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Eccentric Training: What Two 2022 Trials Found About Lowering Weights

10 min read

Every lift has two halves. You raise the weight, then you lower it. The lowering half is called the eccentric phase, and two small 2022 trials from the same Japan-led research group put it to the test. In the 5-week trial, untrained young adults who trained only the lowering half of a biceps curl built strength and muscle about as well as those who did full reps, with half the training volume. The second trial measured strength and muscle size, and found gains in strength only.

This guide explains what the eccentric phase is, what the two trials and an earlier review found, what the research does not show, why lowering work causes more soreness, and how to use slower lowering in your own training. The studies were small and short, and they tested one arm muscle group in young people, so the findings are a starting point, not a final answer.

9.7%
Rise in upper-arm muscle thickness after 5 weeks of lowering-only training, against 10.6% with full reps
Sato et al. 2022, 14 people per training group
Half
The contractions: 30 lowerings a session against 60 lifts and lowerings in the full-rep group, for similar gains
Sato et al. 2022, European Journal of Applied Physiology
12.2%
Rise in lowering strength after one 3-second maximal lowering a day on a laboratory machine, 5 days a week, for 4 weeks, with no change in muscle size
Sato et al. 2022, 13 sedentary young adults per group
2+ days
A week of strengthening activities that work all the major muscle groups, for adults aged 19 to 64
NHS physical activity guidelines
Sources: Sato et al. 2022, European Journal of Applied Physiology. Sato et al. 2022, Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports. NHS.

What the eccentric phase is

In the lifting half of a rep, the working muscle shortens as it moves the weight. Trainers call this the concentric phase. In the lowering half, the same muscle lengthens while it still controls the load. This is the eccentric phase. In a biceps curl, the biceps shortens as you raise the dumbbell and lengthens as you lower it.

A 2019 review by Hody and colleagues in Frontiers in Physiology explains why the two halves differ. Muscles produce greater forces when lengthening than in other types of contraction at the same speed. Lowering also needs less muscle activation, oxygen and energy for a given force, with a metabolic cost about four times lower than the same exercise done as lifting. The review notes that eccentric work is part of daily life, such as walking down stairs, when the front thigh muscles (knee extensors) brake each step.

What the 5-week trial found

Shigeru Sato and colleagues assigned untrained young adults to one of four groups: lifting and lowering, lifting only, lowering only, or a control group that did no training. Each training group had 14 people and the control group had 11. The training groups did dumbbell curls with one arm, twice a week for 5 weeks, using 3 sets of 10 reps in a limited range near a straight elbow. Because the full-rep group lifted and lowered every rep, its total training volume was double that of the other two groups.

Muscle thickness rose by 10.6% with full reps and 9.7% with lowering only, a similar gain. The lifting-only group gained 2.5%, which was too small to rule out chance. Strength rose in all three training groups on a lifting test, with no significant difference between them. On holding and lowering tests, the lowering-only group gained as much as the full-rep group. The control group showed no significant changes. The authors concluded that lowering-only training matched full reps despite half the training volume, which suggests the lifting half added little to the results.

Muscle growth after 5 weeks of curls Average rise in upper-arm muscle thickness, untrained young adults Full reps 10.6% Lowering only 9.7% Lifting only 2.5%, not significant 0% 6% 12%
Source: Sato et al. 2022, European Journal of Applied Physiology. 14 people per group. The lifting-only change was not statistically significant. The lowering-only group did half the training volume of the full-rep group. Results varied widely between people.

What the 3-second trial found

In a second study, the same group asked how little training would change strength. Young sedentary adults did one 3-second maximal contraction of the elbow flexors a day, 5 days a week, for 4 weeks. One group of 13 did a holding contraction, one group of 13 a lifting contraction and one group of 13 a lowering contraction, all on a laboratory machine. A control group of 10 did no training.

The lowering group gained strength on every test, by 10.2% on holding tests, 12.8% on lifting tests and 12.2% on lowering tests. The lifting group improved only on holding tests, by 6.3%, and the holding group only on lowering tests, by 7.2%. Muscle thickness did not change significantly in any group. The authors concluded that one 3-second maximal contraction a day increased strength, and that the lowering version had the strongest effect.

What an earlier review found

A 2009 systematic review and meta-analysis in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, led by Marc Roig, pooled 20 randomised controlled trials comparing lowering and lifting training. When lowering work was done at higher intensities than the lifting training, total strength and lowering strength rose more. High-intensity lowering work was also more effective for muscle size measured as limb girth, with a trend for larger muscle cross-sectional area on scans. The gains from lowering work were more specific to the speed and type of contraction trained. The authors linked the advantage to the higher loads muscles handle during lowering. Slowing the lowering with your usual weight, as suggested below, is not what these trials tested.

