Excellent news for many who battle to suit a fitness center exercise into their day: you could possibly reduce your weights routine in half and nonetheless see the identical outcomes.
New analysis from Edith Cowan College (ECU) has proven one sort of muscle contraction is handiest at growing muscle energy and muscle dimension — and reasonably than lifting weights, the emphasis must be on reducing them.
The crew, which additionally included researchers from Niigata College and Nishi Kyushu College in Japan and Brazil’s Londrina State College, had teams of individuals carry out three various kinds of dumbbell curl train and measured the outcomes.
It discovered those that solely lowered a weight noticed the identical enhancements as those that raised and lowered weights — regardless of solely performing half the variety of repetitions.
ECU’s Professor Ken Nosaka mentioned the outcomes strengthened earlier analysis indicating a concentrate on “eccentric” muscle contractions — wherein activated muscle groups are lengthened — is extra essential to growing energy and dimension of muscle groups, reasonably than the quantity.
“We already know just one eccentric muscle contraction a day can improve muscle energy whether it is carried out 5 days per week — even when it is solely three seconds a day — however concentric (lifting a weight) or isometric muscle contraction (holding a weight) doesn’t present such an impact,” Professor Nosaka mentioned.
“This newest research reveals we could be much more environment friendly within the time we spend exercising and nonetheless see vital outcomes by specializing in eccentric muscle contractions.
“Within the case of a dumbbell curl, many individuals could imagine the lifting motion offers probably the most profit, or at the very least some profit, however we discovered concentric muscle contractions contributed little to the coaching results.”
Crunching the numbers
The research consisted of three teams who carried out dumbbell curls twice per week for 5 weeks, plus a management group who did nothing.
Of the coaching teams, one carried out eccentric-only muscle contractions (reducing weight), one other concentric-only muscle contractions (lifting weight) and one other carried out each concentric and eccentric muscle contractions (lifting and reducing weight alternatively).
All three noticed enhancements in concentric energy, however this was the one enchancment for the concentric-only group.
The eccentric-only and concentric-eccentric teams additionally noticed vital enhancements in isometric (static) energy and eccentric energy.
Most curiously, regardless of the eccentric-only group doing half as many reps as these lifting and reducing weights, the good points in energy had been very comparable and the eccentric-only group additionally noticed a higher enchancment in muscle thickness, an indicator of muscle hypertrophy: 7.2 per cent in comparison with the concentric-eccentric group’s 5.4 per cent.
“Understanding the advantages of eccentric-focused coaching can enable folks to spend their time exercising extra effectively,” Professor Nosaka mentioned.
“With the small quantity of day by day train wanted to see outcomes, folks do not essentially even must go to the fitness center — they will incorporate eccentric train into their on a regular basis routine.”
Placing it into follow
So how can we put this data to make use of within the fitness center?
Utilizing a dumbbell, Professor Nosaka recommends utilizing two palms to assist with the concentric (lifting weight) part, earlier than utilizing one arm for the eccentric part (reducing weight), when performing:
- Bicep curls
- Overhead extension
- Entrance increase
- Shoulder press
Utilizing leg weight machines, Professor Nosaka recommends utilizing the identical concentric/eccentric approach when performing:
- Knee extensions
- Leg curls
- Calf raises
Taking care of house our bodies
Fortunately, Professor Nosaka says you do not want fitness center weights to use the identical ideas to a exercise and has provide you with a number of easy workout routines one can do at house.
Within the workout routines, really feel that the contracting muscle groups are step by step stretched from the begin to the tip of the vary of movement.
After every eccentric muscle contraction, minimise the hassle to return to the beginning place (i.e., concentric muscle contraction).
Repeat 10 occasions for every train.
Chair sit: From a half-squatting place, sit down slowly on a chair in three seconds, (narrower and wider stances will create completely different results). If that is simple, attempt to sit down with one leg.
Chair recline: Sit on the entrance of a chair to make an area between your again and the backrest, recline again slowly in three seconds (arms could be crossed on the chest or maintain in the back of a head).
Uneven squat: Stand behind a chair, lean to 1 aspect to place extra weight on one leg, then squat down in three seconds.
Heel down: Nonetheless behind a chair, lean ahead and lift your heels. Then, raise one leg off the bottom and decrease the heel of the opposite leg in three seconds.
Wall kiss: Lean in opposition to a wall with each arms absolutely prolonged. Bend the elbow joint slowly over three seconds till your face will get near the wall.
Entrance lunge: Place one leg in entrance of the opposite and bend the knees deeper over three seconds.
‘Comparability between concentric-only, eccentric-only and concentric-eccentric resistance coaching of the elbow flexors for his or her results on muscle energy and hypertrophy’ was revealed within the European Journal of Utilized Physiology.