Great sprinters are household names. The quest to be crowned the fastest human on the planet is a challenge that we all get caught up in. These top sprinters dedicate large amounts of time to training. All to complete in an event that ideally lasts less than 10 seconds.

Harry Aikines-Aryeetey is a British Olympian and Mirafit athlete. Amongst his achievements he has 3 European gold medals and 2 Commonwealth gold medals all in the 4 x 100m relay. Having been there and done that, Harry is able to provide some insight from his vast training knowledge.

Harry suggests that instead of looking for the perfect exercise, we should rather look at the perfect method. He feels that eccentric training is just that, a training method we should include in our workout schedule.

What Are Eccentrics?

This sounds like the easy part of the contraction as the muscle lengthens under tension but it is needed to prevent the weights from crashing down after the end of the concentric contraction.

Why Are Eccentrics Important?

So if eccentrics are the lengthening of muscles under tension and they are not responsible for the effort of moving the weight, how can they be so essential to training? The tension in the muscles during an eccentric contraction is far greater than its concentric counterpart. This increased tension results in greater damage to the muscle fibres which results in more muscle repair, ultimately leading to increased strength gains. So, while we all want to push heavier weights and get stronger, you can improve your strength gains just by putting more focus on eccentric contractions.

Eccentrics are also vital for sprinters. Apart from hamstrings being one of the most common injury sites in sprinters and therefore requiring strength training, eccentrics play an important part in the sprinting stride. As your foot contacts the ground, the hamstrings contract eccentrically before concentrically contracting to move the foot underneath your body. If you haven’t trained for this high muscular tension, then your hamstrings are at risk of injury.

How to Perform Eccentrics

Eccentric training is all about negative reps. Focus is placed on the eccentric phase of the contraction by spending more time performing the contraction. A great exercise tempo for both concentric and eccentric training would be 1.0.3. Your concentric contraction should last 1 second. Then with no rest (i.e. 0 seconds) start the eccentric phase but take 3 seconds to do this. At all times the movement should be under control. Highly trained athletes could even get to the point where they are lifting 110% of their 1 RM by slowly lowering the weight and having a spotter assist in the concentric phase.

Single Leg Hip Bridges

Equipment Required - Swiss ball and exercise mat.

A bridge position targets the posterior chain, largely the hamstrings and glute muscles. As you extend the leg on the swiss ball, the hamstring lengthens, creating an eccentric load. It is great for sprinters looking to strengthen the upper portion of the hamstrings.

Romanian Deadlifts

Equipment Required - Barbell and bumper plates.

RDL’s differ from traditional deadlifts in their starting position. Both are posterior chain exercises targeting the hamstrings and glutes but while a standard deadlift involves lifting the barbell from the floor, the RDL starts from a standing position and then lowers the barbell towards the floor.

This allows a greater focus on the eccentric phase as you slowly lower the barbell before concentrically returning to the starting point. The concentric contraction can still be performed explosively, giving sprinters the explosive contractions they are training for.

Dumbbell Single Arm RDL

Equipment Required - Dumbbells.

This is a unilateral version of the RDL. It still focuses on the hamstring and glutes in the posterior change but adds in a stability requirement. This is an added benefit of the exercise for sprinters who require single leg stabilisation during sprinting.

Leg Curls

Equipment Required - Leg Curl Machine and bumper plates.

One of the advantages of the leg curl is that you can place a larger eccentric load on the hamstrings than you would usually be able to. As Harry demonstrates to us, you are able to load the leg curl machine with extra weight and use two legs to perform the concentric phase of the leg curl before using a single leg to control the heavier weight back to the starting point.

Harry encourages us to not just focus on the perfect exercise but to find a perfect method of training. Eccentric training is a method we can all benefit from. Eccentric training results in a larger response to strength development in muscles and helps improve explosive strength needed for sprinting.

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