#What Is Eccentric Loading

Can you tell the difference? What’s the goal of each? The eccentric phase isn’t just the “lowering” part. The tempo changes everything about your resulting adaptations. The velocity of muscle lengthening controls the type of stress and the specific gains you achieve. Slow eccentrics (3–6+ second descent): Longer time under tension means extended mechanical strain on muscles and tendons. This builds overall force production capacity, supports hypertrophy, and strengthens connective tissue. Best used in strength or hypertrophy blocks with heavier, controlled loads. Fast eccentrics (explosive braking): Rate of force loading takes priority, producing higher braking forces that increase tendon stiffness and improve rapid force development. This translates well to sport performance. Sprinting, jumping, and cutting all rely heavily on quick eccentric control. Use moderate loads, plyometrics, etc. I really enjoy using bands to accelerate the load. Aim to achieve higher velocities. Same exercise, different stressors, different results. Slow to build the foundation, fast for transferring it to power and speed. Are you using fast and slow eccentrics in your programs? #eccentrictraining #athletetraining #fasteccentrics #sloweccentric #sporttraining

𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐏 𝐌𝐈𝐒𝐔𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐍𝐃𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐄𝐂𝐂𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐑𝐈𝐂𝐒⁣ ⁣ ⚠️ Ever heard other coaches say slow eccentrics are overrated or “don’t build muscle”?⁣ ⁣ They’re right about one thing: eccentrics aren’t the primary driver of hypertrophy.⁣ But treating that as a reason to exclude them ignores how movement quality and force production are actually built over time.⁣ ⁣ In every other skill domain, we tell people to slow down to improve precision, reduce errors, and refine output.⁣ ⁣ So why would coaching movement be any different?⁣ ⁣ When used intentionally, controlled eccentrics give you a way to improve a client’s motor control, joint positioning, and force application. That’s what allows heavier loading, cleaner reps, and more effective mechanical tension later on—when it actually matters.⁣ ⁣ The real question isn’t whether eccentrics “build muscle.”⁣ It’s when they improve the inputs that eventually do.⁣ ⁣ If you want clarity on when slow eccentrics make sense, when they don’t, and how to integrate them without compromising training economy, I break that down in the full article.⁣ ⁣ 👉 Read it via the link in bio⁣ ⁣ @mai_rehabu @pl_dube_kinesiologue @coachricsims⁣ ⁣ #eccentrictraining #strengthscience #coachingeducation #hypertrophy #programmingprinciples

True intensity isn’t just heavy weight or high reps. You can match total volume with completely different adaptations depending on bar speed, force per rep, and execution quality. Volume-load alone doesn’t define intensity. If you train for power and speed, quality per rep matters more than chasing volume. #powertraining #speedtraining #strengthscience #athleticdevelopment #explosiveness

‼️Why we like them: 1. We are stronger eccentrically. Overloaded work allows us to actually work at our potential eccentric strength level and make greater strength gains with less effort (by eliminating the need to lift that weight concentrically). 2. Deceleration and change of direction requires high eccentric ability. Overloaded eccentrics allow us to approach those higher eccentric forces. ‼️Considerations: 1. May result in soreness and fatigue since eccentrics are the more fatiguing portion of movements. 2. Should have a baseline level of strength before doing these. There are many ways to increase strength, especially for beginners, that should be utilized before overloaded work. #strengthandconditioning #sportsperformancecoach #strength #eccentrictraining #aggieup

#sportsperformance #strengthandconditioning #athletedevelopment #speed #power

Plug some overcoming ISO’s once or twice a week for 3-4 sets of 10-20 seconds and watch your strength, power, explosiveness grow! #athlete #performance #strengthtraining

A shorter amortization phase improves utilization of the stretch-shortening cycle and increases power expression. Change of direction and deceleration aren’t just sprint concepts, they’re fundamental to strength and movement. In lifts like squats, jumps, and Olympic variations, the transition between eccentric and concentric phases, the amortization phase, should be brief. If that transition becomes slow, you lose stored elastic energy and reduce force output. Athletes shouldn’t pause there, they should explode through it. The amortization phase should be short. Change of direction starts with deceleration and force absorption. In both sport and lifting, athletes must control incoming force and rapidly transition into re-acceleration. The amortization phase, plays a critical role in power output. When the amortization phase becomes prolonged, stored elastic energy dissipates and force production decreases. Efficient athletes absorb force and rapidly redirect it. Decelerate. Control. Explode. #SportsPerformance #StrengthAndConditioning #ChangeOfDirection #ExplosiveTraining #StretchShorteningCycle

