Eccentric resistance training has been shown to improve performance outcomes in a range of populations, making it a popular choice for practitioners. Evidence suggests that neuromuscular adaptations resulting from eccentric overload (EO) and accentuated eccentric loading (AEL) methods could benefit athletic populations competing in team sports. The purpose of this review was to determine the effects of eccentric resistance training on performance qualities in trained male team sport athletes. A systematic review was conducted using electronic databases PubMed, SPORTDiscus and Web of Science in May 2019. The literature search resulted in 1402 initial articles, with 14 included in the final analysis. Variables related to strength, speed, power and change of direction ability were extracted and effect sizes were calculated with a correction for small sample size. Trivial, moderate and large effect sizes were reported for strength (−0.17 to 1.67), speed (−0.08 to 1.06), power (0.27 to 1.63) and change of direction (0.48 to 1.46) outcomes. Eccentric resistance training appears to be an effective stimulus for developing neuromuscular qualities in trained male team sport athletes. However, the range of effect sizes, testing protocols and training interventions suggest that more research is needed to better implement this type of training in athletic populations.

McNeill, C, Beaven, CM, McMaster, DT, and Gill, N. Survey of eccentric-based strength and conditioning practices in sport. J Strength Cond Res 34(10): 2769–2775, 2020—Eccentric-based training (ECC) has been shown to be an effective training strategy in athletes; however, despite the theoretical benefits, the uptake by practitioners is currently unknown. This study investigated the current ECC strength and conditioning practices that are implemented in the training of athletes. Two hundred twenty-four practitioners were electronically surveyed anonymously with 98 responses available for analysis. Nearly all respondents (96%) had prescribed ECC in the last 24 months. Sport performance (64%), injury prevention (24%), and rehabilitation (8%) were the top-ranked reasons to include ECC. Respondents programmed ECC for strength (35%), hypertrophy (19%), and power (18%). A majority of respondents did not monitor ECC load (58%) or use eccentric-specific testing (75%). Seventeen respondents commented that high-intensity training such as sprinting and change of direction, were avoided during ECC blocks. Eccentric-based training intensity was prescribed as percentage of 1 repetition maximum (34%), rate of perceived exertion (20%), or velocity (16%). Respondents indicated muscle soreness and concurrent high-intensity activities were concerns during ECC but reported not using eccentric monitoring or testing. The efficacy of ECC is well supported, yet there seems to be a lack of defined protocol for integrating ECC research into practice. A greater understanding of eccentric contribution to sport performance and injury prevention may help define testing and monitoring procedures for the prescription of ECC interventions. Practitioners should consider factors such as periodization, soreness, and monitoring when designing ECC programs. The findings of this survey indicate that no uniform strategies exist for the prescription of ECC among experienced practitioners.

Eccentric strength characteristics have been shown to be important factors in physical performance. Many eccentric tests have been performed in isolation or with supramaximal loading. The purpose of this study was to investigate within- and between- session reliability of an incremental eccentric back squat protocol. Force plates and a linear position transducer captured force-time-displacement data across six loading conditions, separated by at least seven days. The reliability of eccentric specific measurements was assessed using coefficient of variation (CV), change in mean, and intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). Eccentric peak force demonstrated good ICC (≥0.82) and TE (≤7.3%) for each load. Variables based on mean data were generally less reliable (e.g., mean rate of force development, mean force, mean velocity). This novel protocol meets acceptable levels of reliability for different eccentric-specific measurements although the extent to which these variables affect dynamic performance requires further research.

McNeill, C, Beaven, CM, McMaster, DT, Ward, P, and Gill, N. Eccentric force-velocity-load relationship in trained rugby union athletes. J Strength Cond Res 38(3): 549–555, 2024—The force-velocity relationship is traditionally believed to resemble a hyperbolic shape, known as the “force-velocity curve.” However, there is less evidence regarding this relationship during eccentric muscle action in multijoint isotonic exercise, especially in applied settings. The purpose of this study was to investigate the force-velocity-load relationship in an incremental eccentric back squat test. In addition, 37 professional male rugby union athletes were recruited to participate. Separate generalized linear mixed models were used to analyze the effect of barbell load on relative eccentric peak force (REPF), relative eccentric mean force (REMF), eccentric peak velocity (EPV), and eccentric mean velocity (EMV). A significant effect of load (p < 0.05) was observed for each of the eccentric variables tested. Each increase in barbell load tended to result in a linear increase in REMF and a decrease in EMV and EPV; however, we observed a plateauing effect for REPF as load increased. These results show that for “peak” variables lighter loads produced similar magnitudes of force, but generally moved at higher velocities than heavier loads. These observations suggest that the eccentric force-velocity-load relationship may vary depending on the parameters used. Quantifying rapid, multijoint eccentric performance is justified as it seems to provide valuable insight into individual athletic capability and training program design. Further research may investigate the responsiveness of the qualities to training and the causal nature of eccentric characteristics and athletic performance.