🏋🏾♂️Why Eccentrics Belong in Your Training Routine
Eccentric exercise – the “slow‑lower” part of a movement, also sometimes called “negative work” – is one of the most powerful, underused tools you can add to your week for strength, joint resiliency, and long‑term performance.
When you lower into a squat, step down from a curb, or control yourself into a chair, your muscles are lengthening under load – that is an eccentric contraction. During this phase, your muscles can handle significantly more force than they can when you’re lifting, while using less energy and oxygen.
Research shows eccentric‑focused training can produce greater improvements in strength and muscle size than concentric‑only training, especially when the eccentric phase is loaded or slowed down. Eccentrics also improve control around joints like the knees, hips, and spine, which matters for everything from decelerating on a run to landing from a jump or stepping off a curb. On the rehab and durability side, eccentric protocols are a staple in managing tendinopathies because they strengthen the muscle–tendon junction and improve load tolerance. I am a huge fan of eccentric work for preventing and managing “itises” (the Theraband Flexbar is a Godsend for forearm and/or elbow issues.)
A recent randomized trial in athletes with patellar tendinopathy (aka “jumper’s knee,” pain in the tendon below the knee cap) drove this home using progressive, tendon‑loading eccentric decline squats. Over 12 weeks, the group performing slow, progressive eccentric squats on a decline board improved their postural control, increased dynamic balance, gained quadriceps strength, and reported about a 20‑point reduction in pain scores – changes that were not seen in the control group. In practical terms, that means better knee control, stronger quads, and less pain just by adding a structured “slow‑lower” squat protocol.
How to Add Eccentrics into Your Training
You don’t need a separate “eccentric day.” You can fold them into what you already do 2 to 3 times per week.
-
Slow‑lower strength reps: For one or two sets of each main lift (squats, hinges, pushes, pulls), lower for a 3 to 4 second count, then come up in 1 second. Because you’re moving more slowly, your muscles will be under tension longer, so you’ll want to drop your usual working weight.
-
Runner/walker add‑ons: Include 5 to 10 minutes of controlled downhill running or walking or treadmill decline once or twice a week to eccentrically load your quads and improve deceleration strength.
-
Eccentric exercise snacks: Turn chair sit‑downs, step‑downs, and stair descent into training by focusing on a smooth, slow, 3 to 4 second lower.
A simple rule of thumb: sprinkle in 1 to 2 eccentric‑focused sets per exercise, 2–3 days a week, and build gradually as soreness allows. By deliberately slowing down the “way down,” you can build stronger muscles, more resilient tendons, and better control – the stuff that keeps you running, riding, lifting, and moving well for years to come. |
