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Now let’s talk about the basic elements of muscle-building training. What are these basic elements? They include things like how much weight to use during a muscle-building workout, how many sets to do, how to rest between sets, and how to schedule the training frequency. For muscle growth, training movements are the foundation, while the way you train is the core. The best way to arrange a muscle-building training program also depends on whether the person is a beginner or an experienced trainee—since their starting points differ, the recommendations will vary too.
A beginner refers to someone who has never trained at all and has no experience with any form of strength training.
An intermediate trainee is typically a person who has undergone systematic training for at least 6 to 8 months, with noticeable improvements in both muscle strength and muscle mass.
An advanced trainee generally refers to someone who has engaged in systematic training for at least one year or more, and has achieved a considerable level of improvement in both muscle strength and muscle circumference.
01Key Element of Muscle-Building Training: Muscle Contraction Methods
What is meant by “muscle contraction methods”? There are three main types of muscle contractions relevant to muscle-building training: concentric contraction, eccentric contraction, and isometric contraction.
When a person picks up a cup from a table and brings it to their mouth, the biceps brachii (upper arm muscle) undergoes concentric contraction during the “picking up” phase. Whether we use a barbell, dumbbell, or machine for training, as long as the weight (e.g., dumbbell plate) is moving upward, the muscle group being trained is performing a concentric contraction.
Eccentric contraction is the opposite of concentric contraction—it occurs when the muscle lengthens. For example, when placing the cup back on the table, the biceps brachii engages in eccentric contraction. During muscle-building training, the phase where the weight moves downward involves the trained muscle group performing eccentric contraction.
Isometric contraction happens when the muscle exerts force to keep a weight from moving up or down. A common example is the plank exercise, where many muscles are in isometric contraction. In this case, the muscles are working hard, but there is no visible movement of the body—it is a static state.
That is what concentric, eccentric, and isometric contractions mean. Of course, during training, the simplest way to tell them apart is by observing the movement trajectory of the weight: when the weight moves upward, the muscle (or group of muscles) generating force is undergoing concentric contraction; when the weight moves downward, the force-generating muscle (or group of muscles) is performing eccentric contraction; and when the weight remains suspended and stationary, the muscle is in isometric contraction.
要比做向心收缩的时候大。也就是说，我们可能举不起20公斤的哑铃，但是往往能放得下20公斤的哑铃。翻译
So what is the relationship between muscle contraction methods and muscle-building training? Understanding these methods reveals that eccentric contraction is more effective for muscle growth.
For beginners, there is only one key point to focus on: during training, you must ensure that your exercise movements include an eccentric contraction phase. Prioritize eccentric contraction in your training, and it will suffice to guarantee that every exercise movement incorporates an eccentric contraction process.
For intermediate or advanced trainees, how should we emphasize eccentric training? In general, there are two main methods.
- Increase resistance during the eccentric training phase
Train with a slightly heavier weight than usual. When performing an eccentric contraction, the same muscle can generate greater contraction force than during a concentric contraction. In other words, you may not be able to lift a 20-kilogram dumbbell, but you can usually lower it.
- Adopt Pure Eccentric Training
Eliminate the concentric phase—have a spotter complete the entire concentric phase for you, while you only focus on performing the eccentric phase. It is important to note that this training method is suitable only for trainees with sufficient experience, and proper safety precautions must be in place.
Veteran muscle-building trainees should use heavier weights to complete the eccentric contraction process. The speed of eccentric contraction can be increased moderately, but it must still remain an eccentric contraction. Since the muscle force generated during eccentric contraction is far greater than that during concentric contraction, heavier loads should be used for pure eccentric training.
With an understanding of the above muscle-building knowledge, you will be able to build muscle faster and achieve twice the result with half the effort when putting it into practice.
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