The Study
The effects of eccentric and concentric training at different velocities on muscle hypertrophy
This study found that people who did eccentric exercises (like lowering a weight slowly) tended to get bigger and stronger arms than those who did concentric exercises (like lifting the weight up). But because we don’t know if people were randomly assigned, we can’t say the exercises definitely caused the changes — maybe other things helped too.
Analysis score
Maximum 90 for a randomized controlled trial.
Where the score came from
People who lowered weights slowly with control (eccentric) got bigger arms than those who lifted them (concentric). The fastest lowering made arms biggest and strongest.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 538 / 100
Quality score
Participants are randomly assigned to treatment or control groups, minimizing bias. The gold standard for testing whether an intervention causes an effect.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1Yes — after 8 weeks, arm thickness increased significantly only with eccentric training, especially at high speed, meaning this method could be more efficient for building muscle.
- 2Eccentric training at 180°/s: biggest arm growth and strongest gains.
- 3Eccentric at 30°/s: bigger arms than fast concentric, but not as big as slow concentric.
- 4No changes in people who didn't train.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
European Journal of Applied Physiology
Year
2003
Authors
J. Farthing, P. Chilibeck
Related Content
Claims (5)
If you're new to lifting weights, doing exercises where you lower the weight slowly (eccentric) might make your biceps grow bigger than exercises where you lift the weight up (concentric), after 8 weeks of training.
If you're new to lifting weights, doing slow eccentric moves (like lowering a weight slowly) at a slow speed might build more muscle than doing fast concentric moves (like lifting quickly), but not more than slow concentric moves — so speed matters differently depending on whether you're lowering or lifting.
If you're new to working out and do leg exercises where you lower the weight slowly and quickly, doing it at a speed of 180 degrees per second might give you the biggest strength gains after 8 weeks — faster eccentric moves might just be the secret sauce for getting stronger.
If you're a young adult who doesn't lift weights or do strength training for 8 weeks, your muscles won't get noticeably bigger or stronger on their own — you need to actually train to see changes.
If you're new to working out, doing elbow curls by slowly lowering the weight (eccentric) faster than you raise it (concentric) might make your biceps grow bigger than doing the same movement slowly or just lifting fast.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.