ISSUE #41: The Science of Eccentrics and Muscle Tension
Stop putting in 100% of the work and getting 40% of the results.
Sounds confusing and it is unless you understand eccentrics.
Lifting weights is fun and great for the ‘gram but if your sole focus is lifting more, without focusing on eccentrics, you're leaving up to 60% of your gains on the table.
Eccentrics train the stretch portion of a movement.
“Muscle tissue’s primary function is contraction, or lifting of the weight.” - Fred Hatfield
The lowering portion of the lift is the eccentric, or stretching/ lengthening of that tissue.
Training eccentrics has many benefits:
20-60% increased force on the muscle
increase strength and muscle mass
increased time under tension
muscle damage in order to build new cells
high-velocity eccentrics trigger more muscle hypertrophy
Mind muscle connection stability throughout the movement
How to implement these points in training?
Tempo Eccentrics: add a 3-5 second eccentric phase to each lift while maintaining the perfect position.
2-1 Technique: For the concentric phase of the lift, go bilateral and at the top of the movement, switch to a unilateral eccentric with a tempo
Eccentric Only: take 110% of your 1rm and only perform the eccentric portion of the lift.
It is easy to want to lift more weight.
Unfortunately, lifting the weight is only half the battle.
Lowering it with control, intention, and perfect form is where all the magic happens.
But you can make this process more simple...
Get yourself one of our Visionbody Home Systems. In this case, eccentrics no longer are important because you will activate 90% of your muscles and do only 40% of the work, and get 100% of the results.
I know it sounds too good to be true. But it is that simple! In this case, EMS is far superior to training techniques. It makes training more simple. So that you can concentrate on the things that matter. Exercise execution and more free time after your training.
Let’s get Strong. With EMS!
VB20 Training Club Team