If you are new to fitness, I think you will find the following article extremely helpful. Recent studies have show that the €negative€ or €eccentric€ phase of an exercise, offers the most beneficial changes to both the muscles being exercised and your overall blood chemistry. Further, it has been stated that even performing as little as one thirty minute session per week will make favorable changes in your overall health.
So what exactly is a €negative€ or €eccentric€ phase? Any activity requires both a concentric and an eccentric component. The concentric component is the component whereby the muscle is shortening while performing the activity. I.e. would be curling a dumbbell. The eccentric phase of the exercise would be the phase of movement whereby the muscle is lengthening while still under load. Using the same example, this would be the lowering of the dumbbell after curling it. So what does this mean and how can you use this information to improve your health? Well, it means that something as simple as walking down steps, or down a hill, (yes, the easier half!) can be very beneficial with respect to improving your health. If you are already routinely, you can get more bang for the time expenditure by accentuating the eccentric phase of all of your exercise movements by performing the concentric phase over one-two seconds, the eccentric phase for three-4 seconds. I.e if you are doing a pushup you should lower yourself to the floor slowly, three-four seconds. Push up in one-two seconds. This technique can be utilized with most any workout routine.
Studies have shown that exercising in this way actually causes the most desirable changes on blood chemistry in reversing undesirable changes such as all of those associated with the metabolic syndrome, (obesity, high blood pressure, type II diabetes, etc.).
If you are not already exercising, try and put together a 30 minute session once per week to perform eccentric activities such as walking down steps or any activity accentuating the eccentric component. Naturally it would be better to perform an exercise regimen at least 3 times per week, but if you are currently doing nothing, once per week is a major improvement and will yield desirable changes in your overall health. As your health improves you will find it easier to invest more time in additional exercise sessions. There is no one who can't find 30 minutes per week to exercise.
So what exactly is a €negative€ or €eccentric€ phase? Any activity requires both a concentric and an eccentric component. The concentric component is the component whereby the muscle is shortening while performing the activity. I.e. would be curling a dumbbell. The eccentric phase of the exercise would be the phase of movement whereby the muscle is lengthening while still under load. Using the same example, this would be the lowering of the dumbbell after curling it. So what does this mean and how can you use this information to improve your health? Well, it means that something as simple as walking down steps, or down a hill, (yes, the easier half!) can be very beneficial with respect to improving your health. If you are already routinely, you can get more bang for the time expenditure by accentuating the eccentric phase of all of your exercise movements by performing the concentric phase over one-two seconds, the eccentric phase for three-4 seconds. I.e if you are doing a pushup you should lower yourself to the floor slowly, three-four seconds. Push up in one-two seconds. This technique can be utilized with most any workout routine.
Studies have shown that exercising in this way actually causes the most desirable changes on blood chemistry in reversing undesirable changes such as all of those associated with the metabolic syndrome, (obesity, high blood pressure, type II diabetes, etc.).
If you are not already exercising, try and put together a 30 minute session once per week to perform eccentric activities such as walking down steps or any activity accentuating the eccentric component. Naturally it would be better to perform an exercise regimen at least 3 times per week, but if you are currently doing nothing, once per week is a major improvement and will yield desirable changes in your overall health. As your health improves you will find it easier to invest more time in additional exercise sessions. There is no one who can't find 30 minutes per week to exercise.