Eccentric Training for Injury Prevention: A Guide to Stronger, Safer Workouts
Diagram depicting the difference between Concentric and Eccentric.
Eccentric training has been popular among elite level athletes to both rehabilitate from injury but also serve as a means to help protect against injury for decades now. Only recently have safe and easy to use retail products become available to offer these scientifically proven benefits to everyday users.
We will be covering the basic fundamentals of what eccentric training is, the science demonstrating how and why it is effective in injury prevention and refer to different methods and products available on the market that can help you get started.
What is Eccentric Training?
Eccentric training focuses on the extension phase of a muscle contraction which is when a muscle lengthens while under tension. This generally refers to the downward phase of an exercise such as the lowering motion from a bicep curl. People (and most gym equipment) focus solely on the lifting (or concentric) phase of an exercise, but this eccentric portion is equally essential in strength building and injury prevention.
Perhaps an example would help; say you’re in the gym working your arms. You could do a set of bicep curls with dumbbells which would be primarily activating your biceps during the lifting/concentric part of the exercise. During the lowering phase where the biceps are lengthening and gently supporting as gravity resets the weight back to the starting position.
In eccentric training, the difference occurs in this downward motion where the force exerted in the upward motion (to defy gravity with the dumbbell example) is equalled during the downward motion when the lengthening of the biceps occurs.
Why is Eccentric Training Effective in Injury Prevention?
The controlled tension applied during the lengthening process helps by incrementally strengthen muscles, tendons, and ligaments. The controlled stress applied in this downward phase enhances the structural integrity of the muscle tissue which better prepares them to handle demands of typical movements like running, jumping or lifting heavy objects.
This is a broad summary of the benefit, here are some more specific points to consider:
Strengthening Tendons and Ligaments: The joinery of our muscles is often the weak points, especially in high-impact sports. Eccentric training is able to specifically target these connective tissues which helps them handle increased amounts of stress. This can significantly help reduce common injuries like tendonitis or ligament tears.
Enhanced Flexibility and Range of Motion: Eccentric exercises will increase muscle length and simultaneously enhance joint mobility. The progressive stretching of muscles while they’re under tension improves flexibility and range of motion. Many injuries occur from tight and inflexible muscles being pulled in an unusual movement pattern like a sudden change of direction which can lead to sprains, strains and tears.
Promoting Controlled Movements and Balance: By encouraging deliberate, controlled movements eccentric training can improve overall coordination and balance. Training the body to focus on the lowering phase of exercises helps maintain stability throughout complex movements.
Reducing Muscle Soreness (DOMS): While eccentric training may initially lead to increased muscle soreness as your body adapts to a more intense workout. Incorporating this training into your regular workouts can ultimately reduce long-term soreness as your muscles adapt and become better equipped to handle the stress, also reducing the risk of overuse injuries.
Improved Stability and Joint Support: Using something like a flywheel trainer for eccentric training is especially effective in building the stabilising muscles around the major joints. These stabilisers are key in maintaining correct alignment throughout dynamic movements. Strengthening these important muscles through eccentric loading will enhance protection against common injuries like sprains and strains.
How to Implement Eccentric Training
There are ways to apply eccentric training in the gym or at home by changing the way you perform repetitions. Simply focusing on slowing down the lowering phase of an exercise will help somewhat in strengthening throughout the lengthening of the muscle.
Partner-assisted eccentric training is another common method to focus entirely on the eccentric phase of an exercise. This involves teaming up with a workout partner to hand you the weight at the top of an exercise, take bicep curls for example, your partner hands you the weight when your hands are already up near your shoulders which allows you to slowly lower the weight until your arms are straight at which point your partner takes the weight from you before repeating.
Eccentric overload training can be carried out with using a partner as described above, the overload aspect implies using a weight that’s heavier than you might be able to lift concentrically. If you usually use 20kg dumbbells for your bicep curls, you will likely find that for an effective eccentric workout you can support in excess of 25kg for the downward phase.
Flywheel Training: The Ideal Tool for Eccentric Workouts
A flywheel machine (like our SpaceGym) generates resistance based on the force you apply in the concentric/upward motion. Essentially the harder you pull, the more resistance you create, making it perfectly suited for eccentric overload without working with a training partner.
Naturally emphasising the deceleration phase of an exercise, when you stop pulling the flywheel at the top of a movement it rotates backwards with equal force which forces your muscles to lengthen as they control this downward/reverse motion. This enhances the eccentric muscle engagement which leads to better injury prevention. The best part is you hardly need to think about it, a flywheel trainer is specially designed for this purpose and provides a powerful concentric and eccentric workout simultaneously.
This short animation shows how the SpaceGym flywheel recoils to deliver eccentric overload.
In Conclusion
Eccentric training is an ideal strategy for enhanced injury prevention, whether you’re a high-performance athlete or recovering from injury. By focusing on the lengthening phase of movement you can be sure to strengthen muscles, tendons, and ligaments, enhance flexibility, and promote stability while lowering the risk of injury.
Utilising tools like the SpaceGym Flywheel Trainer in your workouts can significantly enhance your eccentric training efforts, providing a low-impact but efficient exercise designed to keep you strong, stable, and injury-free.
Click here to see some of the exercises that our flywheel trainer accommodates.
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