Dumbbell and mat for resistance training

Eccentric Training: Why Lowering Weights Builds Strength

13 June 20267 min read By Dushyanta Tomar

Half of every lift gets rushed. You strain to push the weight up, then drop it back down with no thought. New evidence suggests this habit wastes your best training opportunity. The lowering half of the movement does most of the work for your strength and size.

The lowering phase has a name. Trainers call it the eccentric phase, the part where a loaded muscle lengthens under control. For people short on time in London, this matters. If you train the eccentric phase well, you get more from fewer reps and shorter sessions. Two trials from 2022 put numbers on the idea, and the practical takeaway is simple enough to use this week.

Half
the contractions, similar muscle growth to full reps in untrained adults. Sato et al., Eur J Appl Physiol 2022
+10-13%
strength across tests from one 3-second daily lowering, 4 weeks, sedentary adults. Sato et al., Scand J Med Sci Sports 2022
2x
weekly muscle-strengthening sessions advised for all major muscle groups. NHS guidance

What eccentric means in practice

Every rep with a weight has two halves. In the lifting half, the working muscle shortens. Lift a dumbbell toward your shoulder and the biceps shortens. Trainers call this the concentric phase. In the lowering half, the same muscle lengthens while it still holds the load. Lower the dumbbell under control and the biceps lengthens against gravity. This is the eccentric phase.

Most people treat the lowering phase as rest. They let the weight fall and reset for the next push. The research suggests this wastes the most productive part of the movement. A lengthening muscle under load produces high force while using less energy than the lifting phase. You get a strong training signal for a lower metabolic cost.

Why the lowering phase carries more of the work

The pattern is not new. A 2009 systematic review with meta-analysis in the British Journal of Sports Medicine pooled trials comparing eccentric and concentric training. When the eccentric work was loaded at higher intensities, total strength and eccentric strength rose more than with concentric training, and gains in muscle size were larger too. The lengthening contraction carried more of the adaptation.

The reason sits in the muscle itself. During a controlled lowering action, a muscle handles loads heavier than it lifts in the shortening direction, because lengthening contractions recruit fewer fibres to hold the same force. Each active fibre takes on more mechanical tension, and mechanical tension is a main driver of strength and growth. The lowering phase also produces more of the muscle damage and repair signal linked with getting stronger over weeks.

This carries into daily life. Lowering yourself into a chair, walking downstairs, and setting down heavy shopping are all eccentric actions. The muscles brake the movement while they lengthen. Training the lowering phase builds the exact control these tasks demand, which matters more with each decade. Strength in the lowering phase supports control of the knees and hips when you step off a kerb or walk downstairs.

Muscle growth by training type (effect size) 0 0.35 0.70 0.60 0.55 0.14 Lowering only Lift and lower Lift only Higher effect size means greater muscle thickness gain over 5 weeks
Source: Sato et al., European Journal of Applied Physiology, 2022 (PubMed). Untrained adults, elbow flexors, twice weekly for 5 weeks.

The evidence, in plain numbers

The first trial, published in the European Journal of Applied Physiology, split untrained adults into three groups. One group only lowered the weight. One group lifted and lowered. One group only lifted. They trained the elbow flexors twice a week for five weeks. The lowering-only group and the lift-and-lower group both gained real muscle thickness, with effect sizes of 0.60 and 0.55. The lift-only group barely moved, at 0.14. The striking part is the workload. The lowering-only group reached the same growth as the full group while performing half the total contractions.

The second trial, in the Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports, pushed the idea to its limit. Sedentary adults performed a single 3-second maximal contraction a day, five days a week, for four weeks. In the group doing the eccentric, or lowering, version, strength rose across every test: about 10 percent on the isometric measure, roughly 13 percent on the lifting measure, and about 12 percent on the lowering measure. The lifting-only group improved on one measure by around 6 percent. Three seconds a day was enough to register a strength change in untrained people, and the lowering version produced the largest gains.

