More Reps With Eccentric Emphasis
How increasing eccentric proportion of repetitions impact strength-endurance and time to failure.
Ever wondered whether focusing more on the lowering (eccentric) phase of an exercise could help you perform longer before fatigue sets in? This study investigated how increasing the proportion of eccentric repetitions during resistance training affects endurance, specifically the time to task failure.
Key Points
Aim
The study aimed to determine whether increasing the eccentric proportion of repetitions during resistance training leads to a longer time to task failure, meaning participants can sustain a submaximal muscle contraction for a longer duration before fatigue.
Methods
Participants underwent a resistance training protocol where the proportion of eccentric repetitions was manipulated.
The task failure was measured during sustained isometric knee extension at 50% of maximal voluntary contraction (MVC).
EMG (electromyography) was recorded to assess muscle activation patterns during the sustained contractions.
The study compared the effects of eccentric-focused training versus more traditional concentric-focused or balanced training on time to task failure and muscle activation.
Results
Increasing the eccentric proportion of repetitions significantly increased the time to task failure during sustained muscle contractions.
Participants who trained with a higher eccentric repetition proportion showed greater endurance, maintaining 50% MVC longer before fatigue.
EMG amplitude increased more in the eccentric-focused training group, indicating greater neural activation and motor unit recruitment to sustain force output over time.
This suggests that eccentric training not only improves muscle strength but also enhances neuromuscular endurance and fatigue resistance.
Practical Takeaways
Incorporating more eccentric repetitions in your training can improve muscular endurance, allowing you to sustain effort longer during submaximal tasks.
This approach can be particularly useful for athletes or individuals looking to delay fatigue in activities requiring sustained muscle contractions.
Using eccentric-focused training may also promote greater neural adaptations, improving muscle activation efficiency.
To apply this, lifters can emphasise slower lowering phases or add eccentric-only repetitions in their routines, which may also help in cross-training effects (improvements in the untrained limb).
Broader Context and Supporting Evidence
Previous research supports that eccentric training leads to greater strength gains and hypertrophy compared to concentric training alone.
Studies have shown unilateral eccentric training improves performance and time to task failure even in the contralateral untrained limb, indicating strong neural cross-education effects.
Eccentric contractions produce unique mechanical and metabolic stimuli that enhance muscle endurance and neural drive.
EMG findings align with the idea that eccentric training increases motor unit recruitment and firing rates, which help maintain force output longer during fatigue.
