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Have you thought about the different phases of exercises you do in the gym?
Take the humble squat, for example.
What is the concentric phase of a rep?
This is when the muscle shortens during contraction.
This happens when the muscle overcomes resistance, typically during the lifting phase of an exercise.
Concentric exercises are crucial for building muscle strength, improving power and training muscles to exert force.
What is the eccentric phase of a rep?
Eccentric movement refers to the phase of muscle contraction where the muscle lengthens while under tension.
This shows up when a muscle is actively resisting a force whilst being stretched, explains Clift.
In practical terms, eccentric movements happen during the ‘lowering’ phase of an exercise.
They are also beneficial for improving flexibility, joint stability and injury prevention.
Think of lowering the weight during adeadliftor lifting the dumbbell toward your shoulder during a triceps kickback.
What is the isometric phase of a rep?
When programmingexercise tempoduring workouts, coaches will attribute numbers to the phases of an exercise.
Examples of isometric contractions include a plank,wall sit, or even holding a weight.
Manyisometric exercises are low-impactand can be used for injury rehabilitation.
“They are also often used in rehabilitation prefs to avoid aggravating injuries while still maintaining muscle strength.”
When deciding betweenisometric and isotonic exercises(dynamic exercises), remember isotonic movements still have that isometric phase.
“Think of a gymnast holding a planche or an iron cross on the rings.
Over time, this can improve strength, endurance and neural activation vital for holding static positions under stress.
“This damage is key for muscle growth, as the body repairs and strengthens muscles during recovery.
“Another benefit is enhanced strength…allowing you to handle heavier loads.
“The benefits of concentric movements include enhanced muscle strength and power,” adds Clift.
Stopping and starting your body should be able to perform all these movements efficiently.
Isometric contractions can improve endurance and stability for your core and postural muscles, too.
They also offer benefits for joint stability, strengthening muscles without moving the joints, adds Clift.
This is especially useful for rehabilitation or injury prevention.
Isometric training helps strengthen muscles at specific joint angles.
Over time, that translates to making your concentric lifts stronger, which makes sense, right?
For concentric training, Clift says to focus on the lifting phase.
In strength training, this is typically the portion where you’re moving the weight against gravity.
Several times a week is enough (anything from once to three times) to notice improvements.
Concentric vs eccentric vs isometric training: Which is better for hypertrophy?
For muscle growth, eccentric movements are generally considered more effective than concentric or isometric contractions, Clift reveals.
Eccentric training typically causes greater muscle damage, signaling the body to repair and grow muscles stronger and larger.
Somestudiessuggest that eccentric-only training with heavy weight is very effective for muscle growth,” Clift says.
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