The Most Underrated Way to Build Muscle: Eccentric Training
The lowering part of every rep is where many gains are hiding. Jane explains eccentric training (video in German).
What is the eccentric phase?
Every exercise has two parts. The concentric phase is where you lift the weight, like standing up out of a squat. The eccentric phase is where you lower it again. Most people focus only on the lift and let the weight drop on the way down.
Why it matters for building muscle
Lowering the weight slowly and with control makes your muscles work harder on every rep. Jane calls it one of the most underrated tools in training. You do the same number of reps but get more out of each one.
How to use it in your workouts
- Take 3 to 4 seconds to lower the weight on squats, lunges, hip thrusts and rows.
- Stay in control the whole way down.
- Some gyms have machines that add extra load during the lowering phase, like the one Jane shows in the video.
Train smarter
Eccentric training is one of the techniques Jane uses with her personal training clients to help them build muscle and get stronger. Book a session in Dubai to try it with her.
Video transcript
(Translated from German.) One thing that is super underrated, because it is so effective and still so underestimated, is the negative phase of the movement. For example in a squat, that is the moment of the eccentric versus the concentric. Everyone only thinks about the moment where they stand up against the resistance, or curl against the resistance. But in the negative phase we also have to give in to the resistance in a controlled way, which in the end is ultra effective when we do it. Here in this gym we have something special: a machine that lets us load the eccentric. That means the machine forces us to train the negative part as well. At the end of the day you do the same number of reps, but you get a bigger training effect.