Build Muscle Faster - Lower The Weight Slowly

It is important to know that it order to build muscle

, in free-weight exercise there are two motions. The most obvious is the lifting motion which is also called the concentric phase. The other is the lowering motion which is known as the eccentric phase. When lifting the weight your muscle contracts and becomes shorter. When lowering the weight the muscle lengthens.

A common example is when you curl a dumb bell, you pull the weight up to your shoulder, this is the concentric phase where the muscle shortens. This is also called the positive stage of the exercise. When you lower it back down from your shoulder to arm extension, this is the negative or eccentric phase.

It has been proven that lowering the weight properly is just as beneficial as the lifting phase. If you are just letting gravity do the work, you are literally wasting valuable exercise opportunities. When you lower the weight with your muscles contracted, you are literally tearing muscle fibers and stimulating growth through muscle repair during the resting period.

If you are not exercising this way, try it with concentrated effort by slowing down your eccentric (lowering) phase the next time you workout. You should notice a significant amount of soreness a day or two after your workout. This is a good indication that a positive growth change is taking place in that muscle.

From now on when you are lifting free-weights, practice letting the weight return to the starting point without letting gravity do all the work. The way you can be certain that you are performing the lowering of the weight properly is to always contract your muscles during this lowering phase of the exercise. Always let the weight return to the starting position, slowly and smoothly. You will literally get twice the benefit from each of your free-weight exercise sets.

Don't forget to focus on letting your muscles rest between workouts. This is when your muscles are growing by repairing the torn fibers. It is a natural process of muscle growth that you do not want to interrupt by over working.

Another very important point is to always feed your body the necessary nutrients that your muscles need to repair and grow. Eat foods with amino acids (quality protein), vitamins, minerals and good quality carbohydrates. Eating properly will also make a huge difference in the results that you get.

It is important that you not only exercise with the proper technique and frequency with adequate rest between workouts, but also that you feed yourself what your muscles need to continue to recover and grow so that you can reach your goal of a muscular, well-defined athlete.

by: Ronald Stephens

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