Last week I was happy to see an article in the Times explaining the benefits of eccentric muscle contractions. (“Want to Get Stronger and Avoid Injury? Try This.”) Very simply, eccentric contraction means lengthening a muscle while it’s under tension. For example, each time you slowly lower a weight, whether a dumbbell or your own body’s weight as you slowly bend your knees, the muscles contract and stretch at the same time. In essence, you’re putting on the brakes as the weight slowly lowers, using your muscles to negotiate with the much stronger force of gravity. If your muscles weren’t in eccentric contraction, you’d drop the weight --or yourself—downward, faster than is safe.
This is noticeably harder than performing “concentric” or shortening contractions, such as lifting a dumbbell in a biceps curl. It explains why hiking back down the mountain is often more challenging than going up. Studies show that eccentric contractions signal different proteins and hormones in the muscles to become activated, and create from 20 to 50 percent more strength gain than concentric or shortening muscle contractions. You need to move slowly though. That’s the secret to the power of eccentric contraction.
So, here’s why I’m writing this in a Qigong newsletter: we use eccentric, or lengthening muscular contractions throughout our practice! At the very start of class, by standing in wuji with a slight flexion in the knees, we immediately engage the muscles of the lower body. That slight bend in the knees is maintained throughout the class. At times we sink into deeper flexion in the knees and hips, such as in “horse pose” or during various “animal frolics,” leading to even more strength gain. Whatever we do, we do it slowly: it’s that measured, unhurried quality of the move that engages our muscles in this deep, challenging, and effective way.
This week while I’m away, please play around with this on your own. Sink extra slowly into your horse stance and notice how much more your muscles are working. Breathe and feel the precious balance of strength and relaxation which makes the effort both safe and productive. As you stand in horse pose for a little longer, you’ll notice the effort increases. You’ll start breathing more deeply, maybe feel your heart rate go up a little. Try standing for one minute, then two, and when that feels easier, stand longer. It’s a classic Qigong exercise and it works, because “just” standing there (as opposed to bending the knees more) also engages the muscles eccentrically: if they weren’t working, you’d be on the floor. To me, this is one of the purest, simplest ways to enter a state of harmony between your mind and body. Added bonus? You build lots of lower body strength without risking injury.
