By Dr. David Samadi
When it comes to lifting weights, most people focus on the lifting itself. However, there is another part of strength training that often gets overlooked: eccentric training. This underrated technique can be a game-changer for boosting your fitness, protecting your joints, and preventing injuries. Let’s break down eccentric training and why you should focus on this part of your routine.
What Are Concentric, Isometric, and Eccentric Movements?
In any strength training exercise, your muscles go through three phases:
- Concentric: This is when your muscles contract, shortening as they lift the weight. Think of curling a dumbbell up toward your shoulder.
- Isometric: Here, your muscles hold a static position with no movement. Picture pausing halfway through a bicep curl, keeping the weight in place.
- Eccentric: The star of the show. This happens when your muscles lengthen under tension, such as slowly lowering the dumbbell after a curl.
While the concentric part gets all the attention, the eccentric phase is where the magic happens for improving muscle control, strength, and injury prevention.
Why Eccentric Training Is Critical for Your Health
You’ve probably heard stories of someone in good shape having a fall only to struggle with recovery. Preventing falls, accidents, and injuries becomes more critical as we age. Eccentric training—strengthening muscles as they lengthen—trains your body to better handle real-life movements like walking down stairs or lowering yourself into a chair without losing control.
Focusing on slow, controlled eccentric movements acts like a natural shock absorber for your body. It helps you brace against gravity, improving your stability, balance, and ability to react quickly in high-intensity activities like running or playing sports. Not only does this protect you from falls, but it also enhances explosive movements and helps prevent wear and tear on joints and connective tissues.
Three Simple Eccentric Exercises to Add to Your Routine
Want to start boosting your eccentric strength? Here are three exercises that make it easy:
- Eccentric Push-ups: From a high plank, position your body by lowering it toward the floor in a slow, controlled motion over three to five seconds. Once you’re at the bottom, reset and repeat.
- Eccentric Squats: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, arms extended in front of you. Slowly lower yourself into a squat, counting to five on the way down, and then return to standing at an average pace.
- Eccentric Overhead Press: Hold dumbbells or kettlebells at shoulder height and press them overhead. Lowering them back down, focus on a slow, controlled descent over five seconds.
The Bottom Line
Eccentric training plays a pivotal role in injury prevention, enhancement of athletic performance, and long-term health improvement. Individuals can develop stronger muscles, safeguard their joints, and maintain physical activity over the years by deliberately slowing down and concentrating on the lowering phase of exercises. Start integrating these eccentric movements into your regimen today to experience their benefits firsthand.
Dr. David Samadi is the Director of Men’s Health and Urologic Oncology at St. Francis Hospital in Long Island. He’s a renowned and highly successful board-certified Urologic Oncologist Expert and Robotic Surgeon in New York City, regarded as one of the leading prostate surgeons in the U.S., with a vast expertise in prostate cancer treatment and Robotic-Assisted Laparoscopic Prostatectomy. Dr. Samadi is a medical contributor to NewsMax TV and is also the author of The Ultimate MANual, Dr. Samadi’s Guide to Men’s Health and Wellness, available online both on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Visit Dr. Samadi’s websites at robotic oncology and prostate cancer 911.