How to Get Strong and Healthy With Slow Eccentric Training
Slow reps can make for fast gains.
Whether we’ve taught ourselves how to lift weights, or worse yet, hired a personal trainer that didn’t care enough to educate us on the fine details; an often overlooked component of strength training is learning how to truly master every centimetre of an exercise before adding progressively heavier weight.
This leads to a house being built on a shaky foundation, and it’s not a matter of if, but how long until you begin to see cracks in that foundation by way of injury.
That’s why taking a step back, slowing things down and making sure your foundation of strength is truly rock solid will keep you healthy and ensure that you’re not leaving any gains on the table.
Slowing down the eccentric component of every exercise you do is a very effective way to do that.
“What’s an eccentric?”
There are three phases involved with lifting a weight:
- The eccentric (lowering) phase.
- The isometric (pausing) phase.
- The concentric (lifting) phase.
For example, in the case of a biceps curl; while you’re lowering the weight towards the ground, you’re performing the…
