4 Big Benefits of Eccentric Training

You know the old saying "slow and steady wins the race?" Well, in strength training, I believe slow and steady reps win the gainz. Eccentric training is, in my opinion, the Unsung Hero for improving athleticism. If you want to maximize strength, build muscle, and increase flexibility, stressing the eccentric portion of your lifts is a priority.

If you're asking "what the heck eccentric training," well, keep reading! There are three main types of skeletal muscle actions:

• An isometric action is when a contraction is maintained for an extended period of time. Planks and wall-sits are two well known isometric exercises.
• The concentric phase is aptly named, because it involves the contraction of the muscle. When you are standing up from the bottom of a squat, your quadriceps complex is concentrically contracting.
• The eccentric phase allows your muscles to lengthen under load. An example of this is when you are lowering yourself down from the top of a pull-up bar.

Most exercises emphasize the concentric portion of the movement. A standard push-up, pull-up or squat are traditionally used to improve the contraction of the agonist (initiating) muscles. Think about it this way: when you set up for a bench press, usually you lower the bar down relatively steadily and then accelerate the bar on the way up, as you extend your elbows. This is the traditional way to perform the movement, and the way it is performed in competition.

Now, what if I told you that, by training the lowering phase of a bench press, you could actually improve your strength and acceleration on the press? Do you ever find that with heavier weights you just tend to let the bar drop right to your chest, with absolutely no control? In that case, you are weak eccentrically.

This is just but one example of how eccentric training can help boost your performance. Here are some of the best benefits you can reap from utilizing the lengthening phase of an exercise:

1. Heavier loads. Research suggests that you can manage about 1.75 times as much weight in the eccentric phase than you can in the concentric phase. With a partner, load a heavy weight on the bar for bench. Try to control the weight down slowly and let your partner assist you in lifting the weight back up to the rack. This will help you increase your lifts at a rapid rate. I would recommend only doing only 3 sets of 4-5 repetitions the first few times you try these, as it is going to place a lot of stress on your muscles and your central nervous system.
2. Increased muscle size (hypertrophy)! Strength coach Charles Poliquin frequently writes about the effects of eccentric work for maximum hypertrophy. He says "The eccentric phase causes more muscle damage and leads to greater rates of protein synthesis post-workout. Training that includes a concentric phase as well as an eccentric phase will cause the most muscle damage." This is a great way to get massive quickly. Here's an example: for a biceps curl, you could do tempo sets. Count 5 seconds on the way up, and 10 seconds on the way down. Try this for 2-3 sets of 10 repetitions.
3. Injury prevention. Several studies have used eccentric training of the hamstrings to prevent ACL tears and hamstring strains. One such study was performed on competitive soccer players. Askling et. al. concluded "[the] results indicate that addition of specific preseason strength training for the hamstrings – including eccentric overloading – would be beneficial for elite soccer players, both from an injury prevention and from performance enhancement point of view." Russian leg curls are an excellent example of an eccentric movement for the hamstrings complex. These can be pretty tough initially, so 3-4 repetitions for a couple sets will be enough to light that posterior chain on fiya.
4. Improved flexibility. As you may or may not have deduced from my previous articles, I'm not a huge fan of static stretching. Eccentric training is a fantastic alternative to static stretching that will promote lasting changes on your level of flexibility. Dr. Yessis noted that "Good mornings are excellent. Here you're gonna get some stretching on the way down, and some strengthening on the way up ... You'll find the hamstrings kick in almost immediately." You can do this instead of a traditionally prescribed standing or seated hamstring stretch. Romanian deadlifts are another movement that can do wonders for your posterior chain.

One thing to keep in mind, though, is that slow eccentric movements can have an exceptional effect on the central nervous system. With that in mind, it's not necessary to perform them for very many reps or sets, and you'll only need to do them once or twice per week to reap the benefits. Performing heavy eccentric exercises on a regular basis can be counter productive, so use them sparingly! Using these concepts appropriately, however, you will see tremendous improvements in strength, power, and many other facets of athleticism.

