Trainer Tip: Focus on the Eccentric
Trainer Tip Tuesday
Focus on the ECCENTRIC part of the movement to get the most out of your exercises.
What the HECK does that mean and why should you try it?
🅳🅴🅵🅸🅽🅸🆃🅸🅾🅽🆂
Concentric (Muscle Shortens As You Lift the Weight)
Eccentric (Muscle Lengthens As You Drop the Weight)
🅴🆇🅰🅼🅿🅻🅴🆂:
Squat (Dominant Muscle - Quad): Concentric = Going Up
Squat (Dominant Muscle - Quad): Eccentric = Going Down
Bicep Curl (Dominant Muscle - Bicep): Concentric = Curling Up
Bicep Curl (Dominant Muscle - Bicep): Eccentric = Weight Comes Down
Whenever you’re lifting a weight (even if it’s just your bodyweight) you are either concentrically loading or eccentrically loading (unless you’re holding the weight in the middle for certain period of time to which then you’d be isometrically holding the weight).
Most people focus on the shortening part and don’t pay much attention to the lengthening part (i.e. If you’re bicep curling you curl the weight up and then drop the weight down with no control) - 𝐢𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮, 𝐲𝐨𝐮’𝐫𝐞 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐇𝐔𝐆𝐄 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐜𝐥𝐞 𝐛𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠!
Focusing on going slow through just the concentric and not the eccentric (or what I like to call - dropping the weight - i.e. losing control of the weight) is like doing half the exercise! 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐜𝐥𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧𝐬 (𝐞𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐜) 𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐲 𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐟𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐭.
𝐈𝐧 𝐬𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐬: The next time you go to squat (or do any other movement for that matter), drop it down low and slow!
Try this tempo out the next time you lift (4/2/1 = Eccentric for 4s, Hold for 2s, Concentric for 1s). You may have to go down in weight, which is totally fine!
If you’re looking for a safe space where you can learn how to let go of dieting for good, enjoy food without guilt, and turn exercise into something you love to do rather than something you “have” to do, submit a client application to get in contact with me! I work with clients virtually all over the world helping those who are frustrated with dieting and want to change their relationship with food and themselves.
Hi, I’m Azul Corajoria, an Integrative Health Coach, Personal Trainer & Yoga Instructor. I support my clients in making step-by-step changes so that they can live a healthy and balanced life. By recognizing the interdependent roles of mindset, nutrition, and movement I educate and hold my clients accountable for achieving their health goals through lifestyle and behavior adjustments with an emphasis on self-care. Together, we navigate the contradictory world of nutrition through intuitive eating, practice mindful movement, and implement small mindset and lifestyle shifts that empower them to be their best selves in the easiest way possible.