Why implement supramaximal eccentrics? Here are a few reasons. 1. Stimulus for tendon remodeling High eccentric loads may improve tendon stiffness and cross-sectional area, which can positively influence SSC-related performance and force transmission. 2. Hypertrophic & architectural adaptations Provides a strong hypertrophic stimulus and can increase cross-sectional area, fascicle length (especially relevant for the hamstrings), and sarcomerogenesis. These adaptations expand the ceiling for motor unit recruitment and overall force-producing capacity, with downstream implications for strength and power. 3. Enhanced eccentric force capabilities Exposure to forces exceeding concentric capacity improves coordination and force tolerance, supporting better mechanics in SSC-dominant and high-velocity technical movements. 4. Increased motor unit recruitment (MUR) Supramax eccentrics facilitate higher MUR by raising neural drive and reducing inhibitory constraints. When appropriately bridged in a program, this carries over to improved strength and power expression. 5. Titin-based adaptations Improves eccentric force production through enhanced active and passive tension regulation. This may contribute to reduced ground contact times via improved muscular and tendon stiffness. *Disclaimer* there are many more benefits and examples, but here are some examples. #strengthandconditioning #speedwork #athlete #sprint #jumper

If you can’t express athleticism, you’re not actually fit. Being “in shape” means nothing if you can’t absorb force and re-apply it fast. That’s why we train eccentrics — to own deceleration, control positions, and turn strength into usable speed. Eccentric box jumps and eccentric squats aren’t about fatigue. They’re about force acceptance → force expression. Train the qualities that transfer. Athleticism follows. #AthleticPerformance #Athleticism #SpeedTraining #EccentricTraining #ForceAbsorption ExplosiveAthlete

Speed strength isn’t a jump variation. It’s the ability to express maximal force at the highest attainable speed. And here’s what many coaches miss: Speed strength is constrained by maximal strength. If the athlete doesn’t have the prerequisite force capacity… no amount of “fast” training will fix it. In the Absolute Conjugate Strategy, we don’t randomly add speed work. We sequence it. ✅ Max effort develops the neural net, ✅ Dynamic effort develops rate of force development, ✅ Placement in the week determines adaptation, ✅ Intensity determines priority. Speed strength isn’t just trained—it’s programmed. Let me know in the comments if you want more content like this one! #speedstrength #absolutestrength #conjugate #sportsperformance #programming

The majority of mechanisms underlying speed-related adaptions are on much less of a sliding scale than strength. You either meet the threshold for adaptation or you don’t, there really is no grey area for speed. What I mean by this is that unlike strength; where you can stimulate adaption without subjecting yourself to your maximal capabilities, speed-related adaptions are entirely contingent on moving as fast as you possibly can. You will not see an increase in rate coding or muscle fiber shortening velocity sprinting in a sub-maximal or fatigued state. Strength (more specifically the underlying mechanisms of strength) are much less sensitive to fatigue. You can still stimulate hypertrophy, tendon stiffness, and other peripheral adaptions even if you’re carrying fatigue from prior sessions or elsewhere. Don’t trick yourself into thinking you can do the same thing with speed. A bad speed session is just that…it’s bad. So then the question of strength training becomes less so “how much can I get away with?”, and more so “how little can I get away with and still make progress?”

How Eccentrics Make You Faster and More Explosive – Fascicle lengthening → shifts where force can be produced, improving force output at longer muscle lengths – Tendon remodeling → improves force tolerance and elastic energy return – Higher eccentric RFD → better braking, control, and reacceleration How this shows up in performance – Longer fascicles = hamstrings that hold up at high velocities – Better adapted tendons = shorter ground contacts – Stronger eccentric braking = faster transitions and reacceleration Eccentrics build the architecture that sprinting and jumping demand. They don’t replace sprinting, plyos, or isometrics, but they support them. If you want the full system for how all of this fits together, it’s inside Speed Kills. It’s my best-selling product. An e-book and a full 8-week program wrapped into one. It covers mechanics, cueing, acceleration, max velocity, blending speed and weights, fitness, plyometrics, and more. #jumphigher #speedtraining #sprinttraining #sprints #getfaster