Works Cited:

1. Askling, C., J. Karlsson, and A. Thorstensson. "Hamstring Injury Occurrence in Elite Soccer Players after Preseason Strength Training with Eccentric Overload." Scand J Med Sci Sports Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports 13.4 (2003): 244-50. Web.
2. Cowell, John F., John Cronin, and Matt Brughelli. "Eccentric Muscle Actions and How the Strength and Conditioning Specialist Might Use Them for a Variety of Purposes." Strength and Conditioning Journal 34.3 (2012): 33-48. Web.
3. Farthing, Jonathan P., and Philip D. Chilibeck. "The Effects of Eccentric and Concentric Training at Different Velocities on Muscle Hypertrophy." European Journal of Applied Physiology 89.6 (2003): 578-86. Web.
4. O'sullivan, K., S. Mcaulliffe, and N. Deburca. "The Effects Of Eccentric Training On Lower Limb Flexibility: A Systematic Review." British Journal of Sports Medicine 48.7 (2014): 648. Web.
5. Raj, Isaac Selva, Stephen R. Bird, Ben A. Westfold, and Anthony J. Shield. "Effects of Eccentrically Biased versus Conventional Weight Training in Older Adults." Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise 44.6 (2012): 1167-176. Web.
6. Schoenfeld, Brad. "The Use of Specialized Training Techniques to Maximize Muscle Hypertrophy." Strength and Conditioning Journal 33.4 (2011): 60-65. Web.

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To Belt or Not to Belt?

Part of assimilating into the "lifting culture" means geeking out over new purchases like shoes, wrist wraps, straps, and belts. It's easy to fill up your shopping cart pretty quickly on Amazon.com or other similar websites. The question is, how much of these items are necessary, and what is extraneous and perhaps counter-productive?

I've been hesitant to write this post, because I know many people hold very strong opinions on this issue. There are plenty of people at an elite level who are using lifting belts to deadlift 800+ pounds, so it's natural to want to copy what those guys are doing and hope that all of this gear will lead to similar gains for you. If only that were the case...

Personally, I am not an advocate of belts (and most other "accessories" for that matter, but I'll save that for another post) in many circumstances.

First of all, it's important to understand why you're using a belt in the first place, because I believe a lot people have a great misunderstanding of the purpose of a belt. Some people are under the illusion that the belt will magically prevent back injuries. At the moment, there isn't a lot of evidence to support that belts reduce injury rates or lower back pain in any way. According to the CDC, "although back belts are being bought and sold under the premise that they reduce the risk of back injury, there is insufficient scientific evidence that they actually deliver what is promised."

Stuart McGill also notes that "[individuals] who have never had a previous back injury appear to have no additional protective benefit from wearing a belt," and "those who are injured while wearing a belt seem to risk a more severe injury."

A belt is meant to provide additional support and stability for the muscles of the trunk. Basically, the tension of the belt increases intra-abdominal pressure, activation of the spinal erectors and rectus abdominis. All of these things are clearly important in lifting heavy weight. So why do I have such a conceptual problem with using a belt?

A lifter needs to learn to create intra-abdominal pressure sans belt. When one becomes too reliant on a belt to stabilize his core, the risk of injury without one may increase. Essentially, a belt becomes a crutch for poor bodily awareness and motor learning. If you constantly step under a loaded barbell with your belt on, it's going to be much more difficult to move without it!

A belt will create a false sense of security in a lifter, and thus potentially stunt the growth of postural muscles like the erector spinae, multifidi, external obliques and rectus abdominis, as their roles become more limited with equipment.

In my opinion, a belt is most useful upwards of about 85% of your 1 rep maximum on a squat or a deadlift. That's it. Heavy weights require a greater degree of tension in the body, and that's where the belt will come in handy. You should not be warming up with your belt, and you should not wear it all of the time. When you are working up to a heavy single, or doing a ton of high volume work at high intensity, the use of a belt may be warranted and helpful. If you are not, however, training for a sport that requires you to be stronger than your competitors (such as Strongman, CrossFit, powerlifting or weightlifting), then I don't think using a belt is necessary at all. Instead, you could stand to benefit from a ton of practice in maintaining intra-abdominal pressure without the aid of equipment. Both your intrinsic and external muscles will get stronger in the process.

Again, this is my personal philosophy. Obviously for sports like powerlifting, a belt is going to be necessary after a certain point, but make sure you're strong without it as well. I rarely use belts unless I'm approaching 100% on my lifts. I prefer to train organically, when I can. I feel more accomplished knowing I was able to move a certain amount of weight without the aid of a belt around my waist. Some people like the security of having a belt, but I think it's always better to teach your body how to create that strength on its own.


