Eccentric Exercise Benefits for Seniors: Lower It Slowly
By Doug Jones
Eccentric Exercise Benefits for Seniors: Lower It Slowly
What are eccentric exercise benefits for seniors?
The eccentric exercise benefits focus on muscle lengthening while controlling weight movement, such as slowly lowering a lightweight dumbbell or wall push-up. For active older adults, this controlled lowering builds maximum muscle tone, protects sensitive joints, and improves functional movement safely without straining your body at all!
What's In This Article
- Understanding Eccentric Strength and Slow Lowering
- Maximizing Eccentric Exercise Benefits Safely
- Safe Wall Push-Ups using Slow Lowering
- Why Resistance Protects Your Joints
- Standing Counter Support Exercises for Balance and Tone
- Eccentric exercise benefits: Questions I Get Asked Most
Aloha from sunny Kaua'i! Looking out towards Bali Hai today, I am reminded of how simple staying strong truly is. Many folks think lifting heavy weights quickly is the only way to get in shape, but that is simply not true! Understanding eccentric exercise benefits opens up a world of safe, rapid muscle toning without putting unnecessary strain on your joints. When you slowly lower a weight—resisting gravity on the way down—you give your muscles the ideal stimulus to rebuild.
You do not need fancy equipment or long, grueling hours in a gym. Taking absolute control of the lowering phase keeps your wrists, elbows, and knees safe while delivering maximum return for your effort. The difference between doing nothing and next to nothing... is EVERYTHING! You can learn more about my simple fitness training programs that put these exact principles to work for YOU every single day.
If you want strong, well-toned muscles that support your everyday active lifestyle, focus on lowering slowly. Here is the column that started it.
Understanding Eccentric Strength and Slow Lowering
Dear Doug,
As a part of my new routine for the new year, I have finally started lifting weights. In your last column, you said that the best part of lifting weights was lowering weights. Can you please explain this in a little more detail?
— Kini in Kilauea -
Congrats on your decision to lift (and lower) weights, Kini. My next few columns will focus on the specifics of this super secret to strength.
Many years ago, I revealed the science of “Eccentrics” as the foundation to my 12-Week Physique Program and Super 7-Week Shape-Up System. Working out the way your body works really works.
The word “Eccentric” (ek-sen-trik) literally translates: “Ec” (away) from “centric” (center) - to one side − off- center − going from the inside to the outside.
Eccentrics is an “off-center” approach to fitness, unconventionally refreshing in both physiology and psychology. Yes, it’s truly different, genuinely ingenious, and often the opposite of what you’d expect. While each quadrant is unique and justifies a separate explanation, the collective application of Strength, Stamina, Stretching, and Sustenance is the true genius behind the system of Eccentrics.
Strength, the most important component, is where we need to begin; for this reason, it is going to be my primary focus for now. If you want to move into the other components more quickly, you can sneak a peek at the free content on my website.
With regard to strength, Eccentrics refers to the lengthening of muscle away from its center as you lower weight slowly. This is when and where the physiological magic occurs. In fact, the ONLY reason that you lift weights is so you can lower them. Lifting does very little; lowering does A LOT!
Lengthening muscle under tension, by slowly lowering weight, will transform your muscles overnight… literally. I’ve seen this rapid reformation of muscle happen firsthand with thousands of clients.
Maintaining metabolically-active muscle is the key to fitness. Though your skeleton gives you structure and support, without muscle, you’re just a bag of bones. Your 600+ striated skeletal muscles, connecting bone to bone (and often to more bone), give your body the ability to create an almost infinite number of manners and motions. Whether your goal is to develop muscle tone, size, or strength, your body must be subjected to forces beyond those to which it is normally accustomed. Compared to every other exercise in existence, Eccentrics produces the most force within a muscle. Period!
This is not my opinion; it’s a fact. This is just how your body works. Thus, as the single best stimulus for everybody and every body, Eccentrics is the ideal training modality regardless of your specific objective − tone, size, or strength.
Controlling the speed of lengthening muscle under tension generates biomechanical and biochemical events that command adaptation. Strong forces force your muscles to change, and change quickly. Slowly lowering weight is the safest and soundest of systems.
Remember, the only reason you lift weights is so you can lower weights. The only reason you lower weights is so you can stop, rest, and relax as your body promptly prepares for its next challenge. Your body immediately develops muscle tone, even after only one workout… seriously. Size and strength will then continue to increase relative to the forces at hand.
If your goal is to develop big powerful muscles, keep gradually adding resistance. Eccentrics is your secret solution. Often used by competitive bodybuilders and powerlifters, the lowering motion of weight “lifting” is a shortcut in their quest for mass and power. The sky is truly the limit when it comes to resisting gravity.
And, if your goal is to develop only well-toned (but not overly muscular) muscles, Eccentrics is as easy as it is simple. A few minutes per week per muscle is all that it takes to tone. A little bit of a good thing is often the best.
Also, in addition to weight lowering being better THAN weight lifting, it also makes you better AT weight lifting. This is called “positive strength transference.” Lifting weights improves ONLY lifting weights; however, lowering weights improves lowering weights AND lifting weights. So, at the very least, the strength of Eccentrics is two-fold.
