Power of concentric contraction: Building strength and improving athletic performance

Are you curious about how your muscles work when you exercise? If so, you've probably heard the terms - concentric contraction and eccentric contraction.

While both muscle contractions are important, concentric contraction is particularly important for building strength and power. In this article, we will take a closer look at this contraction and explore some examples and exercises to help you incorporate it in your workout routine.

---

What is concentric contraction?

Contraction builds strength and power (Image via Pexels/Karen Irala)

To understand this contraction, let's start with the basics. When you perform any kind of movement, the muscles contract and relax to make it happen. There are two main types of muscle contractions: concentric and eccentric.

Concentric contractions occur when a muscle shortens as it contracts. This is the type of contraction you use when you lift a weight, push yourself up from a chair or perform any other movement that requires force generation. In contractions, the muscle fibers are pulled together to create movement.

---

Benefits of concentric contraction

Concentric contraction can enhance athletic performance. (Image via Pexels/Andrea Piacquadio)

This contraction plays a vital role in building strength and power. When you lift a weight, for example, the contraction allows you to generate enough force to move the weight.

By performing exercises that focus on these contractions, you can increase your ability to generate force and improve overall athletic performance.

---

Concentric contraction example

Let's take a look at an example to help illustrate how these contractions work. Imagine you're doing a bicep curl with a dumbbell. As you curl the weight up towards the shoulder, the bicep muscle contracts concentrically.

The muscle fibers pull together to generate enough force to lift the weight against gravity.

---

Concentric contraction exercises

Examples of exercises: squats, bench press, push-ups (Image via Pexels/Andrea Piacquadio)

Now that you understand what this contraction is and how it works, it's time to incorporate it in your workout routine. Here are some exercises that focus on this contraction:

Squat - During a squat, the leg muscles contract concentrically to lift the body up.

Bench press - When you perform a bench press, the chest and arm muscles contract concentrically to push the weight away from the body.

Push-up - Push-ups are another great exercise that focus on these contractions in the chest and arm muscles.

Bicep curl - As we mentioned earlier, bicep curls are a classic example of an exercise that uses these contractions in the arm muscles.

Leg press - Like squats, the leg press machine allow you to perform a movement that focuses on the contraction in the leg muscles.

---

Incorporating concentric contraction in your workouts

To get the most out of your workouts, it's important to incorporate both concentric and eccentric contractions into your exercises.

However, if you're looking to build strength and power, it's particularly important to focus on concentric contraction. Try adding some of the aforementioned exercises in your workout routine and see how it feels.

As always, make sure to listen to your body, and make adjustments as needed.

---

Concentric contraction is a key component of building strength and power. By understanding what it is and incorporating exercises that focus on it in your workout routine, you can improve your athletic performance and achieve your fitness goals.

Remember that contraction is just one piece of the puzzle, so make sure to incorporate other types of muscle contractions in your workouts too.