You don’t have to do a whole set of exercises to get fit! Latest research: Just do eccentric contractions, the final effect is not much different, and more muscles are grown

Pine from Aofei Temple
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Dear fitness enthusiasts, when lifting weights, don’t pay attention to the upward movement. The latest research shows that the “lower movement” is the most critical!

The "lifting down" here actually refers to the process of the arm falling back and the muscles stretching .

Of course, this is not just nonsense, but the latest research result of Edith Cowan University (ECU) . The relevant paper has been published in the European Journal of Applied Physiology.

And the conclusions are all supported by solid data. Let's take a look~

Eccentric contraction is more important

Before talking about the experimental process, you must first understand some basic fitness knowledge.

Generally speaking, there are three different types of muscle contractions: concentric, eccentric, and isometric.

Concentric contraction refers to the process in which the muscle tension remains unchanged and the length shortens when the muscle exerts force, such as the lifting process when doing dumbbell curls.

Eccentric contraction is the opposite of concentric contraction, that is, the tension remains unchanged and the length is extended, which is similar to the lowering process of dumbbell curls and the squatting process of squats.

Isometric contraction means that the tension changes while the length remains unchanged, just like the force exerted by the arm when doing a plank support.

In this study conducted by ECU, the subjects were divided into three groups, one group only performed concentric contraction exercise (CON) , one group only performed eccentric contraction exercise (ECC) , and one group performed both eccentric and concentric contractions. .

In addition, there was a group of non-exercise athletes as a control.

The exercise groups performed dumbbell curls twice a week for five weeks…

Five weeks later, the researchers tested their maximum isometric strength (MVC-ISO) , maximum concentric force (MVC-CON) , and maximum eccentric force (MVC-ECC) .

No nonsense, let’s get straight to the data!

Obviously, the MVC-ISO, MVC-CON and MVC-ECC of the group that only performed concentric contractions were lower than those of the other two groups, and even the muscle growth was less than a quarter of that of the group that only performed eccentric contractions .

More importantly, the effect of the eccentric contraction-only group was similar to that of the whole process group , and the eccentric contraction group even had better results in MVC-ECC and muscle growth.

(I have gained more knowledge. On the one hand, I get twice the result with half the effort, and on the other hand, I get twice the result with half the effort. It seems that I still have to find a good way to keep fit!)

Ken Nosaka, a professor of Japanese kinesiology at ECU and a researcher on the project, said:

Understanding the benefits of eccentric training can allow people to spend their exercise time more efficiently, incorporate these "wacky" exercises into their lives, and even build muscle without going to the gym.

Moreover, this kinesiology professor also gave some practical fitness tips, let’s learn them!

How to get fit?

First, Professor Nosaka gave some advice on gym :

With a pair of dumbbells ready, use both hands to help with the concentric (lifting) phase of the movement, and one arm to help with the eccentric phase, doing the following:

• bicep curl

• flexion and extension of arm behind head

• Dumbbell front raise

• Shoulder Press

Next, practice legs, using leg weight-bearing equipment. Similarly, you can use external force to assist in the concentric phase, and perform the following operations:

• Knee extension

• Seated leg curl

• seated calf raise

However, considering that there are too many "lying corpses" who don't want to go to the gym to exercise, Professor Nosaka also gave some simple ways to exercise at home .

Another long-winded sentence: Try to feel the process of eccentric contraction of the muscles. When the muscles contract concentrically, you can use external force to assist.

Perform the following exercise, repeating 10 times per set:

Chair Sit : Start in a half-squat position and slowly sit in a chair within three seconds (narrower and wider stances will have different effects) . Advanced version: Try sitting on one leg.

Chair back : Sit on the chair, leaving space between the back and the backrest, and slowly lean back within three seconds (the arms can be crossed in front of the chest or placed on the back of the head) .

Uneven Squat : Stand in front of a chair, lean to one side to put more weight on one leg, then squat within three seconds.

Heels down : Still in front of the chair, lean forward and lift your heels. Then, lift one leg off the ground and lower the other heel within three seconds.

Wall push-ups : Face a wall with your arms fully extended. Slowly bend your elbows over three seconds until your face is touching the wall.

Front lunge : With one leg in front and one leg behind, bend your knees as far as you can within three seconds.

Full of useful information, why not start practicing now!

Reference link
[1] https://www.ecu.edu.au/newsroom/articles/research/less-gym-time-same-results-why-lowering-weights-is-all-you-need-to-do
[2] https://link.springer.com/epdf/10.1007/s00421-022-05035-w?sharing_token=0iCxJER82RORsIQ4MSdo_ve4RwlQNchNByi7wbcMAY6xsY5xz7xCBsMqd-f46TfzUXZJAMv-4kV-mMQ1l023GoVm 3qv9-Z9asjAZzd70dOCQlx-FhofBiTy-L4JXOaFlpoX9qmVuUoH5Y9q9DnkpahZl2oy3lh2WBNV2qEoERYw=

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