It doesn’t matter if you work out with dumbbells, barbells, machines, weights plates, or even your own body weight. Whichever object is moving during the exercise, slowly lower that object from its highest point to its lowest point, control it throughout its full range of motion. I prefer a pace of 7 seconds down, from the top to the bottom. Next time, I’ll lead you through a specific exercise… using a very specific technique. In the meantime, if you do nothing else, try SLOWERing LOWERing weight to the tune of 7 seconds. You’ll love it!
In Health & With Hope,
Doug :-)
Maximizing Eccentric Exercise Benefits Safely
When you perform any movement, your muscles work in two distinct directions: concentric (shortening) and eccentric (lengthening). The lowering portion—where the muscle lengthens under tension—is where the real physiological magic happens. By focusing on eccentric exercise benefits, you allow your muscle tissue to build functional tone with far less strain on your heart and joints.
This approach is Smart-Simple-Speedy-Safe! Controlling the movement while lowering a light weight or controlling your body against gravity commands your muscles to adapt fast. You achieve remarkable firmness and strength without having to lift heavy, awkward loads that could jeopardize your shoulders or back.
In fact, resisting gravity creates greater force within the muscle fibers than lifting ever could. This higher muscle tension triggers immediate adaptations, meaning you start feeling firmer and more stable right away. Remember, the difference between doing nothing and next to nothing... is EVERYTHING!
Safe Wall Push-Ups using Slow Lowering
You do not need fancy gym machines to put these principles into practice. A simple wall push-up is one of the safest and most effective ways for active older adults to tone the chest, shoulders, and arms right in the comfort of home. All you need is a clear, solid wall and a comfortable pair of shoes.
Stand at arm's length from the wall with your feet planted securely hip-width apart. Place your palms flat against the wall at shoulder height, using the wall for total support. The secret is all in the downward speed!
- Position: Keep your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width and your body aligned straight from head to heels.
- Slow Descent: Slowly bend your elbows, taking a full 7 seconds to bring your chest close to the wall. Count it out aloud: one-thousand-one, one-thousand-two...
- Control: Do not let gravity pull you forward quickly. Keep your core light and your movement steady.
- Return: Press back gently to the start position, take a deep breath, and repeat.
By taking seven full seconds on the way down, you get all the muscular rewards without straining your shoulders or wrists.
Why Resistance Protects Your Joints
Keeping your knees, hips, and shoulders healthy is essential for enjoying long walks along the beach or working in the garden. When people drop weights quickly or let momentum take over, joint cartilage and tendons absorb the shock. Slow lowering transfers that force directly into the muscle tissue where it belongs.
Because eccentric motion creates high force with low energetic demand, your heart does not have to pound frantically to give your muscles a great workout. It is an ideal method for building joint-stabilizing strength safely.
You can discover more ways to integrate smart physiological principles by reviewing our guided strength programs. Protecting your joints while staying active keeps you moving comfortably for years to come!
Standing Counter Support Exercises for Balance and Tone
Another fantastic application of slow lowering involves strengthening your lower body while standing safely at your kitchen counter. Place both hands firmly on the counter edge for complete support and balance. You never have to worry about losing your footing when you keep a hand on a sturdy surface!
Slowly rise up onto the balls of your feet over a two-second count. Then comes the magic part: take a full 7 seconds to lower your heels back down to the floor. Feel your calf muscles working to control that descent!
You can also practice slow, mini knee bends while holding the counter edge. Lower yourself just a couple of inches over 7 seconds, then stand back up. This targeted slow lowering strengthens the key muscles around your knees, making daily walking easier and far more confident. Smart, simple, and safe exercise works every single time! Mahalo!
Eccentric exercise benefits: Questions I Get Asked Most
What are the main eccentric exercise benefits for older adults?
The primary benefits include building targeted muscle strength, protecting delicate joints from heavy impact, and improving daily functional mobility. Because lowering weight slowly produces high muscle force with less energetic strain, it provides a safe, highly effective workout for active seniors!
Is eccentric exercise safe for beginners?
Yes, absolutely! When performed slowly with wall support or very light hand weights, eccentric exercise is one of the safest training methods available. Controlling the downward movement prevents sudden jerking motions that could stress your tendons or joints.
How slow should I lower the weight during eccentric training?
I recommend a 7-second lowering count! Taking a full seven seconds from the top of the movement to the bottom ensures that gravity does not do the work for you. That steady control triggers maximum muscle tone and functional strength.
Do I need heavy weights to get eccentric benefits?
Not at all! You can get fantastic benefits using simple wall push-ups, light dumbbells, or even your own body weight. Resisting gravity slowly provides all the stimulus your muscles need to stay strong, firm, and healthy.
Ready to put this to work today? Try SUPER 7 FREE for a Smart-Simple-Speedy-Safe daily starting point: no gym, no equipment, no downloads - just open and go.
In Health & With Hope,
Doug :-)
About the Author: Douglas Jones, BS, MA, CSCS
Douglas Jones earned his Master's Degree in Exercise Physiology from the University of Maryland and is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist. As an Exercise Physiologist and Concierge Fitness Professional based in Kaua'i, he has helped thousands of clients in person and millions online build simple, science-based habits for strength, stamina, stretching, and sustenance.
Doug is the founder of the Super 7 System — a complete training system you can do at home in as little as 7 minutes a day.
Watch his free intro and start free at Super7System.com.