10/21/2025
Heavy Eccentrics for More GAINS! Congrats NFL pro Kingsley Enagbare on a great game & big win for Packers last night with 2 tackles, 3 assists, & 1 sack. Eccentric overload is something we use quite a bit with our athletes.
More in my FREE ebook MOVEMENT REDEFINED Fundamentals link at https://www.advancedhumanperformance.com/movement-redefined-fundamentals .
Research shows eccentric overload may be superior to traditional strength training in terms of muscle growth, strength, injury prevention, athletic performance, speed, agility, power, & other measures for sports performance.
Eccentric overload simply involves perform the eccentric/negative or lowering phase of the exercise with greater weight than the concentric typically 105-130% of your 1RM. Muscles can handle 20-40% greater load & produce more force on the eccentric than concentric so eccentric overload takes advantage of that by applying more mechanical tension & potentially more microtrauma which are key for growth.
Note, I’m not referring to eccentric accentuated training with a slow negative or slower eccentric using submaximal loads (or same loads as concentric). I’m referring to eccentric overload which is very different.
The 7 Eccentric Overload Methods
1.BANA 2:1 Bilateral Assisted Negative Accentuated (up with 2 down with 1 limb). This works well with machines & leg exercises as you use roughly 70% of your weight for 2 limbs which ends up being over 100% 1RM for 1 limb like this lunge.
2.Partner manual tension where the partner gives added resistance on the eccentric phase of movement.
3. Partner assistance on concentric such as using greater than 1RM on bench press & partner assisting on way up.
4. Flywheel or Inertial training = gives greater eccentric force.
5. Biomechanical drop reps = adjust biomechanics mid rep so the concentric is a biomechanically more advantageous position than eccentric like Zottman curls.
6. Power Rack Eccentric Potentiation PREP = reduce load on concentric then add more weight on eccentric.
7. Specialized machines that add more eccentric tension like Vitruvian or Arena.
More in my FREE ebook link bio.
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References.
Yue, C., Xiong, W., Zhang, C., Zhang, R., Deng, K., & Li, Z. (2025). The Effects of Accentuated Eccentric Loading Repetition Structures on Muscle Strength and Adaptation. Journal of strength and conditioning research, 10.1519/JSC.0000000000005232.
Naczk, A., Kisiel-Sajewicz, K., Gajewska, E., Gramza, P., Jędzrzejczak, T., & Naczk, M. (2024). Is inertial training more effective than traditional resistance training in young healthy males?. Frontiers in physiology, 15, 1487624.
Križaj, L., Kozinc, Ž., Löfler, S., & Šarabon, N. (2022). The chronic effects of eccentric exercise interventions in different populations: an umbrella review. European journal of translational myology, 32(4), 10876.
Stojanović, M. D. M., Andrić, N., Mikić, M., Vukosav, N., Vukosav, B., Zolog-Șchiopea, D. N., Tăbăcar, M., & Melinte, R. M. (2023). Effects of Eccentric-Oriented Strength Training on Return to Sport Criteria in Late-Stage Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL)-Reconstructed Professional Team Sport Players. Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania), 59(6), 1111.
The 7 eccentric overload methods + articles.
1.Partner manual tension https://www.advancedhumanperformance.com/blog/eccentric-landmine
2. Partner assistance on concentric like negative bench press https://www.advancedhumanperformance.com/blog/bodyweight-eccentric-overload .
3.BANA 2:1 Bilateral Assisted Negative Accentuated (up with 2 down with 1 limb). https://www.advancedhumanperformance.com/blog/eccentric-accentuated-training-legs .
4. Flywheel or Inertial training. https://www.advancedhumanperformance.com/blog/product-review-exxentric-kbox .
5. Biomechanical drop reps = adjust biomechanics mid rep. https://www.advancedhumanperformance.com/blog/eccentric-chest-flyes .
6. Power Rack Eccentric Potentiation PREP https://www.advancedhumanperformance.com/negative-accentuated-powerlifting .
7. Specialized machines that add more eccentric load.