Works Cited:

2. McGill, S., Norman, R.W., and Sharratt, M.T. (1990) The effect of an abdominal belt on trunk muscle activity and intraabdominal pressure during squat lifts. Ergonomics, 33 (2): 147-160. 
3. Reddell, Cheryl R., Jerome J. Congleton, R. Dale Huchingson, and John F. Montgomery. "An Evaluation of a Weightlifting Belt and Back Injury Prevention Training Class for Airline Baggage Handlers." Applied Ergonomics 23.5 (1992): 319-29. Web.
5. Reyna, J.R., Leggett, S.H., Kenney, K., Holmes, B., and Mooney, V. (1995) The effect of lumbar belts on isolated lumbar muscle. Spine, 20 (1): 68-73. 

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Breathe Your Way to Bigger Lifts

Check yourself: as you read this, are you taking deep, full breaths, or is your breath shallow and inconsistent?

I've found that my clients have the tendency to forget to breathe as the they lift. They're getting ready for a max back squat and they step under the bar with a completely unstable abdomen.

You take, on average, over 20,000 breaths per day, yet somehow, in today's stressful society, breathing is not always automatic. When people are anxious or preoccupied, they may forget to breathe, or their breathing may not be of adequate depth.

The respiratory system, courtesy of www.philschatz.com.

Now, above I've placed a photo of the respiratory system. As you can see, there is a lot going on there. Many people who are stressed or are in the sympathetic nervous system response (fight or flight), will breather primarily through the neck and chest--this is usually easily visible. Someone who is calm and in the parasympathetic nervous system should breathe through the diaphragm, and you will note that their bellies and lower ribcages will expand as they inhale.

The respiratory system obviously provides our brains with oxygen, but it also helps to stabilize our abdomens. When we inhale, the diaphragm contracts and presses up against the lungs, and as we exhale, the diaphragm relaxes.

A proper diaphragmatic breath helps us create intra-abdominal pressure. On a compound movement like a squat, deadlift or bench press, maintaining that intra-abdominal pressure is imperative for safety of the spine and maximal power output.

He may be cute, but we certainly don't want to emulate his physique!

My friend Wileen, a Licensed Massage Therapist and practitioner of NeuroKinetic therapy, gave me this wonderful example--she said that without sufficient intra-abdominal pressure, the body is much like the Slinky Dog in "Toy Story." Essentially, the abdomen will be soft and unprepared to handle a sufficient load.

Would you rather lift with a body like that of Slinky Dog or that of Buzz Lightyear? I have my money on Buzz Lightyear any day of the week.

A heavy lift requires a substantial amount of tension in the body, from the feet, all of the way up to the torso. Without that necessary rigidity, the risk of injury is exponentially higher, and the amount of energy we are wasting comes in droves.

A strong core creates bigger lifts. We can't optimize the strength of the thorax without proper spinal bracing via the breath, so therefore, a stronger breath means more weight on the bar! You follow me?

Now, down to the nitty gritty. You may be wondering how you should breathe on these big lifts. There is a technique that many lifters employ called the Valsalva maneuver. This is just one way to breathe to take advantage of the intra-abdominal pressure. I will warn, though, that anyone who has a history of high blood pressure should not breathe this way, as it does raise the blood pressure even more. Ideally, we want to inhale through the nose, which facilitates a full contraction of the diaphragm. Then, we should engage the abdominals. I tell my clients to imagine like I'm going to punch them in their stomachs. Once they have that down, they may begin the movement. During the hardest part of the movement, or the end of the concentric phase (think of standing up on a deadlift or squat or locking out an overhead press), they should forcefully exhale through the mouth. If they are doing a set with multiple reps, they should repeat this before each repetition.

This photo of the Valsalva maneuver in action demonstrates an iron clad core. As you can see, the airway is cut off and the diaphragm is contracted abdominal cavity expands. This individual is ready to move big weight.

Many people use lifting belts to enhance this effect. The belt acts as somewhat of a tactile cue to improve that core stabilization. I won't get into that too much today, though, as that is enough material for an entirely new post.

As you can see, the way you breathe has a profound impact on your performance, both in and out of the gym. It's is extremely important to learn how to maintain intra-abdominal pressure throughout a heavy lift for both efficacy and safety.

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