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Aug 12, 2023

Eccentric exercise: What it is, benefits & 9 exercises to do

It's often the most overlooked part of training. The word "eccentric", you’ll know, is most commonly used to describe someone or something unconventional – but in the world of fitness, it means

It's often the most overlooked part of training.

The word "eccentric", you’ll know, is most commonly used to describe someone or something unconventional – but in the world of fitness, it means something quite different. Thankfully, eccentric exercise doesn’t refer to a particularly strange style of training – rather, it’s a specific movement, or phase of a movement, that involves lengthening muscle contractions, on the downward or lowering part of each exercise.

Studies have confirmed that eccentric training is excellent for building strength – more efficient, even, than concentric training (when your muscle shortens as tension is produced, like a bicep curl). This is thought to be related to the fact that eccentric contractions generate more force as your muscles attempt to resist both the stretch that comes with lengthening, and the load from the weight or resistance you're using (in concentric contractions, it's just the load your muscles are battling with), though more research is needed in this area.

Researchers also believe eccentric exercise may be helpful for avoiding injury in athletes, as eccentric contractions are used to decelerate or absorb energy, so your body is more able to slow itself down and your muscles are able to absorb some of the impact from high-intensity exercises. Plus, this type of training is also helpful for learning and improving your form in various movements, since it forces you to slow down.

Most people – whether you’re brand new to resistance training or a seasoned lifter – can benefit from including eccentric exercises in their programmes. But, where to begin?

We spoke to personal trainer Sana Shirvani for everything you need to know about eccentric exercise.

Eccentric refers to the “lowering” or “downward” phase of an exercise, where the muscles are lengthened under tension. Think: lowering into a squat or push-up.

Eccentric exercise (also known as negative training) places emphasis on this specific phase of a particular movement, usually with the goal of developing strength or improving form within that movement pattern. As mentioned above, while concentric contractions are great for building muscle and strength, studies have found eccentric exercise to be superior.

There are two types of muscle contractions, Shirvani tells us. Eccentric and concentric are both types of isotonic muscle contractions, meaning your muscle’s length changes throughout the movement but the tension does not, whereas isometric contractions are when your muscle is under tension, but doesn't change length.

Most exercises feature both eccentric and concentric contractions (think about the movement pattern of a squat, for instance: the lowering part is the eccentric phase, and the concentric phase happens when you drive back up to the starting position). However, we tend to focus more on the concentric phase of movements, which you may recognise from your own training.

An example of an isometric contraction might be a wall sit or a plank - your body is under constant tension, but you're not moving.

‘In a Romanian deadlift, for example, the eccentric phase will occur when you are pushing your hips backwards and lengthening the glutes and hamstrings,’ says Shirvani. ‘In a dumbbell chest press, as you lower the dumbbells, you will be lengthening your chest muscles – this will be the eccentric phase of the exercise.’

Eccentric exercises include negative push-ups, where you lower from a plank into what’s usually the mid-point of a push-up, before lowering your knees and resetting your position to complete another rep – skipping the final phase of a traditional push-up, and negative pull-ups.

That depends on what qualifies as 'better' to you, but there are many potential benefits of incorporating eccentric exercises into your training routine.

For starters – the eccentric phase of an exercise can significantly enhance muscular strength. In fact, studies have shown that eccentric exercise can be more efficient than concentric exercise for building strength. More research is needed to fully understand the mechanisms behind the superior strength benefits of eccentric exercise, however, researchers believe that it's likely due to the fact that a greater amount of force is generated during eccentric contractions, compared with other contraction types, and they require less energy to perform, too.

‘When you perform eccentric movements, your muscles must generate force while lengthening under tension, which helps increase adaptation and strength over time,’ explains Shirvani.

Similarly, research has found that eccentric exercises are also great if you’re looking to build muscle – and for the same reasons it's helpful for developing strength. ‘Eccentric training can promote muscle hypertrophy as the controlled lengthening of muscles during the eccentric phase leads to muscle fibre damage, triggering a repair and growth response – this can result in increased muscle size and definition,’ says Shirvani. She caveats that other factors, including sleep quality and nutrition, are important for muscle growth, too.

