Improve your push ups and boost your strength by learning how to do an eccentric push up! Eccentric is a way of training in which you control the lowering part of an exercise to increase your strength. Basically, you work against gravity or resistance.
Learning and mastering the eccentric component of an exercise will make you stronger at the exercise itself. As a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist, if you want to dominate push ups, mastering the eccentric push up is a good place to start!
What Is An Eccentric Push Up
An eccentric push up is when you control the part of the movement in which you lower your chest to the ground.
So, instead of lowering to the ground quickly and pushing yourself back up, you’d resist the temptation to lower quickly and instead lower for a count of 3-5.
Muscle group: chest (pectorals)
Equipment: body weight
Experience level: beginner
Secondary muscles: triceps, abdominals, shoulders
This is a great step in learning how to do a regular push up as a beginner and developing upper body strength.
Eccentric push ups can be done on an elevated surface, on the floor, or even progressed to suspended push ups once you’ve moved past regular push ups.
Know that the same form for push ups still applies. The only thing you’re changing is the tempo in which you lower.
Benefits of Eccentric Training
- Increased strength
- Improved form
- More control
- More muscle engagement
How To Perform An Eccentric Push Up
- Begin in the starting push up position (a full plank) with your feet together and hands just slightly outside of your shoulders. Maintain a netrual neck.
- Keep the core engaged and a straight line as you bend the elbows backward and begin to lower toward the floor.
- Resist the urge to move quickly and instead control the exercise against gravity as you spend 4 seconds lowering to the ground.
- Flop to the floor and return to the starting position.
Beginner and Advanced Ways To Perform Eccentric Push Ups
As a beginner:
If you’re a beginner, you’ll want to flop onto the floor and then get back up into the starting position.
If you're advanced:
If you’re an advanced exerciser who wants to bust through plateaus, you’ll do an “eccentric-focused” push up. In this case, you’ll lower slowly toward the floor but instead of flopping, you’ll push back up into the starting position.
Tips To Perform It With Good Form
Make sure that your upper body (arms and spine) resembles an “A” at the bottom of the movement and not a “w”. Basically, don’t cock out the elbows.
Keep a neutral position on your neck throughout the movement, there’s no need to tuck your chin.
Squeeze the glutes and engage the abs to keep a rigid spine.
What is the difference between eccentric and concentric push-ups?
Every exercise contains an eccentric and a concentric portion. For push ups, the concentric part is when you use the main muscle groups to push back up from the ground.
The eccentric part is when you use the muscles that are being lengthened from the first phase in a controlled manner. For push ups, this is when you control the lower toward the ground.
Sets & Reps
You can add eccentric push ups into your training program either elevated off a bench or on the floor. Because eccentrics have a tendency to create wicked DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness), do not begin with high volume.
- Start with 2 sets of 4 repetitions.
- Move up the 3 sets of 5 repetitions.
- If you’re elevated (hands on a bench or chair), scale down toward the floor.
- Slowly add in more repetitions until you’re ready to perform a full push up.
You can also swap in eccentric push ups in something like a bodyweight push workout as you're learning.
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Frequently Asked Questions About Eccentric Push Ups
As you lower your body toward the ground you are performing the eccentric part of a push up. On the opposite side, as you push your body back up toward a full plank you are performing the concentric push up.
An eccentric exercise is when you control the lengthening part of an exercise instead of rushing through it. Any exercise can be eccentrically focused.
Eccentric training is when you place emphasis or increase the tempo on the lengthening part of an exercise and perform slow, long, contractions.
Bethany says
I just started to do home workouts and you made me realize that I've been doing push-ups wrong this entire time. I'm glad that you mentioned the proper form. Thank you!
fitasamamabear says
Ahh so happy to help!!
Rebecca says
I had never heard of eccentric push-ups (or eccentric training of any kind) so I learned something from this article! I learned several things, actually. I've been doing these in yoga workouts without knowing what they are, but my form is off - I think my arms are in the W shape not the A shape. So, going to correct that. Thank you so much for the information!
fitasamamabear says
SO happy yo give you a base to work on, don't hesitate to ask questions if you have them!
John says
My upper body feels more engaged, and I'm loving the results so far.
fitasamamabear says
Love it!
Gina says
This is a great way to build up strength and works so well! I do this with pull-ups too and have gotten so much stronger from the eccentric training!
fitasamamabear says
Amazing! It's such a game changer.