Do you know that you don't have to do insane weight lifting techniques nor live at the gym to get an efficient workout and build or maintain the muscle power and tone you have now?
These terms are not as common as Chancellor Hill or the Savanna when one thinks or speaks about exercising, but you use the basic principles therein when you get your workout, whenever that may be. Let me give you a few nuggets to purposefully apply when next you don your sneakers and head out.
Okay…simply speaking, you use concentric muscle work whenever you engage your muscles and you flex the joint, generally. The muscle that gets ‘tense’ or shortens, is working Concentrically. Shortening while it is under tension. This happens with your calf muscles when you tip on our toes to stretch your arms up to the sky. When you lift your weight in your hand and bend your elbow, you are working your biceps Concentrically. Its shortening as you bend your elbow and bring the weight toward your face.
According to ‘WomensHealth’ magazine, the key benefits of this type of exercise is that it is the foundation of most strength exercises. You need to be able to move a load to build strength, and the concentric phase is where that effort happens. If you want to generate force quickly for a sport, you need to perform the concentric phase quickly.’ That’s especially important for activities that involve sprinting, jumping, or throwing—where explosive movement matters most.
In relation to the other type of muscle development, the key benefits include that It’s especially effective for building muscle. Eccentric movements are where much of the muscle-building magic happens, according to the researcher Chang. You create more tension in the muscle fibers and lead to greater muscle fibre girth. This type of workout also helps strengthen tendon/muscle connection as well. Eccentric exercise, apart from being less taxing than Concentric workouts, it promotes a healthy blood pressure as was documented in the 2023 study in the Journal of Sports Science & Medicine thus touting the potential of cardiovascular benefits as well!
As a Rehabilitation Specialist myself, I have seen tangible benefits of the use of Eccentric muscle work particularly in patients at the initial stage of recovery following immobilization or partial paralysis from a mild stroke.
But, what is an Eccentric movement? Any exercises where your muscle is lengthening while it is tense…such as controlled lowering of the weight you have brought to your face. When you brought it up, that was concentric work on your biceps…eccentric work happens when you control the lowering as you straighten your elbow. The leg you use to step up on the step, keeping that same foot on the step, use that same leg to lower your body back down. The Quads on that leg worked concentrically to raise your body up, and then eccentrically to control lowering you back down. (Google the terms for a visual demonstration!).
So, the next time you step out, to work out…think about eccentric exercises as a more effective and efficient way to strengthen your muscles! Next, I will put the spotlight on the spine. Are you really taller in the morning?