What the research does not show

Both 2022 trials were small, with 13 or 14 people per group. They tested one muscle group, the elbow flexors (the biceps and brachialis, which bend the elbow), in young adults who did not lift weights, over 4 or 5 weeks. The 3-second study used a laboratory machine to produce maximal lowering contractions, which a dumbbell at home does not replicate. Neither trial tested older adults, trained lifters or whole-body programmes, so the results may not apply to these groups. Lowering-only training also means something else raises the weight on each rep, which is hard to set up alone at home.

In our view, the evidence supports paying attention to the lowering half of each rep. It does not support dropping the lifting half of your training, since most everyday tasks and gym exercises use both.

Soreness and who should take care

The Hody review reports that unaccustomed lowering work causes muscle damage and delayed-onset muscle soreness. The soreness typically appears between half a day and a day after a session, peaks between 1 and 3 days later and fades within 5 to 7 days. The review describes the most useful way to prevent this as repeated sessions of submaximal (lighter than your maximum) lowering work, with the intensity raised step by step. Some protection appears after one session, and more builds over several sessions.

The review also reports that older adults are more vulnerable to exercise-related muscle damage, and strongly advises careful, safe progression when older people start lowering work. It notes that older adults keep their lowering strength relatively well with age.

In our view, if you have a heart condition, high blood pressure, a recent injury or surgery, or joint or tendon pain, speak to your GP (general practitioner) or a physiotherapist before you add heavy lowering work. In our view, do not lower a weight heavier than you can lift unless a trained coach or spotter is with you. Keep breathing through each rep and do not hold your breath. Expect soreness after your first few sessions, and leave at least 2 days before you train the same muscles hard again. Stop a set if you feel sharp pain, and seek urgent medical help if severe muscle pain and swelling come with dark or cola-coloured urine in the days after a session.

How to train the lowering phase

These steps are ours, built from the studies above. They are not a tested programme.

1
Slow the lowering
On squats, presses, rows and curls, lift at a normal pace and take about 3 seconds to lower. In our view, this adds lowering work without adding sets.
2
Start light and build
The Hody review describes submaximal lowering work, raised step by step, as the most useful way to prevent soreness. Start with one or two slow exercises per session and add more over a few weeks.
3
Train at least twice a week
The NHS advises strengthening activities on at least 2 days a week that work the legs, hips, back, abdomen, chest, shoulders and arms.
4
Use bodyweight moves
In our view, slow chair-assisted squats, slow lowering into a press-up and controlled step-downs from a low step while holding a rail load the lowering phase with no equipment.

Frequently asked questions

Is eccentric training only for athletes?
No. Both 2022 trials tested untrained or sedentary young adults and found strength gains. The Hody review describes lowering work used in supervised rehabilitation, including for people with heart or lung conditions who cannot manage intense effort.
How slow should the lowering be?
The 5-week trial's published summary does not report a lowering speed, and the 3-second trial used one maximal contraction on a laboratory machine. In our view, about 3 seconds per lowering is a practical way to control the weight, and form comes first.
Does slow lowering build muscle or only strength?
In the 5-week trial, lowering-only training raised muscle thickness by 9.7% and strength on several tests. In the 3-second daily trial, strength rose but muscle thickness did not change significantly.
Why am I sore for days after lowering work?
The Hody review reports that unaccustomed lowering work causes delayed soreness, which peaks between 1 and 3 days after a session and fades within about a week. It eases as you repeat sessions and build up gradually.
Do I need a gym?
No. The NHS lists bodyweight exercises such as push-ups among strengthening activities. In our view, slow lowering in bodyweight moves is a way to start at home.

The bottom line

One small 5-week trial in untrained young adults found that lowering-only biceps training built muscle and strength about as well as full reps, with half the training volume. A second small trial found that one 3-second maximal lowering a day on a laboratory machine raised strength over 4 weeks, with no change in muscle size. A 2009 review of 20 trials found that lowering work done at higher intensities than lifting work built more strength. The trials were short and tested one arm muscle group, and lowering work causes more soreness at first. In our view, slowing the lowering half of each rep and building up gradually is a practical way to use this evidence, alongside the NHS advice to train all major muscle groups at least twice a week.

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Related reading

Sources

  • 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(12):2607-2614. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36107233
  • 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
  • Roig M, O'Brien K, Kirk G, et al. 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. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18981046
  • Hody S, Croisier JL, Bury T, Rogister B, Leprince P. Eccentric muscle contractions: risks and benefits. Frontiers in Physiology 2019;10:536. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31130877
  • NHS. Physical activity guidelines for adults aged 19 to 64. Last reviewed 22 May 2024. nhs.uk
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