Flourish - Latest Edition - Flipbook - Page 26
why train eccentrically?
eccentrically?
Believe it or not, your muscles
can handle more force while
lengthening than shortening.
That means you’re stronger
during the eccentric phase —
and there’s serious training
poten琀椀al in tapping into that.
THE BIG BENEFITS:
Strength & Power Gains:
Because your muscles are
capable of producing more
force eccentrically, this style of
training can give your strength
and power a serious boost.
Research shows it’s especially
e昀昀ec琀椀ve in developing fasttwitch muscle 昀椀bres, which are
key for explosive movement
and speed.
Muscle Growth
(Hypertrophy): Eccentric
training creates more
mechanical stress on your
muscles — which can lead to
greater muscle breakdown
and, over 琀椀me, more growth.
A 2020 meta-analysis
in Fron琀椀ers in Physiology
con昀椀rmed that eccentric
overload training can lead
to superior gains in muscle
mass compared to tradi琀椀onal
methods.
Fat Loss & Metabolism: Even
though eccentric contrac琀椀ons
use less oxygen and energy
during the actual movement,
they cause more muscle
damage — which ramps
up your metabolism postworkout. Transla琀椀on? You burn
more energy during recovery.
Flexibility Improvements:
Yep, eccentric training may
also help you become more
昀氀exible. Lengthening your
muscles under load helps to
increase range of mo琀椀on,
which can be especially
useful for people with 琀椀ght
hamstrings, hips or shoulders.
Injury Rehab & Joint Support:
Eccentric training has been
used in physio clinics for
years — especially to help
treat issues like Achilles
tendinopathy or patellar
tendon pain. It builds strength
in a controlled way and places
less stress on joints compared
to fast, high-intensity
movements.
