Eccentric Phase
What is the eccentric phase of an exercise?
The eccentric phase of a movement is the lengthening of muscles to increase a joint angle. If you think about a bicep curl, the eccentric phase is when you lower the dumbbell down, creating a greater angle at the elbow joint.
You can also think of the eccentric phase as the phase where your muscles relax to move in the direction of gravity or an external force. In a multi-joint exercise like a squat, the eccentric phase is the portion of the movement where you lower down. In a lat pulldown, the eccentric phase is the portion of the movement where you release your arms back overhead.
What do eccentrics look like in a training program?
Every single lift where you move your joints has an eccentric and a concentric (opposite) portion. If you wanted to exaggerate eccentrics, you would modify the tempo of a lift. Squat eccentrics would involve lowering yourself slower than usual with control and focus before squatting back up to the starting position. Read this article to learn more about tempo in programming.