Because eccentric exercise combines both strengthening and stretching elements, it can be beneficial for improving joint stability. Studies have found it to be a positive method of reducing injury risk to the lower body, in particular, compared with classic strength training, by improving your range of motion (ROM) while simultaneously building strength.

‘Strengthening the eccentric phase of movements can enhance your ability to control and decelerate your body or external loads, reducing the risk of injuries – especially in sports and activities involving rapid directional changes or deceleration,’ says Shirvani. ‘Many sports involve eccentric movements, such as running, jumping, and cutting. Incorporating eccentric training into your routine can improve your performance in these activities by enhancing strength, power, and control.’

We've touched on the reduced injury risk benefits of eccentric exercise already, but to really hammer home the point – one study, which explored the effects of hamstring eccentric exercise on preventing lower limb injuries, found that the implementation of a hamstring eccentric training programme reduced lower extremity injuries by 28%, and resulted in a huge 46% decrease in hamstring injury rate.

In addition, it resulted in a 34% decline in knee injury rate. This is likely due to the strengthening benefits of eccentric exercise, as well as its ability to improve ROM.

'Muscle strength development can be more effective by incorporating the eccentric phase of an exercise rather than the concentric phase alone,' Shirvani confirms. 'This increased eccentric strength can help stabilise joints and improve overall joint function as well as resisting external forces which can reduce the risk of injuries.'

Tendon health, she says, is also crucial for injury prevention. 'Incorporating eccentric exercises into your programme can stimulate adaptations in your tendons, making them more resilient to the demands placed on them through physical activity. If programmed within a well rounded strength programme, your risk of tendon related injuries like tendonitis will be reduced.'

Eccentric training is commonly used in injury rehabilitation as it allows for controlled loading of injured tissues. 'This helps the healing process while improving your neuromuscular control (the ability of your muscles to work together efficiently and effectively),' Shirvani explains.

Research indicates that eccentric exercise can help to improve flexibility in adults, too. This is important, because joint flexibility helps to reduce your risk of injury. Studies indicate that exercises combining stretching and strengthening elements, such as eccentric exercises, are most effective for improving both strength and flexibility.

'During eccentric exercises, muscles and the surrounding facia are stretched and lengthened under tension,' explains Shirvani. 'Over time, the continuous stretching of the muscle fibres and facia can help increase muscle length which can contribute to your flexibility.'

Eccentric exercises, she says, challenge muscles and joints through their full range of motion. 'This can lead to an increase in joint flexibility and the ability to move more freely. As muscles adapt to these challenges, they become more accustomed to lengthening, which can translate to improved ROM.'

The achilles tendon connects your calf muscle to your heel bone, and helps you lift your foot off the floor when you walk, run and jump, so it’s important to ensure yours are strong and flexible.

If your goal is to build strength and learn how to perform a movement pattern with good form as a beginner, then eccentric exercises are your best friend. That said, beginners with zero prior experience of doing eccentric-only exercises may find them extremely challenging, and research has found that unaccustomed eccentric exercise could induce muscle damage that may result in delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS), so it’s important to ease yourself in if you’re trying eccentric exercise for the first time.

‘If I have a beginner client, I will most likely always get them to understand eccentric movements at the start of their training as it will help them build strength and stability, and form an understanding of the mind to muscle connection as you can feel the sensation of the exercise more when keeping your muscle under tension,’ says Shirvani. ‘Eccentric exercises can reduce the risk of injury and build strong foundations for beginners.’

If you’re new to eccentric exercise, Shirvani recommends starting by paying more attention to the eccentric phase of compound exercises, such as squats, deadlifts, push-ups and overhead pressing.

‘If we use squats as an example here – beginners will find it beneficial to slowly lower themselves into their squat position in order to build confidence, and correct their form and technique,’ she says. ‘When you progress from bodyweight squats and begin to load the exercise, the eccentric phase will be key if you are looking to build some muscle and strengthen the quadriceps and glutes.’

Eccentric exercises are really helpful for learning push-ups and pull-ups, in particular. ‘If you are a beginner, you are more than likely not able to perform a full pull-up or press up – the eccentric phase will help you build strength, and get you towards that full pull-up or press-up,’ says Shirvani.

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