Why Slow Eccentrics Are Unnecessary

In the world of strength training and athletic development, a common debate revolves around the role of slow eccentric movements—those deliberate, controlled lowering phases of an exercise. Many fitness enthusiasts and coaches advocate for slow eccentrics, suggesting they improve tissue tolerance and exercise proficiency. However, the truth is more nuanced. Strength training is fundamentally about getting stronger to get faster, and slowing down the eccentric phase can actually hinder progress rather than help it.

The Misconception: Strength Makes You Slower

One of the most widespread myths is the belief that becoming stronger inevitably makes you slower. This misconception often comes from a misunderstanding of what strength training is truly about. Strength isn’t an endpoint; it’s a means to an end—improving speed and power. If you think about it, the goal of lifting weights for an athlete isn’t just to move heavy weights, but to move them quickly and efficiently.

It’s ironic that some of the loudest critics of strength training also endorse slow eccentric training, which slows down the entire movement process. To those people I would say, no wonder you think lifting makes you slower you're doing it wrong. If strength truly made you slower, why would slowing down the eccentric phase be beneficial? The answer is it isn’t, and this contradiction highlights a gap in understanding strength training principles.

Speed as a Measure of Strength

Strength is better measured by how fast you can move a given weight, not just by how much weight you can move. For example, a 500-pound lift might barely budge for someone less trained, but for a stronger athlete, that same weight moves relatively fast. This speed of movement indicates a higher level of strength and neuromuscular efficiency.

Consider this: if you can perform a weight for ten reps, it’s likely not heavy enough to be classified as truly challenging. The first several reps are often executed at a speed that doesn’t reflect maximal effort. This further reinforces the idea that training for speed and power is key to developing strength, rather than emphasizing slow, controlled movements.

The Problem with Slow Eccentric Training

Slow eccentrics are often promoted for two main reasons:

• Tissue tolerance: Building the capacity of muscles, tendons, and ligaments to handle stress.

• Exercise proficiency: Learning the correct movement patterns with control.

  
  

While both goals are valid, slow eccentric training unnecessarily prolongs the learning curve and delays the athlete’s ability to perform the same movement fast and explosive. Once you master a movement slowly, you actually have to relearn how to do it quickly—a skill that requires a lot of confidence and mastery specifically with turning muscles on and off. Think of a squat, if you wanted to move down faster in the eccentric phase, you literally have to turn muscles off to fall and then turn them on again to stand up with aggression. Much like sprinting and other athletic movements, you are turning off and on muscles in environments of extremely high forces. This is the type of training that can really unlock a lot of strength speed and even myofibril hypertrophy so why prolong this journey any longer than it already is? So again, you might learn a squat with a slow tempo, but then have to relearn with speed eccentrics. Trust me, it will take relearning. This relearning process can take a significant amount of time, which means the athlete spends more time “slowing down” their progress rather than accelerating it. Pun intended. Instead of slowing down the eccentric phase, simply try titrating volume—increasing training volume week over week—can improve tissue tolerance and proficiency without sacrificing speed.

Lessons from the Sprinting World

One of the clearest examples that slow eccentrics are unnecessary comes from sprinting. Sprinting is a high-risk, high-intensity activity with a much greater injury rate than lifting weights. Yet, no coach or athlete spends weeks jogging before sprinting at full speed. They start sprinting from day one because this is how you train the nervous system and muscles to handle fast, explosive movements.

If sprinting can be safely introduced at full speed without a slow buildup phase, then strength training should follow the same principle. There is no need to artificially slow down eccentric phases when the ultimate goal is to move fast and powerfully. And I'm NOT saying everyone should start squatting with a fast eccentric phase. I'm saying the SHOULD NOT insert a purposeful slow tempo phase. Every athlete will have their "normal" usually what they feel comfortable doing. You might even notice your most athletic athletes naturally are already moving fast and your less athletic athletes are naturally moving slow. As a coach I might see an athlete do a set of 5 that was pretty easy and instead of adding weight I might say, that set took about 10 seconds to complete, use the same weight and try to complete the reps in less than 6 seconds. Because ultimately the goal is to move more weight faster. That's the bottom line. If it wasn't then everyone would be buying velocity based training devices to measure bar speed.

Conclusion: Train for Speed By Skipping Slow Tempo Training

Strength training is about becoming faster and more powerful, not slower. The practice of slow eccentrics, while well-intentioned, often delays progress by forcing athletes to first learn movements slowly and then relearn them quickly. Instead, athletes should focus on developing strength through controlled volume progression and practicing movements at the speeds they want to perform, FAST. One last thing, athletes should spend time lifting light weights, moderate and heavy weights. Ideally they are trying to express as much force as possible with all loads. This is strength training 101. And what you will get is an organic change of bar speeds. Lighter loads move fast, heavier loads move slower. THAT is the only acceptable "slow tempo" training there should ever be. 90% of your max loaded, you try to move it as fast as possible it's still going to be slow, but it's the intent and the force you're created into the bar that counts the most. By shifting your mindset around the relationship of strength and speed, athletes can better harness the true purpose of strength training: increasing speed, power, and performance.

All of my programming comes with a ton of coaching. My strength and my athlete focused programs utilize the mindset I laid out above and you will experience overtime a lot of my progressions promote speed eccentrics. I do this my introducing speed in 3 varieties to ensure success. Programs that really rely on this speed mindset are Super Sets, Rx Powerlifting, College Prep Athletes, 5 Tool Strength and Power as well as Custom Programs tailored for strength or athletic performance. Click the link below to shop all of my programs. Every membership comes with a FREE 10 day trial so you can "try before you buy".

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