1. Concentric resistance builds 90% or muscle
2. Eccentric movements only contribute 10% or muscle growth
3. Efficient muscle building
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When it comes to developing muscle, a popular idea that continues to circulate in the world of fitness is that slowing down the eccentric phase (the low movement portion) will lead to significant muscle growth. This belief has a propagation of bones by many fitness influencers, which leads to many gym gyms to focus heavily on low -duration movements of their strength training routines. But is it really effective?
In a recent episode of ‘The Chris and Paul Show’, Paul Carter and Chris Beardsley, two experts in muscular and biomechanical physiology, take a critical look at this common erroneous idea. Spoiler alert: the deceleration of his eccentric movements gained leading to dramatic muscle gains. In fact, it is not the muscle construction hack that many people believe it is.
What is eccentric training?
Before entering why slow eccentric won the construction of a lot of muscle, we first define what is eccentric training. In strength training, there are two main phases for any elevator:
– Concentric phase: The elevation phase where the shorts of the muscles (think about lifting a dumbbell in a biceps curl).
– Eccentric phase: The descent phase where the muscles extends (as you lower it weighs down).
The idea behind focusing on slow eccentric is that by prolonging this phase, it can increase time under tension and, therefore, muscle growth. However, although eccentric contractions have their place in training, they won the mass gains they claim.
Why did slow eccentric earned build additional muscle?
Paul and Chris explain in the podcast that the deceleration of regular strength training of the duration of the eccentric phase does not lead to significant muscle growth. Here’s why:
1. Muscle activation decreases the duration of the eccentric phase
Duration The eccentric phase, the muscle fibers produce approximately twice as much force with half of the activation compared to the concentric phase. The central nervous system (CNS) is more efficient in eccentric, which means that less muscle fibers are required to perform the movement. This means that just although the muscle is under tension, it is not fully activated, particularly in the response of the fast Tith muscle fibers for most muscle growth.
2. The eccentric phases point to slow fibers and retention
Slow eccentric mainly activate slow contraction fibers, which respond less to hypertrophy (muscle growth). Most of the muscle growth comes from activating rapid contraction fibers, which are heavier strongly compromised duration in the concentric phase (lifting). Reducing the eccentric portion does not provide the same stimulus for fast -touch fibers, which limits its muscle construction potential.
3. The old studies created confusion
The belief in the power of slow eccentric dates back to older studies on eccentric overload training, which showed greater hypertrophy compared to only concentric training. However, these studies involved an eccentric overload, where more weight is applied during the decrease phase than the elevation phase, which is very different from simply slowing down a regular eccentric movement. In most strength training programs, additional resistance is not applied in the eccentric phase, so the benefits observed in the thesis do not apply the old studies.
So, should you omit the eccentric training completely?
You are welcome. As Paul and Chris point out, slow eccentric training has its benefits, especially when it comes to injury control and prevention. A controlled eccentric phase can help you maintain a better shape and ensure that it moves through a complete movement range. It can also help in the prevention of injuries by reducing cecinous or non -controlled movements. However, it is important to understand that it gained extraordinary muscle growth.
If your goal is to maximize muscle hypertrophy, your approach must remain in:
– Concentric movements: The thesis is where most of its muscle growth occurs, partly in rapid fibers.
– Progressive overload: gradually increasing the weight or resistance you are raising to continuously challenge your muscles.
– Volume and recovery: Ensure that you are doing enough work and gives your body the time you need to recover.
Conclusion: Why are slow eccentric not the key to muscle growth?
Decelerating the eccentric part of its elevators won unlocking a magic to larger muscles. As Paul and Chris make clear in their podcast, slow eccentric mainly involve slow contraction fibers and do not stimulate rapid contraction fibers in the necessary degree for maximum muscle growth. While there are benefits to include eccentric controlled in their training for a better form and prevention of injury, they will not provide the muscular construction results that some believe.
To listen to the complete breakdown on this topic, see the podcast episode of Chris and Paul Show entitled “Why eccentrics will not develop much muscle”. Deepen the depths of muscular physiology, biomechanics and anatomy while Paul Carter and Chris Beardsley dismantle this myth and provide information based on evidence on how to really maximize muscle growth.
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