According to new study, one sort of muscular contraction is more successful at developing muscle strength and growth, and instead of lifting weights, the emphasis should be on lowering them.
According to new study from Edith Cowan University (ECU), one form of muscular contraction is more successful at building muscle strength and growth, and the emphasis should be on reducing weights rather than raising them. The team, which comprised researchers from Niigata University, Nishi Kyushu University, and Londrina State University in Brazil, had groups of participants practise three different types of dumbbell curl exercises and measured the effects.
It discovered that individuals who merely reduced a weight showed the same benefits as those who raised and lowered weights, although doing half the amount of repetitions.
Professor Ken Nosaka of ECU stated the findings supported earlier studies demonstrating that focusing on “eccentric” muscular contractions (in which active muscles are stretched) is more significant for building muscle strength and growth than volume.
“We already know that doing one eccentric muscle contraction each day for five days a week – even for three seconds a day – may develop muscular strength, but concentric (lifting a weight) or isometric muscle contraction (holding a weight) does not,” Professor Nosaka explained.
“This recent study demonstrates that by focusing on eccentric muscle contractions, we may be significantly more efficient in the time we spend training while still seeing meaningful improvements.” Many people feel that the lifting movement gives the most advantage, or at least some benefit, in the instance of a dumbbell curl, however we discovered that concentric muscle contractions contributed little to the training benefits.”
