An athlete's eccentric ability is one of the biggest game-changers in sport. It's their ability to control their own momentum (to stop, cut, and get going in a new direction) and is often what separates athletes who look fast from athletes who actually play fast.
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But if an athlete has poor eccentric ability, they need to perform these movements much slower so they can safely reverse their momentum. They'll increase the time to reduce the force. Compared to athletes that can handle high braking forces and also do it in short time windows.
Let's dive into how to develop an athlete's eccentric ability both on the field and in the weight room.
Why Eccentrics Matter
We'll start with an example, a squat:
-The least amount of weight an athlete can squat is concentrically, or lifting it up
-The second most amount of weight an athlete can squat is isometrically, or holding it still halfway down
-The most amount of weight an athlete can squat is eccentrically, or controlling it down
The issues arises because we pick weights based on what the athlete can do concentrically (pressing up), which loads the eccentric phase far below its capacity every time. A weight that is 75% of the athlete's concentric ability could only be 50% of their eccentric ability.
But this has implications beyond the weight room as well. Eccentric strength has two distinct roles in sport:
-"Elastic spring": storing energy on the way in and releasing it on the way out. Jumping, cutting, and reactive movements
-"Shock absorber": decelerating and stopping momentum. Hard stops, landings, and the braking before changing direction
Motorized Resistance Elevates Eccentrics
Eccentric training isn't new. Coaches have been doing this for years with triphasic training, altitude drops, weight releasers, and band-assisted deceleration work. Odds are that you're already doing some sort of eccentric training.
But here's what motorized resistance adds:
-Precision: loads can be dialed to the 0.1kg, and the concentric and eccentric loads can be set independently up to a 1:3 ratio (200% eccentric overload)
-Measurement: data comes back on force, velocity, power, and every derivative of those
-Specificity: eccentric loading can be horizontal for sports-specific work, not just vertical like in the weight room
The motor is very straightforward: concentric is away from the machine, eccentric is toward it. Then we adjust the loads and speeds, combined with the specific exercise, to develop an athlete's eccentric ability.
Eccentric Overload vs. Supramaximal Eccentrics
Eccentric overload (elastic spring): simply that the concentric and eccentric loads are different. For example, 6kg on the way up and 18kg on the way down. It's submaximal by definition, because the athlete has to be able to reverse the eccentric to start the concentric.
The purpose of eccentric overload is to challenge braking forces while keeping the concentric phase fast and explosive. The goal is to maximize the ratio, not the absolute load. Both landing and jumping with heavy loads (12kg / 18kg for a 50% overload) defeats the purpose, the jump will be slow. But jumping with minimal load (6kg / 18kg for a 200% overload) accomplishes the goal much better, keeping the jump fast.
Supramaximal eccentrics (shock absorber): the motor pulls the athlete in no matter how hard they fight it. This is the safest way to truly do supramaximal work because there's no weight on the athlete and the machine only makes as much force as the athlete puts into it.
The purpose of supramaximal eccentrics is for the athlete to produce higher braking forces than they could on their own.
Setting It Up on the Machine
-Loading: both the concentric and eccentric loads on the bottom left, tap the eccentric load to set it separately from the concentric. The max ratio is 1:3.
-Velocity: both the concentric and eccentric velocities on the bottom right, tap the eccentric velocity to set it faster than the athlete will be moving so they will feel the load
How to Start and Progress
The same principles apply as with the rest of training: start more conservative than you'd expect and feel it out yourself first.
Percentage overload doesn't translate directly across exercises. A 100% overload at 3kg / 6kg feels very different from a 100% overload at 30kg / 60kg. Small isolated muscle actions have a different sweet spot than heavy bilateral compound movements.
Then, we can program and periodize this variable just like everything else in a program:
-Week 1: 3kg / 6kg
-Week 2: 3kg / 7kg
-Week 3: 3kg / 8kg
-Week 4: 3kg / 9kg
Last, and always worth stating, that technique should always stay under control. If the athlete isn't ready when the extra eccentric load kicks in, it's a risk. Start simple and only add load as the technique holds up.
Conclusion
Eccentric ability is the difference between an athlete who can slow down and cut sharply and one who gets stuck in the mud. Motorized resistance makes that quality measurable, programmable, and more sport-specific than traditional methods can.
The point isn't to max out the loads. It's to challenge braking capacity while keeping the movements athletic. Start conservative, be intentional with technique, and build the ratio over time.
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Published: September 24, 2026