relative weakness of the concentric prevents a complete overload during the eccentric portion of the exercise. In this way, athletes are often not getting the full benefit from eccentric training.

As
we’ll soon explain, it is the yielding portion of an exercise which gives us
the great bang for our buck for athlete development and shouldn’t be
overlooked.

This
is not a revolutionary concept. I first learned of the true value of eccentric
muscle action through pioneer strength and conditioning coach Cal Dietz, who
has gone on to write an incredible book called Triphasic training, of which
some of these methodologies I’m about to share have been adapted from.

For an
athlete seeking maximum results, you should plan training methods around
emphasizing eccentric overload. However, with positives come drawbacks. We’ll
address those too and provide a solution as to how to overcome these
limitations.

ECCENTRIC STRESS AS A SUPERIOR
STIMULUS FOR STRENGTH IMPROVEMENTS

It’s been a while since we’ve known that the yielding (eccentric/negative) portion of an exercise is responsible for more strength gains than the overcoming (concentric/positive) portion. A famous study by Hortobagyi and co found that of two groups, either assigned to eccentric-only or concentric-only training, the eccentric-only group greater gains in strength over a 6 week period.

And by
strength, that was not just within the muscle action that the intervention was
applied, but the sum of eccentric, isometric and concentric strength. The total
strength improvement of eccentric training was 85%, while concentric only
resulted in a 78% improvement. Furthermore, this study used submaximal yielding
actions and maximal overcoming actions. As mentioned earlier, the capacity for
the human system to apply eccentric force can be up to 140% greater than of the
concentric counterpart, but in this study, the load used was relative to
1RM concentric strength. Surely this tells us a lot about the
potential of eccentric strength training, at least when maximum strength gains
are the primary concern – which, for most athletes, should be a concern for at
least some portion of the year.

These
findings are in accordance with the body of scientific literature on the
subject.

“A resistance training protocol which includes eccentric
as well as concentric exercise, particularly when the eccentric is emphasized,
appears to result in greater strength gains than concentric exercise
alone.” – Hillard-Robertson

ECCENTRIC STRESS AS A SUPERIOR
STIMULUS FOR MUSCLE GROWTH

Eccentric
stress doesn’t only positively augment strength. In one study by Higbie and his
co-researchers, eccentric only training had a 1.6% improvement over a 10 week
period in muscle mass compared to the concentric only group. If we were to
assume there are four main training blocks per calendar year, the combined
improvement if these gains were to continue in a linear fashion would be 6%.
For those chasing body composition changes, or those who are wanting to move up
a weight class, a 6% increase is nothing to scoff at. More recently, a quote
from Fathing and Chilibeck summarises the message perfectly.

“Eccentric training resulted in greater hypertrophy than concentric training.”

WHY IS ECCENTRIC TRAINING MORE
EFFECTIVE?

There
isn’t just one reason. 

1. Eccentric training is responsible for the majority of the micro-trauma that is endured within the muscle cell. It is this micro trauma which appears to stimulate the synthesis of protein tissue, or in layman terms, initiates the muscle adaptation process.
2. Because you can use a higher external load during maximal eccentric training, you provide a greater overload to the tissue than what is capable with concentric training alone.
3. Neural adaptation to eccentric training are enhanced over concentric training.
4. The motor unit is placed under a high amount of stress during eccentric training as a result of a greater relative stimulation. During the yielding portion of the repetition, a reduced amount of motor units are recruited, meaning each motor unit that IS recruited receives much more stimulation.
5. Eccentric training is safer and more effective at treating tendinopathies. This makes it a more appropriate form of training for injured or returning athletes who have suffered from tendonous injuries.

IN LAYMAN TERMS, WHAT DOES THIS
MEAN FOR ME?

By not controlling the negative phase, or not contracting the yielding tissues as you lengthen them, you are missing out on an important training stimulus. You are affecting your strength gains, muscular growth, tendon training, and the opportunity to condition yourself to heavy loads.

WHAT ARE SOME STRATEGIES TO THAT
I CAN APPLY?

Timed eccentrics

This
is perhaps the simplest method. We wouldn’t advise using this for all
exercises, but it could be great to supplement your major lift, or used as
‘back off’ sets after your working sets with your primary lift. It could also
be used as your major lift, given the right intensity (load) is used. Be sure
to move the weight explosively back to the start position during the concentric
phase.

Negatives-Only

Negatives
are commonly used at the end of a normal set to overload the tissue. That’s
definitely one way to utilise negatives, but they can also be done in isolation
as a set themselves. We suggest using a load that is between 110 and 130% of
yourmaximum
on a certain lift when performing negatives. Anywhere from 3-10 reps of this
should suffice in one workout. Obviously, you need to use a spotter, and a
competent one at that. This is an advanced technique and should be carefully
considered before applying.

Two
Limbs Up, One Limb Down

This technique can be used quite effectively with exercises such as the single leg box squat, leg press, calf-raise machine, RDL and seated row. It’s likely to work with most machines you’ll find in the gym. The way it works is pretty simple: you lift the weight (overcoming/concentric portion) using both limbs and you yield with the weight using only one limb. By following this protocol, the load during the eccentric is twice as high as during the concentric. While it should feel easy with both limbs, it should be a challenge with one. 3-6 reps per limb, per set, is a great place to start.

Is
there anything else I should know about Eccentrics before I integrate them into
my training?

Because of the increase in mechanical load —
otherwise known as the ‘time under tension’ — eccentrics are best used earlier
in a training phase outside of competition. Integrating high-volume eccentrics
with large sprint loads may impact performance, increase perceived fatigue and,
increase the risk of injury. Subscribing to the philosophy of the ‘minimum
viable dose’ is something that will serve you well here.