Have you ever thought about what the terms "eccentric" and "concentric" mean when it comes to exercise?

This article is inspired by a number of questions we get during courses about the properties of concentrics vs eccentrics and what the actual differences are between them.  It can be helpful to understand these definitions to improve our communication with clients, as well as helping us with modifying exercises for individual body structures.

​So what is a concentric?

The concentric is the portion of the movement/exercise that requires you to "overcome" the resistance.  This is where the muscle is "shortening" under load. For example lifting a dumbbell in a bicep curl.

The portion of the exercise where you are no longer "overcoming" the resistance.  It is essentially a "lengthening" contraction, whereby the muscle is still contracting, but with less tension than would be required to move the load concentrically.  For example: Lowering a bicep curl.

Ultimately, an eccentric will likely be less demanding as you are not required to "overcome" the resistance in an eccentric.  Assuming you are using the same weight, a concentric it will take more "output" from the muscles in order to overcome the resistance and create movement. 

Why can I move more load through an eccentric?
You will generally be able to move more load in an eccentric due to the fact that you are no longer required to overcome the resistance. 

​Is it useful then to increase load for the eccentric portion of the exercise? 
It could well be, that will depend on your client, their individual body structure, goals and tolerance levels.  Just note that when doing this, you will be increasing the overall volume of that workout.

​Will I get less DOMS if I only do concentric reps?
It's highly possible, since you are ultimately reducing the amount of volume you are doing in that specific workout.

We hope you found the above information helpful.  ​If you have any questions on this or would like clarification, please send us an email or get in touch on our facebook or instagram pages and we'd be happy to discuss.

Source: The resistance training specialist program 2019.

​You may have heard people suggest that there is an optimal ratio of pulling to pushing exercises you need to do in order to prevent or even recover from shoulder injuries. 

The more commonly spoken about ratio is that you need to do 3/1 pulling to pushing exercises for your upper body in order to maintain “shoulder health” and prevent injury.

​Whilst it would be nice to have a predetermined ideal ratio of exercises to work towards, this is largely unfounded and will not apply to the majority of the human population.
Some reasons for this include:

• This ratio does not factor in previous experience, joint structure, joint function or the clients current capabilities.
• Simply doing only pushing exercises such as a bench press will not necessarily cause shoulder injuries.  Whilst it might be a good idea to train everything around that joint, there is no evidence to suggest that only doing bench presses will increase your risk of shoulder injury.
• Training the back of your shoulder will not automatically improve your posture, since posture is largely based on choice and structural influences.  It may mean you require less muscular effort to get into a position you consider good posture, however it won’t automatically put you there.
• By doing a disproportionate amount of exercises for the back of the shoulder, we might then end up impacting shoulder health in a negative way, since we are now possibly neglecting the muscles of the front of the shoulder, which also play a role in maintaining the integrity of the joint.

So what should I do then?

Instead of suggesting people aim for a 3/1 ratio of pulling to pushing exercises, I've outlined  couple of steps you could follow below, which might result in a safer and more effective outcome:

• Simply base your exercise selection on the person you have in front of you.  As always, when creating exercise session plans, it can be helpful to consider who we are working with, what their goals are, their tolerance levels, body structure and limitations (RTS, 2019).  
• For shoulder training, this might include looking at specific ways to safely challenge all the motions available at the shoulder, and the muscles on both sides of the joint.
• Look at each client individually and determine the right options for them.

Whilst it would be nice if we could follow standardised guidelines, unfortunately these generally don't apply to the majority of the population.