Two limits keep the numbers honest. Both trials used untrained or sedentary adults, so the early gains run faster than they would for a seasoned lifter. And the 3-second daily protocol raised strength without changing muscle size, because the total work was too small to build tissue. This is not a shortcut. It is a shift in emphasis. For a given amount of effort, the lowering phase returns more strength.

How to train the lowering phase

You do not need special kit. You need to slow down and control the second half of every rep. Here is a simple way to apply the evidence to the lifts you already do.

1. Count the lowering to three
On squats, presses, rows and curls, lift at a normal pace and take three full seconds to lower. This single change loads the eccentric phase without adding sets.
2. Use two limbs up, one limb down
For leg curls, calf raises and pull-downs, raise the weight with both limbs and lower with one. The single limb handles a heavier eccentric load in safe range.
3. Pick eccentric-friendly bodyweight moves
Slow chair-assisted squats, controlled heel drops on a step, and slow lowering on press-ups all overload the lengthening phase with no equipment.
4. Keep the frequency the NHS advises
Train the major muscle groups at least twice a week. Slow eccentrics fit inside your normal sessions, so you hit the target without longer workouts.

Build in gradually. The lowering phase produces more next-day soreness than lifting, so start with one or two slow exercises per session and add more over two to three weeks. Quality beats quantity here. A controlled three-second lowering with good form delivers the signal. A fast, sloppy drop does not.

Who should ease in slowly

Eccentric work creates more muscle soreness in the days after a session, especially when the movement is new to you. If you are returning from injury, managing a joint problem, or brand new to resistance training, begin with light loads and a small number of slow reps. Let the soreness settle before adding volume. Anyone with a medical condition should clear a new training plan with a clinician first. Used sensibly, the soreness fades as your muscles adapt over the first few weeks.

Frequently asked questions

Is eccentric training only for athletes?
No. Both 2022 trials used untrained or sedentary adults and still found clear strength gains. Slow lowering suits beginners and busy people because it adds a strong training signal without longer sessions.
How slow should the lowering be?
A three-second count works well in the research and in practice. Slower is fine for bodyweight moves, but form comes first. Stop the set when you lose control of the lowering.
Will slow lowering build muscle size or only strength?
Both, when the total work is enough. The five-week trial showed real muscle thickness gains. The 3-second daily protocol raised strength without size because the daily volume was tiny.
Why am I sore for days after eccentric work?
Lengthening contractions create more short-term muscle damage, which shows up as delayed soreness. It eases as you adapt. Start with low volume and build over a few weeks.
Is a gym required for eccentric training?
No. Slow chair squats, heel drops on a step, and controlled press-up lowering all load the eccentric phase at home. No machines or free weights are needed to start.

The bottom line

The lowering half of every rep is the half most people waste. The trials reviewed here show the eccentric phase drives strength and size efficiently, even in untrained adults and even with a small daily dose of work. You do not need more time in the gym. You need to control the lowering on the lifts you already perform. Slow it to three seconds, train the major muscle groups twice a week, and build the volume gradually as the early soreness settles.

Train the lowering phase with a plan built for your week
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Sources

  1. Sato S, Yoshida R, Murakoshi F, et al. Comparison between concentric-only, eccentric-only, and concentric-eccentric resistance training of the elbow flexors for their effects on muscle strength and hypertrophy. European Journal of Applied Physiology. 2022;122:2607-2614. link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00421-022-05035-w
  2. Sato S, Yoshida R, Murakoshi F, et al. Effect of daily 3-s maximum voluntary isometric, concentric, or eccentric contraction on elbow flexor strength. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports. 2022;32(5):833-843. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35104387
  3. The effects of eccentric versus concentric resistance training on muscle strength and mass in healthy adults: a systematic review with meta-analysis. British Journal of Sports Medicine. 2009;43(8):556-568. bjsm.bmj.com/content/43/8/556
  4. NHS. Physical activity guidelines for adults aged 19 to 64. nhs.uk/live-well/exercise
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